Long-haul flights can be quite exhausting and have the potential to ruin your mood for the entire day. And if you’re traveling with children, the hassle increases several times over! Fortunately, in the 21st century, airlines are increasingly understanding the challenges faced by their passengers and are providing separate services for both mothers and children. Today, we have compiled a list of excellent child-friendly airlines for you, making travel with them simple and convenient, no matter how many little ones you have!
Singapore Airlines (SIA)
Image Credit: Singapore Airlines via Instagram
Singapore Airlines (SIA) sets the bar high for family-friendly travel experiences. With an array of in-flight baby essentials and the convenience of checking in strollers on board, SIA ensures a hassle-free journey for parents. The airline’s state-of-the-art entertainment system offers a wide selection of music, TV programs, and movies, catering to passengers of all ages.
For young travelers, SIA provides engaging activity packs and kid-sized headphones, making the flight enjoyable and entertaining. Additionally, older kids can stay connected with the in-house messaging service, adding a fun touch to the flying experience. SIA’s dedication to passenger comfort and convenience makes it a top choice for families seeking a delightful travel experience.
Air France
Image Credit: Air France
Air France offers special family fares for travel within France and Europe, making flying convenient for families. Onboard, families benefit from baby changing tables and receive baby kits with essentials. Parents can pre-book organic meals for babies and enjoy specially curated kids’ meals for children aged two to 11.
Air France provides entertainment like magic shows and a dedicated kids’ app to keep children entertained. For unaccompanied minors aged four to 17, Air France offers services like cabin crew escort and journey tracking. Plus, Paris airports feature play areas with games and cartoons, making the airport experience enjoyable for young travelers.
Air New Zealand
Image Credit: Air New Zealand
Air New Zealand offers flights to various destinations, ensuring families can explore the world together. Parents can bring their own car seat or book a bassinet seat and infant meal for their little ones. For long flights, families can enjoy the Skycouch in economy seats, complete with bedding and an infant pod for added comfort.
Children aged five to 11 traveling alone receive special wristbands for easy identification and updates on their flight status. With amenities like activity packs and the Skycouch, Air New Zealand ensures a comfortable and enjoyable flying experience for families and young travelers alike.
Emirates
Image Credit: Emirates
Emirates ensures a family-friendly travel experience from start to finish. At Dubai International Airport, free strollers and a dedicated baby room in the lounge cater to parents’ needs. For infants, complimentary nappies, bibs, and baby meals are provided, along with a food and bottle warming service onboard. Older kids receive their own snacks, games, and activity packs, along with special headphones for in-flight entertainment.
Unaccompanied minors aged five to 15 receive personalized assistance from specialist staff, ensuring a safe and comfortable journey. In Dubai, there’s even an Unaccompanied Minors Lounge equipped with games and refreshments, overseen by dedicated crew members. With thoughtful amenities and services, Emirates ensures that families and young travelers have a pleasant and enjoyable flight experience.
Qatar Airways
Image Credit: Qatar Airways
Qatar Airways prioritizes families with thoughtful amenities and services for young travelers. Parents traveling with infants can enjoy priority boarding and reserve bassinet seats, while also receiving a special kit with diapers, baby food, and other essentials. The airline provides creative and educational kits for children, complete with crayons, stickers, and activity books filled with puzzles and fun facts.
Qatar Airways offers Children’s Meals (CHML), which are non-vegetarian options suitable for younger travelers. These meals feature healthy, tender, and easy-to-chew foods like pasta, pancakes, breaded chicken/fish fillets, chips, sweets, and fruits, ensuring that kids are well-fed and satisfied during their flight.
Virgin Atlantic
Image Credit: Virgin Atlantic
Virgin Atlantic prioritizes young travelers by offering a designated Kids section within their inflight entertainment system. This section includes a wide array of movies, TV shows, audio selections, and games specifically curated for small children, ensuring an enjoyable and engaging experience throughout the flight. Parents can relax knowing that Virgin Atlantic has included a parental block feature in their entertainment system, allowing them to control and monitor the content accessed by their children to ensure it aligns with their family values and preferences. Moreover, Virgin Atlantic’s attentive cabin crew members are readily available to assist parents in setting up the parental block, offering support and guidance to ensure a seamless and worry-free experience for families traveling with children. By providing comprehensive entertainment options and prioritizing parental control, Virgin Atlantic strives to create a family-friendly environment onboard, where both parents and children can feel comfortable and entertained throughout their journey.
Gulf Air
Image Credit: Gulf Air
Gulf Air offers a Sky Nanny service, providing invaluable assistance to parents during long-haul flights. Operating daily from 6.30 pm to 2 am, Sky Nannies help with boarding, disembarkation, and keeping an eye on children while parents take breaks. In addition, Gulf Air ensures parents have access to essential supplies like nappies, baby powder, and cotton bud packs during the flight.
Parents can also request specific meal times for their children and enjoy entertainment options like Disney movies (available only on A330), coloring activities, and other engaging diversions. With its dedicated services and thoughtful amenities, Gulf Air aims to make flying with children a comfortable and enjoyable experience for families.
KLM Airlines
Image Credit: KLM Airlines
KLM Airlines goes the extra mile to accommodate families traveling with children. Parents with babies are allocated bulkhead seats, and infant meals are provided along with essential feeding items like bottles and baby spoons. Children up to 11 years old may benefit from reduced travel fares, where applicable. Families can bring a foldable stroller and a child seat or baby carrier onboard, adhering to airline regulations.
Throughout the journey, children are accompanied by Bluey, KLM’s adorable mascot, who provides comfort and entertainment both at the airport and during the flight. Kids aged two and under receive a Bluey playset and eye mask for added enjoyment. Additionally, KLM offers a dedicated service for unaccompanied minors aged five to 14, ensuring their safety and well-being from check-in to arrival. This service is also available for those aged 15 to 17 upon request, providing peace of mind for parents and guardians.
Lufthansa
Image Credit: Lufthansa
Lufthansa goes above and beyond to ensure families have a smooth and enjoyable travel experience. From priority boarding to dedicated children’s meals and entertainment, the airline caters to the needs of young passengers throughout the flight. Additionally, Lufthansa offers complimentary baby bassinets for infants on long-haul flights, providing them with a comfortable resting spot.
The airline provides convenient family check-in counters at Frankfurt and Munich airports, where travelers are welcomed by Lufthansa’s mascots, Lu and Cosmo. Families flying from Frankfurt Airport can also borrow buggies for free in Terminals 1 and 2. Onboard, children can enjoy toys, coloring books, and entertainment apps designed specifically for their age group. Lufthansa’s children’s menus, curated by top chef Alexander Hermann, offer tasty and balanced options, while baby changing units and spare diapers ensure parents are prepared for any situation.
Cathay Pacific
Image Credit: Cathay Pacific
Cathay Pacific ensures children between the ages of 2 and 12 have a comfortable and enjoyable travel experience, whether accompanied or unaccompanied. While onboard, kids can enjoy specially curated cartoons and animes, with children aged 6 to 12 receiving fun packs filled with activity books, games, and stationery. However, these fun packs are not available for flights within Southeast and Northeast Asia.
Nutritious and colorful children’s meals are provided, complete with kid-friendly cutlery and juice, but it’s advisable to pre-order these meals in advance. For infants, baby packs containing essentials like diapers and lotions are available upon request, with each aircraft equipped with amenities such as fold-down tables and onboard baby bassinets. Parents must request the baby bassinet during flight reservations, but all Cathay Pacific flights are stocked with baby food.
Cover Image Credit: Singapore Airlines via Instagram
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