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United Hub Logo Toggle Search Bar US US Japan UK - Ireland Search Newsroom Close window Related articles United Airlines Resuming Service Between San Francisco and Shanghai United Announces Upsized Pricing of MileagePlus Senior Secured Notes Offering United Announces Proposed Senior Secured Notes Offering by MileagePlus Subsidiaries This link is to an external site that may or may not meet accessibility guidelines. Travel Inspiration Featured in inspiration: Image of Wing walking in the sky Wing walking in the sky Image of The foodie's guide to Asia The foodie's guide to Asia Image of How to spend 10 days in Southeast Asia How to spend 10 days in Southeast Asia Image of 9 things to do in Maui for families 9 things to do in Maui for families Image of The Hemispheres guide to family vacations The Hemispheres guide to family vacations Explore more Journeys Featured in journeys: Image of How traveling changed the course of our future How traveling changed the course of our future Image of Guide to Singapore: An island apart Guide to Singapore: An island apart Image of Explore down under: Travel guide to Sydney Explore down under: Travel guide to Sydney Image of A United 1K reveals how he got to a million miles A United 1K reveals how he got to a million miles Image of San Francisco: New views and brews San Francisco: New views and brews Explore more Destinations Featured in destinations: Image of The day off: Austin The day off: Austin Image of Charmed by Southern Africa Charmed by Southern Africa Image of Three Perfect Days: Tel Aviv Three Perfect Days: Tel Aviv Image of The insider’s travel guide to Madrid The insider’s travel guide to Madrid Image of Guide to the must-see neighborhoods of Chicago Guide to the must-see neighborhoods of Chicago Explore more Fly United Featured in Fly United: Image of The United app is now even better The United app is now even better Image of Get to know United® Premium Plus Get to know United® Premium Plus Image of Taking our mobile app to the next level Taking our mobile app to the next level Image of Introducing Better Boarding Introducing Better Boarding Introducing Better Boarding By United Airlines , 17 September 2018 The feedback from customers and employees was clear: we needed to improve our boarding process. As part of our ongoing efforts to put customers at the center of everything we do, we identified boarding as an opportunity to improve the airport experience. We tested a variety of different boarding processes on thousands of flights across multiple airports. Best practices emerged from each test, and combined, they now form what we are calling " Better Boarding ". Better Boarding consists of three key improvements Less time in line: By reducing the number of boarding lanes, there is more space for customers to enjoy the gate areas, many of which have been completely remodeled with more comfortable seating and in some airports, the ability to have food and drinks from within the airport delivered directly to the gate area. Over the years, we have invested millions of dollars in our terminals, and now with less time spent standing in line, customers will have more time to dine, shop, relax, work or enjoy a United Club℠. Simplified gate layout Say goodbye to the five long lines we see today Group 1 will board through the blue lane. Group 2 will board through the green lane, followed by groups 3, 4, and 5. Late arriving customers in Group 1 and 2 will use the blue lane. Customers in groups 3, 4, and 5 always use the green lane. Better information: We are providing customers with more information throughout the boarding process so that they feel more at ease, and more equipped with the latest information about their flight. Customers with the United app can receive a push notification once their flight starts boarding. Customers will only receive the notification if they've opted in for push notifications and have a mobile boarding pass in the app's wallet. Enhanced communications Be in the know about boarding Customers will receive boarding notifications through the United app (if they've opted in for notifications). Improved gate area digital signage to guide customers through boarding. Balanced groups and better recognition: United MileagePlus® Premier 1K® customers will now pre-board and United MileagePlus Premier Gold customers will be boarding in Group 1. For more information on our boarding groups, visit: https://www.united.com/web/en-us/content/travel/airport/boarding-process.aspx Improved premier customer recognition We're happy to make them happy Improved premier recognition and better positioning of customers to create balanced boarding groups. The new Better Boarding process is just one of the steps we are taking to improve the customer experience. We will continue to collect feedback from customers on ways we can further improve boarding and you may receive a post-travel survey to tell us more about your experience Show less Keep reading Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linkedin Share on Pinterest Share by Email Copy article permalink Link copied to clipboard. Reveal more sharing options Image of Sustainability meets design: Improving our United Clubs Sustainability meets design: Improving our United Clubs Explore more Travel tips Featured in travel tips: Image of 10 tips to make your travel easy 10 tips to make your travel easy Image of Cape Town: A first-timer’s guide to the Mother City Cape Town: A first-timer’s guide to the Mother City Image of 10 essential tips for the solo traveler 10 essential tips for the solo traveler Image of How to take care of the world as you travel around it How to take care of the world as you travel around it Image of The best ways to pass time on a flight The best ways to pass time on a flight Explore more People Featured in people: Image of Ode to a flight pioneer Ode to a flight pioneer Image of Connections Matter: Going the extra mile for you Connections Matter: Going the extra mile for you Image of Gone but not forgotten Gone but not forgotten Image of Seeing the world one race at a time Seeing the world one race at a time Image of A captain's dream comes true A captain's dream comes true A captain's dream comes true By Gladys Roman SFO Boeing 787 Captain Al Langelaar was only 5 years old when his parents, survivors of WWII, decided to emigrate to the United States from the Netherlands in search of a better life. "My parents grew up during the Nazi occupation. They were about 10 years old when the war broke out, and when they met later in life and had me, they didn't have a lot of money," recalled Al. "I remember my aunt dropping us off, us getting on a boat, and going inside a cabin to go on this journey across the Atlantic. We had really bad weather, and I got sick inside the cabin. That's basically all I remember." It was Jan. 31, 1962, when Al and his parents arrived in New Jersey and then took a train to Pasadena, California, where they settled to start their new life. "My parents didn't speak English, I didn't speak English, they were starting a new life and they worked hard," Al said. The value of hard work is a lesson that he never forgot, and he knew he would have to work even harder the day he fell in love with airplanes. "I was 18 yea...