Flying with Kids: Essential Guide for Smooth Air Travel with Little Ones

Flying with Kids: Essential Guide for Smooth Air Travel with Little Ones.

Booking a flight and traveling with an airline can be a seamless experience with your little one if you have it all planned well in advance. Indeed, most airlines that provide the scope for long and short-haul flights give in all the necessary assistance and support to make the journey smooth, with much-needed relaxation and rejuvenation. Below are some details in the form of a guide, which you can look through to have a good flight experience with your little ones.

Intrinsic attributes and tricks to be followed for an easy flight journey with a child:

Certain aspects can be categorized as simple tips and tricks for you to travel effortlessly with your child. The pointers for the same are given here, which you can run through to help you plan the trip accordingly:

• Provide ample scope for the child to sleep in time: Always ensure before the trip that you carry all the necessary sleeping essentials to make the child sleep well on time, even on the plane. The trick is to play with them to the maximum before the boarding hours so that they would need to rest well and sleep off during the flight journey.
• Let your partner or family board first: Always make it a point to let your family or partner board well ahead of you so that they can properly arrange and set up all the bags and toys for the kids you carry. This will help you board the flight easily and settle in with your child in a much more relaxed manner.
• Make a booking of the window or the aisle seat: Make sure to make the booking in the specific airline for a window or an aisle seat if you are traveling with your child. This allows you to have ample space to comfortably seat your child so that they do not get irritable during the flight journey.
• Be well prepared with pre-loading electronics: Donot depend entirely on the Wifi at the airport. Plan well ahead and make a download of all the necessary games and other educational videos on your phone to keep your child engaged.
• Connect with the airline well before the flight: Always make it a point to connect with the customer support team of the airline, well before the date of departure which would help the team to understand all your requisite and requirements in advance. The arrangements can then be made accordingly.
• Prepack all the toys and essentials in the carry-on bag: You can pack some toys, games, and other support materials that would be made use of by your child during the flight journey and also know about how many baggage you can take. Make sure to carry a harness and the stroller in the flight with you so as to keep the baby calm and relaxed.

What is the best age for a child to fly?

Usually, it is advised for you to travel with the child usually within a time period after the baby is two or three months old. This is to avoid the newborn baby getting infected by diseases in the crowded places at the airport during the departures and arrivals scheduled. It also depends on the advice of the doctors who may ask you to wait till a time of three to six months before taking a flight with the baby. The minimum age criteria is to wait for a span of 7 days from the day the baby was born.

Does a 3 year old need a plane ticket?

Yes, a 3-year-old child does need to have a flight ticket and a pre-booked seat to travel in the airline with their parents. This is because mostly all the airlines, allow a child the age of 2 years to sit on the lap of their parents and travel. Even, all the necessary boarding formalities would need to thus be completed for a child of 3 years or older to board the flight. The airline always tries to sit the child together with their family.

Can a child travel alone in an airline?

All the airlines don't allow a child to travel alone if they are under 5 years of age. If the child is in the age of 5 to 12 years, they need to have an adult accompanying them who is above 18 years of age. For the child aged 13 to 18 years, they can fly solo with the airline, by carrying the necessary consent form and authorised documents for the same.

Is it allowed for a 3-year-old child to sit on a lap and fly?

No, it is not allowed to make a 3-year-old child sit on the lap during the entire flight journey. You would need to book a separate seat for the child to travel as usually a child below 3 years of age can sit on the lap and take the flight.