The North American airline United Airlines launched a new economy class boarding policy on October 26, coinciding with the start of the winter season. The procedure, baptized as WILMA (window, middle, aisle, or in Spanish, window, middle, aisle), contemplates that the first to board the plane are the passengers seated next to the window, followed by those who have seats in the center, so that the last to do so are those in the hallway.
The measure, which had been applied by the company in the past but was abandoned in 2017 after introducing the basic economy rate, aims to make the process faster and more efficient. United Airlines sources have quantified that the time savings that this procedure can achieve is two minutes. It may seem insignificant, however, it is very valuable time for the airline.
And one of the most chaotic moments of a plane trip is boarding. This is especially true in single-aisle aircraft, when the people occupying seats next to them have already settled in and are forced to get up to make way for their neighbors in the middle of the row or in the window.
The reactions have not been long in coming and numerous travelers who have flown with the company these first few days have already expressed their dissatisfaction. They argue that some seats are currently priced at a premium for their location on the plane, a policy they believe will need to be reviewed if the WILMA procedure is here to stay.
Another complaint that requires an urgent solution is the lack of space. They consider that occupants of window seats have advantageous access to the overhead compartments, while those who board last may have problems placing their carry-on luggage. For this reason, they argue the convenience of reducing their ticket rates.
United Airlines, which has not yet responded to user complaints, has reported that the new boarding process will be implemented on all its domestic flights and on some international economy class routes. Priority passengers and business class passengers will continue to board the plane first, and families will be able to do so together, a fear, the latter, that with the announcement is definitively dispelled.
