Why do airports make travelling with children so hard?

[MidnightPatrol]

I have travelled several times with my now toddler, and every time it has been a nightmare vs just going through the normal check in process.

I seem to be forced to use manual check in each time (for the pram I suppose). This means you have to queue or in ‘special assistance’ rather than use bag drop.

What is better with a toddler than standing in a queue for an hour, waiting while every other passenger that needs assistance is dealt with, late arrivals ushered in front of you etc.

On to ‘family friendly security’ where… again always a huge queue vs the standard queues - both to get your boarding pass checked, and to get your bags searched.

While I am allowed to take my yo-yo pram on board, it is sometimes confiscated and checked in. But… no airport I have been to in the U.K. provides prams in the airport. So you are carrying masses of luggage and a wriggling child while trying to move through the airport.

To accommodate all of the above, you have to be at the airport the full three hours before your flight just to accommodate standing in all these extras queues they’ve created for you. I’ve almost missed flights twice because they’ve managed to take 2-3 hours to get me checked in and through security.

Just…. Why?

The airports actually talk about how family friendly they are, while actively making the experience worse.

It's been the opposite experience for me although I use a carrier and not a pram so maybe that's why. I also got put into fast track security both times I've flown with DD (not sure if that's usual procedure?).

Never come across this really. Take your pushchair all the way to the plane and check it there like everyone else! They usually fast tracked us at security and no, airports don't provide prams 😅 as for cabin bags, you just need to pack better.

The reason you have to go through the longer passport control is because child passports can't be used on the scanners. Which is a good thing.

That's what happens when you travel with kids. It's just life.

@shreknjumps in other countries it is quite normal for them to supply prams after check in for use in the airport.

“as for cabin bags you need to pack better” - what?

@Lammveg never been put in fast track security - always some sort of ‘special assistance’ ie all people with kids or in wheelchairs.

Never came across that once with mine, always so easy to- Heathrow BA long haul was the most organised and I got ushered to the front every time until they were both over 5. I used an umbrella buggy which could be stored in the cabin and rarely were their other children on board (we were expats so travelled a fair amount back and forth but wasn't a tourist route.)

For babies unable to walk a carrier can be a good idea

Always took pram to gate.
Found family security quicker.
Passport control... sometimes quicker sometimes slower.

Opposite experience for me every time. Staff see I have small children and take me straight to the front and I check in the push chair when boarding the plane- just leave it at the plane door and it gets taken to the hold.

Opposite for me too, my only bugbear is not being able to use the egates at border control, although I think this may be / have recently changed.

LGW and LHR provide pushchairs, as do most other airports I've been too.

Fast track security (in and out), priority boarding. These are often included but you can usually pay if not. Take carrier instead (or as well as) pushchair if toddler won’t walk and you can’t take it on the plane (never had a problem but not travelled on very busy flights). Also only take the bear minimum on the plane and check everything else. DH didn’t take a bag at all last time we flew and I took a cross body for essentials (passports / money / medication) and a change bag for the toddler.

I've never had any problems like that and been abroad with DS6 and DD3 8 times now. Can always take pushchair to the gate.
And Fastrack passport control!

I travel regularly with my nearly 3 year old and I haven't had any of these issues. Preparation is the key.

I often drop my pram off at check in. You just need the label for it so when you check your bags, just ask them for another label for your bag then you usually drop off at oversized bags.

I recently bought a Miamily carry on case. It has a seat for up to 100kg. My little one sits on that if he's feeling tired during the airport.

Failing that I wear a Tushbaby hip seat so I can just pick him up and carry him for a bit.

I don't think the UK are the best with children. I've been abroad where they have specific lanes for children and it is much quicker or someone is willing to assist too.

Not my experience either. When we had a buggy we took it all the way to the gate. Never bothered with a specific security queue but gone through normal ones at reasonable speed.

Never been carrying masses of luggage after bag drop either.

Erm, don't know how to explain that you need to pack better so you're not carrying so much stuff

Sounds like a you problem OP

On to ‘family friendly security’ where… again always a huge queue vs the standard queues

Then go in the standard queue and save yourself time.

So you are carrying masses of luggage and a wriggling child

Check your bags in and travel with only a rucksack.

you have to be at the airport the full three hours before your flight

That's normal.

This is a 'you' problem OP.

I've never had this. We've used bag drop, taken the buggy to the gate, I've often collected our buggy from the tarmac when we've landed, been ushered to the front of a queue to board with an overtired toddler. It's probably better flying with DS than without!

We had an awful experience in the family security queue at Gatwick last time we used it so now pay for premium as it’s worth it. Only found a pushchair to use once at Gatwick. We normally travel 3-4 times with the children, hoping that the egates will be useable soon as pp says as that is where we always queue for an age.

I had a yoyo pram. I didn’t let them take it off me- I had the backpack and put it in there and took it in as my hand luggage. However a sling was a marvel at airports as it left my hands free.

I agree family security is slower- lots of people faffing, don’t know the liquid rules, need baby milk testing etc. Not their fault and just one of those things.

Heathrow is pretty awful with small people. Far too few seats, the lounges are rammed, check in is chaotic, passport control is families plus everyone arriving from a country who can’t use the scanners so you end up wait an age in the queue. Finally you get questioned as to why you’re returning home as a British citizen by passport control (um, I live here?) which I always find faintly ridiculous.

We flew out of Charles de Gaulle recently and it was fantastic. Genuine family and special assistance lanes, quiet and spacious seating, etc. Heathrow felt like a developing country by comparison.

@PurBal if you’re flying long haul with 2 segments a change bag and cross body handbag isn’t going to cut it. There’s generally a good reason for luggage with a baby or toddler.

My experience has been totally opposite, always taken to the front of a queue, took the pushchair to the gate, folded it and it when in the cupboard on the plane. No issues, in fact travelling with the children was better in someways as we bypassed the queues.

Hint? They don't actually want toddlers travelling. Why make it easier for you, it would only make more people travel with kids.

They probably make less money from children so no they don't want to incur cost to make it easier for you. They would rather have business travellers.

I’ve been travelling by air very frequently with DS since he had his first vaccinations and got a passport, and you sound as if you’re travelling with far too much hand luggage. Have a backpack and nothing else, and obviously choose standard queues if they’re shorter than the family one.

We haven't flown that much recently, but when we have we've not had any problems like that. Is it all airports you're encountering these things, or just one particular one, as it could be worth raising with their customer service department.

If you just have the pram which you take as hand luggage you can use the bag drop. Different if you also have a car seat.
take park to the gate and I to the cabin.
pay for fast track security then you don’t need to queue with everyone else - same with passport control when you come back.

I travel bloody constantly with family and while I hate it, I don't find it much worse in the airport with little ones. People are reasonably helpful. I have the Yoyo too and have never had it taken.

Is it just one airport OP? I've flown from Leeds/Doncaster/Manchester/Stansted/Heathrow and Gatwick with my daughter since she was a baby and it's always been a breeze. Always checked in on line so was straight to a bag drop machine, get the luggage tags printed then drop the bags, security have always waved us through as fast track, have always had early boarding too until she was i think 5. Pushchair went through security with them using the wands to check it rather than putting it through the scanner, handed it over on boarding.
Heathrow i love the soft play area, was a big help before our flight to San Fran last year.
Sorry you've had tough travels OP.

I’ve found Heathrow great with kids (I’ve flown from there 4 times this year with at least one small person). There’s soft play in the terminals, and I’ve always found the family passport queues very quick.