Gabster, some more positive traveller's tales. I've flown alone with the children on average 4 flights a year since s1 was born (now 11), flown pg with toddler, pg with 2 toddlers, with baby & 2 under 5's - all combinations and only had 1 really bad flight when the boys were 1 & 3. We had to transfer at Stansted & the terminal trains weren't working. 8 million people squashed into the departure lounge, 2 hot & tired boys who kept falling asleep. Didn't have the buggy as found when I did, we'd get a climb the stairs arrivals or/and departure gate. Didn't make that mistake again.
The staff were great, esp on Ryanair. Will happily slate some of their practices - esp the new "pay to board early but children & babies take their chances not to get crushed by the hordes policy" but couldn't have flown so often all these years without them.
Staff were without fail helpful and friendly, mostly without my having to even ask. That nightmare connection, both boys howled the whole way Stansted to Dublin and promptly fell asleep as we came in to land. The girls were sympathetic & one came to tell me not to worry, one of them would carry one of the boys off the plane as I couldn't carry both!
It's even easier now they're all older, but I do breathe a sigh of relief when we get to our destination. This year s1 was so much more of a help, checking screens, holding bags/passports etc. and it also stopped him whining/showing off, he felt so grown up. We have our customs of buying half of WH Smith at the airport & over-priced crisps & 7-Up on the plane for good behaviour at the check-in & gate.
Also, if you fly with special teddies (and even s1 at 11 still does) keep them in your hand-luggage. 2 yrs ago we had a dramatic flight back to Germany after Christmas. Couldn't land at Frankfurt as there was too much snow so flew on to Köln. On the flight I came down with a stomach bug my nephew had had and kept throwing up. There was a really nice English woman from Luxembourg who looked after me and the children while we waited 2 hrs for our bags. Turned out the bags went back to London - and we then had a 2 hr bus ride back to Frankfurt, I stopped throwing up and s2 started and we arrived at Frankfurt about 4 am.
Was v impressed to get our bags delivered by courier on Jan 1st but the c had been worrying about never seeing the teddies again.
They remember that trip as a great adventure I reckon after surviving that, I can survive anything!