Nannies Now Available on All Long-Haul Etihad Flights
Joe Cortez October 21, 2014
Etihad Airways now offers full-service childcare nannies before and during all long-haul flights.
Frequent flyers often exchange stories of loud, fussy children affecting their in-flight experience. Etihad Airways is working to change that, with the creation of their “Flying Nanny” service. Around 500 specially trained Flying Nannies are now available on Etihad’s long-haul fights to help families manage their young flyers.
The purpose of the Flying Nannies is to help children navigate all aspects of the flight, from takeoff to landing. According to Etihad, the Flying Nannies were trained at England’s famed Norland College with a concentration on child psychology and sociology, enabling them to “appreciate the perspective and needs of traveling families.” Each of the Flying Nannies are tasked specifically with keeping children occupied and assisting crew members in working with individual families.
The Flying Nannies are trained in a number of methods to keep children entertained and happy. For the youngest of flyers, Flying Nannies help replenish milk bottles and prepare baby bassinets throughout the flight. Older children are occupied by a variety of activities, including arts and crafts, magic tricks and quizzes that can be worked on independently.
“Flying with a young family can be a daunting task, even for the most experienced travelers,” Aubrey Tiedt, the airline’s vice president of guest services, explained when the service was first launched in September 2013. “The Flying Nanny role demonstrates our understanding of our guests’ needs and our commitment to making the journey as relaxing and comfortable as possible.”
The free service runs in line with Etihad’s recent alliance announcement focusing the airline around the passenger experience. Flying Nannies are identifiable by their orange aprons, and they are available to families on all of Etihad’s long-haul routes.
[Photo: Etihad Airways]
