As a mom who frequently travels alone with my toddler internationally, hacking family travel to be as seamless, timesaving, and comfortable as possible is a new passion. My toddler has been on over a dozen international flights between North America, the Caribbean, Europe and North Africa. Flying with an “infant-in-arms” internationally does cost less than a separate plane ticket, but it’s never free. Depending on the airline, a child under two years of age’s ticket is between ten and twenty percent of the adult fare plus international taxes and fees. However, there are some airlines where your money goes a lot further. Here are five things you should look out for when considering how to travel internationally with your family and what airlines provide them.
VIP Baby!
Emirates is known for its five-star service. Offering a regular service between New York and Italy, the Emirates Airbus A380 is frequently my first choice. The service is impeccable, even in economy class. When traveling with an infant, a big comfortable plane definitely makes a difference. While your child might be on your ticket as an “infant in arms,” Emirates gives them their own separate baggage. On the flight, Emirates seems to be invested in building lifelong customers offering children Emirates branded plush toys, a blanket, and a kit with a spoon, wipes and baby toiletries. During meal service, there is a baby menu with an option of baby food in fruits or vegetables and formula. And, if you didn’t already feel like a VIP, a flight attendant will come by offering you the option of taking a polaroid of you and your child in flight!
Con: All this service does come for a fee as Emirates has one of the pricier infant-in-arms fare percentages at around twenty percent of the adult fare.
Pre-trip Prep and Information
When traveling with your family, it’s natural to want to control all of the stress-causing variables and manage as much as you can before you get to the airport. Before your flight, Delta sends an email titled “What to Know When Flying Abroad With a Baby.” This email includes TSA information about milk and formula, helpful links regarding reserving a baby bassinet, and boarding guidelines. Having all of this information clearly laid out eases confusion at the airport. Delta’s flight crew are also very well versed on the rules and guidelines. Flying with an infant can be stressful and more often than not, the Delta crews go the extra mile with the human touch and initiative. I’ve had experiences with flight attendants even offering to watch my child should I ever need to go to the restroom. Whenever possible, the desk agents check to see if there is a free seat next to me so we could have the most comfortable flight possible.
Con: When flying internationally, you are unable to select infant-in-arms when booking, but rather have to have a separate call / message chat with a customer service agent and book the child’s ticket separately. This can be quite time consuming.
Change Flexibility
When flying internationally, inevitably, things happen. A child may fall ill – who wants to fly with a sick baby! – or a document doesn’t come through. Low-cost airline, Neos, offers a very flexible flight change policy with no change fee if done within 48 hours of your flight. You will only pay the difference in flight costs.
Con: The online booking experience of Neos is very dated and buggy so you might find yourself emailing with customer service for simple things like “How do I check in?” or “I haven’t gotten a confirmation email.” This can be frustrating and a little worrisome when booking travel for a family.
Gate to gate stroller service
While there are amazing travel strollers that are lightweight and fit in overhead compartments, you may be flying with a full size stroller that you’d need to check at the gate. I would recommend using a carseat bag or stroller bag with a handle to make it easier for a baggage crew to haul and transport easily. Neos airline lost a piece of my stroller months ago and I’m still waiting on a response from customer service. Not all airlines and airports offer gate to gate service. There are times when I check at the gate for Delta but upon landing, I have to retrieve my stroller from baggage claim. This is when having a carrier becomes crucial. However, when flying with American Airlines their flight team is insistent on that gate to gate stroller service – no waiting in the special luggage claim on the other end of your flight. American Airlines takes such pride in this service that once a pilot went down to the tarmac to ask the handlers “what was the delay?” when he saw me waiting as we deboarded the aircraft!
Con: American Airlines does not have early boarding for families with small children, but you can ask the gate agent if you can board early and they will likely let you.
Embrace the low cost carrier
With smaller aircraft and smaller seats and the extra fee culture, family travel on low-cost airlines may be approached with a little trepidation. You might wonder whether or not an airline that doesn’t allow for a carry-on without charges would allow a diaper bag! I recently flew low-cost carrier Malta Med Air on a five hour flight with my daughter from Italy to Egypt. While I can’t speak to every budget carrier, from the flight attendant ensuring that we’d board early to have an extra seat next to us, they made it just as comfortable as prestige airlines due to their service. And the best part of our travels with a low cost airline: our diaper was not questioned! Rack up more miles with half the price once you open up family travel to these affordable carriers!