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Special treatment for families on board?

Special treatment for families on board?

Old Feb 18, 2013, 7:12 am
  #1  
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Special treatment for families on board?

Hi,

currently I'm writing my bachelor thesis at university and in the context of my inquiries I came across with "flyertalk". In my investigation the object of study is how travelling families experience their flight.

Now my question is, if there are some airlines which care especially about families with children, for example with on-board giveaways/toys for children and to which extent? Or if there are other attentions for families on board? I hope that there are many travellers who already collected experience and may help me? I would appreciate all helpful comments concerning special treatments for families on board.

Some highlights I already found on the internet:
- Sky-Nanny flight attendent from Gulf Air
- Babys Strollers at Dubai Airport
- Sky Couch from Air New Zealands
- Birthday service for kids at Emirates
- kids help flight attendants with service issues (TAM Airlines)

Nethertheless your feedback and your experience is highly appreciated for my thesis.

Thanks a lot in advance!
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Old Feb 21, 2013, 2:11 am
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I've not yet managed to fly with them as a mother but Korean airline Asiana has some of the best advertised perks for those flying with children.
http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news...119_55403.html
I was supposed to fly back to the UK from Japan with a breastfeeding child on OZ but the Tsunami in 2011 put a stop to that.

Flying business class alone with Thai and a young child was pretty special. I made every effort to keep my highly mobile child entertained, happy and quiet on our flights and the Thai FAs did absolutely everything possible to support me in this. Breastfeeding offered some of the few occasions where I got to sit/lay and rest for a while and the FAs would ensure I had enough pillows to support me, helped with tricky food items (I needed to eat with one hand) and stored food for me whenever my daughter made it too difficult for me to eat meals.
The toys were appreciated (nicest of which was an inflatable plane with the Thai livery) but the main perk/benefit was the kindness and consideration of the crew as well as the ready smiles, patience and time they gave to my daughter. She had a wonderful time on these flights and I cherish my memories of them (she was one and a half years old for this trip but still occasionally talks to me about Thailand, she hasn't forgotten either)
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Old Feb 21, 2013, 9:45 am
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A bit off topic because it doesn't much address accommodations for children on board, but as departures can turn into lengthy waits with antsy children, some airports (rather than airlines) have been proactive and offer specific play areas for children. See Children's Play Areas in Airports in this Forum.

American Airlines Admirals Club often have dedicated areas for children, including in the most elaborate enclosed areas with computers, etc. One can see which locations have those from this page, and they are marked with a to identify a Children's Room.

Some airlines are opposite - MH / Malaysia Airlines ban infants to age 2 in 747 and A380 First Class, and infants and children on the upper deck of their A380.
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Old Feb 25, 2013, 10:34 am
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Way back when I was 14 , Cathay Pacific had special magazines for kids. In the back of them was a special section listing the names and addresses of kids looking for an international pen pal. I got my name in it, and from connections made there I exchanged letters with girls in Hong Kong, the Philippines and Australia for about 5 years. It was a wonderful experience.

Is there any parent now who would let an airline magazine publish their child's name, age and address?
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Old Feb 25, 2013, 11:35 am
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Air France sometimes gives out little cardboard puzzles to small kids, and the KLM lounge in Amsterdam offers colored pencils and pictures to color, as well as kid-friendly treats.
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Old Feb 25, 2013, 11:47 am
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CX (regional) gave me a special package on business class, which includes trial sizes of various cream & diapers. Don't recall any particular toys.
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Old Feb 25, 2013, 3:23 pm
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BA offers kids packs to children over the age of 2 as do VS (although with VS they are only available when flying from the UK)

QR when i last flew with them had soft toy aeroplanes that vibrated when you pulled the cord they also offered packs with baby essentials and were able to offer baby food for infants. They had toys for children also from what i could see but what i don't know
The terminal we were in at Doha airport had a big soft play area for children over 2

Swiss sometimes give out jigsaw puzzles to children
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Old Mar 2, 2013, 1:46 am
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LH gives out a variety of packages which are age appropriate, ranging from babies to tweens. CX has given out Disney themed packages on flights to HK. CDG gives out Mickey themed travel books at security, and as is common in France families with small children in general are given priority treatment. LX used to give out chocolate during the flight and on deplaning (not sure if that is still the case as I haven't flown them this year, but it was for all kids, big and small and adult)

Generally, most European and Asian carriers are child-friendly and may offer up an activity. But I would caution anyone not to expect special treatment just because they are travelling with children.
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Old Mar 2, 2013, 11:24 am
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Singapore Airlines (SQ) used to give out these little kid packs with cardgames and stuffed animals to kids. I recall a pack of Uno cards once, another time a snoopy stuffed animal and maybe something else. It came in a pouch bag.
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Old Mar 2, 2013, 10:58 pm
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When it comes to the major airlines in one of the big three airline alliances for at least five years, the best complimentary gift pack currently given to young children is from Aeroflot -- the metal box toy mini-suitcase and airline/airport stories they include are the best thing I have seen given by airlines in flight as entertainment items for young children on-board in decades of flying with young children.

SAS gives out great animal finger puppets.
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Old Mar 8, 2013, 9:36 pm
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Since the birth of my daughter almost 5 years ago, we started flying International a few times a year on Singapore Airlines (before becoming a parent, it was once to twice a year). On ground, during check-in (primarily in First Class, from LAX, especially), I've been offered a chair whilst waiting for my boarding pass (had my daughter on the ergo - we started flying when she was 9 weeks old). We'd been personally escorted to the front of the lane to pass through TSA (maybe because we were flying in First). SQ agents have personally accompanied my stroller and car seat to the container and made sure they were loaded carefully.

