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Easy BreezyFriday, July 9, 2010 10:39 AM
Top Ten Kid Friendly Airlines (rated on priority boarding, snacks, entertainment, etc.)
Kids and planes don’t always measure up to the most stress-free trip, even if you’ve packed every electronic device, snack, drawing material, and more that you can cram in to your carry-on. It helps to know what airlines feel your pain and want to help (yep, there are flight attendants who don’t scowl at your screamer) when your squirmy kids want to show the other passengers how loud they can yell or when they’re starving even though they’re on their third back of chips for the day (hey, whatever it takes).
And don’t get us started on the battery that was not charged on your iTouch or laptop that’s got their favorite (and pacifiying) TV shows or movies—kudos to the smarty pants who dreamed up on satellite TV (still not sure how it works, but we’re just going with it!).
Here, the top ten family friendly airlines—there should hopefully be at least one on your travel route.
1. Virgin America
2. Jet Blue
3. Southwest
4. Continental (not Continental Express)
5. Delta
6. American
7. United
8. Air Tran
9. Alaska
10. US Airways
Dish with us: What’s the best/worst airpline experience you’ve had with kids?
Liz B said:
With 3 yr old twins and a nana and grandpa in South Carolina (we are in a suburb of Chicago), every trip has the potential for disaster.
For example, the time my husband went to United security for a pass to help me on the plane (subjective, usually can’t get one at O’Hare but can get one in SC) and the guy told him we should have thought of this before having twins.
Or the last visit on USAir, when, with two adults and 4 childen (8, 6, 2×2) we were charged an extra $100 because we put all our stuff in two pieces of luggage (that which the adults could carry) which went over the weight limit (they chased us inside to get the extra $). Then the airline attendant insisted each squirming 3 yr old had to be strapped in her seat the whole flight due to federal regulation and that is actually true only of take off and landing.
Or last October when we went down on United and were going to drive to the beach but my luggage went to Ohio (with the laughable luggage tag “YOUR bag is lost”).
Or the time one baby had a blowout that soaked through her pants and I had to throw her outfit in the lavatory garbage (tied up in plastic bag, of course) and pray it didn’t happen again while leaving the other baby sleeping in the next seat. Luckily the plane was half empty.
Or the fact that O’Hare was going to install “family lines” in security and I haven’t seen that or that you land at the end of terminal 2 and have to hork it to terminal 1 to get your luggage while your husband is trying to find a parking space. Strollers, carseats, diaper bags (previously sans liquid formula or water for mixing) and baby shoes (?!?) have to be x-rayed and each 3 yr old has to walk through the metal detector by herself? Now you’re just tryin’ to punish me. I know it’s security but who’ going to put an explosive device in a child’s flip-flop?
Still, the best is probably the first time I went down with the babies (4 months old). I brought my 15 yr old cousin and we were scheduled to fly out on United at 9am (arrive 7:30). The flight was delayed several times due to weather (August?) until it was finally canceled and my husband came back to O’Hare to pick us up (good thing because we eventually ran out diapers and formula by about 4:30). We were rescheduled for the same flight two days later and, you guessed it, we were delayed until 4:00 when they put us on a flight to Charleston (90 minutes away from parents’ house). The crew had not arrived, so we waited another hour and were finally off to Charleston. We finally touched down in SC only to find out the infant seats didn’t make it. Luckily there was a Walmart right there and nana was happy to drive 3 hrs to and from and buy new carseats. I was ready to stick something sharp in my eye.
Too bad I hate driving (just came back 2 weekends ago), especially with 3 yr olds (I somehow lost the DVD player grandpa had given us or it was stolen) who are still potty training and don’t like loud places (bathrooms) and 3 dogs.
Oooof.
July 10th, 2010 at 2:55 pm
admin said:
oh no! total horror stories. it’s amazing you keep going back for more, but you have to go visit nana and grandpa! We promise, though, it does get a bit easier as they get older…
July 15th, 2010 at 1:36 pm