Table of Contents
- Pre-Flight Services:
- In-Flight Entertainment:
- Children’s Meals:
- Infant Amenities:
- Child Safety:
- Kids’ Activity Packs:
Pre-Flight Services:
Firstly, one of the most significant pre-flight services that airlines provide for family travelers is online ticket booking. It’s a hassle-free way for busy parents to purchase tickets for family members without having to wait in line for hours at the airport. Online ticket booking allows parents to select specific seats ahead of time, ensuring families stay together during the flight.
Seats are an essential aspect of traveling as a family, and many airlines provide a seat selecting option during the online booking process. This option allows families to choose an appropriate seating arrangement, ensuring the safety of all members during the flight. Airlines also accommodate families with infants by offering bassinets, changing tables, and other infant amenities.
Airlines also have a customer service desk operated by professional travel agents to assist families who need special assistance. Children with disabilities, families with delayed flights or missed connections, and unaccompanied minors can receive immediate help and support from airlines’ customer service agents.
In-Flight Entertainment:
One of the popular in-flight entertainment options available for children is the inflight entertainment system. This system consists of a wide range of children’s movies, TV shows, and video games, along with other entertainment options like music, podcasts, and audiobooks. Most airlines offer this system on larger planes, and several airlines are continually updating their collections to include the latest movies and TV shows.
In addition to the entertainment system, many airlines offer Wi-Fi services that allow families to stream movies and other content from their personal devices like smartphones, laptops, or tablets. This service is especially useful when traveling with children who can use their devices, giving the parents a chance to relax and rest.
Some airlines, like Emirates, go above and beyond by providing unique in-flight entertainment options for children, such as their Fly With Me Animal Fri ends program. This program offers various goodies like activity books, backpacks, and stuffed animals that children can take on their travels. The airline also offers on-board arts and craft classes where children can keep themselves entertained by creating handicrafts.
Moreover, several airlines provide various activity packs for children that include games, puzzles, and coloring books. These packs keep children occupied by providing them with a fun and creative outlet during their long flights.
Children’s Meals:
Most airlines offer different meal options for infants and children, including milk, formula, and baby food. These specialized menus come pre-packed and typically consist of a range of healthy and nutritionally balanced meals that cater to children’s nutritional requirements.
Airlines cater to different age groups and dietary restrictions with their meal options. For example, Delta Air Lines provides a ‘baby basket’ that includes various jars of baby food, a bib, and snacks suitable for toddlers’ age. Additionally, they provide “child meals” that consist of a variety of food options such as scrambled eggs, french toast, and pancakes, catering to children with particular dietary requirements.
Likewise, Emirates Airlines is an airline that has put significant thought into providing comprehensive meal options for family travelers. They offer a wide range of children’s meals, including a vegetarian in-flight meal, gluten-free meals, and meals tailored to specific types of allergies. Additionally, Emirates meal’s portion sizes are designed to suit children’s appetites precisely.
It’s worth noting that families traveling with children are encouraged to request special meals when booking their flights. However, it is advisable to do so in advance to ensure that the meals are available and prepared appropriately.
Infant Amenities:
One of the most essential infant amenities available on airlines is the in-flight bassinet. This basket-like bed can be attached to the bulkhead of the plane and is designed to hold infants up to a certain weight limit. It’s an excellent way for parents to keep their babies close and let them sleep during the flight.
Additionally, airlines provide changing tables for parents to conveniently change their child’s diapers in the airplane’s washrooms. While the size of the airplane’s bathrooms can be restrictive, it is comforting to know that airlines are making an effort to provide this amenity.
Another necessary infant amenity is the provision of baby food options. Some airlines offer pre-packaged baby food, while others offer a wider range of baby food options to satisfy a range of preferences and dietary requirements.
Importantly, some airlines provide mothers with support and privacy by offering feeding stations within the airplane. While breastfeeding is accepted in most airlines, these feeding stations provide privacy, a changing table as well as a comfortable chair.
Finally, airlines offer baby blankets, pillows, and sometimes even earphones or noise-canceling headphones to block out noise during the flight. These amenities ensure that infants remain comfortable during the flight and contribute towards an overall successful travel experience for both infants and parents.
Child Safety:
One of the most critical aspects of child safety while traveling is the child’s seating arrangement during the flight. Several airlines offer an option for parents to book seats together, ensuring that the children are seated next to them. In some cases, airlines have put together special groupings to sit together with family members.
For families traveling with infants, airlines provide special In-flight Bassinets, which should fit securely on bulkheads. Attaching the bassinet to the bulkhead is essential to maintaining the baby’s safety.
Airlines require you to purchase separate seats for children under two years of age. These children can then sit in an FAA-approved car seat, which ensures that they are safe during the flight. Airlines also encourage parents to check their car seats with their baggage as they can provide impedance during an emergency evacuation.
Airlines have rules and regulations governing the use of child safety equipment, such as car seats, during flights. The rules differ depending on the airline, and it is crucial to check the airline’s regulations before booking a flight.
Finally, parents must keep child ID and other critical information, such as medical documents and emergency contacts on hand. This information helps airline staff and relevant authorities to take care of children in the event of an emergency.
Kids’ Activity Packs:
Airlines offer activity packs for children that are specifically designed for age-appropriate content. The packs can include a variety of items such as coloring books, crayons, stickers, and games to ensure that children remain absorbed throughout the flight. Emirates Airlines offer their young passengers a Fly with Me collection, which includes specially designed backpacks, blankets, stuffed toys, and activity books.
In addition, some airlines provide on-board entertainment, such as arts and craft sessions. These sessions provide children with the opportunity to engage in creative activities that will keep them busy while flying. Alaska Airlines’ kid-friendly art packs include various activity options like coloring, sticker books, and other games.
Airlines have been keeping up with advanced technology and are putting it to good use by providing on-board entertainment using specialized kid-friendly tablets loaded with age-appropriate games, music, and movies. Recently, Qatar Airways launched Oryx Kids Club, a new entertainment channel to provide children with interactive games and educational programs in multiple languages.
Finally, some airlines have collaborated with children’s television channels to provide in-flight children’s programming. This allows children to watch their favourite shows in-flight, keeping them entertained for hours.
In conclusion, airlines have made significant strides in keeping children entertained while flying. They have gone out of their way to provide a range of age-appropriate activity packs, onboard entertainment, and collaborative programming options for children. Parents can take advantage of these services to guarantee that the flight experience for their little ones is as engaging and enjoyable as possible. Airlines’ efforts to provide this type of entertainment are a testament to their dedication to catering to family travelers’ needs.