United Airlines has refreshed its mobile boarding pass, offering more info in a clearer format.
With the latest (v4.7) version of the United app, when you look at your boarding pass on your mobile device screen, you will now see:
- The terminal number from which your flight will depart
- Your boarding group, boarding time and seat number more prominently displayed
- A visual alert that tells you when you’re seated in an exit row
- A slide-up drawer with flight status information
- The option to open a standalone window with an isolated and centered bar code for easier scanning
Here are some images of the new boarding pass:
The appearance of the pass in Apple Wallet has not changed.
United has made great strides in its mobile app over the last couple years and I almost feel like these changes are redundant. The most recent larger refresh to the app included helpful new push notifications to let you know when your flight is boarding and help guide you the gate, something the new boarding pass now replicates.
Since I often try to balance desire for overhead bin space with trying to remain in the lounge as long as possible and board last, I appreciate these up-to-the-minute notifications.
CONCLUSION
The takeaway is not today’s update itself, which is relatively minor, but that United continues to invest in its mobile boarding pass. I find it the best in the business and hope that United will continue to improve it.
> Read More:
- Testing Out The New United App
- United App Now Lets You Check Star Alliance Flight Status
- United Mobile App Tells You Exactly Why Your Flight Is Delayed
To me one of the real questions is if the app will be a reliable indicator of when boarding will begin. Because when you lan to depart the lounge to arrive at your gate just before boarding begins only to find out they actually started 10 mins ago it’s not much help.
The app (and text message to alert about boarding) is tied to when the first boarding pass is scanned. So this would be pre-boarding for people needing extra time going down the jetbridge.
I have both text and push notifications set up and I find I get both the push notification and text message within 5 seconds of the scan of the boarding pass.
Very reliable.
Interestingly, though, the Apple Wallet boarding pass (which I use) has not changed.
AFAIK there’s no such thing as an Economy Plus fare!
You are correct.
Longtime AA loyalist but United has a far superior mobile app.
“help guide you the gate” ??
Directions from current location. Airport maps.
I understand their desire for passengers to focus on ‘boarding time’ rather than ‘departure time,’ but it would be nice if they still had the latter on the boarding pass.
Also, (not directly related to boarding passes) but it would be neat if gate agents could push a notification through the system to specific passengers’ phones when they’re being called over the PA.