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.

And you think it's ok that airports make people with disabilities, or people with children, queue for 1-2h to get through security when it take 20-30min for everyone else?

Or are you just trying to find a reason to be offended?

Who do you fly with usually? I've done 13 flights with DS since he was 18 months old including long haul. I've found everyone was helpful from strangers to the staff on the plane. Not 1 single bad experience other than delays!

Keep your pram... just say I would like to keep my pram please!.

Absolutely the opposite experience for me and I’ve travelled at least 3 times a year since the kids were 4 months old, now 7 and 9. Flown from northwest midlands and London airports no issues. Always taken the buggy to the gate. Fast track lanes with the kids. No massive queues. In fact I think we’ve walked through security in under 10 minutes most times.
Not sure where you’re travelling from/to. But airports make it really easy for families in my experience

I think you still have to be 12 for e-gates?

Depends where I guess
I find Edinburgh airport great for travelling with my kids.

I've always found it quicker with little kids as there's often family ques that let you straight through. I take pram to the plane.
The only annoying thing is that some airline don't give you the buggy back at the plane and then you have to walk all the way to the luggage retrieval... sometimes that's a 20 min walk.
Other than that, i find it pretty relaxed experience and people are usually pretty happy to help mums with prams.

OP people are being harsh. Sometimes airports are fine as a solo parent, and sometimes the experience is appalling. I've def had people take the pram off me in an airport where they've previously allowed it - it's just a bit random and down to the training that gate staff person has had.

As for the people helpfully explaining that they carry the baby stuff whilst their DH carries the other stuff?? are rather missing the point - airports need to make it doable for a parent alone with children without another adult to help.

It's also not easy to travel that light long haul when packing nappies, extra set of clothes, milk, food for child that will refuse plane food, plus lots of games to entertain them. You actually need a fair amount of stuff - which becomes quite difficult to manage when carrying a sleeping child on top of it. but those of you travelling with a child and your partner possibly don't notice this.......

OP - I've resorted to small flat crossbody bag so you can have passports and essentials in front of you (ie so small you can fit it in your other bag if they get fussy about having 2 bags) then a large backpack for the rest. And avoid Gatwick and Stansted if possible, always long queues at some point!

Stansted is absolutely fine.

It's when you've queued in the immigration queue for 40 mins, you are nearly at the front row and your child decides they probably are going to shit themselves. You can see the toilet behind the passport control but if you run through you will be shot. So you have to go out of the queue and pray that the child does what they need to quickly so you can get back in line with people who remember you.

Children are people. Every person needs to go through security with every carry-on. Every person has to wait their turn. Wrangling impatient children is part of parenting. It's just part of life.
The people causing the long waits are those who get to the front of the queue and when called forward stand there pleading with a small DC to move. Just pick them up or grab their hand. That's a gen. pop. problem, not an airline problem.

Well since I travel by air several times a year and have NEVER queued for 1-2 hours anywhere in the world, then I'd have to wonder where on earth the OP is flying from. So I remain of the opinion that the OP has choices, and I don't. Oddly, it seems like nobody except the OP experiences this problem, and they simply expects that airports should wrap themselves around their own personal needs. Life isn't like that.

My experience is the exact opposite of yours. Staff were very helpful and always approached us to lead us to different/shorter queues and priority boarding. We could push the pushchairs all the way to the gate, and most of the time they were ready for collection at the gate as we exited the planes. Occasionally we had to collect them from the luggage belt.

However I do find Heathrow to be a poorer airport than many other international airports.

The pram thing is easier for the staff to take it. NOT you so you have to tell them. They are a lot of posts on here OP is a solo travel I hope all those posting are speaking as a SOLO traveller too with DC too!

I like Helsinki airport with kids. They have luggage trolleys with a harness seat at the front so you can strap a toddler in, stick your hand luggage on and get around hassle-free. Plus they have so much nice seating, spread out around the place so easy to find a quieter spot to sit.
When I flew with Finnair last time they let families with young children board first, with those with priority boarding, which was a nice surprise.

I travelled solo loads when DS was a baby/toddler. Him in carrier. Trolley went in the pushchair, which was left at the steps of plane. Easy. I used a carrier until DS was 6. Godsend when standing in US immigration. He slept the whole time.

Not had that.
I always pay to check in luggage when travelling with child, as it saves the hassle of too much hand luggage and having it checked at security or carried.

Always take babyzen pram. I bought the bag and it goes as our main piece of hand luggage. Then just take rucksack as hand luggage item so hands free a fit fits under seat on plane as toddlers want a snack every 5 seconds. the pram I always fold and put on security belt so it gets checked like normal bags, if you leave it up it has to be had scanned which takes ages

We take it to the gate and the cabin crew take it off us we get it at the end, it usp to the parents to handle their children not the staff

being a single parent is not a disability

Could you switch to a carrier? Check in the pram then put them on your back, the pram seems to be the issue

Copenhagen airport has a brilliant air side trolley for carry ons, shopping and a seat for a toddler (like a supermarket seat).

Helsinki airport has large pushchairs airside which when we had a 1 year old looked enormous and couldnt understand why, fast forward dc was 7 been ill on the plane and was just glad to collapse into something and be pushed around.

Madrid airport has pushchairs available.

Doha airport has pushchairs available.

Many airports have pushchairs for parents. Its only in recent years people have been able to take a tiny pushchair on to the plane as hand luggage. Previously always checked in. Additionally if you are in transit you generally won’t get it back.

Traveled with 3 DC last year, it was the fastest I’ve ever got through an airport before.

I agree with you OP. I don’t know what alternate universe everyone else is on. I have flown a lot with my children and I actually like travelling with them, but the well meaning airport interventions often make it much harder.

I don't understand ANYONE who needs an excess of cabin luggage (unless they aren't taking hold luggage).

Even with dc all you need is a few bits for nappy changing, feeding and spare clothes just in case. Travel docs, purse and some bits to keep the kids happy. It's a few hours on a plane, not an Arctic expedition.

Pack better, take your pram to the gate and travel like everyone else. Anything is more difficult with kids in tow, it sounds like you are adding unnecessary stress op.

What do you expect them to do? You are having to queue at check in as you’re not the only one needing special assistance

Also I just don’t believe it’s taking you over 2 hours to get through check in and security

Have to say it’s been the complete opposite experience for me the three times I’ve flown with my daughter. We’ve taken the pram to the door of the plane, at Gatwick recently we went through the family security which had no queue and at the plane door I just put the carrier on the carry baby through.

I have to join the chorus of people saying my experience hasn't been like this. My only real issue with airports and small children is that there's not anything to entertain them on the other side so if your plane is delayed or whatever, it can be challenging. I always think a couple of small soft plays or a climbing frame or similar would be astonishingly helpful. Hell, even just somewhere with a big screen showing cartoons!

It IS important to pack carefully and when travelling with toddlers we always paid for luggage int he hold so that our carry on bags were really just about snacks and games and toys and clothing changes for the DC (I don't think I ever took a toddler or baby on a flight without someone vomiting or spilling something so back up outfits was always important).