United Airlines will change its boarding process, starting October 26th. According to an internal memo, United is boarding planes two minutes slower than they were prior to the pandemic. And so they’re moving to what they call WILMA, which is basically ‘Window Middle Aisle,” and adding a new sixth boarding group for domestic flights. The airline tested this in May.
United’s New Boarding Process
United will call boarding in the following order:
- Pre-boarding: Customers with disabilities; unaccompanied minors; active duty military; Global Services members; 1K members and families traveling with children under 2
- Group 1: Passengers in the most premium cabin on the flight; mid-tier elites including Star Golds
- Group 2: Silver elites and partner airline equivalent; United credit card customers; paid Premier Access passengers
- Group 3: Passengers sitting in a window or exit row seat, non-revenue passengers (such as employees and family)
- Group 4: Middle seats
- Group 5: Aisle seats
- Group 6: Basic economy
The first three groups remain the same as today. Group 4 gets split in half, with aisle seat passengers traveling on their own moving to the new group 5. Group 6 will apply to domestic flights only, where basic economy passengers aren’t permitted to bring a full-sized carry on bag on board.
Passengers on the same reservation will all get the best boarding group that anyone on the reservation is entitled to, except that basic economy passengers will still wind up in group 6 even if they’re booked together with a MileagePlus elite passenger or co-brand credit card customer (who is entitled to a better boarding position for themselves).
What I Dislike About United Airlines Boarding
A paid first class passenger without 1K status or better is behind so many people in boarding that first class overhead bins can be full by the time they board, even if they are at the gate prior to the start of boarding.
In many airports passengers are queued in their boarding groups (‘boarding pens’) before boarding begins. Instead of waiting until your group is called to line up, you’re lined up early. And if you don’t you’re at the back of your group’s line. That’s bad for anyone who isn’t eligible for ‘pre-boarding’. You have to show up at the gate earlier and queue earlier – it’s people waiting on planes, rather than planes waiting on people, the traditional low cost carrier vision.
I far prefer American Airlines boarding which usually starts five minutes later than United’s boarding process (though I wouldn’t be surprised to see American increase boarding times with a new flight attendants contract) and where passengers are expected to line up when their group is called. There are still passengers, colloquially known as ‘gate lice’, who clog the boarding lanes before their group is called. But it’s far more civilized because it means less queuing than at United.
Why Boarding Is Taking Longer Now
There are fewer business travelers, and more leisure travelers. Frequent flyers tend to board more quickly. Traditional business travelers also may have been taking day trips with fewer carry on items. Business trips with leisure add-ons involve more bags for longer stays. It’s likely that a combination of changing passenger compositions, flying different kinds of trips, is lengthening how long it takes to board.
Even A Couple Of Minutes Delay Is Costly
Airlines constantly try to optimize their boarding process, since short delays in boarding mean that each flight takes a little longer, which adds up over the course of a day. Even two minutes per flight across half a dozen domestic flight segments could mean that the airline isn’t able to schedule its last flight at as optimal a time to sell to passengers (for instance, it might push past 8 p.m. which could lead to lower sales). Or, if keeping to its original schedule, may mean more delayed flights and even misconnecting passengers.
The Most Efficient Boarding System Doesn’t Work In Practice
Many studies have found that optimal boarding looks like
- Back to front
- Window to aisle
- Skipping a row of passengers at a time (for instance boarding row 30, then row 28, before going to 29 and then 27) to give people plenty of room
That way everyone has space, and no one is delaying another passenger. Everyone can sit down right away, and get out of the way.
But this theoretical boarding runs into practical problems right away. You can’t actually board seat 30A, then 28A, before letting the middle and aisle seat in row 30 board. People are traveling together and expect to board together. Some of those people traveling together are families with small children. Others provide each other with assistance, even if a wheelchair isn’t required.
