Travelling can be a stressful mission at the best of times, thanks to airport check-in queues, flight delays and simply stepping outside of your comfort zone. Add kids to the mix, and suddenly that baseline stress is soaring higher than your plane. We can all agree that the combo of prams, extra luggage, multiple boarding passes and restless little ones reads like a recipe for heightened tension. That’s why we’re so glad that a new study has done the hard yards to find the most family-friendly airlines in the whole world, and it turns out one of our Aussie airlines has made the top five.
Our very own ‘flying kangaroo’, aka Qantas, has ranked as the world’s fourth most family-friendly airline, according to a new study. The Family Vacation Guide are the folks behind the research, and they assessed airlines around the world on a bunch of factors which resulted in an overall score of 13/18 for our polarising national carrier.
The study ranked the 35 biggest global airlines in the world on eight family-friendly factors, including free seat selection, free checked baggage and seat comfort. Free kids entertainment, family pre-boarding and kids meals also influenced each airline’s ‘reliability score’. We reckon it’s a pretty good methodology – ‘reliable’ is definitely what you want (read: desperately need) when you’re travelling with the little ones in tow.
Fourth place sure ain’t bad, but we’d be remiss not to mention the airlines that beat us to the top three spots. Japan Airlines took out the top spot with a score of 15/18, with Korean Air and Hainan Airlines sharing second place with a score of 14/18. Rounding out the top ten are China Southern Airlines and Singapore Airlines (both in equal fourth place with Qantas), China Eastern Airlines, EVA Air and Hawaiian Airlines (all in equal seventh place), and Lufthansa coming in tenth.
If you’re wondering which airports are friendliest for the kiddos, this study also has you covered. Mexico City’s Juarez International Airport is apparently the best there is, while families might want to avoid Gimpo International Airport in South Korea. That one has no free wifi and a lack of places to keep the kids entertained.