United Airlines thinks it has found a way to speed up the boarding process.
Travelers with 'elite status' will still get access first, but then passengers will be seated starting with window seats, then middle, and ending with aisle seats.
Joe Brancatelli, who runs the travel website JoeSentMe.com, told L.A.'s Afternoon News this new way might help a little, but only a little.
Brancatelli said, "The problem is, we know the best way to board a plane, which is just let people get on the plane and pick their own seats, but every airline except Southwest doesn't want to do that."
Assuming picking one's own seat is off the table - window, middle, aisle - might be better than what we typically see now, but he said, "[United] then breaks their own rule because they want their best customers to board first and the best customers almost always have the aisle seats."
United claims the boarding style will save up to two minutes, and Brancatelli said if they can maintain it consistently over the course of a day, it could mean significant savings for the airline. But, he believes they will likely lose out on any potential value by giving special treatment to higher-paying customers.
As for the customer, Brancatelli said even if you pay for an aisle seat but do not have 'elite status,' "You might still get a group number in the back, and you're now boarding last even though you have an aisle seat. Now, ostensibly, that might be fine - the problem is there isn't enough overhead storage space, so the people who board last are also often forced to gate-check their luggage when they want to carry on. So, those are the people who are probably most inconvenienced by this."
With all that said, if you are anything like KNX News anchors, Rob Archer and Karen Adams, who prefer a window seat, this change may not bother you all that much.
For the rest of us who would like to use the bathroom without having to climb over others or want to stretch out a leg, Brancatelli said this might be something to consider next time you fly United.
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