On-board, the FAs automatically provided bags containing wet wipes, bottle, diapers, soft toys and on every flight, baby blankets by Givenchy. I'd to decline them each time (we did use the blanket), saying I'd everything I needed in my diaper bag. They would come by a lot, asking if I needed them to take my daughter whilst I rested/ate - these were primarily out of LAX (for the special ground service). On board, the FAs took turn to check on me and played with my little one. I started getting her own seat when she was 17 months old. Whenever my daughter woke up and I was still resting, the FAs would come by and played with her, without waking me up. She received bags of toys/games...)Granted, we were in First Class, but I can say that SQ's First Class service on board is the best, from my personal experience (having also tried CX a few times, both in First and Business - basically luck of the draw) and once on UA (which was horrifying on board - never again) and twice on ANA (great service on board). My almost 5 yr old loves flying with SQ too. Our experience in Suites were fantastic! Special treatments? I guess so. And I loved it and was, and still am, very grateful for that. Service out of SIN - excellent too, especially SQ's lounge!

Hope this helps. Sorry for this being a little lengthy. I've tried to make it as brief as possible.

Last edited by harvardalumna; Mar 8, 2013 at 9:42 pm
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Old Mar 12, 2013, 10:45 am
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On international flights, ANA provides an option of one of three toys, as well as a baby skin care set.

Actually, on a recent business trip, they were kind enough to give me a stuffed plane toy to bring home to the baby.

http://www.ana.co.jp/wws/japan/e/asw...nflight/child/
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Old Apr 22, 2014, 6:32 pm
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Emirates Qantas Air NZ

Hi, we fly Emirates, Qantas and Air NZ a lot with small children. Also lots of other airlines. I can't say that I have ever had extra special treatment with small children but then I have never assumed that it was the role of the staff to look after my kids so I am pretty self sufficient. 15 years I have had at least one small kid on long haul flights at least 4 times a year and shorter trips about 4 times.

Emirates have always had amazing kids packs, with blankets with a soft toy with long arms that velcros around it and a soft nylon zip lunch box full of snacks, a Dr Zuess book and drink. You get to take it all with you. Before the blankets we used to get puppets and soft toys which was a bear you could dress up in national costumes that were from all the countries Emirates flew to.
On occassion Emirates have taken polaroids of the kids in their seats as a present. They have small kid sized ear phones so that they don't slip of their heads. The crew are very kind to the children and they have their own children oriented Frequent Flyer program, skysurfers.

Just flew Air NZ up to LAX from AKL last week and used the new skycouch configuration. This is useful for a family with young children you can make the seats into a small bed by raising the footrests and there are charging ports for universal adapters to keep your own equipment powered up to amuse the small ones. Sometimes a familiar game or movie is better than what is available on the plane screen. The bed is not large and you pay for the extra seat, about $NZ 699 for the AKL / LAX sector one way. You get extra pillows, two adults really couldn't lie down, but terrific for one adult and 2 small children, much much better than just an extra seat as there is the extra width. If you already have 3 seats booked and want the sky couch area in the plane you have to pay about $200 I think. It isn't free. Air NZ did get the children to hand out the sweets at the end of the flight.

Air NZ have some good in flight entertainment on the new 777-400 in economy. If flying trans tasman it isn't full service so you get the seat and pay for the rest and it isn't really a flight that requires interaction of staff with children as it is only 4 hours long. Emirates have probably the best inflight entertainment in the sky with hundreds of channels and lots and lots and lots of Disney movies. Often on long haul flights there isn't enough content that is age appropriate for say a 4 year old to stay engaged in it. Maybe one or two shows which is why I say that Emireates inflight rocks.

Qantas used to do nice kids backpacks but a lot of that has been scaled down in recent years and I haven't been flying them long haul.

As you do your thesis you will need to make sure that information is current as a lot of airlines have cut handouts to everyone in all classes of the plane.

We flew aeroflot HKG to Moscow and kids got really cute backpacks in the airline colours. I don't remember what was in them though.

Sydney airport has some good play areas as does Hong Kong. Sydney has courtesy strollers as does Dubai. Not sure if these are airline or airport sponsored. Sometimes they have an airline on them Qantas or Emirates sometimes they seem to be just unclaimed strollers. : - )
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Old Apr 24, 2014, 4:35 am
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I remember working for the airlines, it could vary what we could give out to the kids on board. As a mom, too, one flight my kids would get cool giveaways and not on the next... so variable.

One criteria to how "kid-friendly" an airline is, comes down simply to staffing. I used to stand in line with some of those armies of Flight Attendants in the crew line. We were coming off the same model of aircraft but they'd have 1/3 more bodies in uniform. Middle Eastern and Far Eastern companies were especially good with this. Easy to be attentive with more hands to help!

I also want to point out a few more important points when it comes to flying with children. It can be frustrating to fly with a company that takes your gate-checked items, like strollers, and makes you pick them up at baggage claim at your final destination, forcing even solo mom flyers with multiple children like I was, to negotiate large connection airports without a stroller. It can be annoying to fly as a parent and not be allowed to use our own car seat. Or having to jump through a bunch of hoops in order to book a seat for an under-2, or a special meal, or a situation where the child flies out with one family member and back with another, is also a headache. Forget car seats. What about making it clear what their bassinet policy/bulkhead seating policy is?? I hate getting on a flight and seeing all adults in the bulkhead and seeing families squished in middle seats with lap babies.

So an airline, in my book, needs to do more than just hand out goodie packs to win me over as a flying parent!
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Old Apr 24, 2014, 6:23 am
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Alaska Airlines provided my (then) 22 month old with a pack of crayons and a coloring book. The flight attendants also gave her a little pin to wear.

We also occasionally get special service that is clearly not standard operating procedure. In particular, a flight attendant will occasionally ask to hold and carry our daughter for a brief period.
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