Touchless check-in: FAQ
At select airports, you can now check in to your United flight while keeping your hands clean and practicing social distancing, even if you're checking bags. Here's everything you need to know about our touchless check-in process, and how to print bag tags using our touchless kiosks at the airport:
When will touchless check-in be available?
We will begin testing touchless check-in at select locations beginning Sunday, May 10th.
Where is touchless check-in available?
We're kicking off with Chicago-O'Hare, Boston, Dallas-Fort Worth and Orlando to test the process and gather feedback from our customers and employees. In the coming weeks, we'll be rolling out touchless check-in to the rest of our locations around the world. We will notify you in the United app and in pre-travel emails if touchless check-in is available at your point of origin for your next flight.
How do I know if I can use touchless check-in?
If you're checking bags and are not subject to special exemptions, you can use a touchless kiosk. Simply check in on the United app or united.com/checkin, prepay any applicable baggage fees and you're travel-ready.
How do I use a touchless kiosk when I arrive at the airport?
Once you arrive at the airport with your boarding pass on your mobile device or with a copy you printed at home, simply approach the kiosk and scan your boarding pass in the slot just below the kiosk screen. Any luggage tags associated with the name on your boarding pass will begin to print immediately. If you have multiple travelers with checked bags in your party, you will be prompted to scan additional boarding passes for them as well. Luggage tags will only print when the boarding pass for the customer who is checking the luggage is scanned. When you're done printing and attaching your luggage tags, proceed to drop your bags at the designated location. Touchless kiosks can be identified by the words "Touchless check-in" on their screens or by signs at the airport.
What if I am not checking any bags?
You can already have a touchless check-in experience by checking in on the United mobile app or united.com/checkin and using the boarding pass on your mobile phone to progress through security and to the gate. You can also print your boarding pass from home. If you need further assistance, see a United customer service agent at a ticketing counter when you arrive at the airport.
What if I am unable to complete check-in on the United mobile app or united.com/checkin?
In certain cases, online or touchless check-in cannot be completed and you will need to use a traditional touchscreen kiosk or see an agent at the airport lobby. These include customers traveling on Basic Economy fares who are subject to our Basic Economy baggage policy, customers traveling internationally, customers traveling with special baggage items or customers subject to baggage fee exemptions such as active military traveling on orders. Don't worry, we're hard at work on touchless options for all of our customers and will communicate further updates once they are available.
What if I don't have the United app?
The United app is free to download from the app store for iOS or Android and provides a number of features in addition to touchless check-in that will help you manage your entire journey. Alternatively, you can go to united.com/checkin from your mobile phone to check-in for your flight, pay any applicable fees and obtain your mobile boarding pass.
What if I don't have a mobile phone?
You can complete online check-in from your home computer by visiting united.com/checkin on your computer's web browser. After checking in and paying any applicable baggage fees, you can print your boarding pass at home and bring it with you to the airport.
Can I talk to a United representative instead?
Absolutely. If you would prefer not to use a kiosk, you can see a United representative when you arrive at the airport. Processing times at our full-service counters might be a bit longer during peak travel times, so you should plan to arrive a little earlier.
What else is United doing to keep travelers safe?
Your safety is always our top priority. You can read more about the changes we've made at every step of your travel experience to ensure you stay safe and healthy when you fly with us.
As a member in the tourism, travel and transportation industries, United offers a unique perspective into the economic and operational effects rippling across the U.S. To advocate United's efforts, and in anticipation of a bright future, New York/New Jersey President Jill Kaplan and California President Janet Lamkin have both been named to their states' respective governor's COVID-19 response task force committees.
Appointed by New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy, Jill joins the New Jersey Restart and Recovery Advisory Council — a group of business and municipal leaders tasked with planning to restart the state's economy.
"Serving on Governor Murphy's Restart & Advisory Council uniquely positions us in the epicenter of helping to restart state's economy by providing innovative ideas, sharing best practices and creative thinking to help ensure the rebuilding of New Jersey's economic vitality alongside notable business leaders," said Jill. "I'm honored to represent United Airlines and the transportation industry as a core building block to expediting the state's recovery."
