Travel with Children - Do you use Continental or other airlines' lounges while traveling with family?

I've only recently discovered FlyerTalk and this forum and I must say I've learned a lot. Thank you everyone for sharing!

It's a little disheartening to read on the other forums how anti-children some flyers are. It's a lot like living here in SF - the dogs get treated better than the children; one of the many reasons why the City is continually losing families with children. Let me put it this way, the dogs get to run free in the parks while the children are fenced in!! And don't even start people on the whole topic of procreation and how it's just using up the earth's resources, etc...some in SF are deeply offended at the very thought of children!

I was wondering if any of you routinely use the airport lounges? Not so much which ones are better for families (age 1 and 8), but what have your experiences been like? Do you get dirty looks for bringing your children in? Is it even worth it? Utilizing the lounges, that is...I now have access to lounges with my family because of the Chase Presidential Plus CC and am wondering if it's worth utilizing? (I got the CC not just for lounge access but because of the free baggage waiver and Blue Carpet treatment.)

Any advice will be greatly appreciated as my family will be flying SFO-IAH-MCO soon. Thanks in advance!

We use the DL lounges all the time with ToddlerCellisttoo. She is generally fairly quiet. She loves the cheese, applejuice and other snacks. We haven't had a problem with her.

I think people get grumpy when you let your kids run wild or when they make a lot of noise (crying, tantruming, etc). If they are supervised, you shouldn't feel guilty or get looks.

If all else fails I pull out my ipod video which is full of movies to watch and my daughter's favorite "ki-ki" (blankie) and she usually calms right down. (No, we don't do this at home).

Thanks for the reply, Cellisttoo. Sounds like the snacks alone will keep my DS happy.

Are there certain tricks you use to keep ToddlerCellisttoo occupied during the flight? My DD was a dream to fly with, but this is the first time I'm flying with DS and I'm a little apprehensive!

I absolutely use the lounges when flying with DS, and wouldn't expect anyone not to! Indeed, many (especially PCs) have areas specifically designated for young ones.

Unsupervised children are unwelcome most anywhere, but well behaved, properly monitored children of all ages are welcome in every airport lounge I've ever visited.

Sorry, had to laugh. I'm from the Bay Area too and many of my friends back home are child-free. It can be a little tricky at times to say the least. But I have three and they're close in age and we usually fly non-stop so no lounge experience here...

I did do a lounge what-is-your-experience thread ages ago here, just out of curiosity. Lots of people recounted good experiences with their children and some lounges actually cater to little ones now.

The only tip that came out was to not depend on the lounge if your child needs an actual meal. Apparently there are only snacks. You can investigate this specifically, if it applies.

I think child-haters vent on the net. I'm glad they have this outlet. I was dreading a cruise on a company that seemed pretty child-unfriendly but it turned out to be fine. No one complained, even with my wild ones...

You have two with a big age gap. The 8 year old will probably be fine and you can handle one little one. It's not like you're arriving with a whole gaggle like I do. If you have the right to use the lounge, use it.

Like Erasmus said, monitoring is key but you're used to that already! Take the little one into the bathroom or outside if he gets loud. It'll go great.

P.S. Funny how here in France, they can't believe I had my first baby at 35. In S.F., that's a no-brainer but three. Rampant breeder! You are warned if you continue to procreate in the Bay Area (lol, they'll insist you move to Sacto!)

Erasmus, good point - the behavior of the child and the parents' reaction to "bad" behavior does make a difference in any public area.

I once brought my DD (she was about four at the time) to an evening performance of Jersey Boys in downtown SF and got lots of looks. The ushers kept stopping us and asking us if we knew what we were doing (we figured she'd like the music and other things would be over her head) . Funny thing was, at intermission, the usher that questioned us most came and complimented DD on her behavior. Waving a hand around, he said, "She's better behaved than many of the adults here!"

Eclipsepearl, LOL, your reply is funny! Being from the Bay Area, I'm sure you know EXACTLY how things are here...thanks for the post from one "breeder" to another. :D

I absolutely use the lounges when flying with DS, and wouldn't expect anyone not to! Indeed, many (especially PCs) have areas specifically designated for young ones.

Unsupervised children are unwelcome most anywhere, but well behaved, properly monitored children of all ages are welcome in every airport lounge I've ever visited.

what is a DS?

what is a DS?

Dear Son, as opposed to Dear Daughter (above).

I've only recently discovered FlyerTalk and this forum and I must say I've learned a lot. Thank you everyone for sharing!

It's a little disheartening to read on the other forums how anti-children some flyers are. It's a lot like living here in SF - the dogs get treated better than the children; one of the many reasons why the City is continually losing families with children. Let me put it this way, the dogs get to run free in the parks while the children are fenced in!! And don't even start people on the whole topic of procreation and how it's just using up the earth's resources, etc...some in SF are deeply offended at the very thought of children!

I was wondering if any of you routinely use the airport lounges? Not so much which ones are better for families (age 1 and 8), but what have your experiences been like? Do you get dirty looks for bringing your children in? Is it even worth it? Utilizing the lounges, that is...I now have access to lounges with my family because of the Chase Presidential Plus CC and am wondering if it's worth utilizing? (I got the CC not just for lounge access but because of the free baggage waiver and Blue Carpet treatment.)

Any advice will be greatly appreciated as my family will be flying SFO-IAH-MCO soon. Thanks in advance!

Its never dawned on me to actually think about what others thought of me bringing my two kids into the lounge :confused:

personally, Id do it and never even think twice about it

I have brought my children (now 4 and 7) into UA, CO, US, etc., lounges for all of their lives. If you have paid for (or earned) entry, you deserve to be there, and so do they. That said, I bring the hammer down if the kids start to get out of hand, and the lounge is still such a treat for them that they fall right back in line!

