eldy

Newly minted 1K here.

Piggybacking a quick question here regarding the 1K benefit of complimentary Economy Plus for 8 travel companions.

Is there a way for me to book a J ticket for myself and a Y ticket for a companion(s)?

I'd like to travel more with my son who is 9 and I think he's old enough to sit in Y by himself. He's got lots of flight experience and it's been mostly in J but he's a little guy and doesn't really need the space. On premium transcon flights he sometimes doesn't even recline his seat preferring to play video games the whole way and he's taken a meal exactly one time instead opting for a snack box the rest of the time. It'd be nice to book him in Y but up front closer to the J cabin. We also took two international vacations this year with our babysitter, said 9-year old, and 1-year old. We all flew in J but it was a lot harder to find itins with four contiguous seats. It'd be much easier if we could stick the three in Y and wife and I in J. Not to mention the cost savings.

I spoke with the 1K desk and they said what we all have to be in the same cabin per PNR and we also have to be on the same PNR to get the free Economy Plus access at booking. If there's no way around it, then 1K isn't really worth it since I'd rather pay for guaranteed J rather than rely on upgrading.

--EDIT--

Would this work?

Purchase two J tickets on one PNR. 1 ticket for my wife, 1 ticket for the babysitter (both general status).
Purchase three Y tickets on a different PNR and select Economy Plus seats for free. 1 ticket for myself (1K), 2 tickets for kids (general status).

When we get on the plane, switch seats with the babysitter. I could be at the mercy of a strict FA regarding the seat swap but it should be easily explainable, no? Even with COVID we are in the same family.

Thoughts?

ani90

This bit not entirely correct. You can buy your ticket online and then at later stage buy your son's ticket ( over the phone as otherwise will think unaccompanied) and they will give him Economy Plus seating when you provide your travel details.

Kmxu

Yes. This is the best solution. But you won�t get the higher PQP credit, which is important for 1K renewal. If you have achieved 1K status for next year, this is not a problem.
Another solution? Buy 1 J ticket for your wife and 4 Y tickets for the rest. Then call 1K line to split out your ticket and upfare to J. If you are warned by the agent about losing E+ seats for the other three pax, hang up and call again later. Please give it a try and report back.
Good luck.

ani90

Or just all sit in Y, or all in J, stay together as a family. There may also be the option of all family in premium economy (if available).

I am not sure I agree with the concept of 1K parents in J and kids in Y, or that a 9 year old doesn't need parental supervision in a plane; while that is not focus of the thread, there is a reason why United insists minors are in the same cabin with their guardian (more relevant for OP's initial scenario of traveling alone with his son).

WineCountryUA

Once the PNR gets split, the non-elites will be subject to the potential of a seating sweeping senting them back to E-.
The seat swap with the babysitter seems a safer option -- should not be an issue with the crew.

No UCM issue if the there is an adult (babysitter -- OP added this detail) with the kids.

eldy

Thanks for pointing out the lower PQP earn in Y rather than J for 1K renewal. I'm good this year but next year I'll definitely want to maximize my PQP earning again for 2023.

I tried booking two PNRs for the same itin and when I went to book his alone the unaccompanied minor warning came up. Didn't think to call and purchase his ticket over the phone. Thank you!

FWIW, I understand and share the concern of a child traveling in a different cabin. My son and daughter have both been traveling since they were only a few months old. Luckily, we've never had any issues with them equalizing their ears or being a general pain in the butt in the air. Maybe the sparkling wine (for the parents) helped, haha. If he wasn't ready to sit on his own I wouldn't let him sit by himself.

This all wouldn't matter but sometimes it is hard to get J availability on narrow body planes. We had to travel on some weird days on our Costa Rica trip a few months ago because there were only 16 or 20 seats available in J and we needed 4 of them.

WineCountryUA

But it is not your decision alone, UA has UA unaccompanied minor (UCM) policy - nonstop only, age (now 14 & lower), same cabin. Part of this is due to emergency situations (aircraft / flight but also personal -- kids get sick while traveling) and part you don't know who they will be sitting next to and other reasons ....