When you are travelling as a family, the airline that you pick is an important decision.
What airline you go with can really affect your overall travelling and holiday experience as a family, and it can affect everyone’s moods and happiness throughout the trip.
It’s important to do your research beforehand and pick the airline you need on an informed basis.
This will, of course, depend on where and when you are travelling, and the airlines you can pick will change depending on your location and route.
You will also need to factor budget into your decision when picking an airline
However, if you want to make your decision based on what features the airline can offer to you and your family, we have a handy list of the top 5 ranking family-friendly airlines.
We will run through what they offer families and why they are the best choice if you are travelling with your kids. All of these facts come from an infographic from Play Like Mum.
If we’ve missed your favourite off the list, let us know in the comments and share your wisdom with other parents!
British Airways
British Airways have the top spot in our list because they offer all of the following features to flying families:
- Free seat reservations
- Free checked luggage
- Pre-boarding for families
- No “lap-fees” (i.e. no charge for babies who can sit on your lap and don’t need a seat of their own)
- Kids meals
- Free kids entertainment
- On-board bassinet or carry cot
- No charge for bringing your own pram or pushchair on board
The airline offers pretty much anything you could ask for when you are travelling with your kids, and all of the free features will save you a lot of money and hassle on your trip.
Everything is geared up for kids on board and everything has been thought of.
If you can fly British Airways on your trip, do so.
Emirates
Emirates take a joint top position with British Airways on this list, as they offer the exact same features.
Everything that is on our list for British Airways is available on Emirates.
For flights on the Eastern hemisphere of the world, Emirates is the airline to choose for your family as they have everything you could possibly need.
Virgin Atlantic
Virgin Atlantic are another great choice for families choosing to fly for their holidays or travels. They offer 7 out of 8 of the advantages that British Airways and Emirates do, with the only exception being that they don’t offer pre-boarding for families.
If you want to pre-board you will have to pay for it as an extra on your ticket.
If you care about getting to your seat first and getting settled before the rest of the plane passengers do, this is something to consider in advance.
If this doesn’t matter to you then hey, no worries. Everything else on board is well-prepared for children of all ages and families.
Virgin Atlantic are still a great choice for family travel.
Airfrance
If you are heading off on a French trip as a family, Airfrance is a great airline to go with.
They offer the exact same features as Virgin Atlantic: free seat reservations, no lap fees, on-board cot, no fees for prams, kids meals, kids entertainment, free checked luggage, but no free pre-boarding for families.
Still 90% of the benefits of the top two airlines but something to consider with the boarding.
Overall, still an excellent airline for families to choose if they are going to France.
Qatar Airways
The last on our list, even though we could include many many more, is Qatar Airways.
Qatar is great for families too but the reason that it ranks bottom on our list is because they do charge lap fees and they don’t offer free seat reservations.
They do offer everything else we listed for British Airways and Emirates, but the lap fees and seat reservations is something to consider when you are planning and budgetting your trip.
Overall, still a good choice for families flying to the East of the world.
Whatever you choose, may you have a safe and enjoyable trip.