United effectively has 7 total boarding groups : pre-boarding plus numbered Groups 1 through 6.

Quick Scoop: How Many Boarding Groups Does United Have?

United’s current boarding process is built around six main groups, plus pre- boarding. In practice, that means you’ll see:

  • Pre-boarding (special assistance, some elites, military, small kids, etc.)
  • Group 1
  • Group 2
  • Group 3
  • Group 4
  • Group 5
  • Group 6

So if you’re wondering “how many boarding groups does United have?” the most accurate answer is:

United has 6 standard boarding groups (Groups 1–6), plus a pre-boarding group, for 7 total boarding groups.

Who’s in Each Group? (High Level)

Very roughly, United assigns groups like this (details can vary by route and fare):

  • Pre-boarding – Passengers needing extra time, families with very young kids, unaccompanied minors, some top-tier elites, active-duty military.
  • Group 1 – Premium cabins (Polaris, First, Business) and higher elites like Premier Platinum/Gold and Star Alliance Gold.
  • Group 2 – Lower elites (Premier Silver), Star Alliance Silver, eligible United credit card holders, people who bought priority boarding or Premier Access.
  • Groups 3–5 – Main cabin and Economy Plus, now boarded by seat location: windows and exit rows first, then middles, then aisles, to speed things up.
  • Group 6 – Basic Economy and some “last priority” economy tickets.

Why So Many Groups?

United added a seventh total group when it reworked boarding to split economy more finely by seat (window–middle–aisle) and to push Basic Economy to the very end. This change is meant to:

  • Cut down on aisle congestion by letting window people sit first.
  • Spread passengers more evenly instead of having giant clumps in just a few groups.

At the Gate: What You’ll Actually See

In real life at the gate, you’ll usually experience it in this order:

  1. Pre-boarding
  2. Group 1
  3. Group 2
  4. Group 3
  5. Group 4
  6. Group 5
  7. Group 6

Just match the group number printed on your boarding pass, and board when that number is called.

Quick Reference Table (United Boarding Groups)

[1][3][5] [3][5][1] [5][1][3] [1][3][5] [3][5][1] [5][1][3] [6][1][3][5]
Stage Group Label What It Means (High Level)
1 Pre-boarding Special assistance, some top-tier elites, military, very young kids.
2 Group 1 Premium cabins, higher elites, Star Alliance Gold.
3 Group 2 Lower elites, some credit card holders, priority boarding buys.
4 Group 3 Economy/Economy Plus in window or exit row seats.
5 Group 4 Economy/Economy Plus in middle seats.
6 Group 5 Economy/Economy Plus in aisle seats.
7 Group 6 Basic Economy and lowest-priority economy.
**Meta description:** United currently uses 7 total boarding groups: a pre-boarding group plus Groups 1–6, with economy now boarded by seat type (window, middle, aisle) and Basic Economy last.

Note: Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.