New Boarding Process

The red carpet won't be a mess if:

1. People stop lining up on it well in advance of boarding. This was a problem before the new system; the main difference is now that there's a larger number of people who can use that lane on UA. Contrast this to CO flights where all elites could use the blue carpet lane (which CO pioneered long before UA introduced its red carpet) and there hasn't traditionally been a problem with crowding that line.
2. Announcements are simple, clear, and consistent about who can board and when, with clear separation between the status groups.
3. People sit down until they're called.

If that happens, the chaos goes away. If everyone continues to crowd around the red carpet well before boarding starts, it's still going to be a mess.

The real advantage of the red carpet lane isn't the early boarding for premium classes and elites. It's the ability for those passengers to bypass the general boarding process once the premium class and elite pre-boarding is completed and general boarding has begun.

That's all very true. But how do they get people to not crowd the red/blue carpet? Why has it not been a problem with CO in the past, i.e., what was different? (I don't believe CO elites are fundamentally different humans)

Until they have merged the elite levels, it will be difficult to make the announcements simple and clear. There are just too many levels to list out and the GAs aren't exactly familiar with them yet.

For me ultimately it's not a matter of boarding order, though. I'd be perfectly happy to be the last person to walk on the plane right before they shut the door if I was assured there would be enough space for my standard-size rollaboard near my seat. I don't particularly care about the pre-departure drink in F or being slammed a hundred times by passengers' bags as they walk down the aisle.

I don't know what the difference is, but there has been one. I've been elite on both CO and UA for a number of years; all of the last decade on CO and almost half of it now on UA. I've always seen a lot more crowding of the gate on UA flights, which has only gotten worse recently as the red carpet lane was opened up to the full elite population.

A few years ago when WN was determined to end the refuge camp appearance of its gates and revamped its boarding process, their gate agents were very proactive with asking passengers who were lined up at the gate well in advance of boarding to be seated, and they regularly made gentle and friendly, but persuasive, announcements asking passengers to remain seated until their boarding group was called. Somehow they managed to make it work. The merged UA/CO needs to figure out a way to accomplish this as well, but I really don't know what the secret is.

A few well placed warning shots over their heads should do the trick

Heh. I like the way you think.

I don't often travel on WN thanks to my EQM addiction, but their boarding process is quite painless. It's fairly easy to understand where one belongs in the boarding order. With about 10 different elite levels, paid premier access people, and "random" other groups such as uniformed military and passenger groups with 0-4 year-olds thrown in, and on top of that "those who need a little more time", the whole UA/CO approach is just way too complex.

And as UA apparently discovered, it's really not very popular with those who paid extra for E+ access and ended up being among the last to board, finding no overhead space anymore.

IMHO consistency is the key, not just in this area. Folks getting on ahead of elites who are not elites, yet because the gate agent does not enforce the order, people figure they can just ignore the boarding sequence. This extends to inside the cabin. I'm certainly not perfect, but I dutifully comply with all of the takeoff and landing requirements. I'm tired of sitting there with my phone off and my seat up etc. while other folks text, use their table etc. I wish the FA's would do a better job of enforcing these rules. The minute I leave my phone on, I get nailed.

Thank you for some great news UA Insider! (now any word of pillows in domestic F coming back? <ducking>)

Well, congrats to all of you high tiered "elites" funded by the company you work for. You will get your wish. Us lowly "elite lice"( as someone on these boards referred to us) being 2P will board behind you. Won't stop the crowds around the gate as you board. And I will still be the one getting you up out of your aisle seat to let me into my window. NO, I will not crawl around you. You will get up out of your seat and like it. Heheh. I have observed the other system over the past month or so and it didn't really seem to make much of a difference to me, boarding with the rest of the elites or behind. Oh well. It's all in the "status" I guess for some and just hearing that you can board before another person in theory. Good luck and happy trails.

Sometimes I think I am just going to quit flying. Lol

My 1K status is self-funded. My job doesn't involve travel (and I am glad it doesn't).

If I have an aisle seat on a longer (> 4 hr) flight and it's not exit row, I usually greet my center and window compatriots with "please do not hesitate to let me know when you need to get up, even if I am sleeping".

Bitter?

Just didn't react very nicely to being referred to a "elite lice" by the other person at the time. Heheh. I held off for a long time before making any comments anywhere. Personally, I don't care when I board as long as I'm on before the plane leaves? . I usually try and put my belongings under the seat for ready access so I don't have to bother anyone to get up. I don't bring everything including the kitchen sink on the plane with me. And I have great bladder control? So, the issue with the overhead compartments is not mine. Besides, more often than not, when I have put something in the overheads, someone else comes along and re-adjusts, squishing anything I might have and they get angry if you comment on that too. Just thought that all of the uproar over all of the supposed "elites" boarding at the same time on the red/blue or purple for that matter carpet really meant that much.

Lol, I guess I should find and quote that original post.

It kind of becomes unmanageable when literally half the plane at hubs like SFO has elite status and thus simultaneously tries to push towards the front of the red carpet.

I am fairly certain on most flights there is overhead space left whether I am the first or the last elite to board. But the elite cattle call is annoying. After a recent flight I considered just standing back and making loud "moooh" noises

Thanks Scott! Nice to know UA has an ear to the ground on.

i am no longer a UA elite and have flown SFO-PDX on UA a few times in the last month and for some reason the boarding by row numbers is a slow disaster on A320s - the line is huge and slow moving. i am doing overnights with a backpack so tried hanging out in the gate area using the internet, but then they insisted that everyone go through and stand in line on the jetway.

Très simple, mon ami. Put the rope barrier before the carpet, not after it.

Nor are Continental lines different from other lines. The problem, if it is a
problem, is universal.

Thanks for the announcement, UA Insider! I have flights on the every day from the 7th through 10th next week, so I'll be sure to report back on my experiences at ATL, CLE, and ORD.

This is probably true. No matter when I will board, I'll still have to wade, push and shove through everyone huddled as close to the gates as they can get to board whenever. Heck, half the time anymore I'm on tight connections due to whatever delay and end up boarding after everyone else. At least I won't have to suffer the agony of having to force my way through walls of people. I think I might just bring alone a cow bell on my next flight

But the actual carpet is just the tip of the lice berg, and fencing it off won't change the fact that there is a cloud of people hovering around waiting to board.

I guess I still don't understand the big hubub, particularly for elites. The bottom line is that for elites, no matter which boarding process was followed, there is going to be overhead bin space for you on the plane, even if you are the last elite on...and that's all that really matters.

This new boarding process does not appear to be working as well as the old process. Out of eight domestic flights in the last ten days, I've seen 1K's, First Class and GS' standing on the Red/Blue carpet prior to boarding, and when military are called to board, the first person in line has to do this clumsy move forwards and out the way, while the other three or four suits (invariably) sort of bunch up to one side. Either way, the one military member has to dance over them to get on board, and it often takes him/her a while to break through the crowd of 1K lice that now keep a slight distance in order to not be in the way. Of course, they still slow things down because the one military passenger has to navigate through a sea of 1K's, F, GS, Plat, Gold, 2P, etc pax who are now hanging close to the magic carpet too.

I saw this too yesterday, but I must note that both the elites and the
military person behaved fairly gracefully.

I believe that the rub for many elites is that in a HUB, I think it's VERY possible that overhead space anywhere near one's seat could be limited or non-existent with the elite "cattle call". YMMV.

This is key. I hate having to stow my bag 3-4 rows behind where I'm sitting, as it makes the egress process upon arrival that much more difficult.