The summer holidays have begun and many families are preparing for their long-awaited summer holidays with their kids. In fact, searches for ‘child-friendly airlines’ have increased by +1,400% over the past 12 months!
But what regulations do airlines have in place regarding taking a pram on board or a free seat for children?
Life insurance broker, Reassured has taken a closer look at 24 airlines departing from UK airports to compare what they’re offering to travelling parents and their kids. On top of that, they also spoke to childcare experts to provide 10 tips on making flying more relaxed for families with children, for those jetting off this year.
British Airways, Qatar Airways and Emirates are among the top child-friendly airlines
The below table showcases how different airlines compare against one another in terms of child-friendliness:
Rank
Airline
Free seat reservation?
Free checked luggage?
Priority/Pre-boarding for families?
Kids meals?
Child-specific entertainment?
Bringing carry cot for free?
Bringing a pushchair for free?
1
British Airways
Yes
Qatar Airways
Emirates
Qantas
2
Virgin Atlantic
No
KLM
Singapore Airlines
Etihad Airlines
Aer Lingus
Turkish Airlines
Japan Airlines
3
United Airlines
Lufthansa
Air France
Delta Airlines
4
Air Transat
Thai Airways
Air Canada
American Airlines
Jet2
Easyjet
Tui Airways
5
FLYBE
Ryanair
Taking the top spots is British Airways, Qatar Airways, Emirates and Qantas as they each offer the most perks for children.
Out of each airline analysed, all 24 allow for a pushchair to be taken on board for free. However, 18 airlines charge extra for a child’s seat and among those are Etihad Airlines, Lufthansa and Jet2.
Most of the airlines offer kids’ entertainment such as appropriate movies or colouring pens and paper. However, parents flying with Flybe, Jet2 or Ryan Air are in for a disappointment, as no entertainment is offered for the little ones. Instead, Ryanair and Jet2 make some points up by offering free kids’ meals.
In light of the findings, Reassured spoke to childcare expert, Kathryn Lord and David Doughty, CEO at Admiral Jet, and together they have correlated a list of 10 tips to prepare your children for a flight.
Involving your kids in the planning phase
What to include in your hand luggage?
To conclude, a spokesperson from Reassured comments on the study: “During the summer months many families will be looking forward to their holidays, but the planning can be daunting. Packing and ensuring you’re allowed to take everything on board can be time-consuming, so we hope our breakdown of what different airlines offer will help you to a relaxed start to your holiday!”
To view the full research and find out more about Reassured, please visit https://www.reassured.co.uk/best-airlines-for-travelling-with-children/