For most families, flying is a means to an end, something to be endured rather than enjoyed. But that doesn’t mean it has to be a nightmare: by following these tips for flying with kids, you might arrive slightly more rested and happy.
We’re strong advocates of slow family travel, but sometimes you just need to travel further or faster, and that usually means taking to the skies. If you’re anything like us, you may have noticed that flying has lost some of its appeal over the years, perhaps because we’re getting older, or maybe because the rules and regulations have grown so strict that, what once felt special, is increasingly something to be endured before the fun begins.
Flying with kids presents its own set of challenges and compromises, whether you’re flying with a toddler who is constantly on the go or travelling with teenagers who bring their own particular pace and style. We know from experience that part of the stress comes from the preparation and logistics; once you’re safely onboard and settled, it can feel like the hard part is over (although we also remember travelling with under-5s, when the flight itself was the trickiest stage).
A successful family flight starts months before take-off, when you begin the planning and research, and doesn’t end until you’ve cleared immigration, grabbed your luggage and are safely heading towards your accommodation.
So, to help you find the best deals, handle the pre-departure stresses, get the most out of your flight, and make the smoothest possible landing, we’ve put together some tips and tricks. They might not make flying as a family entirely enjoyable, but they’ll hopefully put you in the best position to touchdown in a good frame of mind, ready to enjoy the rest of your trip.
Six months+ before take-off: Planning your flights
It’s never too early to browse
It’s never too early to start planning and researching your flights, even if at this stage that just means idlily scrolling through flight booking websites and seeing which destinations are cheap and appealing. Flight bookings tend to open twelve months prior to departure so, unless you’re planning years in advance, you should be able to check the prices for any upcoming trip.
Stay flexible
If you have flexibility on location and dates, now is a good time to work out which cities are cheapest and which dates work out best. Assuming you know which region you’re flying into, you can start to check whether Cape Town or Johannesburg has the most connections, or if San Francisco or Los Angeles offer the cheapest fares, for example.
Get some help
The two best flight planning and comparison sites are Skyscanner and Google Flights, with Skyscanner being our particular favourite. Through these sites, you can search for single, return and multi-city trips, the latter is useful if you’re planning an overland Southeast Asian adventure and need to fly into Bangkok but return home via Singapore, for example.
One incredibly useful feature is the Price Alerts, whereby you sign up for an email alert if and when your chosen flight price drops. This isn’t as big a help if you’re looking to book immediately but, if you’re just browsing with a plan to book in the near future, it’s a great feature.
Don’t feel rushed yet
On that note, don’t necessarily fall into the trap of assuming prices will continue to rise in a linear fashion as the departure date approaches. While it’s true that the price will be highest if you’re booking 24 hours before departure, there won’t always be a massive difference if you book one month or six months in advance. The only caveat is if you’re travelling at extremely popular times of the year, i.e. Thanksgiving or Chinese New Year, when flights will be booked up in advance.
It’s always best to book flight tickets on your credit card if possible as you might get some additional protection if anything goes wrong with your booking. Some credit cards also offer free travel insurance if you’ve used the card to book, but do check the small print.
Three months before take-off: Booking your flights
The sweet spot
It’s difficult to say definitively when is the best time to book flights as it depends on so many factors including destination, airlines, dates and global events. Somewhere between four months and six weeks before departure feels like the sweet spot to us, but it’s an inexact science.
We booked a trip from Penang to Manchester seven months in advance but it wasn’t until a few weeks before departure that the price began to slowly creep upwards. On the other end of the scale, there have been times where we’ve taken the last seats at a certain price point, and they immediately increased by 10% after we’d booked. You’re basically at the mercy of the airlines pricing algorithm.
Be aware of reseller websites
If you’re using Skyscanner or Google Flights, the very cheapest tickets will usually be offered by a third-party website (e.g. Gotogate or Travel Trolley). Be aware that these sites make their money from charging substantial fees to amend your booking, often significantly more than the airline would charge directly. If there’s a big saving to be found, by all means go ahead, but don’t an expect an easy ride if you need to contact them.
Booking directly with the airline is usually the best option, especially if their price is close to the cheapest.
Stopping over
We love a good stopover and, if you your wallet and itinerary can afford it, it really does get your trip off to the best possible start. Many airlines don’t charge extra for adding in a stopover and, in the case of the Middle Eastern airlines such as Qatar, Etihad and Emirates, they sometimes include a free night(s) in a hotel as part of the package.
