New at United: A quicker boarding process and seasonal non-stop flights from PBI to Denver

Mike Diamond, Palm Beach Post
Updated ·3 min read

Looking to ski this winter in Colorado?

United Airlines will offer Saturday non-stop flights to Denver from Palm Beach International Airport beginning Feb. 17.

The Saturday flights will be offered through the end of March. The one-a-day flights leave Denver at 9:40 a.m. (MST) time. They depart from PBI at 3:31 p.m. (EST). United offered weekend service in February 2021 and daily in March 2021.

PBI spokesman Joe Harrington said the airport is “thrilled” to see the resumption of service, noting that it is “just in time for the ski season and spring break.” United currently offers flights to Denver from PBI but those all involve stops. Flight times range from seven to nine hours but with the non-stop service that will be offered in February, the flight time will be about 3 1/2 hours.

United Airlines will offer non-stop Saturday flights to Denver from Palm Beach International Airport (PBI) in February.
United Airlines will offer non-stop Saturday flights to Denver from Palm Beach International Airport (PBI) in February.

More: JetBlue to again offer nonstop flights to Los Angeles from Palm Beach International Airport

Seasonal flights are also resuming at PBI with direct service to Charleston, Raleigh-Durham, Minneapolis, Toronto and Montreal.

PBI has again being named one of the nation’s best airports, ranking fourth best in the nation by readers of travel publication, Condé Nast Traveler, the airport announced.

“We are dedicated to providing a superior, stress-free customer experience, and this honor shows how much travelers really value that commitment,” Director of Airports Laura Beebe said.

More than 500,000 individuals voted in the Reader’s Choice Awards survey.  This is the third recognition PBI has received for being one of the best airports in the U.S. in 2023.  PBI was also honored by J.D. Power and Travel + Leisure.

The publication highlighted expanded airline service offered by ultra-low cost carriers and PBI’s “abundant charm.”  Condé Nast Traveler also noted that PBI features a putting green and has short lines for passengers. PBI continues to experience record passenger volume with nearly 7.5 million passengers traveling through the airport in the most recent 12 months.

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United's new boarding process starts this month - here's how it will work

This month the airline announced it will roll out a new boarding process it hopes will be more efficient for travelers and the airline.

The plan calls for those in window seats to board first, followed by those in middle seats and then those on the aisle. The goal is to eliminate the clumsy and time-consuming process of those in window seats maneuvering to their seats.

The company figures the new process called WILMA (window-middle-aisle) method will ultimately save about two minutes in flight boarding.

According to the airline, boarding will begin taking place in this order on Thursday, Oct. 26:

  • Pre-boarding: Customers with disabilities and unaccompanied minors, active duty military, Global Services members, families with children under two and Premier 1K members.

  • Group 1: United Polaris business, United first, United business, Premier Platinum, Premier Gold and Star Alliance Gold.

  • Group 2: Premier Silver, Star Alliance Silver, Chase and certain other credit card holders and paid Premier Access.

  • Group 3: Window seats, exit row seats and non-revenue passengers.

  • Group 4: Middle seats.

  • Group 5: Aisle seats.

  • Group 6: Basic economy on domestic flights and those between the U.S. and the Caribbean or Central America excluding Panama City and San Salvador.

For families and other groups sharing a reservation, all travelers will be eligible to board in the earliest category based on their tickets. So, if a family is occupying an entire row, all travelers on the reservation will board with the window seats in Group 3.

United Airlines has a number of direct flights out of PBI, including Newark, Houston and Chicago.

Mike Diamond is a journalist at The Palm Beach Post, part of the USA TODAY Florida Network. He covers Palm Beach County government and transportation. You can reach him at mdiamond@pbpost.com. Help support local journalism. Subscribe today

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: United Airlines: New boarding process; non-stop PBI flights to Denver