United lets families board early, reversing 4-year policy

NEW YORK — United Airlines is trying to bring back a bit of the friendly skies, allowing families with young children to board early.

The move, which takes effect Feb. 15., lets families with children age 2 and under get settled in their seats before the rush of other passengers clamoring for overhead bin space.

United was the last holdout. It has forced families to board with everybody else since it revamped its boarding process in April 2012.

Policies vary from airline to airline. Some let families skip in front of everybody while others let the first-class and elite passengers onto the plane first, then give families a head start on the rest of the passengers.

It’s a delicate balance. The airlines want to board passengers as fast as possible and take most of the pain out of the process. However, they also want to reward elite members by letting them settle in early. Additionally, airlines are making money selling early boarding directly to passengers or via credit card partnerships.