United will now let families board early

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 passengers onto the plane first, then give families a headstart 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. But they also want to reward first-class members by letting them settle in early. Additionally, airlines are making money selling early boarding directly to passengers or via credit card partnerships. Those who get on the plane first get a spot in the overhead bin for their bag; those who board last are typically forced to check their bags at the gate.

Some of the U.S. airline family boarding policies are:

• American Airlines: Families with children board before first class and elite members upon request only. The age is at the discretion of the gate agent.

• Delta Air Lines: Families with car seats or strollers can board before first class and elite members.

• JetBlue Airways: Families with children under age 2 board after elite members and passengers in premium seats but before the rest of the plane.

• Southwest Airlines: An adult traveling with a child 6 years old or younger may board after the "A" group has boarded and before the "B" group begins boarding.