Airlines could do more to help parents – poll
Airlines are not doing enough to help parents travelling with young children, a new poll has found.
The survey by Fly.com found that 72% of mothers believe airlines do not always adequately cater to families travelling with children.
Indeed, the situation appears to be worsening, with recent policy changes by some airlines perceived as making it more difficult for parents. According to the survey, 51% of mums believe it is unacceptable for airlines to ban parents from bringing young children into first class airport lounges, while 30% did not like airlines preventing children from sitting in certain seat rows, and an overwhelming 69% were unhappy about the airlines stopping the of pre-boarding for families with young children.
Travelling with kids is clearly stressful for parents; 68% of mothers surveyed rated their stress level as ‘moderate to extreme’. The leading cause of anxiety is fear that their child will disturb other passengers.
To help ease the stress, mothers said they wanted airlines to provide more child-friendly amenities. The top four requests were to have child play areas at airports, dedicated family security lanes, complimentary in-flight activity packs and appropriate in-flight entertainment programming.
“The airline industry has a lot to gain if it can better understand the needs of moms flying with young children,” said Warren Chang, vice president and general manager at Fly.com. “With more tickets purchased per itinerary, it’s a great opportunity for airlines to develop a loyal and lucrative passenger base. Just as business travellers appreciate targeted services to improve their flight experience, so does the travelling parent.”
It’s certainly not a small section of the market; the poll found that many mums have already flown more than 10 times with their child – 24% with children age five and under. And 64% of mothers are likely to be flying with their children in 2013.
The Fly.com survey questioned 884 mothers in the USA.