In an effort to reduce boarding time, United Airlines is changing the boarding process beginning later this month, reverting to a previous approach it hopes will reduce boarding time by two minutes.
United Airlines Revises Boarding Process, Returns To WILMA
Internal metrics have revealed that, on average, it takes a United flight two minutes longer to board than in 2019. That may not seem like much, but can add up throughout the day and theoretically should be the opposite considering United has expanded its basic economy fare class that does not include a carry-on bag.
To improve boarding times and increase its Net Promoter Score (NPS…details here), United will return to “WILMA” boarding as of October 26, 2023. I don’t quite understand the acronym, but WILMA means “window, middle, aisle” and is a boarding process United has used in the past. United will also add a Group 6 boarding for basic economy (currently basic economy is Group 5).
Multiple customers on the same economy class reservation will receive the same and highest applicable boarding group (excluding basic economy customers in boarding Group 6, which comes into play if a United MileagePlus elite books a basic economy ticket).
Pre-boarding and groups 1-3 will not change. The change will start with Group 4. Thus, United’s new boarding process will follow these steps:
- Pre-Boarding
- Customers with disabilities and unaccompanied minors
- Active-duty military
- Global Services members
- Families traveling with children two and under
- Premier 1K members
- Group 1
- United Polaris Business
- United First
- United Business
- Premier Platinum
- Premier Gold
- Star Alliance Gold
- Group 2
- Premier Silver
- Star Alliance Silver
- Chase-United co-branded cardholders
- those who paid for Premier Access
- Group 3
- Window seats
- Exit row seats
- Non-rev travelers
- Group 4
- Middle seats
- Group 5
- Aisle seats
- Group 6
- Basic economy (no larger carry-on bag permitted – only a small personal item)
Longhaul flights as well as select flights in Central America will not have a Group 6 since United allows carry-on bags when booking an intercontinental basic economy ticket.
United tested “WILMA” at one hub and four line stations this year and found overall boarding time was reduced.
CONCLUSION
United Airlines is attempting to speed up boarding times and improve customer satisfaction by boarding window seat passengers, followed by middle seat passengers, and finally aisle passengers. It is not clear if this will meaningfully reduce boarding times, but that is the goal and the new process goes into effect later this month.
> Read More: A Silly Attack On United Airlines’ Boarding Process
They would probably reduce it another five minutes if they just have families with kids board normally in their group. I seriously don’t get how this helps a family (other than on WN) or speeds up any process. Breaking down a stroller is probably done better when the jetway traffic is moving slower anyway.
I would think boarding them last with guaranteed overhead bin space would be the best solution.
Bingo. Until they can guarantee overhead space (esp on WN) no form boarding – back to front, window to aisle or upside down in the pike position boarding will work effectively. The boarding and seat saving games will continue…
Where were non-revs before? Group 3 or were they given no distinction? Is this ‘better’ or ‘worse’ than before for nonrevs?
Nonrevs were group three before.
Until people learn common courtesy and gain a sense of urgency, these are bandaids. Too many people for lack of a better word “dick around” and slow the system down. As an Elite I’m on early and get to sit down and watch it, but it’s still frustrating to watch. It’s many of society’s problems in a nutshell.
And Stuart is 100% correct about the families. It’s abused by many “families” of 6 with 1 child.
“NPS…details here”
I think you may have forgotten to hyperlink it?
Also, does this mean families with kids over the age of 2 or people traveling together now have to board at separate times depending on who is booked in the window, middle, and aisle seats?
No, article states that all members of a group get receive the same group number., the highest applicable among the group. So if you have tickets that would put you in group 3,4 and 5 for an entire row, everyone in the group would be group 3 for boarding.
So that applies to people in Group 1 as well? Good to know.
It’s WilMA.
I prefer to board last (1K), but even with a FC aisle seat and a roller bag, I’m not guaranteed a spot for my carry-on; until all cabins have the larger overhead bins, I will take advantage of pre-boarding.