Then airlines have commercial considerations that trade off with ‘most-efficient’ boarding. Early boarding (or out of sequence boarding) is a benefit that they market to their most frequent flyers (elite status benefit). It’s also a benefit that helps them to market co-brand credit cards, which are their highest margin product.
And so each airline tweaks their boarding process, trying to get a little bit more efficient, but not going all out requiring passengers to split up purely based on their seat assignment.
The extremes that this and other airlines go to in order to speed up boarding will have little effect. Southwest has figured out and has been using the most time saving, efficient way to board for YEARS.
sounds like disorganized chaos
“But it’s far more civilized because it means less queuing than at United.”
Standing around absent-mindedly is better than queuing? There are 50 million people in England who would vehemently disagree.
@Ben – standing around absent-mindedly? You’re in the lounge longer, or showing up at the airport later. You’re sitting in the gate area, even, still working. Or taking an extra minute to grab a coffee. You’re not stuck in a boarding pen.
Now, you’re right about the U.K. I’d say even more so France. Parisians queue!
Frequent flyers should not prefer to.
So if I have an aisle seat I’m never going to be able to fit my bag in the overhead?
How about instead of charging non-elites for checked bags, start charging them for their carry-on suitcases and allow checked bags for free? The only reason carry-ons became such an issue is because they started charging to check bags and suddenly everyone is doing what they can to save $35 per flight (duh). Amazing how much more quickly you can load the plane if the whole fight for overhead space is gone and no delay in seating while someone is struggling to make their oversized bag fit or struggling to lift in into the OH bin in the first place. It would even do away with gate lice. We all know the only reason everyone starts lining up early is to secure OH space.
Until overhead space is guaranteed, none of these boarding “plans” will ever work. Laughable.
I think the root of the slow boarding and deplaning is the amount of “carry-on” bags when most airlines starting to charge for checked luggage. I remember when airlines could turn a narrow body aircraft in 30 minutes and wide body (domestic flight) in 45 minutes. Now it sometimes takes 30+ minutes just to board!
So a couple paying full economy and who want to sit together are going to be separated at boarding? A family of three with a child, let’s say 9 years old and sitting together, will likewise be separated?
This simply isn’t going to work if the answers are yes and yes.
Logically, it should be easy to program and assign into the same “group” any family or group traveling on a single PNR.
But as said above, by keeping the carry-on mess, it won’t matter. The Southwest manner will always be the quickest.
Another major annoyance, and likely a contrarian view, is that it makes zero sense to board the slowest passengers first. Also there is very little policing by the gate agents of who actually should pre-board. And with a quote to the brilliant George Carlin (what does it mean to preboard? To get on before you get on??), why not just call the pre-board group group one? On Delta you have a different challenge which is that people with sky priority think they actually get any form of priority, which couldn’t be further from the truth in reality.
@jsm the answers are no and no. As Gary wrote, “Passengers on the same reservation will all get the best boarding group that anyone on the reservation is entitled to, except that basic economy passengers will still wind up in group 6 even if they’re booked together with a MileagePlus elite passenger or co-brand credit card customer ”
Even if that were the case (again, it’s not), the person(s) with the higher boarding position can always choose to board later.
You have several conflicting priorities while boarding. The airline wants to recognize elite fliers and board them first, at the front of the plane. They stick the basic economy people in the last group, usually in the back of the plane. Meanwhile, they’ve crammed as many seats as possible in the plane giving pax little room to maneuver to their seat. Yes, unbundling prices and charging for bags compounds the problem, but overhead space was tight long before that (during my 30 years as an airline employee). Bottom line, the quicker everyone can board, the better off everyone is.
Unworkable stupidity, chaos prone especially in UA’s minuscule gates. And fully agree with previous comment about relegating full fare first class, non 1K passengers to Group 2. I’ve experienced the full bin situation on numerous occasions. At least Delta welcomes their super elites and first class passengers to board together!
We’re not done until we get rid of pre-boards and assign everyone a group.
