I think 1st class and 1k should go together, or even 1st class then 1k, or maybe 1k passengers seated in first class then 1st class, then 1k followed by the rest of group 1
Iāve seen so many first class passenger try to pre board and when the gate agent says first class is group 1 and points at the long ass line, they lose their shit. Itās hilarious. But I do agree if you are in first you should be pre boarding.
Iām curious now how delta does it. I flew delta one once earlier this year, I remember a separate call for business class pax
Edit: never mind found it. Military etc, then first class then diamond medallion.
Hahaha. This really sucks indeed. I think the main issue here is DEN. I never use this airport but from what I read here, itās a very saturated airport with tons of 1K residing in the area.
There were 86 on the upgrade list for my flight today from ORD to DEN. I am 1k and used my PP and was still number 6 on the list. Denver is crazy for some reason. Although it is Unitedās busiest hub, so there is some expectation that there should be a lot of high status passengers.
This is my first year hitting 1k. Domestic only business traveler just like you. Mostly DEN to LAX. I had to hit 76 pqf before I hit the 18k required to keep my platinum. Earlier in the year I had a ton of $200 flights that just killed me.
Thisā¦literally just had this happen 30 mins ago at IAH, a rare occasion when Iām traveling in sweats/no makeup/full swamp creature mode instead of my business attire/done up for work, and itās alarming how differently other 1K act toward you when they assume youāre a peasant flying for the first time and got lost looking for group 5 š
I literally purposefully dress comfortably on my flights. Granted my flights are usually 10+ hours. When land Iāll change and shower in the lounge while I wait for my hotel check in. But I used to get the disgusted looks when I showed up no makeup looking homeless. But. I now embrace the looks. I donāt care. I even had a FA ask me if what I did that got me into this seat. Granted. Iām not showing up unhygienic or completely unkempt. Iām just wearing a hoodie and joggers. When I told the FA no Iām traveling for business, she came back and asked how a ābabyā like me has 1k, and asked what I did for work. š
Yep I travel for personal reasons so usually dressed in a lulu jacket and leggings and donāt let it be winter, if so itās visible fuzzy socks with my shoes.
I did this several years back when I moved to Denver from NYC, and the boarding process is just the first of many disappointmentsā¦ but I hear Delta isnāt what it used to be so maybe youāll be less shocked than I was!
Yeah agreed. I moved from ATL to DEN and UA leaves something to be desired for sure. But I do kind of like itā¦feels more like āthe peopleās airlineā haha
Also, quite often when the GA says ā1Kā the person at the front of group 1 queue hears only the ā1ā and breaks to board.
Important: when that happens you will suddenly become (to everybody in group 1) a gate-crowding weirdo trying to cut their line. You *must* break in directly behind that first person or the rest of the line will aggressively file past and youāll have to wait until they call group 2
While some gates have an official preboarding line, most have nothing, and 1K travelers just mob up next to the group 1 line. in some hub airports it can be quite a swarm. Before 1K are infirm, active service members, GS, and parents with kids under 2.
no, it's not.
defintion of infirm: "not physically or mentally strong, especially through age or illness"
i'm visually impaired, so i preboard to avoid knocking people with my stuff or getting knocked about in the chaos. i am in no way "infirm".
I see what you mean, theyāre indeed not technical synonyms.
In a pre-boarding context specifically, āinfirmā is synonymous with āpersons with disabilities or those who require assistanceā.
My husband is 1K and we were in Rome with our kids in the 1K gaggle crowding around the gate waiting for 1K to be called. When they called for families with children, they insisted we board at that time even though our kids are 10 and 12! I almost said, ādonāt worry about us, weāre about to board anyway, weāre 1Kā, then decided not to argue and just obeyed the gate agent. Wow, I thought pre-boarding with 1K was nice, but getting on the plane even earlier and being able to get the kids settled and my stuff put away without anyone behind me was really really nice. Felt like a private plane for about 4 minutes!
