For the best advice on flying with tots, teens, tweens and in-betweens, go straight to the experts – parents! We asked our Flight Centre Travel Experts, who are also parents themselves, how to ace an overseas or interstate flight with the whole family in tow.
Be prepared before you board. (Image: Getty)Onboard essentials
1. Bring a compact stroller on board
My best investment was a small, compact stroller I can take on board with me. It saves us precious time not having to wait at the luggage carousel, and means we can hit the ground running when we land.
Kellie Carty, Communications Manager, mother of one
2. Dress them in PJs
Put kids in their PJs for night flights to reinforce that it is sleep time.
Kari Edie, Product Expert, mother of one
3. BYO headphones
The generic airline-supplied headphones are too big for little heads, so bring your own child-size, child-safe, volume-limiting headphones (plus an airline headphone socket adapter) to avoid mid-air meltdowns.
Cassandra Laffey, Publications Manager, mother of one
4. BYO snacks
Don't risk getting on the plane and your child doesn't like the plane food. Have snaplock bags filled with different kinds of snacks (i.e. nuts, crackers, dried fruit and popcorn) that don't make a mess but take time to eat.
Rachel Tipene, Product Expert, mother of one
5. Keep the sleep routine
Make sure their sleeping routine doesn't change with PJs and books on hand.
Megan Lowe, GM Leisure Product, mother of one
6. Have a nappy kit handy
Don’t get caught tearing your carry-on luggage apart in search of the nappy-change necessities — nappies; wipes; a thin, foldable changing pad; and disposable baggies. Have the whole kit ready in a zip-top bag you can remove easily. The changing pad or liner is a key item for air travel, because not every airline offers changing tables in their lavatories — you might have to get creative with where to change your baby. Avoid surprises by asking a flight attendant about the arrangements when you board or early in the flight.
Niki Dart, Travel Expert, mother of one
7. Pack lollipops to pop ears
Have chewing gum or lollipops on hand for take-off and landing to help children with the ear pressure on board.
Shonny Day, Travel Expert, mother of two
8. Use bottles or dummies for babies
Give babies a dummy or bottle upon take-off and landing to help with ear pressure. The sucking motion helps pop their ears.
Casey Quinlan, Travel Expert, mother of one
9. Pre-book kids' meals
Most airlines provide onboard children’s meals that you will need to book ahead. Ensure your consultant has requested and confirmed any children’s meals with the airline before you fly.
Brendan Sawyers, State Product Leader, father of two
10. Feed 'em first
Make sure the kids are well fed before getting on board as meal service takes forever.
Philip Hancox, Supplier Relations Manager, father of two
Come equipped with toys, tech and toddler-friendly entertainment. (Image: Getty)Airline info
11. Book the newest aircraft
New aircraft, such as the Dreamliner and A380, are much quieter than older aircraft such as Boeing 747s, making it easier for children to sleep.
Brendan Sawyers, State Product Leader, father of two
12. Fly direct
Always fly as direct as you can. We've all done a mad dash from terminal to terminal to make a connecting flight, adding bored, tired and/or irritable kids, all their blankies and carry-on is not ideal. Avoid the stress — fly direct if you can, otherwise think of including a stopover to your trip. Singapore Airlines, Emirates and Etihad Airways all have great stopover deals that are perfect for a refresher and a new experience.
Lana Kneas, Travel Expert, mother of three
13. Fly with a family-friendly airline
Air Canada has great seatback entertainment for children. The flight attendants frequently offered to fill up drink bottles with water, juice or milk, including before descent to help with pressure to children's ears.
Kylasch Lawson, Travel Expert, mother of two
14. The best family-friendly airlines (and staff!)
I find Fiji Airways, Hawaiian Airlines and Qantas are the best with kids. Hawaiian Airlines and Fiji Airways staff are always so lovely with the kids and listen to their endless questions. Qantas also has cute little kids packs that give them something to do.
Amy Mudge, Travel Expert, mother of three
15. Sky-high nanny
Etihad Airways offers families a helping hand with Flying Nannies on all long-haul services. While they won’t take your offspring off your hands completely, these sky-high nannies are equipped with games and activities to keep kids occupied while seated.
Cassandra Laffey, Publications Manager, mother of one
16. Fly with a full-service airline
I recommend flying with Etihad Airways to Europe as not only do they have entertainment for the kids, they also feed them and have a nanny service. You’d be surprised how great it is for both you and the children to have that extra person to interact with.
Lana Kneas, Travel Expert, mother of three
17. Choose your airline wisely
I highly recommend Emirates when flying with kids. The seats are spacious, and they offer amazing children’s meals and age-specific activity packs.