It’s also a great weapon to beat (or at least, tame) jetlag. Our favourite of all was a stopover in Abu Dhabi, so much so that we struggled to make our onward flight.
Choose your times wisely
For both long and short-haul flights, consider what time your flight is due to take-off and land before you make the booking. Many a family (i.e. us) have eagerly booked a 6.00am departure to save £50 but failed to consider the subsequent 2.00am alarm call and ensuing chaos. Also factor in whether things such as car-hire return and public transport will be running. The same applies in reverse when you arrive home at 1.00am to a deserted arrival terminal.
The myth of night flights
Carrying on the theme of timings, if you’re flying long-haul, you’ll need to decide whether to choose an overnight flight or one during the day. It might seem tempting to book a night flight, with visions of the entire family falling peacefully asleep, only waking up when the plane begins its descent, but the reality can be much different.
Especially if you’re flying with very young children, the combination of a dark, silent cabin and a crying, unhappy child, can be difficult. Most fellow passengers sympathise with parents, but you might find patience running thin during a night flight. You shouldn’t feel the need to apologise for your children, but we know some parents find these type of situations difficult.
A day flight is often much better as everyone is naturally awake and there are less concerns if people can’t get off to sleep. Kids will also enjoy the flight more if they’re not over-tired.
Paying for seat selection
Almost every airline charges for seat selection nowadays, unless you’ve bought a more expensive fare type or you’re in their frequent flyer programme. Deciding whether to pay and select seats in advance is a hot topic amongst travellers and it’s even more critical as a travelling family.
In practice, if you’re travelling on the same booking as a family, most airlines do their best to seat everyone together or, at a minimum, ensure that each child is sat with one of the parents. So, if you’re travelling as a family of four for example, you’re almost guaranteed to have at least one parent sat with both kids, although the other parent might be sat elsewhere. In all the years we’ve been flying we’ve always had seats allocated together apart from one occasion when one parent was seated elsewhere in the cabin. We won’t reveal if the parent was happy or not with this situation(!).
Costs vary, but it’s often £30+ per person per leg. So for a return flight, it could be upwards of £240 to select your seats. In our opinion, this isn’t worth the money, particularly if you’re organised and manage to check-in online as soon as it opens, when most airlines then offer free seat selection. Anecdotally, it’s only Ryanair who actively split up families who haven’t pre-paid.
Of course, if you’d prefer the peace of mind, or have certain seats you’re desperate to sit in, by all means pay the fee and know exactly where you’ll be sat.
Two days before take-off: Online check-in, packing and downloading
Little and early
Don’t leave the packing too late, it’s amazing how much stuff families need for even the shortest of trips. We tend to lay the suitcases or backpacks out on the floor a couple of days before departure and start slowly filling them with all the things we’ll need on the trip.
Charge and download
There’s a time for screen limits and non-tech play but we find they’re at their most useful when undertaking long journeys, so make sure your laptops, phones and games consoles are fully charged and you have all the books, podcasts and games downloaded that you’ll possibly be needing during the flight.
Online check-in
For most airlines, online check-in opens 48 hours before departure, especially if you’re flying long-haul with one of the larger airlines (although it’s sometimes only 24 hours). Unless you’ve chosen to pre-select your seats, now is the time to check you’ve been seated together and potentially move around if there is space. Most airlines offer this for free but some notable exceptions (e.g. British Airways) won’t let you choose if you’re on their cheapest ticket price, even at this late stage.
One day before take-off: Airport hotels
Release some pressure early
This is another (very) nice-to-have, depending on your budget and itinerary, but an airport hotel is a wonderful start to your trip, allowing you to get all of the ‘Home Alone 2’ style departure chaos out of the way the day before your flight. It also makes the inevitable “did you remember to pack the passports?” question easier as you do have some time up your sleeve if the worst happens.
The absolute dream is finding one close enough to walk to the terminal, something we’ve done a couple of times at a Manchester Airport hotel. They’re not the cheapest options in town, but the sense of calm and peace means it feels like money well-spent.
Four hours before take-off: Arriving to the airport, check-in and security
Get there early
Everything takes longer as a family, not least manoeuvring several people around a busy airport, with all the hoops you now have to jump through. Bag drop won’t usually open until three hours before departure but regardless of whether you’re driving and parking at the airport, or taking public transport, you’ll be grateful for the extra chunk of time.