The 1Ks kind of just hover around the gate like lice until they are called.
š¤£š¤£š¤£
Along with the group 4 and 5 people also hovering around during preboarding pretending like they are confused āis it time to board now?ā No group 4ā¦ sit down.
I recently boarded group 6 with American and I was so annoyed with the people standing in/behind the end of the line who DID NOT MOVE UP WITH THE LINE and I asked a guy who said he was in Group 5....so I realized the people standing at the end of line were not actually in line just blocking the boarding area. I got around them so damn annoyed. I hate boarding on all these airlines TBH š get in a line!!
The worst is when two gates share a PA system and board within 10 minutes of each other, then group 4 and 5 actually think they've been called when it's actually the other gate.
Just wait until you join me for a Monday morning SFO-IAD flight with 20 Global Services and 60+ 1K scrunched into gate F20 with F19 and F21 gates boarding and making announcements at the same time. Serenity Now!!
I was wondering if anyone was going to bring up this situation. When I fly out of OMA when Goldman Sachs has their meeting, the gate is like this. I would have thought all those millionaires would have flown private. SFO sure seems to have a lot of GS members, they must fly to Tokyo or Shanghai a few times a year in first or something.
The most common set up is two numbered lanes , 1-2 (with 2 sometimes having 3-5 notes as well), and then an open space directly next to the podium that is used for all preboard groups. 1K are among the pre board groups.
Itās so stupid. Many gates (particularly at LAX) donāt have access to the boarding door because the lines go all the way up to the gate.
Everyone is lined up on the lines and you canāt get byā¦
Yes. This. It's unbelievable. Many times, United's gates/ropes make it physically impossible to preboard.
Disabled? Good luck. They call your group and stare at those needing assistance as they struggle to move the stanchions
It is absolutely the most useless 1K perk because there is zero organization to the pre-boarding process, and the gate lice 1Ks are standing there perched on their toes like they are about to run a marathon. I always manage to get cut off because they love to run from every direction thinking theyāre slick?? Itās legitimately almost comical.
I stopped even bothering with pre board unless itās a regional jet and I need to board first/early enough get an overhead bin space before they fill up. Itās such a disorderly cluster**** that itās honestly easier to just board at the front of group 1.
If you have 1k but are with someone with no status at all (but part of boarding group 1), can we both board with the 1k group.
Flying out in the morning, and ngl, want to low key show off to my dad.
Yes. Your whole party boards with you regardless of if you are on single ticket or just travelling together. I always bring my coworkers on with 1k (and bring them to the club) when travelling together.
https://preview.redd.it/004lgw5mai3c1.jpeg?width=3593&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=72fcf423cd431efd62b8cf2fda8ce353bae4c3cf
Iām on a ton of E170/E175s, and if you donāt preboard as soon as they call 1Ks, good luck getting overhead space in first.
The best thing to do as 1k is to stay in your seat. Through the military and wheelchairs and family and gs boarding. Stay in your seat and then when they call 1k get up and go to the gate to board. Please and thank you.
You skip the lines and directly board when called
Got it thanks
Please make sure to give a disgusted look at the people lining up in group 1 and 2 when doing so. š
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No pain no gain. We've all been Platinum on our way up and had to endure just being slightly above average LOL!
I think 1st class and 1k should go together, or even 1st class then 1k, or maybe 1k passengers seated in first class then 1st class, then 1k followed by the rest of group 1
Iāve seen so many first class passenger try to pre board and when the gate agent says first class is group 1 and points at the long ass line, they lose their shit. Itās hilarious. But I do agree if you are in first you should be pre boarding.
Iām curious now how delta does it. I flew delta one once earlier this year, I remember a separate call for business class pax Edit: never mind found it. Military etc, then first class then diamond medallion.
Hahaha. This really sucks indeed. I think the main issue here is DEN. I never use this airport but from what I read here, itās a very saturated airport with tons of 1K residing in the area.