Nataly Hurwitz, Travel Expert, mother of two
18. Generous luggage allowance
Emirates offers parents who are travelling with babies an additional infant luggage allowance of up to 10kg for checked baggage and one 5kg carry-on handbag for infant food and necessities.
Sam Constance, Travel Expert, mother of one
19. Love the layover!
Don’t be afraid to take a break with an overnight stay. Keeping your child's routine means they won’t run out of stamina for your 'adventure days', and will sleep well and adjust more easily to the time difference. Taking time to stop along the way won’t make those long-haul flights seem so long.
Veronica Hollands. Travel Expert, mother of one
Be strategic in your seat selection to allow kids (and adults!) to spread out. (Image: Getty)Seating arrangements
20. Pre-allocated seats
Where possible, book with an airline that has pre-seating requests so you can choose where to sit as a group.
Brendan Sawyers, State Product Leader, father of two
21. Get them their own seat
If your children are under 23 months and big balls of energy, don’t try and fly with them sitting on you on flights over five hours. Pay extra to get their own seat.
Clinton Hearne, Marketing Manager, father of two
22. Book your seats strategically
For a family of four, try to block out the window seat and the aisle seat, leaving the middle seat empty, or both aisle seats if it's a row of four and do the same for the row behind. The middle seats on a plane are generally the last seats to be filled and you can usually luck out with some space for the kids to sprawl out. If people are seated there, they are generally willing to move away into one of your aisle seats in the row behind.
Jason Nooning, Airfare Expert, father of two
23. Let someone else tell them to stay seated
When you get on a flight, the little balls of energy are so excited they can't sit still. Trying to get them to keep a seatbelt on is a futile effort. I simply say "Go explore, check out the plane" while everyone is boarding. Eventually a cabin crew member will tell them to sit down and put their seatbelt on. Kids always do whatever someone else tells them!
Darren Wright, General Manager Leisure, father of two
24. Where to sit
As a mum of three, I always travel at the back of the plane in the last two rows, with two kids in front of me and one beside me so they can move their chairs up and down without interrupting other people.
Amy Mudge, Travel Expert, mother of three
25. Bassinet 101
Be aware; with bassinets you have to pick up the baby every time the seatbelt sign goes on. There will also be other children in these rows.
Libby Mowinkel, Travel Expert, mother of one
26. Check seat allocation with the airline
I always call the airline and ask if it's possible to block the seat between the two of us if the flight isn't too busy so we have three seats with room to spread out and make more mess.
Kristy Bennett, Travel Expert, mother of one
27. Window or aisle?
If your baby or child is still sleeping a lot, the window seat is great to lean on. If your child is quite active, an aisle seat may be easier to get in and out, especially for bathroom breaks.
Casey Quinlan, Travel Expert, mother of one
Breastfeeding, bottles and dummies are best for babies' ears on take-off and descent. (Image: Getty)Diversion tactics
28. Pre-load your personal device
Be prepared. Bring your own device, and load it up with new movies or TV shows and games to keep them occupied. Don't rely on the airline’s entertainment.
Luke Wheatley, Creative & Content Manager, father of one
29. Hack their toys!
Wrap a whole bunch of little toys up with lots of sticky tape. It takes them ages to unwrap and they sit still.
Kimberley Saddington, Marketing Manager, mother of two
30. Puppet master
We have a puppet that travels with us, which is a great distraction when required.
Megan Lowe, GM Leisure Product, mother of one
31. Pack sticker activity books
When flying with toddlers, pack sticker books. This activity keeps my toddler busy for a good amount of time.
Nataly Hurwitz, Travel Expert, mother of two
32. Create a travel journal
Put together a fun journal and have stickers, postcards and maps for your children to plot their journey. Kids love adventure but feel settled knowing what is going to happen. The journal helps prevent meltdowns from being overwhelmed in new surroundings and overstimulated by all the excitement and keeps them busy at the same time. Throw in a disposable camera for extra fun and you’ll be amazed at how the world looks from their eyes.
Julianne Quirk, Travel Expert, mother of two
33. Make busy bags
For younger toddlers, ‘busy bags’ will save the day. Busy bags contain a reusable, age-appropriate activity that your child can use on their own. They're easy to pull out of your bag and throw back in when done. For my toddler, a laminated road map and toy car, and an empty pepper shaker with pipe cleaners to poke through the holes worked best.
Rachel Tipene, Product Expert, mother of one
34. New toys for the plane
A few months before departure, start buying toys or activities that your child enjoys and will keep them entertained. Wrap them up and pack in a bag to give out one at a time throughout the flight or when they start getting bored.
