Source: Elines 

The Company and AFA have consistently communicated via safety communications to Flight Attendants, under no circumstances is a jet bridge to be used as a passenger staging or holding area prior to boarding. Using the jet bridge to stage passengers is unsafe and is to be avoided. United’s Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) does not support this practice for any reason, including flights designated as “quick turns.”  

Boarding is coordinated between the Flight Attendant assigned to the Purser position and the Customer Service Representative (CSR) during the pre-departure briefing. Flight Attendants encountering difficulties establishing boarding times with the CSR, are encouraged to use your CRM skills to resolve the issue. If it isn’t safe, we should always be advocating for what’s best for safety and not necessarily what is most expedient. 

Additional information on this vital area of operational safety can be found on our website, unitedafa.org.