Summary
- United Airlines plans to implement a brand new boarding process where window seat passengers in economy board first, but it surely’s unclear how carry-on bags will likely be handled, potentially causing inconvenience for aisle seat passengers.
- Most passengers will still board in the identical order as before, with priority given to those with special needs and military personnel. Premium cabin passengers and frequent flyers may even board early.
- While this alteration may save time and increase aircraft utilization, the trouble of boarding by windows, then middles, then aisles may outweigh the operational advantages. It stays to be seen if other airlines will adopt an identical system.
From an operational perspective, United Airlines’ announcement that passengers sitting in window seats will likely be boarded first raises quite a couple of interesting questions. Beyond the benefits of a more efficient boarding process, there are a selection of operational challenges that arise with this boarding process.
For a lot of, questions have arisen of how United will handle the loading of carry-on bags with the intention to be certain that those in aisle seats will still have the opportunity to seek out space as easily as those on the window or whether this will likely be an element considered in any respect. Moreover, how will United’s boarding process change, and what operational benefits will actually be achieved by the enactment of this policy? In this text, we’ll try and answer all of those questions.
The boarding groups
United has indicated that its boarding process will change in a couple of key ways, a few of that are fascinating to explore. One thing that needs to be noted is that the overwhelming majority of passengers will board in relatively the identical manner as was previously done.
Photo: United Airlines
First, those passengers with special boarding needs, including unaccompanied minors and people with disabilities, will proceed to be boarded prior to the remainder of the aircraft’s passengers. Moreover, lively duty US military personnel may even be preboarded alongside these other groups.
Afterward, boarding group one, which incorporates passengers traveling within the premium cabins and United platinum and gold members, will likely be unaltered. Also unchanged will likely be those that board in group two, which incorporates most people who own a United bank card or a silver level of status on the carrier. Once groups one and two have boarded, nearly all of the flight’s passengers (especially if on a route conducive to business travelers and frequent flyers) can have already taken their seats.
For group three, nonetheless, the carrier will board all remaining passengers with window seats alongside those in emergency exit rows and flying on tickets paid with redeemed miles. Lastly, group 4, which has now been reserved strictly for those in middle seats, and group five, which has been reserved for those with aisle seats, will have the opportunity to board. On many flights, the carrier will even add a sixth boarding group for those with basic economy tickets.
What about carry-ons?
It’s unclear whether United will make any specific adjustment to its policies regarding how carry-on bags will likely be allocated among the many recent boarding groups. For a lot of, gate-checking a bag can prove quite the trouble if one is on a decent schedule getting out of the airport.
If policies aren’t modified, then passengers traveling in aisle seats will turn out to be the more than likely to must gate-check their carry-ons, with middle seats unlikely to fare that a lot better. This might prove a nuisance to many, as those paying to pick aisle seats (as is usually done on United) will likely be unhappy continually having to gate-check bags. If United doesn’t adopt recent policies regarding carry-on bags, the alternative for passengers will soon be between having quick access to the aisle or a secured overhead bin for his or her carry-on.
But across the board, United’s operations aren’t truly changing in all that drastic of a fashion. Ultimately, the additional minutes saved by the carrier could help increase aircraft utilization, however the technique of boarding by windows, then middles, then aisles could prove a hassle not definitely worth the operational profit. Only time will tell if other carriers will adopt an identical system, which could potentially turn out to be the industry standard.