Forget The Flight, How Are You Going To Survive The Airport?

When it comes to traveling with kids, most of us dread the plane. Even a short flight can seem like a hurdle you could never hope to cross. In the lead-up, you likely have nightmare visions of your children tearing up and down the aisle. What if they cry, fight, scream? What if they won’t stop kicking the seat in front of them? The possibility of confrontations with disgruntled customers can be too much for many parents to bare. And, can you really blame them? We’ve all been in THAT seat.

Sadly, we’re not here to put your mind at ease. In fact, we’re playing devil’s advocate and reminding you of something you might not have even considered. Before the plane, there is, of course, the airport. Unless you’re lucky enough to avoid this altogether, coping with kids here is as tricky as surviving the flight. Your only other option would be to fly from a private airfield, or charter a private plane. But, how much does it cost to charter a private jet? Perhaps more than you could afford, especially if you’re going far. Hence why you should read on to find out how to weather the storm of a family trip to the airport. If you are though considering a private jet, check out www.jettly.com.

Get there early

Getting to the airport early is essential whether you have kids or not. But, when you do have a family to worry about, time is even more of the essence. Any parent knows to factor time for tantrums, wandering children, and general commotion. What’s more, passing through security takes longer depending how many of you there are. Even bag check can take a long time if you’re each taking luggage. So, while most airports recommend arriving at least two hours in advance, you might want to make that two and a half/three.

Delegate tasks

Obviously, you can’t delegate tasks to your children. But, you can split them with your partner. It makes no sense for the whole family to wait in a baggage drop queue. Instead, one of you can deal with bags while the other takes the kids through security. Not only does this take at least one task off each of your shoulders, but it can keep things moving nicely. The kids will get restless if they have to queue for ages before you even enter the main body of the airport. And, restless kids this early in the game can only spell bad news.

Prepare your kids for security

Security is perhaps the hardest hurdle to overcome here. All those scanners are daunting for adults, let alone children. What’s more, they may struggle with rules, even after you’ve told them. And, a stray water bottle at the bottom of a bag could spell trouble. Instead, prepare for security by going through your children’s backpacks before anything. Make sure they don’t have things they shouldn’t. Most airports have areas outside of security for this exact purpose. It’s also worth going through the gates first. Many parents think to let the children ahead of them, but that means you’re on the wrong side of the fence. If they do get taken aside, you won’t be there to help them. And, that could lead to a distraught child for the duration of your airport experience. Instead, go through ahead and look out for them on the other side. Seeing you there will give them the confidence to go through those looming metal detectors.

Get some grub

If all goes well, you’ll have a nice chunk of time on your hands once you’re through to the other side. While you may think of this as a negative, it’s a good thing. After all, it would be difficult to do anything if you only had half an hour. As such, you’d wind up sitting and waiting, and the kids would get bored. If you have plenty of time before boarding, you can at least make use of the airport restaurants before you jet off. This has the benefit of keeping everyone busy and also filling your kids up before you get on the plane. Airport restaurants have a shocking markup,  but they’re still likely cheaper than food onboard your flight. So, this may be the ideal way to stop your children getting hungry up in the air. You could even take any leftovers onboard in a doggy bag. Just, make sure everyone goes the toilet after they finish their drinks. Then, you’ll all be happy campers by the time your gate is announced.