The best airlines for travelling with kids – from free baby equipment to priority boarding for families

TRAVELLING is stressful as it is without having to worry about energetic kids.

But luckily, some airlines go the extra mile to make the experience run more smoothly, even offering adjustments and extra services for parents. 

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Travelling with kids doesn’t have to be such a hassle[/caption]

As holiday season approaches, many parents will be looking at the best getaway for the whole family.

Micralite has analysed fifty airlines on a range of factors to determine which are the most child-friendly, and the results might surprise you.

They found the most child-friendly airline by scoring them against factors like priority boarding for families, children’s entertainment, children and infant food options.

They also looked at if baby bassinets and baby change facilities are available, baggage allowances, how many items of baby equipment can be carried for free, seat selection so families can sit together and child and infant ticket costs.

Some airlines scored much better than others, offering a wide range of helpful facilities, while others were limited with the options they had available to parents.

The lowest scoring airline was the airline Flydubai, but it wasn’t good news for some low-cost British carriers.

Ryanair and easyJet were both listed as some of the worst for kids, along with Jet2.

This is because many offered no entertainment or bassinets, nor priority boarding for families.

This is compared to Air France, who offer priority boarding, baby food, child-friendly entertainment as well as changing facilities and lower ticket prices.

However, Air France’s seat selection comes at a cost and the infant checked baggage allowance is lower than adults.

Air France came in joint first with Virgin Atlantic, South African Airways and British Airways – meaning two in the UK scored highly.

They even beat Emirates and Etihad, which also made the top along with Thai Airways and Air Canada.

Ricardo Baldoni, Head of Micralite said: “Having children shouldn’t stop you from jetting abroad and family holidays create excellent memories.

“Whilst flying with a baby or child may seem daunting for parents, airlines do make adjustments and offer extras which can help the trip go smoother, with some offering more than others.

“As well as factors provided by the airline, there are many other considerations parents can make such as choosing a flight which is during their child’s bedtime, packing their favourite toys and snacks for the flight and using a compact pushchair that is suitable to fit in the overhead compartment which can help flying with children a lot easier.”

A mum has revealed the best flight to book when travelling with kids – and it all depends on the time of day.

And a flight attendant has shared her top tips when travelling with kids.

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Some airlines offer loads of extra facilities to help stressed parents out[/caption]