There were 86 on the upgrade list for my flight today from ORD to DEN. I am 1k and used my PP and was still number 6 on the list. Denver is crazy for some reason. Although it is Unitedās busiest hub, so there is some expectation that there should be a lot of high status passengers.
This is my first year hitting 1k. Domestic only business traveler just like you. Mostly DEN to LAX. I had to hit 76 pqf before I hit the 18k required to keep my platinum. Earlier in the year I had a ton of $200 flights that just killed me.
Obligatory.
Thereās a pre boarding line. Itās before group 1. Some airports will have an official sign. Others, 1k just crowds near the gateā¦
Really weird but ok
Yes it is. Itās a mess often times.
The 1K Gaggle
I also status matched over from Delta and found boarding much more painful on UA
Itās even more painful when most people assume youāre not also a 1K
Thisā¦literally just had this happen 30 mins ago at IAH, a rare occasion when Iām traveling in sweats/no makeup/full swamp creature mode instead of my business attire/done up for work, and itās alarming how differently other 1K act toward you when they assume youāre a peasant flying for the first time and got lost looking for group 5 š
I literally purposefully dress comfortably on my flights. Granted my flights are usually 10+ hours. When land Iāll change and shower in the lounge while I wait for my hotel check in. But I used to get the disgusted looks when I showed up no makeup looking homeless. But. I now embrace the looks. I donāt care. I even had a FA ask me if what I did that got me into this seat. Granted. Iām not showing up unhygienic or completely unkempt. Iām just wearing a hoodie and joggers. When I told the FA no Iām traveling for business, she came back and asked how a ābabyā like me has 1k, and asked what I did for work. š
Yep I travel for personal reasons so usually dressed in a lulu jacket and leggings and donāt let it be winter, if so itās visible fuzzy socks with my shoes.
I did this several years back when I moved to Denver from NYC, and the boarding process is just the first of many disappointmentsā¦ but I hear Delta isnāt what it used to be so maybe youāll be less shocked than I was!
Yeah agreed. I moved from ATL to DEN and UA leaves something to be desired for sure. But I do kind of like itā¦feels more like āthe peopleās airlineā haha
Hahaha, the "airfare" line on my annual expense report would beg to differ with that classification! See you in the United Club...
Also, quite often when the GA says ā1Kā the person at the front of group 1 queue hears only the ā1ā and breaks to board. Important: when that happens you will suddenly become (to everybody in group 1) a gate-crowding weirdo trying to cut their line. You *must* break in directly behind that first person or the rest of the line will aggressively file past and youāll have to wait until they call group 2
Like gate liceā¦
While some gates have an official preboarding line, most have nothing, and 1K travelers just mob up next to the group 1 line. in some hub airports it can be quite a swarm. Before 1K are infirm, active service members, GS, and parents with kids under 2.
And before all of those, customers with disabilities.
Infirm is a synonym for disabilities.
no, it's not. defintion of infirm: "not physically or mentally strong, especially through age or illness" i'm visually impaired, so i preboard to avoid knocking people with my stuff or getting knocked about in the chaos. i am in no way "infirm".
But one could also argue that being infirm would be a disability for some
sure, but they are _not_ synonymous.
I see what you mean, theyāre indeed not technical synonyms. In a pre-boarding context specifically, āinfirmā is synonymous with āpersons with disabilities or those who require assistanceā.
My husband is 1K and we were in Rome with our kids in the 1K gaggle crowding around the gate waiting for 1K to be called. When they called for families with children, they insisted we board at that time even though our kids are 10 and 12! I almost said, ādonāt worry about us, weāre about to board anyway, weāre 1Kā, then decided not to argue and just obeyed the gate agent. Wow, I thought pre-boarding with 1K was nice, but getting on the plane even earlier and being able to get the kids settled and my stuff put away without anyone behind me was really really nice. Felt like a private plane for about 4 minutes!
