I have flown on UA a few years and am a Platinum member. I also have an 18 month old child.

A friend told me about this change being announced on Flyertalk. I see the issue from both sides and have some simple solutions that can speed up boarding, help families, and address the concerns of Premiers.

(1). Train the gate agents for consistent enforcement, monitored by supervisor, to prevent abuse.

(2). Require proof to UA that one child in the family group is 2 or under. Issue a pre-boarding document to the family that confirms this. The family cannot preboard without this documentation.

(3) Require a family desiring preboarding to be at the gate 55 minutes in advance of departure and preboard 45 minutes before departure. If they miss preboarding, they must board last. This will speed boarding up for all.

(4) For every family that books travel with a child ,
2 and under, United should communicate this preboarding information in advance to the family, along with all information pertaining to travel with an infant and airport processing times. These families should plan one additional hour at the airport.

(5) Strict monitoring by flight attendants to ensure that families preboarding sit in their assigned seats, do not take up bin space other than above their seats, and stow items needed during flight under their seats.

(6) Communicate in advance with these families that non-collapsible strollers must be checked at the ticket counter and may not be gate checked. Do not assume the family will seek this information on their own.

Some families will actually prefer to board last so they do not have to deal with cranky children in the cabin for 45 minutes before take-off.

(7). Insure that additional groups, like extended family or friends, do not take advantage of the system by tagging along with the main family unit that has the eligible child.

(8). By allowing preboarding, be sure to allow ample time for the family to gate check, get settled and install infant seats, and get seated. The GA should visibly check before continuing boarding the flight.