United Airlines is a leading U.S. carrier and Star Alliance member. It connects families to over 300 destinations worldwide, and its extensive network is one reason why United is a popular choice for parents traveling with their little ones.
United Airlines offers a range of family-friendly features to make your trip more manageable. I love their great frequent flyer program that rewards your loyalty. Going on a journey with kids can be quite an adventure, and you can earn mileage plus miles while on it!
While redemptions aren’t always the flight’s highest value, selling these points might be the best choice for getting additional value for your loyalty to United Airlines. Or you can use these miles for various other services at a slightly lower value.
In this article, I will explain everything moms and dads need to know when flying United with their children, from booking secrets to onboard perks to keep their kids happy in the sky.
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United Airlines family-friendly features
United Airlines recognizes parents’ challenges when flying with children and has implemented several family-friendly features to make the experience more enjoyable. Let’s discuss how United Airlines makes travel more accessible for parents and their little ones.
Keeping families together with Dynamic Seat Maps
United’s family seating policy ensures that children under 12 can sit next to an adult in their party at no additional cost, even when booking Basic Economy tickets. This feature is a game changer since many flights still do not offer this amenity.
The airline’s dynamic seat map tool automatically searches for adjacent seats during the booking process, making it easier for families to stay together. It is a very underrated feature that any parents will find quite valuable.
Amenity kits and Inflight entertainment
To keep children engaged during the flight, United offers amenity kits featuring activity books, crayons, and sensory calming strips to help manage anxiety.
The airline has also partnered with Sesame Street to provide fun travel kits for kids. With seatback screens and the United app, there’s no shortage of entertainment options for children of all ages.
Fueling up with kids’ meals
As a foodie, I understand food is vital to your travel experience. United has reintroduced kids’ meals as a standard option on many flights, ensuring that young travelers can enjoy tasty, age-appropriate food during their journey.
Parents can preorder these meals on flights over 2,000 miles and select other routes, giving them one less thing to worry about. The menu is well thought-out; kids with selective eating habits can still find meals they love.
Simple boarding process for families
While not an official policy, United Airlines often allows parents with young children to board early, giving them extra time to settle in with their carry-on luggage and little ones.
This small gesture can make a big difference in reducing stress during the boarding process, especially if you are flying with a baby. It is crucial for energetic children who find it challenging to settle in during the chaos of boarding an airplane.
Booking flights
United Airlines’ website makes it simple for families to book flights together. You can easily add children and lap infants to your itinerary when making a reservation. So important when you are travelling internationally with toddlers or young kids.
For lap infants under two years old, include their details during the booking process and call United directly to confirm their addition to the reservation. Families can also use their MileagePlus miles to book award flights by selecting the “Book with miles” option, making saving money on family travel easier.
If they don’t have enough miles to pay for a flight, they can also choose a money-and-miles option, spending a portion of the fare with miles and covering the rest with cash.
Supporting nursing mothers
It is a well-known fact that nursing children on a flight can be pretty awkward or downright uncomfortable for mothers. United allows nursing mothers to bring breast milk and pumps onboard without additional charges.
The airline also provides ice and access to lactation rooms in some airports, making it easier for mothers to care for their infants during travel. It is precious since many flights do not offer any assistance targeted toward breastfeeding.
Unaccompanied minor service for solo Young Flyers
Sometimes, parents must send their children on a flight unaccompanied for various reasons. For many parents, sending their child alone on a flight can be stressful.
With United, parents worried about their children’s ability to handle being alone on a flight can rest assured their children won’t run into any issues during the flight.
For parents who need to send their children on a flight alone, United’s unaccompanied minor service assists and supervises kids aged 5 to 14. The booking process is simple, and the airline’s staff ensures that children are cared for throughout their journey.
United Airlines sets the standard for making air travel more accessible and enjoyable for parents and kids. By focusing on keeping families together, providing entertainment and comfort, and offering support for unique needs, United is helping families create positive travel memories.
Where can you fly with United?
United Airlines’ extensive network, which includes 8 significant hubs and partnerships with 35 Star Alliance airlines, offers families a wide range of destinations to explore together.
Flying from one of United’s hubs, such as Chicago (ORD), Denver (DEN), or San Francisco (SFO), not only provides more flight options but also increases your chances of accessing family-friendly amenities like lounges and priority boarding.