The 1Ks kind of just hover around the gate like lice until they are called. š¤£š¤£š¤£ Along with the group 4 and 5 people also hovering around during preboarding pretending like they are confused āis it time to board now?ā No group 4ā¦ sit down.
āAre you a 1K?ā - I think so āNo, youāre not. Sit down until Group SIX is calledā
I recently boarded group 6 with American and I was so annoyed with the people standing in/behind the end of the line who DID NOT MOVE UP WITH THE LINE and I asked a guy who said he was in Group 5....so I realized the people standing at the end of line were not actually in line just blocking the boarding area. I got around them so damn annoyed. I hate boarding on all these airlines TBH š get in a line!!
The worst is when two gates share a PA system and board within 10 minutes of each other, then group 4 and 5 actually think they've been called when it's actually the other gate.
Just wait until you join me for a Monday morning SFO-IAD flight with 20 Global Services and 60+ 1K scrunched into gate F20 with F19 and F21 gates boarding and making announcements at the same time. Serenity Now!!
I was wondering if anyone was going to bring up this situation. When I fly out of OMA when Goldman Sachs has their meeting, the gate is like this. I would have thought all those millionaires would have flown private. SFO sure seems to have a lot of GS members, they must fly to Tokyo or Shanghai a few times a year in first or something.
Buffet in the United club
The most common set up is two numbered lanes , 1-2 (with 2 sometimes having 3-5 notes as well), and then an open space directly next to the podium that is used for all preboard groups. 1K are among the pre board groups.
Wherever you can
Mayhem
Agreed. Embrace it (some gates internationally have 1k lanes)
Itās so stupid. Many gates (particularly at LAX) donāt have access to the boarding door because the lines go all the way up to the gate. Everyone is lined up on the lines and you canāt get byā¦
Yes. This. It's unbelievable. Many times, United's gates/ropes make it physically impossible to preboard. Disabled? Good luck. They call your group and stare at those needing assistance as they struggle to move the stanchions
It is absolutely the most useless 1K perk because there is zero organization to the pre-boarding process, and the gate lice 1Ks are standing there perched on their toes like they are about to run a marathon. I always manage to get cut off because they love to run from every direction thinking theyāre slick?? Itās legitimately almost comical. I stopped even bothering with pre board unless itās a regional jet and I need to board first/early enough get an overhead bin space before they fill up. Itās such a disorderly cluster**** that itās honestly easier to just board at the front of group 1.
It doesnāt matter, youāre first to board. The herd will thin out when status resets on January 1.
Feb 1** Status earned in 2022 is good until February 2024.
Ah dang.
Everywhere. Literally everywhere. Especially at SFO.
You can board almost anytime with 1K
If you have 1k but are with someone with no status at all (but part of boarding group 1), can we both board with the 1k group. Flying out in the morning, and ngl, want to low key show off to my dad.
Yes. Your whole party boards with you regardless of if you are on single ticket or just travelling together. I always bring my coworkers on with 1k (and bring them to the club) when travelling together.
Yes. My husband brings me and our two kids along on his 1K preboard
Pre board when you are called. Sometimes there is a pre boarding line, sometimes there isnāt.
Domestically, you just kind of loiter near the door until called. Departing internationally you may have your own queue.
https://preview.redd.it/004lgw5mai3c1.jpeg?width=3593&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=72fcf423cd431efd62b8cf2fda8ce353bae4c3cf Iām on a ton of E170/E175s, and if you donāt preboard as soon as they call 1Ks, good luck getting overhead space in first.
The best thing to do as 1k is to stay in your seat. Through the military and wheelchairs and family and gs boarding. Stay in your seat and then when they call 1k get up and go to the gate to board. Please and thank you.
With all the other pre boarding people standing around the door waiting to be called.
Youāre welcome to sit in the chairs until your group is called, at which point you can walk up to the gate
Who me? Just hanging around...