Use all the family stuff you can
Many of the better airports have specific family lanes for security and immigration, which can be a lifesaver with younger kids. Make sure you use everything offered to you when you make your way through the terminal and don’t feel rushed unloading all of your stuff into the security boxes.
Separate tech and liquids before you arrive
As we pass through security, our boxes resemble the discount counter at Boots or Currys, with laptops, phones and toiletries vying for space. We learnt early on to place all of these into a separate soft tote bag which can be brought out at security with everything in one place. Then, when you’ve made it through, repack everything into everyone’s carry-on so they can access it during the flight.
It does make security a lot easier, although more and more airports have improved scanners nowadays, so the requirement to empty your bags is gradually disappearing.
One hour before take-off: Boarding and onboard
Don’t necessarily use all the family stuff you can
Once you’re at the gate, you’ll usually be offered the chance to board first as a family. While this might seem tempting, do consider that by boarding early, you’re actually increasing the time your kids are confined in that small space.
By all means, if you’d prefer to get onboard to get yourself sorted and grab some overhead locker space, then go ahead, otherwise just wait until your row is called.
Staying happy onboard with activities
This might be the number one concern for parents of younger kids, and we get it. So much so that we created a whole separate blog post on long-haul flight survival with toddlers. With kids this young (and anything up to six or seven), it’s largely about keeping them entertained and occupied. Screen time is all good here, no judgement, but make sure you also have your fair share of colouring books, cuddly toys, sticker books and crayons. Anything that will keep them entertained.
As the kids get older, they’ll increasingly look after themselves, especially if you’re flying long-haul with a decent airline who have inflight entertainment systems. Still remember to pack their own devices though, ideally with several films and games available to consume offline.
Eating and drinking
Airline food is okay usually, and kids will be offered a child meal. It can be hit and miss though, sometimes it’s great, other times they won’t touch it. So it pays to bring some of your own food onboard, ideally familiar sandwiches you made at home if you had time, otherwise just some easy to store and digest options like crisps, biscuits and fruit. You’ll be amazed how popular a packet of crisps or apple are seven hours into a long-haul flight.
Ignore the tuts
Most of the time it’s not a problem, but you’ll occasionally encounter a traveller from the nineteenth century who believes children belong in a creche until they’re eighteen. Ignore them.
You and your kids have every right to be flying and living your lives, and we were all that age once. Flying isn’t easy for adults, let alone kids, so don’t worry if they’re crying or making a fuss every now and then. It is what it is.
Having said that, do be aware of your fellow travellers and that not everyone loves kids, so don’t expect the entire plane to cheer when your kid runs down the aisle for the tenth time. And watch out for little feet kicking the seats in front, they can pack a surprising thud!
One hour after landing: Immigration and arrival forms
Please, not another form
Oh how we hate immigration forms, especially the ones that need to be filled in by hand as you endlessly queue for immigration. Carrying a tired, upset child in one hand while simultaneously entering your passport number and its expiry date onto a tiny scrap of paper is one of parenting’s great challenges. If the queue isn’t too long, it’s always easier for one parent to fill these out on a table while the other entertains the kids (if you’re a two-parent family).
Family lanes
Now is definitely the time to use any help you’re offered, with family lanes your best friend. You may even get some help from fellow passengers: the old man in Colombo who insisted we came to the very front of the queue ahead of him when the boys were 2 and 4, will remain a hero of ours forever.
Two hours after landing: Onward journey
Make the first bit easy
We love independent travel and encourage you to strike out on your own as soon as possible, but the first trip from the airport after a long flight is not the time for travel bragging. Instead, choose the easiest option, whether that’s a private transfer booked via your hotel, or a taxi from an e-hailing app. There’ll be plenty of opportunity in the future to save 50p by using a bus, or to test out your haggling skills with the local taxi touts.
First full day after landing: take it easy
You made it! Even a short-haul flight can be tiring for a family but if you’ve done anything over four or five hours, you deserve an easy first day. Perhaps have a lie-in and leisurely breakfast, or take a gentle stroll around your new city.
The kids will be feeling it more than you realise and, even if they seem full of beans and ready to begin exploring, you’re just delaying a meltdown. Take it easy, congratulate yourselves on doing the hard part and start getting ready for the upcoming adventure, and the reason you braved the flight in the first place.
You may also like to read:
Long haul flights with toddlers: your essential SURVIVAL GUIDE
Jet lag with kids: the parent survival guide
How to make backpacking with kids work