Tell me about United check-in procedure

[nvrenoughdisney]

We always fly Southwest but are flying United on our upcoming trip. What is the check-in procedure? Do I have to check-in at exactly 24 hours prior like with Southwest? I'm assuming this can be done online. We already have seat assignments if that matters. Thanks for your help!

 

[helenk]

The reason you check in at the 24 hour mark with SW is so you get a good letter and number for your boarding pass.
With United it you've already chosen your seats, then you do not need to check in at the 24 hour mark. You check in on line, you can do this just before you go to the airport if you want, this way you have your boarding passes.

 

[OKW Lover]

No need to be obsessive about checking in 24 hours ahead of time with United. You can do check in then, but you can also just wait until you get to the airport. There is really no advantage to check in ahead of time if you are checking bags since you have to stop at the counter anyway.

 

[NJRRK]

You can check in online UP TO 24 hours prior to scheduled take off. You can, but don't have to, check in for your return trip at that time. When you check in online you can also pay for baggage fees online. Easy

Note if you are using EWR. Check in lines on the top floor (3, I think) are usually MUCH shorter.

 

[tinkerbell313]

We just used United last week and checked in at the 24 hour mark. Our seats were not the same seats that we chose 6 months ago. They had my 8 year old DD in row 34 and I was in row 11. It was just the 2 of us. We usually fly Jet Blue so this was new to us. After talking with some other people I was told this is common for United.

This happened both on the flight down to MCO as well as on the flight back. We had to make the seat changes at the gate. The airline had to find someone to switch seats.

I was not happy about the situation since I booked seats with seat assignments 6 months ago. But, it ended up working out in the end.

So my point is, with United, no need to check in at the 24 hour mark.

 

[macraven]

We just used United last week and checked in at the 24 hour mark. Our seats were not the same seats that we chose 6 months ago. They had my 8 year old DD in row 34 and I was in row 11. It was just the 2 of us. We usually fly Jet Blue so this was new to us. After talking with some other people I was told this is common for United.

This happened both on the flight down to MCO as well as on the flight back. We had to make the seat changes at the gate. The airline had to find someone to switch seats.

I was not happy about the situation since I booked seats with seat assignments 6 months ago. But, it ended up working out in the end.

So my point is, with United, no need to check in at the 24 hour mark.

i use United all the time for flights.
you need to check your flight info, especially the seat assignments a few days out and before you leave for the airport.

United does change seats around even after you booked them.
this does not happen each time i book but on occassions.

all it takes is a call before you get to the airport for the seats to be switched.

i had this happen 2 days before i departed for orlando this month on united.
a phone call changed the late switch back to what i booked.

easy peasy.

 

[DebbieB]

It's a good idea to check-in before you get to the airport. I was on a Continental flight a couple of years ago that had to bump 2 people after we had boarded due to weight & balance. No one volunteered so the last 2 people to check-in were bumped. Plus if there is an issue with your seating you have a better chance to work it out.

 

[tinkerbell313]

When I checked in, my seat assignments had my seats together. They changed after that point. I was given new boarding passes at the airport when I dropped off my luggage. I was told that I had to switch seats at the gate.

What is the point of choosing seats if the airline is not going to honor those seats...especially when they knew the age of my daughter? DH uses United ( company mandated) once a week and says 9 times out of 10 his seat assignment changes.

I don't want to high jack OPs thread. The point is, with United, online checkin is not necessary especially when you have luggage.

 

[lost*in*cyberspace]

We just used United last week and checked in at the 24 hour mark. Our seats were not the same seats that we chose 6 months ago. They had my 8 year old DD in row 34 and I was in row 11. It was just the 2 of us. We usually fly Jet Blue so this was new to us. After talking with some other people I was told this is common for United.

So my point is, with United, no need to check in at the 24 hour mark.

It is not common for UA to switch your seat assignments. This usually happens after an equipment swap. You need to check online occasionally to make sure this hasn't happened. If it has, the sooner you discover it, the better chance you have of finding seats you want.

 

[tinkerbell313]

It is not common for UA to switch your seat assignments. This usually happens after an equipment swap. You need to check online occasionally to make sure this hasn't happened. If it has, the sooner you discover it, the better chance you have of finding seats you want.

As I stated previously, I had boarding passes that I printed out when I checked in the day before that had our seats together. When I arrived at the airport and checked in my luggage, I was handed new boarding passes with different seats and was told I had to try to switch seats at the gate.

 

[lost*in*cyberspace]

My point was that it is not common for UA to change seat assignments. Your seat change was likely due to an equipment swap at the last minute. You didn't provide enough info to know for sure.

 

[nvrenoughdisney]

Thanks for the help. They actually did change my seats already, scattering my 3 young kids around the plane. Luckily I caught it and they fixed it. It is distressing to hear they can still change them after check in though. I was excited not to have to worry about where we would sit !

 

[Greysword]

Yep, you definitely need to worry about it all the way to getting on the plane.

In addition, you may want to know that United (seems to have) the worst customer service of all the legacy (and most low-cost) airlines in the US, at this time. There is an internal civil war occurring between the pre-merger Continental and United folks, which is driving morale low. Just wanted yo to know that your experience may be hit-or-miss and likely will not be anywhere near what you're used to on WN.

Also, United has the worst on-time departure of the US airlines, too. Same morale issue at play. The delay could be weather related, but more times than not it is due to mechanical issues and/or crew swaps.

You can check your flight's stats here:

http://www.flightstats.com/go/FlightRating/flightRatingByRoute.do

Good luck!

 

[Cynt]

My point was that it is not common for UA to change seat assignments. Your seat change was likely due to an equipment swap at the last minute. You didn't provide enough info to know for sure.

Help me understand what an equipment swap has to do with the seats? Is equipment swap code for a plane change?

 

[crashbb]

Help me understand what an equipment swap has to do with the seats? Is equipment swap code for a plane change?

Yes. A change in the type of plane (equipment) that it used. So, it may change the number of rows and/or the number of seats in each row - meaning that people need to be seated in different seats.

 

[bumbershoot]

I was excited not to have to worry about where we would sit !

The only time I *don't* worry (or think about) where I'll sit is when I'm flying Southwest. Since '87 when I started flying on my own, I've had my seat switched too many times to count. It's why I started flying SW, actually. I choose my seat when I get on the plane, and I KNOW that seat is mine. With the others, you just never quite know. Now I fly the other airlines, mainly b/c DH has status with United and Alaska (and we LOVE Virgin America), but the seat stuff is still on my mind. Though now DS is 8 and brave and loved sitting one row behind me on our last flight with miles (coinciding with "weather" on the east coast which bumped planes all around and caused panic at SeaTac), so I think about it less.

 

[Jestocost]

Yes. A change in the type of plane (equipment) that it used. So, it may change the number of rows and/or the number of seats in each row - meaning that people need to be seated in different seats.

And it doesn't have to appear to be a major switch. Say you were booked on a United flight in row 32, but they swapped a 737 500 in place of the planned 737 700. Ooops. While there is a row 32 on the 737 700, there is no row 32 on a 737 500 and you're going to have to be reassigned. Unfortunately, there might not be enough seats together somewhere else on the plane for your group to all sit together. (On the plus side, row 32 is a really crappy row to sit in as the seats don't recline, they are 1" narrower than the other seats, there's no bin space directly overhead and the lavatories are right behind you.)