With United’s global reach and connections through Star Alliance partners, families can easily plan their dream vacations, whether a trip to Disney World or an international adventure.
United MileagePlus Loyalty Program: Rewarding family travel
Joining United’s MileagePlus loyalty program is free and allows families to earn miles together for future travel. You can earn miles in various ways, from flying with United and its partners to using co-branded credit cards, staying at partner hotels, renting cars, booking cruises, shopping online, and dining out.
Creating MileagePlus accounts for your children to earn miles and status at a young age is also a good idea. These miles also do not expire like other frequent flyer miles, allowing families to decide on redemptions on their terms.
As your family racks up miles, you can easily redeem them for flights, upgrades, and other rewards, making your next family trip more affordable and enjoyable. If you can’t find any worthwhile redemptions, you can sell these miles to third-party platforms for instant cash.
Elite status perks for the whole family
United offers 4 elite status tiers – Premier Silver, Premier Gold, Premier Platinum, and Premier 1K – each with its own set of perks that can make family travel more comfortable and convenient.
Families can earn elite status by flying with United, United Express, and Star Alliance partners, getting premier qualifying flights (PQF) and qualifying points (PQP).
The benefits of elite status include priority boarding, an extra baggage allowance, lounge access, and PlusPoints for seat upgrades. When traveling with a family member who has elite status, the whole family can enjoy some of these perks, such as priority boarding and free checked bags.
United credit cards
United offers several co-branded credit cards to help families earn miles faster and enjoy additional travel benefits. These cards often come with free checked bags, priority boarding, and lounge access, making family travel more convenient and comfortable.
Families can also take advantage of point transfer options from other loyalty programs, such as Chase Ultimate Rewards and Marriott Bonvoy, to boost their MileagePlus account balance and redeem miles for family trips. Important to remember if you are travelling as a single parent.
Conclusion
So, United Airlines has significantly improved air travel, making it more enjoyable and convenient for families. It is one of the few airlines that offers a range of family-friendly features, including dynamic seat maps, kids’ amenity kits, and child-friendly meals.
I suggest that any family looking for an easygoing flying experience consider United Airlines for their next trip. The airline’s extensive network, partner airlines, and family-focused amenities make it an attractive choice for travelers with kids.
Plus, with the United MileagePlus loyalty program, families can earn miles together and redeem them for future travel or sell them to third parties for cash if they prefer more flexibility.
FAQs
Is United Airlines kid-friendly?
Absolutely! I’ve found United Airlines to be incredibly child-friendly. They offer features like dynamic seat maps that help keep families together, kids’ amenity kits to keep little ones entertained, and even special child-friendly meals. United has put a lot of thought into making travel easier and more enjoyable for families.
Which airline is the most kid-friendly?
While United Airlines is a top contender, I’ve also had great experiences with Alaska Airlines and Southwest Airlines when traveling with kids. Alaska Airlines has a similar family seating program and fantastic entertainment options for children. Southwest Airlines offers free seat selection during check-in, which is a huge help when trying to keep the family together. However, I must say that United’s range of family-friendly features and quality-of-life improvements for children sets them apart.
What is family seating on United?
United’s family seating policy is a game-changer for parents. It allows passengers to book two seats for travelers under 12 years old and an adult companion in the party for free on economy tickets, including basic economy fares. This means you don’t have to worry about paying extra or being separated from your child during the flight. Remember that this policy only applies to economy seating, not Polaris, first-class, or Economy Plus tickets.
Here are more Family Travel Tips:
Checklist for travelling with a baby: What to pack for babies
Baby on Flight: Top Tips for flying with a baby
Beat Jet Lag like a Pro: Tips & Trick for no Jet Lag
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This is a fantastic guide for parents traveling with kids! Your detailed tips and insights make navigating the airport and flight with little ones so much easier. I especially appreciate the emphasis on preparation and the practical advice for keeping kids entertained. Thank you for sharing such valuable information!
This is great info on traveling with kids! I don’t have any myself, but my sister just had her first. I’ll be sharing this guide with her. Thanks!
Super!
These are great family friendly flying tips. I particlarly like the details about the United MileagePlus Loyalty Program.
The Loyalty program can really add up.
Traveling with kids is a lot of work, but gets easier the more you do it.
True that.