What Would You Choose in Looking for a Family Friendly Airline?

Free cartoons on the tiny tv's with free earphones. More room in the seats (everyoe would love that) so that it is easier to breastfeed. Changing tables in bigger bathrooms. Really, nothing about modern air travel is family friendly, or even human friendly for that matter! This is very unlikely to change, packing people into airplanes like sardines and building the tiniest seats and bathrooms possible helps to make the airlines more profitable so there is really no incentive to change.

A Family Friendly airline would be one that understands a haggard mom and kids in a weird situation. The car seat stuff is genius - I would also have a sound proof cry room, and a play area - somewhere to take your kid when that flight is hurting their ears, or they need to walk around and the aisle is like rush time traffic. An area with a cartoon movie playing - like JJ the Jet Plane!

I would like to see fruit chews on the menu, and be able to buy a disposable bottle, a nursing area, and little matchbox cars. I'd like one of the airline assistants to dress up like "Where's Waldo" so we can try and find them throughout the flight. I'd like some really bored attendant to make a personal "can you find?" page for each flight. "Can you find the Andes?" or "How high did the pilot say we were cruising at?"

I'd like a funny pilot. I'd like a dry erase marker for the little window shade.... man, the ideas just keep coming... I'd like to be able to rent a portable DVD player, and have a "redbox" at every airport! I want cranky people who hate kids to be at the back of every flight!

Hi, M.. A friend of mine was telling me about a trip she took to Australia; the airplane had a couple of rows with bassinets (!!!!) for babies--the bassinets dropped down from the wall of the plane, I think, like the tray tables do in the front rows. Cool! So, that would be good, i think. Also, if the airline offered drink boxes vs. those plastic cups that always spill. And, complimentary crayons (washable, of course)would be great. And how about a pull-down stool in the bathroom so kids can reach to wash their hands--it's hard to lift them up in that cramped space!
Anyhoo, those are my ideas off the top of my head. Cool project you're doing--have fun with it!
S.

I think the whole process needs to be more family friendly. I have traveled with and without my kids over the last 8 years, and I can tell you that the ONLY time I have been singled out for "extra" security screening was when I was traveling with my two kids alone. You can imagine the scene: stroller, one kid on my hip, carseats, diaper bag, carry ons, entertainment bag, bottles, and tears. Then the screener says to me "Step over there ma'am, we have to wand you." I swear I was the laughing stock of their break room all week long.

The first time I traveled with both my kids, I wanted my car seat for one of them. I wish that they had told me before I got there that some car seats were not FAA approved. If I had known that I would have figured something else out. So I had to check the car seat.

I also wish that airline personel werent so ridgid. I wish they took the time to make it fun for kids. I actually got yelled at once because my daughter was trying to see over the seat in front of her to watch the in-case-of-emergencey demonstration they stuardess was doing before the flight. It made my daughter cry and really made me mad.

One of the best flights I ever had with my kids was from Alabama to Utah, but I came prepared with sugar free snacks, coloring books, new books, ect. It would be nice if the airline (who is charging full fare price for my 3 year old) would help me out in that area and provide something you can only get from them. That would be way cool to my kids. I think it was SW who gave us an autograph book once that the pilot signed, and my daughter loved it. Kid friendly entertainment would be nice too, such as movies or disney radio on headphones.

The best thing an airline can do is allow me and my kids to preboard. On airlines like SW where seating is not assigned, it really makes a difference and allows us to sit together, and makes it smoother for the other passengers to get on.

Good luck with your paper!

A place to change a diaper, juice boxes on the beverage cart, the ability to fly across country in 1 hour (ok, that last one is just a fantasy...).

Gosh, you've struck a nerve here. ;) I wish there was a little more room in the restroom to change a diaper. Even if there wasn't an actual changing table (which would be really great) just a bit more room on the floor of the bathroom would make it so I didn't want to cry and/or scream from frustration and claustrophobia when I have to take a child into the restroom. I am working really hard to make suremy cild is not a nuisance to other passengers; it would be great if I felt like the airline was on my side instead of trying to thwart my desperate efforts.
I had my two-month-old on a flight from Salt Lake to Hawai'i last fall and all I could think about for that seven hours was my high school history class and how we learned about how slave ship owners were always torn between "tight packing" which meant more slaves were trapped on board but more died from the cramped quarters and "loose packing," which meant more survived but some space was "wasted." Clearly the airline I was using believed in "tight packing," no historical disrespect intended! I felt like I could barely take a deep breath, and I am not a huge person. The person in front of me left his seat in "recline" the whole flight, which meant I had to hold my baby up under my neck or the guy would have worn my child as a hat. I felt so much pressure to keep my baby happy (and he generally was) but a little more room to be able to nurse him (discreetly, non-objectionably) without feeling like my arm would be cut off by the beverage cart or the guy in front of me was also sitting in my lap would have been very appreciated. I finally got up and hung out by the bathrooms, just to have some breathing room, and lo and behold, there were about five other people of all demographics doing the same thing! We were positively claustrophobic!
The little gifties and such for kids are nice, but six to twelve (or more) inches of breathing room in the seating area and in the restrooms is what would actually make an airline "family friendly." I'll never not get a baby a seat on a long flight again, and I'll probably sell a kidney so I can fly first class on a long trip and not feel so squashed. Flying shouldn't be suffering.
Good luck on your paper!