Courtney Armstrong, Travel Expert, mother of one
35. Cheap and cheerful toys
Save your water bottles from the flight - they make great toys for toddlers! When travelling with our 12-month-old, I filled the bottles with rice and pasta from the supermarket to make sensory toys. This kept her entertained on our travels and meant I could save on luggage space by not having to pack too many toys.
Kellie Carty, Communications Manager, mother of one
Take advantage of power outlets to keep your personal devices charged and ready for the plane. (Image: Getty)Airport strategies
36. Time your flights just right
It’s all about timing – pick the best arrival time for long-haul flights. It’s better to arrive in London at 3pm so the kids only have a few hours until bed rather than a 6am arrival where you have to keep them going until bedtime.
Andrew Robinson-Taylor, Travel Expert, father of two
37. Know the pram policy
Travel with airlines that allow you to take prams to the gate. Low-cost carriers generally don't allow you to take the pram to the gate and you'll need to check-in prams on arrival.
Belinda McDonnell, Travel Expert, mother of two
38. Track your flight status
Check that your flight is on time before leaving home. Sitting around airports just waiting is no fun (and expensive).
Philip Hancox, Supplier Relations Manager, father of two
39. Check-in early
Yes – we arrive at the airport three hours before we fly out. Yes – we will have to line up many times. Yes – it may be boring at times but it will be worth it!
Andrew Robinson-Taylor, Travel Expert, father of two
40. Airport activities
At the airport, handmade fabric travel mats with small cars are a great way to keep kids entertained while transiting and waiting for boarding, and are easy to roll up and pack away.
Belinda McDonnell, Travel Expert, mother of two
41. Family-friendly airports
If you do have an extended layover in Singapore, Changi Airport is well equipped with kid-friendly facilities including a slide, butterfly garden and cinemas. Other family-friendly airports for transit travellers include Amsterdam’s Schipol Airport, San Francisco Airport and Hong Kong International Airport.
Cassandra Laffey, Publications Manager, mother of one
42. Lounging around
If you have access to an airline lounge, make sure you take advantage of the facilities. Kids love being able to help themselves to drinks and snacks, and it’s a great way for the family to relax in a contained area before your flight.
Renae Spinks, Content Writer, mother of one
Find out which airlines allow pram-to-gate access to avoid carrying babies around the airport. (Image: Getty)Packing tips
43. Pack a change of clothes for two
Remember to pack a change of clothes for yourself as well as the baby – nothing like a long-haul flight with baby mess all down yourself and nothing to change into!
Sam Constance, Travel Expert, mother of one
44. Pack an onboard kit
Pack snacks, spare clothes (including lots of spare underwear for toddlers), wipes, hand sanitiser, pain relief for children (and you!), toothbrushes and pyjamas.
Courtney Armstrong, Travel Expert, mother of one
45. More onboard essentials
When packing your carry-on, don’t forget eardrops, books, iPads with chargers and a comfy travel pillow.
Jason Nooning, Airfare Expert, father of two
46. Pack for comfort
Pack a little blanket or cardigan and their favourite toy for comfort.
Monica Lando, Product Expert, mother of one
47. Pack light, pack smart
Travelling successfully with a baby or toddler means having what you need without being overwhelmed by bulging bags. Be practical with your carry-on. Extra clothes are key, bring a few infant outfits (they’re tiny, after all!) or an extra toddler outfit. Try taking the bulk out of clothing: pack each set of clean clothes in a zip-top bag and suck all the air out. If there is big spill or an accident, you can use the bag to keep the messy clothes contained.
Niki Dart, Travel Expert, mother of one
Don't forget to request kids' meals before you fly, and bring plenty of onboard snacks. (Image: Getty)When to fly
48. Take flight at night
Overnight long-haul flights are ideal so kids will sleep while on board.
Belinda McDonnell, Travel Expert, mother of two
49. Daytime is best!
Fly through the day! There is nothing worse than going through the check-in process with tired children at 9pm, with the hope they will sleep through the red-eye flight and wake up happy on arrival. It does not happen! Older kids wake up with sore backs and achy necks with attitude to boot, and zero patience for the immigration process at the other end.
Shonny Day, Travel Expert, mother of two
And finally...
50. Pack your 'inner' suitcase
Take some time before you leave to boost your inner stores of flexibility, patience and calm. Make your trip a judgment-free zone, and go with the flow. If your baby is fussy, look around at all the passengers you think you might be disturbing and remember that many are mums, dads, and grandparents. The businessman in a fancy suit might be missing his toddler at home. The elderly couple might be reminiscing about their days of baby travel. A huge part of the crowd knows exactly how you feel and they’re rooting for you. So, take a deep breath and assume the best about your fellow travellers…and about yourself.
Niki Dart, Travel Expert, mother of one
