How come we don’t get cartoon boarding passes too?!
There’s a hierarchy to travel, with exclusive lanes for first and business class customers and VIP travelers, but for anyone who’s ever traveled with a family, there’s no doubt one group of clients deserve the best experience, every time: families. Family travel is the greatest gift, but also easily one of the most stressful endeavors. British Airways has just won an award for their family travel offerings and initiatives, and admittedly, we didn’t know about some of them…
Many airlines offer family check in zones, but sadly that’s where it stops for a lot of airlines. Last year Finnair captivated the family market, announcing exclusive Moomin based check in zones, but this year it’s British Airways which has made great strides. At London Heathrow Terminal 5, British Airways offers an exclusive family check in zone, where children receive cartoon boarding passes, before proceeding through a family only security check point. Unbeknownst to us, the airline allows free seat selection at the time of booking for anyone traveling with children under 2, and guarantees families traveling with children under 12 will be seated together on board. And for the rest of summer, kids fly free on select UK routes. As with most airlines, families are allowed to pre board before any other group, and on board, children receive SkyFlyer activity packs on long haul flights, and are fed first.
Did you know children can join the British Airways Executive Club regardless of age? While children under 2 do not collect miles, because they don’t need their own tickets, starting at age two, parents can have their children join their Executive Club family accounts, and begin pilfering away their children’s hard earned miles. To be fair, unless the child is a famous star already, you probably did buy the ticket, but we’ll leave it with you to square it up with them when they’re old enough to wonder how all those trips amounted to no points. You can join the Executive Club here.
Over 150,000 people have now utilized the family check in zone at Heathrow Terminal 5, which says a lot about the demand for family travel in itself. We’d love to see British Airways and other airlines expand the family travel offerings to as many outposts as possible, offering a continuity wherever families fly. Simplifying the flying experience, and making it something that everyone, even parents, can relax about is invaluable and we hope this great start goes even further. Congrats to British Airways on their award.
Which airline has offered the best family travel experience for you? And why?
Featured image courtesy of British Airways.
