How Emirates is making travelling with children easier
Say hello to the Dept. of Family Travel – your one-stop shop to travelling with kids.
More than half of Australians (55%) have flown with a baby under two years old, Finder's latest Parent Survey has revealed.
And while a third of parents actively enlist family to travel with them to help with the kid-minding, more than half take on the challenges of travelling with children on their own.
Now, Emirates is making that part easier with its Dept. of Family Travel portal. It's a space filled with tips and advice on how to fly with kids – and takes on feedback from its own survey on what parents love, what parents hate and what the airline can do to make family travel better.
While Emirates offers the standard family perks, such as priority boarding and added baggage allowances, its determined to go the extra mile to make flying with the brood that much more enjoyable.
One of Emirates' biggest findings is that 70% of parents worry about how to keep kids entertained while in the air. In answer to this, Emirates has designed an "entertainment distraction station," complete with 150 children's channels, Fly With Me animal toys for little flyers and Lonely Planet Kids' Packs for older flyers aged 7-12 years.
It also found out that 71% of parents prefer to break up long-haul flights. This is probably for their own sanity as well as other travellers' since 54% of parents admit they worry about annoying other passengers.
Emirates doesn't really have to think too hard to please parents in this department as its long-haul flights include a stopover in Dubai. Sounds like an odd place for a kid, but it's actually a kids' paradise with adventure parks and safari adventures available for big kids and beaches and resorts for little ones.
Other perks Emirates offers for families that are uncommon for airlines include baby formula on board and free stroller use throughout Dubai Airport. This is a godsend as it means you don't have to worry about unpacking and re-packing your own when in transit.
Children aged 2-17 can also earn and redeem miles on international flights.
You can visit the Dept. of Family Travel here.
Common family perks airlines offer
Most airlines offer some level of family assistance to make flying with little ones more seamless. This generally includes the following:
- Priority boarding for families
- Priority seating for families
- More generous baggage allowance, including carry-on
- Baby bassinet (this must be pre-booked)
- Free kids' entertainment
- Children's meals
- Kids' gifts and activity packs
- Infant change tables
If you're flying domestically, check out our guide on the best airlines for children and infants in Australia and New Zealand.