AIBU to plan a domestic birthday flight for my seven-year-old?

[Edinburghwomenonamisso8n26]

My ds7 birthday is coming up in June. He has asked to go on a plane ( he's obsessed with them ) Due to his brothers severe disability he hasn't been overseas or on a plane. Life is hard and his brother unfortunately is at the centre of everything we do due to the needs and appointments etc
Despite this ds7 is such a lovely boy who understands more then he should at his age tbh.

Anyway I really want to take him on a plane for the day. I have made peace with the environmental impact as we use public transport and haven't flown in 10ish yrs and won't for a very long time after.

Any ideas where obviously he doesn't have a passport so has to be domestic only. tia

flying from Edinburgh

Any of the London airports? Luton and Stansted have cheap flights. Would you want to head into London for the day and fly back? From Stansted you can also take train to Cambridge if you don't want to go into London.

Bless him, Edinburgh to London will be the most common. Fairly sure its Birmingham, Manchester and Bristol too. What else is he into so we can try suggest how to plan your day.

Try Google Flights Explore. You could even go to Paris or Dublin and see another country for less than a ton.

Was going to suggest Edinburgh until I saw in the last sentence you're flying from there 😂

It's a lovely idea. Does Edinburgh fly to Southampton? I think that would be nicer for a day trip than London.

Child doesnt have a passport hence domestic flight recommendations

Sorry.missed the passport thing. Any chance of a passport? He might even like that as a gift.

How about Orkney / Kirkwall ?

I think the Loganair planes with propellers are more interesting for a seven year old and a lot less time is wasted in Kirkwall compared to a larger airport.

Mind you flight could be pricey (and being Scotland in June may still be cancelled due to bad weather).

Check if you can get a flight to gurnsey. The tiny airport there is much more child friendly and enjoyable for a boy who wants an airplane experience than having to deal with Heathrow etc.

And as a small island, if you have time between flights it's quick and easy to get to the beach.. gives you a bit of the abroad feeling as well, without any of the hassle.

I think it's a lovely idea. Go for it.
Hopefully he will get to go in the cockpit, (maybe a word with the flight attendant ?) as they do allow it at times.
Enjoy 😊

That's such a lovely idea! Sounds like the little lad thoroughly deserves such a wonderful treat x

Fuck me, have you been to Southampton? They could see everything and still be back in Edinburgh before lunch.

I think big plane and small plane of different types would be good. Different one each leg. Would take a fair bit of research (with DS for fun). Likes of Loganair have small planes, but have codeshares with airlines with bigger planes. So it might be possible to find a destination where outward is a codeshare BA Airbus A320 Jet, and return is on a Loganair ATR propellor plane.

If you can fly to city airport, it’s close to the cable car, and could get the Thames clipper boat into central (if he likes all forms of transport not just planes) it’s so much quicker to get in and out of than Heathrow.

Ot sounds like a lovely idea and I hope you can pull it off

Does he want to travel or is he plane mad? Wondering if a flying experience in a small plane where he can sit next to the pilot might be more his thing? There are several small airfields in the vicinity that might accommodate a private flight for him and you if you call and ask.

What about Belfast? Belfast City Airport is right in the city so it wouldn't take you long to get into the centre. There would be a feeling of going properly away as you are flying over the water. What else does he like doing?

Won't he still need some sort of ID to fly?

Belfast! Fabulous place. Tayto crisps at the airport!

How about flying to Bristol and going to Aerospace Bristol (where you can even see Concorde) for an aviation-filled day?

Hi. What about flying to Barra in the Hebrides. The runway is on the beach!!

That’s a lovely idea, something to look forward to. If he doesn’t already have a passport I presume he is on yours to be able to fly on a domestic route.

I was going to say Belfast city - short flight, smallish airport and near the city. Also the added excitement of flying over the Irish Sea. Exeter is another small airport close to the City or you could get to the beach at Exmouth quite quickly, Not sure about the public transport links from the actual airport though. Belfast City has a train right there.

From Edinburgh the cheapest flights will probably be Belfast.

double check your airlines though because British Airways require photo ID for domestic flights. Easy jet are ok for under 16s

Hi OP. Beautiful idea! I take it he’s already been to the Museum of Flight? I hope he has a great day!
Oh and probably a bit outing, but my daughter and her partner both work at Edinburgh Airport. I can ask them to get him some airport merch, if you’d like 😁 Probably like pens and a wee bag and stuff. Maybe we could also sort out an announcement on the plane. PM me if interested. I’ll figure out how to access it! 😆

Some amazing suggestions here. If it helps, my transport obsessed 7yo who loves planes absolutely loves the cable car at the O2 in London so I would vote for a flight to London city airport and you can get the DLR too!

such a lovely idea OP. I hope you have an amazing time!

I think you’ve got 2 main options - one is to fly to London and hang out at the airport watching other flights land and take off for a few hours. Alternatively, you’re ideally situated to get on a smaller plane and go somewhere like Barra where your son might be able to see the pilots working and have a chance to talk to them. Here’s a video of the beach runway landing and take off at Barra - it’s on my bucket list!