I like the kids gifts, especially wings. They are very cool, but the coloring book and pencil entertain for a very long time. Kid friendly snacks. Pre-boarding (after handicapped). I would really like it if pre-boarding meant Dad could take all the stuff and Mom could bring kids later, but everything already be settled. That way the kids could play while everyone boards rather than sitting for that time, too. Discount tickets for kids. More ready assistance for moms by themselves. (Last time the pilots helped me out a pity.) Changing tables! In EVERY plane! How about kid-sized bathrooms. You know, one where the kid and a parent can both fit. :) Which raises the question about what handicapped people do who need assistance. Barf bags more readily accessible as well as a brand of ginger ale that really contains ginger for upset stomachs. There's a few thoughts that come to mind readily. I'm being called by my little ones who gave me these ideas. :) I'm really not a disgruntled customer, just these are some things that I have thought of in the midst of a lot of travel. Hope this helps. Oh, one more. If they're going to charge for baggage, they should quit counting car seats. They didn't used to count until now. Another thought on that, how about charging $25 for baby instead of the car seat, and letting the car seat be free for baby. It at least sounds better. I do understand the cost of gas and all that is making these changes. GL!

Southwest Airlines all the way!!!!!!!!

I think we've covered most of the major airlines in our cross-country travels & none of them have ever involved children over 4 (they've all been interesting trips). I think it was Frontier we were flying when our double stroller (3 mos old & 2.5 year old) took a dump on us-they automatically give you up to $200 to replace a stroller because they know they're about the most fragile thing you can check on a plane. I had no hassle whatsoever when I replaced mine, even though I had no receipt for my broken one they were to replace. That was nice.
I'd love for my kids' DirecTV to be free on the flights-honestly one kid watched most of the time but my other littl'un looked at his brothers & didn't bother w/his. At least half price. One airline brought my kid an "uncrustable" sandwich for lunch during the flight-back when you could get a lunch out of the airline when you flew at lunchtime. That was especially great beacause he wasn't a ticketed passenger-he was a lap kid.
I've always plopped my kids down on their seat to change them-I've never bothered w/the bathroom because I don't fit comfortably, let alone me & a diaper bag & a baby! I've got my giant plastic changing pad, plus my regular pads as well, no worries about messes if you've flown after me!
I'd love to not lug my carseat around-can I get a loaner for my flight?
Hubby is military & I've always traveled alone w/the babies-that gets me sympathy help every time. The flight attendants offer to watch baby & kid while I go potty, pilots have helped carry my diaper bag while I push the stroller (for liability reasons they can't touch the kids), the stranger ladies behind me have taken my 2 year old potty-with the door open (God bless them, they knew I was paranoid) while I nursed... I can't say I've ever had a bad flight w/kids.
I'd love to have mats available for my kids' seats-who's not had a spill on an airline, even w/a sippy cup? Something for them to sit on-terry on one side, vinyl on the other.
A changing table somewhere would be great-even if it's a folding board I can throw down on my seat to change them in my lap.
(somebody else said it, but I love the idea too) juice boxes & kid-friendly airline snacks. I'm not fond of dry airline pretzels-and aren't they always soo dry?-they certainly aren't!
At least half-price movie/satellite during the flight-I promise it'll help my kid keep quiet on the 2 hour flight!
Kid rates for flights-granted, they take up an entire seat, but how much gas is my 3 year old really using during the flight? With the right airline snacks, he'll give the gas back before we land lol
Or maybe kid-friendly flights... at least one flight/day to each destination that's mostly kids & parents so you don't have to worry about the snobby businessman giving you the evil eye cuz your infant's ears aren't popping.
A special area to store diaper bags during takeoff & landing-under the seat isn't going to work for me, I take the industrial sized diaper bag when we travel & above my head isn't easily accessible cuz I'm a shorty. How about a closet where they try to cram all of the bags & as soon as it's safe to turn the seatbelt sign off, they hand your bag back?
I can probably think of a thousand other things, but those would have made my flights easier...

Hi. I run a travel agency www.majesticescape.com . Check us out for great deals on family trips(Fam trips) Southwest is definately the best airline for families. The reason why is they don't charge extra for more luggage, and are generally cheaper. But all the airlines need a comfortable space for a mom to go and change or nurse a baby.

Sorry it has taken me a few days to get a response in. I fly multiple times a year with 2 young children and a third on the way, so I have plenty to say about this topic! Are you still needing a response or is your paper complete? If you need anything, I'd be glad to help. :) Just let me know.

I personally love flying JetBlue. The staff are always friendly to my kids. Usually they'll bring some sort of coloring book or something. The back of the seat TVs with kid programming always helps too. I know it's not good to have kids that watch television all the time, but when you're stuck in an airplane it sure is nice to have some sort of entertainment so that the parent can relax as well.

Hi M. - that sounds like a fun paper to write. If I ran a family-friendly airline, I would provide booster and safety seats for all kids under 7 when their parents didnt bring a carseat. I would also let anyone with kids or who is handicapped board first.

have fun with your paper!

I think airlines are doing a pretty good job these days. We've had wonderful experiences flying with our kids on United, but we took our time buying tickets and did research - so we chose a flight that was less full and we had room to spread out. HTH