Over 1.5 million children fly with British Airways (BA) each year, and during the peak school holiday period alone the airline flies an average of half a million young travellers.
Father of two and senior cabin crew member, Justin Cox says: “As a parent I understand that travelling with kids can at first seem like a daunting prospect, but it really needn’t be. After my 16 years as BA cabin crew I have found that flying can be made more comfortable and even fun for kids by following a few simple pointers.”
So here’s some top tips if you’re travelling with children.
• Before your child’s first flight in their own seat, sit them on the sofa at home with a cushion between you as the armrest, explaining how it’s going to be on board.
• Take a small compact travel pushchair for easy cabin stowage onboard. Regular-sized pushchairs or strollers will normally have to go as hold luggage.
• Pack their favourite teddy, pillow or comfort blanket to help them get to sleep more easily and make it feel more like home.
• Sometimes waiting for take-off or leaving the aircraft can be boring for young children. A bag of treats or toys can work well at this point as a distraction.
Keep children occupied with games. Photo: British Airways/ Nick Morrish
• If you are flying somewhere with a big time difference try to allow yourselves two days when you get back to give your children time to get back into Malaysian time and their normal routine, before they go back to nursery or school.
• Keep your child entertained. The in-flight entertainment system provides a great selection of programmes, movies and games for children. Let them choose what they want to watch! Pre-programme your tablet or smart phone with your kids’ favourites.