United is the sixth largest company in the state and one of the largest essential businesses continuing to operate through this crisis, and as or advocate, Jill will share some of our best practices and lessons we're learning with the nine different committees through the customer and employee lens.
On the opposite coast, California Governor Gavin Newsom last month appointed Janet to his Task Force on Business and Jobs Recovery. Joining Janet at the table are former California governors, legislative leaders and CEOs and executives from numerous businesses with large stakes in the state, such as Apple and Disney. In addition to Janet's position on the task force, Janet is also serving on the Long-Term Jobs Recovery sub-committee and will advocate for industries suffering long-term ramifications of COVID-19 such as tourism, travel and entertainment.
"Being appointed to Governor Newsom's Task Force on Business and Jobs Recovery ensures that United is part of the important conversation and part of the plan to help California pave the way toward a fast, safe recovery of jobs," said Janet. "It is an honor to represent the only transportation business on the task force, and I look forward to working alongside a group of very distinguished leaders and focusing on innovative ways to rebuild the economy for our 40 million residents. This work will build on our partnership with the Governor to provide free flights for medical volunteers and having our employees call to check in on isolated older adults as part of the Social Bridging Project."
Pre-COVID, we transported 38 million passengers to, from and within California each year, and directly and indirectly supported tens of thousands of jobs, so the health and well-being of the industry is vital to the prosperity of the state.
As the only airline represented among each of these groups, Jill and Janet are working hard to ensure that our voices, as a company and industry, are heard, valued and utilized as a new chapter dawns on the horizon.
We remain passionate about connecting the world safely
United CleanPlus SM is our commitment to putting health and safety at the forefront of your journey, with the goal of delivering an industry-leading standard of cleanliness. We're teaming up with Clorox to redefine our cleaning and disinfection procedures, and over the coming months, we'll roll out Clorox products across our U.S. airports, starting in select locations, to help support a healthy and safe environment throughout your travel experience.
At the airport
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At check-in:
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1Implementing temperature checks for employees and flight attendants working at hub airports
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2Installing sneeze guards at check-in and gate podiums
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3Encouraging use of the United app for contactless travel assistance and more
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4Promoting social distancing with floor decals to help customers stand 6 feet apart
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5Introducing touchless check-in for customers with bags
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At the gate:
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6Disinfecting high-touch areas such as door handles, handrails, elevator buttons, telephones and computers
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7Providing hand sanitizer and
disinfectant wipes -
8Allowing customers to self-scan boarding passes
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9Boarding fewer customers at a time and, after pre-boarding, boarding from the back of the plane to the front to promote social distancing
On our aircraft
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1Providing individual hand sanitizer wipes for customers
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2Requiring all customers and employees to wear a face covering and providing disposable face coverings for customers who need them
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3Temporarily removing onboard items like pillows, blankets and inflight magazines
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4Disinfecting high-touch areas, like tray tables and armrests, before boarding
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5Reducing contact between flight attendants and customers during snack and beverage service
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6Ensuring aircraft cleaning standards meet or exceed CDC guidelines
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7Applying social distancing to seating procedures when possible, including:
- Limiting middle seat selection
- Moving customers seated closely together
- De-planing in groups of five rows at a time to reduce crowding
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8Using electrostatic spraying to disinfect aircraft, to be completed on all flights by mid-June
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9Using state-of-the-art, hospital-grade, high-efficiency (HEPA) filters to circulate air and remove up to 99.7% of airborne particles
We're working closely with the experts at Cleveland Clinic to advise us on enhancing our cleaning and disinfection protocols for the safety of our employees and customers. Visit Cleveland Clinic's website to learn more about COVID-19.
Hello. I'm Scott Kirby, the new CEO of United Airlines. I'm a proud Air Force Academy graduate and have spent my entire career in and around aviation, including the last four years as President of United.
While I had planned for my first communication with you to be about the meaningful investments we were making to the travel experience and our continued growth across the U.S. and expansion to exciting new destinations around the world, today, the situation rendered to us by the COVID-19 pandemic leads me to a different type of message.
First, I graciously and humbly thank you for your business. Now, more than ever, our customers' loyalty is so deeply appreciated by every member of the United family.