There’s no such thing as pre-boarding. It’s boarding and should be treated as such.
I’m so glad I am no longer able to travel now because of age and health issues. The behavior of people who fly on airplanes is beyond acceptable. Like everything else in this chaotic country.
Real issue is, the policy of one carry-on bag and one personal item which practically translates to two full size carry-on bag. No one keeps their ‘personal’ item under the seat. Carry-on bag is for personal item. Keep personal item in the one-and-only carry on bag.
So many people are abusing the “those that need extra time boarding” call. They are not being challenged by gate personnel and just jump in to avoid boarding in the last groups. It’s only going to get worse because more and more will take notice and start doing it.
Will they board without punching you in the face if you’re a doctor with a valid seat or killing your pet by putting it in the overhead?
Literally half the plain is Group 2 on any given flight out of SFO these days.
I wonder how much this will help when a quarter of the aisle seats are taken by Group 2-ers before the WILMA portion even starts.
Queue up in reverse order of row. Then do window -middle-aisle.
I’d also like to see some innovation in overhead bin space, such as partitioned bins assigned to each seat, or possibly sold a la carte .You get your space and no more. If it doesn’t fit you have to check it.
As others stated, the boarding process bottleneck is carryon luggage.
If we could just get rid of stupid people, people who only care for themselves, and people with zero situational awareness. They are the ones causing 90% of the issue. “OH look honey I forgot to get my thingamijig out of my carry on… I’m in the window seat, can you ask that gentleman to get up so I can get it out before we take off?” Or….. I’ll just wipe my seat down with this useless wipe, readjust my stupid mask while my fat a$$ sticks out in the aisle.
Lastly does first class seriously needs that refreshment during the boarding process (the other 10%). As someone who Flie enough to get bumped up on occasion…. no it isnt.
@Gary – You cannot, on one hand, skewer for DL for putting “profit or money ahead of loyalty”, turning SkyMiles into a joke by selling better than 70% of F seats, and then turn around and skewer UA for actually putting loyalty ahead of money by pre-boarding their most loyal elite members (GS, 1K) ahead of some regular Joe with the money to purchase first- or business-class ticket!
You’ve been corrected every time you’ve made that bogus claim. UA does not have “boarding pens”. They board everyone through just two lanes that are marked as 1 (Blue Lane) and 2 (Green Lane).
Everyone is supposed to remain seated while boarding proceeds in the following
1. Pre-boarding and boarding of Group 1 through the Blue
2. Then Group 2 through the Green Lane
3. The Group 3 and higher through the Green Lane
The Blue Lane remains open for late arriving elites to board as higher Groups are boarding through the Green Lane.
What often happens is that restless people in Groups 1 and 2 decide to go stand in the Blue and Green Lanes, respectively, instead remaining seated until called. That is behavior that is tough to control. However, simply because those folks crowd the two lanes early does not mean that they will board the earliest. Gate agents still control the show by calling specific groups to start boarding. GS and 1K elites, who are not typically among those that crowd the Blue Lane early, are pre-boarded, meaning that folks who crowd the lanes early are not even the ones that board the planes first.
UA might have had “boarding pens” at some points, but they have not had any for over a decade. I suggest you update the claim before you recycle the post (or better yet, fly with UA, observe how things are actually done, and then write an accurate post about it 🙂 ).
Boy @DCS you misread me.
“You cannot, on one hand, skewer for DL for putting “profit or money ahead of loyalty”, turning SkyMiles into a joke by selling better than 70% of F seats, and then turn around and skewer UA for actually putting loyalty ahead of money by pre-boarding their most loyal elite members (GS, 1K) ahead of some regular Joe with the money to purchase first- or business-class ticket!”
First, that’s not what I’m saying about Delta. They’re taking a huge gamble with their loyalty revenue, and I’m trying to communicate to customers what they’re doing so they can make good choices for themselves. It’s not profit vs loyalty.