I also have a severe hearing loss, If we could get gate agents to stop whispering the boarding announcements, that would help. LAS is the worst! Their boarding podiums are directly next to the loading bridge door and sometime 20’ away from the waiting areas.
My pet peeve occurs when multiple flights are boarding in the same area and they call boarding groups without announcing which flight they are talking about.
Untied?
So when a passenger on a basic economy fare gets assigned a window seat, the people in the aisle and middle will need to get up to let them in. I’m sure that won’t slow anything down…
The problem with having groups board together based on the highest boarding group is that solo travelers sitting on an aisle will unfairly lose out on overheard space. It will also bloat the size of that group relative to the others. I would support groups boarding based on the lowest boarding group as that bin space should remain open.
WILMA will work if pax in all cabins have 1 carry on. No strollers, oversized rollarboards, and carry on must fit under seat if not in shared overhead bins. Check all other bags at gate or counter. If pax can’t lift it, crew can’t either. Travel light and smart pax, If you need more room, book a premium seat not econ. Have plenty connecting time between flts.
Don’t rush, we all have to get on the plane (but I pity Southwest passengers with no seat assignment.) I still feel like we are sheep being locked up, corralled…
One reason people rush is carry-on bags are becoming larger and people want to ensure an overhead bin be available close to their seat…
Doesn’t matter what sequence is used, still get the requests for the seat shuffle.
Sorry, but I won’t give up my aisle seat!!
flying out of major united hub like SFO and CDG where 3/4 of the plane is elites does nothing to solve the problem. when everyone has status no one has status.
I flew long haul on sq recently and their boarding time was 30 minutes. they loaded the plane and had the door closed in less than that. Whatever they’re doing everyone else needs to follow.
If this is anything like DL in ATL or DTW, it would look like 86% of the pax would have been already called to board by group 2, making grp 3/4/5/6 not matter
Interested – what is the logic in having NonRevs in group 3? Why do staff and other nonref passengers need to board before regular window, middle, aisle passengers?
I ask as someone who usually travels as a nonrev and I don’t see any need to board before fare-paying passengers
It’s a courtesy. Also so we have bag space. Don’t know how you manage it but if you check a bag non revving and you have to take a sudden last minute detour, you’re screwed. This way at least your clean knickers are with you and you can dash for any trip there’s space on.
I just board according to the row I’m in. As nonrevs are often seated near the back, we typically get boarded early and in almost 40 years of travelling I’ve only been without my cabin bag once. When I have been further forward, never been more than a few rows away from my bag. If the airline manages hand baggage properly it should work.
Re checked baggage, security policy dictate that bags should not go without the passenger so even with late offload your bag should be with you – unless staff are excluded from that security protocol.
Either way, we get the benefit of heavily discounted/free travel, I don’t see why we need to be pampered on top of that. Fare paying passengers should take priority surely – it’s them that pay the bills.
It’s one of the benefits of the job, like health insurance or paid vacation days.
There’s a huge difference between paid holiday and insurance and boarding ahead of paying customers.
Do people who eat cheap at a restaurant get moved to the front of a line? Or do people availing of a staff discount at a store move to the front of the check out queue?
In addition to figuring out something better for families – a privilege that is often abused – I’d also recommend we do away with early boarding for military. The uniquely American fascination with the armed forces, apparent here, is awkward. And aside from thanking them for their service, their ability to board early serves no actual purpose for (de)planing. And this comes from someone with multiple deployments and 14 years in uniform under their belt. Fortunately this is a very small portion of actual flyers on any given day, but if we’re revamping the whole process, don’t half-ass it, UA.
Touchy subject, if they remove the military preboarding it takes only one right-wing clout chaser on Twitter (still refusing to call it X) to cause a ruckus. Probably not the wildest ruckus in aviation, thanks to Ed, but still.
The real problem is the scammers have aggressively returned. Fake handicaps, the pets in the cabin crowd (can people just leave them at home for God’s sake) and inexperienced with too much carry on are the issues. Wilma, Fred, Barney, Pebbles and Bam Bam won’t help til those things are addressed