As essential workers, the men and women of our airline have been hard at work over the past two months to transport vital medical supplies and critical goods to places that need them most, to provide free travel to healthcare professionals and to help thousands of individuals repatriate to their home countries.
Safety has always been our top priority, and right now in the midst of an unprecedented crisis, it's our singular customer focus. We recognize that COVID-19 has brought cleanliness and hygiene standards to the front of your mind when making travel decisions. We're not leaving a single stone unturned in our pursuit to protect our customers and employees.
We are installing plexiglass in lobby and gate areas, we're using the same equipment used to clean hospitals to disinfect the interiors of our aircraft, all crew and customers on board are required to wear face mask coverings and we're taking the temperature of our employees before they start work.
But at United, we're not stopping there. We're teaming up with experts from Clorox and the Cleveland Clinic to set a new standard for cleanliness and healthy flying that we are calling United CleanPlus℠.
Clorox is working closely with us to improve how we disinfect common surfaces and provide our customers with amenities that support a healthy and safe environment.
Physicians and scientists at the Cleveland Clinic, will advise us on new technologies and approaches, assist in training development and create a rigorous quality assurance program. And, as scientists learn more about how to fight COVID-19, Cleveland Clinic experts will help us use those discoveries to quickly implement new ways to keep our customers safe.
While we may not know when this pandemic will subside, what we do know is that travel is so deeply woven into the fabric of our global culture. We all desire to visit family, dance at a friend's wedding, hug parents…and see the wonders of this beautiful world. No matter how sharp the picture quality – or how strong the WiFi signal – there's simply no substitute for being there – in person – to collaborate, celebrate, explore. We are confident that travel will return. And when it does, United Airlines will be ready to serve you again in the friendly skies.
Thank you. Be well. And I look forward to seeing you on board.
Together, we are facing an unprecedented challenge. United Together, we rise to meet that challenge.
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Calling all AvGeeks and travelers! Here's a fun way to take your next video call….from a United Polaris® seat, the cockpit or cruising altitude. We're introducing United-themed backgrounds for use on Zoom and Microsoft Teams, video conferencing tools that many people are using to stay connected.
So for your next meeting or catch up with friends and family, download the app to either your computer or mobile device to get started. If you've already downloaded Zoom you can skip ahead to updating your background image (see instructions below).
To use on Zoom:
- Start here by downloading your favorite United image to your computer or mobile device. Just click "download" in the bottom left corner of the image.
- Next go to your Zoom app (you'll need to download the app to access backgrounds) and click on the arrow to the right of your video camera icon in the bottom of the screen.
- From here select, "choose virtual background" to upload your uniquely United photo.
- Start by downloading your favorite United image to your computer. Just click "download" in the bottom left corner of the image.
- If you're using a PC, copy the image you want to use into this folder:
- C:\[insert your device user name here]\AppData\Microsoft\Teams\Backgrounds\Uploads
- If you're using a Mac copy the images to this folder on your computer:
- /users/<username>/Library/Application Support/Microsoft/Teams/Backgrounds/Uploads
- If you're using a PC, copy the image you want to use into this folder:
- Once you start a Teams meeting, click the "…" in the menu bar and select "Show background effects" and your image should be there
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This is why we fly.
20 UCSF Health workers, who voluntarily set aside their own lives to help save lives, are on their way to New York City.
We are humbled by your selfless sacrifice.
Thank you.
#UnitedTogether #UCSFHeroes
In celebration and appreciation of all first responders and essential workers. 👏🏻👏🏼👏🏽👏🏾👏🏿
This is the story of Jason and Shantel. You see, Jason and Shantel love each other very much. They also love traveling and they love the classic Adam Sandler film, The Wedding Singer.
It all began when Jason reached out to United's social media team, hoping for assistance with his upcoming plan to propose. Some phone calls and one borrowed guitar later, the stage was set for Jason. Put all that together, mix in some helpful United employees and, voila, you have a truly memorable marriage proposal. Congratulations to this fun-loving and happy couple, and here's to many more years of making beautiful music together.
A big thank you to Chicago-based flight attendants Donna W., Marie M., Karen J. and Mark K. for making this proposal come to life.
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