How To… Fly with children without being dogged up by other passengers

It’s the time of year when school attendance officers get a break from chasing up term-time holiday takers. Those that can afford to jet off during peak season do so, whilst the rest of us soak up the summer in our back gardens or go camping.

But for the parents who will soon be sunning themselves on a hot beach in Spain, there is one last hurdle to pass. That is the lemon-sucking faces of the child haters, making up a huge proportion of passengers at airports. Even parents with the meekest, most well behaved children, won’t escape a dogging-up over the top of their newspapers.

Father of two and BA senior cabin crew member, Justin Cox has some advice for parents, especially ones who will be catching flights with their children for the very first time.

Just says: “As a parent I understand that travelling with kids can at first seem like a daunting prospect, but it really needn’t be. After my 12 years as BA cabin crew I have found that flying can be made more comfortable and even fun for kids by following a few simple pointers.”

If you plan to take your own car seat for the flight, check with your airline before travelling to make sure the seat fits the airline’s criteria, as different airlines have different requirements.

Before your child’s first flight in their own seat, sit them on the sofa at home with a cushion between you as the armrest, explaining how it’s going to be on board.

Take a small compact travel pushchair for easy cabin stowage onboard – regular sized pushchairs or strollers will normally have to go as hold luggage.

Pack their favourite teddy, pillow or comfort blanket – to help them get to sleep more easily and make it feel more like home.

Sometimes waiting for take-off or leaving the aircraft can be boring for young children – a bag of treats can work well at this point as a distraction.

While visiting the flight deck mid-flight is no longer allowed, if you ask the crew they are usually happy to arrange for children to see flight deck after landing.

If you are flying somewhere with a big time difference try to allow yourselves two days when you get back to give your children time to get back into UK time and their normal routine, before they go back to nursery or school.