Second, what United isn’t doing is ‘putting loyalty ahead of profit’ their system causes people (both loyal and not) to waste time.
Your description of everyone in groups 1 and 2 lining up prior to the start of boarding is precisely what I’m writing about.
What I Dislike About United Airlines Boarding
A paid first class passenger without 1K status or better is behind so many people in boarding that first class overhead bins can be full by the time they board, even if they are at the gate prior to the start of boarding.
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I actually….dont believe this.
If you’re in First or Business and the bins are full by the time you board – thats just criminally bad management by the cabin crew. If they are allowing coach passengers to put their bags up there as they walk by, thats a crew problem.
I’ve seen other airlines putting signs on the bins that its for that cabin only. Heck on AA I’ve boarded last of the Business Class passengers in a 20 seat cabin and not had an issue.
United tried this years ago and it was a massive fail. Everybody hated it and it took way longer to board. Why on earth would they try it again?!
Sounds like it’s time to buy a walking stick and claim “extra time for boarding”.
What ever…just don’t ask me to give up my aisle seat!!!
Start charging people for CARRY ON LUGGAGE.
, and make checked luggage free. You will see that people without luggage will move a lot faster and get off quicker.
I work for a major airline and the problem with charging for Cary ons is all of a sudden instead of 100 bags checked you’d have 200. Space below could be a problem but the bigger issue is weight. Something magical happens with cary ons, their weight is not calculated. If you check the exact same bag it’s weight is calculated. They use an average weight of 30 pounds. Now the airplane is over weight and passengers need to come off. They never remove cargo because they know they can give a passenger a voucher which majority of people never use. Best way is board back to front regardless of class or whatever they dreamt up to make you feel special and take and extra 35 bucks. At the end of the day everyone is in the same tube. Perhaps they can setup a lounge at every gate and give fist class service there while they wait to board last.
THE only, sole, total problem is charging giant fees to check baggage and store it in the luggage hold under the aircraft and force passengers to bring it into the passenger compartment.
The “only two minutes of boarding and deplaning is costly” makes no difference to the airlines. Instead, we have the majority of passengers taking massive time storing and retrieving their 40-pound “carry-on” bags from the “coat rack” above our heads.
My experience with United boarding is that it doesn’t matter what the “policy” is, when boarding starts it’s just a huge scrum and everyone rushed the gate. There is no enforcement of the policy. I’ve never seen anyone turned back no matter what seat assignment they have. It’s ridiculous.
@Gary — Your response to both points is just the usual fluff. That UA boards their top elite members (GS, 1K,) even when they hold Y tickets before occasional first-/business-class travelers means that the airline prioritizes their most loyalty members. From the POV of the loyalty game player what is there to “dislke” about that?! MileagePlus is, fact, the only one of the Big 3 FF programs that still upgrades its elite members with some consistency…
My description of the actual UA boarding process is not at all like your “boarding pens” claim, which you have been recycling for years every time boarding has come up as a topic, although the airline has changed its boarding process a few times. There was a time, years ago when UA did have several boarding lanes — one per group. It is those that you are, rather characteristically, still referring to years later even though they no longer exist. Time to change your tune…
Jam your bag in, sit down.
Let’s not make this hard.
That is absolutely correct. It would be criminal, which is why it is a nonexistent “problem” that @Gary imagined.
While UA GS and 1K elites holding Y tickets can board before first-/business-ticket holders, (a) they are not allowed to use overhead bins in first/business class and, more importantly, (b) they do not need to because as the earliest to board, they have plenty of overhead bin space just by their seats in Y, where they would be able to just get up and collect their stuff immediately on arrival!
This will be first year 1K access will be a full pre-pandemic levels. So number of 1Ks should drop significantly in 2024.
We flew Qantas and Air New Zealand several times this year and every flight boarded via two jetways – front and back of plane. Or by rolling stairs (front & back). Super fast! Very impressive.