I have brought my children (now 4 and 7) into UA, CO, US, etc., lounges for all of their lives. If you have paid for (or earned) entry, you deserve to be there, and so do they. That said, I bring the hammer down if the kids start to get out of hand, and the lounge is still such a treat for them that they fall right back in line!

Yeah, if you have earned or paid for the right to enter the lounge, don't be shy.

And it's easy to get my kid to behave in lounges because good behavior = cookies, croissants, and all the draft beer he can handle:)

Also, don't forget that lounges are full of grownups who act worse than any little kid.

I prefer the club restrooms, they seem to be more clean, spacious etc. so I'd take my kids in just to "go". I also think the selection of snacks is nice for something quick to grab between flights. As long as my children are well behaved, can sit nicely, and are not disruptive to others, I don't have a problem taking them in.

My kids are pretty young, 6, so they don't really find it a "fun" atmosphere necessarily, sometimes neither do I, the lounges can be so stuffy. It sounds as if you are already aware of other options for entertaining them while they are there. As long as you are not infringing on anyone else's enjoyment of their club membership and your children are well behaved, personally it wouldn't bother me.

Do lounges typically not count children against one's allotted number of free guests? Fortunately, it doesn't sound like it. I'd hate to think that UA's RCC would use this as a way to keep us from entering on our children's first trip next week. (mrs. iapetus does not have an RCC membership; I typically guest her in.)


:eek: Wait! That trip is happening next week?! Yikes! That one sure snuck up on me. ;)

Depends on the rules of the club in question, but most domestic airline clubs that I'm aware of allow a maximum number of guests (e.g., 2) OR immediately family members (which may be larger in number). In the particular case of the RCC, the rule is:

Member guest limit for Clubs in the United States is two, or spouse and dependent children. Member guest limit in Clubs outside the United States is one, or spouse and dependent children.

Thanks all for your replies. :)

Happy to report the family and I had a great trip. The whole lounge access with two small ones turned out to be a non-issue. Both were well-behaved and thoroughly enjoyed the snacks and room to roam in the Family Rooms. In Orlando we utilized RCC so no Family Room, but still no issues with fellow pax.

I used to travel a lot for work before kids, and I think I was just scarred from watching others' experiences traveling with small children, but now to think of it, those little ones weren't very well-behaved so that can make quite a difference all right!

I used to travel a lot for work before kids, and I think I was just scarred from watching others' experiences traveling with small children, but now to think of it, those little ones weren't very well-behaved so that can make quite a difference all right!I have always loved flying and looked forward to every trip. But I must admit that tomorrow's first flight with our two babies is making me kinda nervous! :o I just hope we wind up with sympathetic FAs and GAs (as well as fellow pax); that'll make all the difference.

Well, that and getting our car seats back undamaged. ;)

(But if people can't be sympathetic to parents of twins, I shudder to think of what would be necessary! :eek:)

I have always loved flying and looked forward to every trip. But I must admit that tomorrow's first flight with our two babies is making me kinda nervous! :o I just hope we wind up with sympathetic FAs and GAs (as well as fellow pax); that'll make all the difference.

Well, that and getting our car seats back undamaged. ;)

(But if people can't be sympathetic to parents of twins, I shudder to think of what would be necessary! :eek:)


How old are your twins?

My DS did cry a few times during the flights, but we didn't get a single dirty look probably because DH and I were trying hard to calm him down. I'm sure you and your wife will be fine. I should hope most people are sympathetic!

Good luck and hope you have a smooth trip!

P.S. Are you also checking strollers at the gate? If so, don't forget to detach your cup holders first, I forgot on one leg and the thing broke off and was lost. The canopy tore off too but we were able to reattach it. Not sure what the handlers do with the stuff...so rough!

How old are your twins?They're five months old ... no, wait ... They're five and half months old. ;)


P.S. Are you also checking strollers at the gate? If so, don't forget to detach your cup holders first, I forgot on one leg and the thing broke off and was lost. The canopy tore off too but we were able to reattach it. Not sure what the handlers do with the stuff...so rough!We're not yet sure how we're going to do this. mrs. iapetus was thinking of checking them at the counter. I was thinking we'd somehow muscle the double stroller and two car seats through security and gate check.

We're likely to grab a glass of wine at the RCC! :D

Good luck and hope you have a smooth trip!Thanks! Once we're on the (first) plane, I think we'll be OK.

My twins have always loved the clubs and are fairly well behaved in them. They understand it as a treat where they can get a small glass of milk, some cookies/cheese/snack, and usually I can get them to color or do some other non-disruptive activity. It's really nice when we go to the continental PC which has a family room in the larger clubs like in EWR.
We've done this from 6 months to 4 years and also when we had our third child.

In general the rule of thumb is to not disrupt others whether you're an adult or a child.

My wife just recently got approved for the AMEX Platinum Aeroplan Plus.. and yes, we're excited to use the lounges for a little bit more comfort. We have a 5 year old and a 1 year old.

So, it worked out really well for us this past weekend! :) mrs. iapetus really appreciated the ability to make the next set of bottles in a relaxed, comfortable setting. And the staff at SFO were pretty excited about our babies. The only minor issue was feeling self-conscious about all of the room we took up with our baby gear, but no one seemed to mind.

In short, I think we'll be using the lounges fairly frequently as a place to relax for a bit and decompress in anticipation of the next leg of our journey!

So glad it worked out for you iapetus! The SFO lounge staff is very good. I'm sad they're closing the SF PC, but hope the staff will move over to the RCC.

You and the Mrs. are so brave to travel with 5+ months-old twins!! DH and I didn't have our act together enough to travel with our DS until recently.