International Air Travel: Emirates Airline, Making the Kids Happy Enroute. 
What happens if you need to spend 14 hours in an airplane with your kids? The answer really depends on your destination and choice of airline. Long haul travel is just that but Emirates Airline has created a rich menu of services to ease the stress of air time for young travelers.
In general during the last decade air travel has not improved for passengers. And the stress of transit can be multiplied when families embark on a long haul. Children contained without distractions makes for a very tiring flight for everyone. Some airlines anticipate the air travel cycle and meet the needs of families as if they had a crystal ball. Of course we at Family Travel Files have our “favs” which have never disappointed us on long hauls with our kids - Air France, Thai Airways, and Singapore Air.
Today I learned about new services provided by Emirates Airline, one of the fastest growing international airlines, already known as a leader in luxury long-haul travel . Now the award-winning airline is attempting to identify with younger passengers and striving to surpass other airlines’ standards in every service area. What exactly are they doing to make air travel with children easier? The list includes:
Children’s birthday celebrations in the air. Emirates’ cake service can be booked simultaneously with travel plans, and personalized so that special occasions such as birthdays will not go unrecognized while on-board.
Child-sized headsets connecting to 600 plus channels of entertainment. These brightly-colored headsets ensure the perfect fit to access a special collection of Disney Classics as well as youthful favorites including Scooby Doo, Tom & Jerry, Lizzy McGuire and The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, interactive games and music galore.
Learing in the air. When it’s time to shift gears and do some reading, Emirates has just the thing with 3, 2, 1… and e-kids, the exclusive children’s magazines. Also, with Emirates Flying Camera channel, your child can get a pilot's-eye view of take-off and landing, as well as en-route scenery. They’ll also be able to follow the plane's progress, altitude, and airspeed on a dynamic map linked to the onboard computers through the Airshow channel.
Meal delivery in briefcase-style meal boxes. Trend-conscious kids will be delighted with Emirates’ meal delivery designed to fashionably serve a tempting selection of hot dishes that appeal to a young palate – chicken burgers, spaghetti and meatballs, lasagna, fish fingers, aircraft-shaped breaded chicken strips – and a variety of non-perishable snacks. These hygienic plastic boxes double as carrying cases with an array of educational toys and playtime favorites, including: a functional sport diver’s watch to educate kids on the world’s time zones; a vibrantly-colored cutlery set; a traveling toothbrush labeled “clean your teeth after every meal”; small games and stuffed animals to help occupy time on long-haul flights.
Skywards Skysurfers. The exclusive club for frequent flyers between the ages of 2-16, Skywards Skysurfers offers the same benefits as Skywards, the adult program, with special reward opportunities aimed at children.
Separate check-in services and dedicated staff escorts. These are available for all unaccompanied minors along with exceptional amenities and services intended for families traveling with infants.
This service benefits described above are available year round not just during the rush of the holidays. Emirates currently serves 101 cities around the globe. Operations on Emirates from New York, Los Angeles and Houston connect America to the world through the airline's route network with extensive connections to the Far East, Australia and Africa. Non-stop flight service from San Francisco begins on December 15th, 2008. Emirates Airline operates a Frequent Flyer program – Skywards, and if you are wondering the cost of your ticket also includes your luggage.
Get the details at
www.emirates.com/us/english/ or
www.emirates.com/uk/english/
Content and images provided by Emirates Air; comments by Nancy Nelson-Duac, Editor FTF. Copyright 2008.
