United Airlines is expanding enhancements to its boarding at gates in airports around the world.
The updated boarding process gives customers more space at the gate, less time waiting in line and improved boarding information to create a less stressful environment.
“The boarding process was one of the top areas customers told us they wanted improved,” said Sarah Murphy, vice president of global operations strategy, planning and design at United.
“We listened to customers and employees as we tested a variety of processes on thousands of flights until we found a better boarding process that results in less time spent waiting in lines, improved communication and a better way to recognize our Premier customers while balancing out the number of passengers in each boarding group.”
The improvements start with reducing the number of boarding lanes from five to two, giving customers added space, more time to relax and less time spent in line.
With more time, passengers can enjoy a nearby United Club or lounge or airport restaurants and shops before their flight.
United app users will also receive a new alert when boarding has begun for their flight, making it easier to know when to make their way to the gate.
In the future, United will expand these notifications to text messages.
Digital displays in the gate area also keep customers informed with updated helpful boarding information.
United started testing a variety of boarding concepts in the fall of 2017, soliciting feedback from customers and employees along the way.
After testing these changes at numerous airports, United received overwhelmingly positive feedback from customers and employees who experienced the better boarding process.
United began rolling out aspects of this process, including updated signage at select airports across its network earlier this year, and putting it into effect at all gates at Los Angeles International Airport in February.
The new boarding will appear at over 1,000 gates across the globe.