going to fly United knowing that we 're going to have to put up with that extra hassle, wrote Steven Manson, a Brooklyn, New York, father of twin 4-year-old boys. Frankly, we always look forward to the preboarding when we fly and try and position ourselves near the gate when boarding begins. It's just so helpful getting the car seat attached and everyone settled before the plane is crowded with passengers, Manson said in an e-mail to CNN. A guerrilla approach to flying with kids The policy change also has roots in the merger announced in 2010 between United and Continental. We transitioned to a common boarding process across all aircraft, Hobart said. As a policy, American Airlines also does not specifically allow families with children to get on aircraft before general boarding. However, the airline said it makes an announcement to all ticketed passengers before general boarding asking anyone who needs extra time or assistance to come forward. It would not be realistic to preboard that many families just on that sole basis alone, wrote an American Airlines spokeswoman in an e-mail to CNN. It could easily translate into most of the passengers for the flight. JetBlue offers families traveling coach with children under age 2 to board early, the airline said. Delta Air Lines said it also offers passengers with children an opportunity to preboard, including those with first