The Parent’s and Non-Parent’s Guide to Flying with Children

Flying with children shouldn’t be a nightmare – so let’s have an adventure instead! 

Travelling with little ones can be daunting at the best of times, especially when adding the complexities of airports and aircraft into the fray. But being prepared for the process both practically and emotionally can turn the task into the adventure that it should be.

We brought in Kirby Gordon, Chief Marketing Officer at FlySafair, to really help us understand the ins and outs of not only flying with our own children, but even just being on a plane with babies or toddlers on board. 

We had so many questions! 

How can the air hostesses help struggling moms? (Can they deliver a baby should the need arise?)

Why can’t our children fly or free? (Or can they…?)

What do we do if our child has special needs?

Can we ask the air hostess to tell the man in front of me to stop making me feel bad about my crying baby?

Well, Kirby had all the answers – and more! 

Whether you’re a parent, parent-to-be, or just a frequent flyer – this video is for you. 

Watch our interview with Kirby and share it with all the jetsetters and parents in your life – you may just teach them something that changes flying for them and their family forever.  

Brought to you by Fedhealth Medical Aid & supported by Epi-max & Jacaranda 94.2

There’s actually something really special in flying children that actually reignites a little bit of our passion for aviation because we sit and we look at the practical things every day, we think about you know, the specifics of how an aircraft works of the practicalities of getting passengers from a to b and boarding and disembarking and crossing seat belts in the whole katundu, but the reality is that there is a little bit of magic that we must never forget.

So today we’re traveling and we’re chatting to Kirby Gordon. Kirby Gordon is from FlySafair.com if you haven’t checked out their website or even made a booking yet it’s probably time you do so but first we’re going to need some advice and definitely have a chat about this, also follow them on Facebook at FlySafair and on Instagram @FlySafair on twitter also at FlySafair. 

Kirby it’s so wonderful to see you. Thanks Elana, thanks for having me I’m excited to be here. Kirby we want to travel as parents, what should people know when they are traveling with children, is there anything from the aviation side you already want to spill the beans on, what should we know as parents when we are traveling with kids. Elana I think that you know there’s loads to know and the reality is it’s um it’s about I think trying to make it more of an adventure rather than a chore I think every parent when they talk about the idea of traveling by air you just think oh my gosh is my kid going to scream the whole way and I’m going to have my hands full and how do and the reality is that I think if we plan it properly and we build it up appropriately uh we can make it into a real adventure for the little ones and far less of a chore for  ourselves.

You talk about how airlines can connect families and loved ones and all the rest of it but the reality is there’s actually something really special in flying children that actually reignites a little bit of our passion for aviation because we sit and we look at the practical things every day we think about you know the specifics of how an aircraft works of the practicalities of getting passengers from a to b and boarding and disembarking and crossing seat belts in the whole but the reality is that there is a little bit of magic that we must never forget. I mean the fact that we can get these machines these 40 ton pieces of metal to fly through the air and there is nothing that reminds you of that like the face of a little child sitting holding onto that armrest as you take off going we flying you know honestly it sounds like it’s a cliche but that honestly has reignited the spark for so many of us for our passion that we just love to engage. So never hold back to ask a stewardess for help never ask if you’re if your child’s uncomfortable or if you feel that them having a conversation to maybe alleviate a concern or a fear or even explain something. Trust me we are more than willing um to participate, I’m just you said something that made me think now do air hostesses do they have first aid training, I mean is that something that is it a requirement that they have first aid training? Our students are actually capable of delivering babies, um never mind looking after yeah obviously in an emotional sister scenario but they could actually deliver a baby if needs be, so they do they have a full emergency first aid training and I mean I think you know one of the things to give those ladies and gentlemen credit where credit is due.

I think they’re often disregarded as kind of um waiters and waitresses of the sky and this is one of the big things that, yeah chicken or beef you know, and it’s one of the big things that I’m always hopping on about is that they’re actually highly qualified and highly trained safety officers and we always say it’s like it’s that little speech in the aircraft before you get going the safety briefing you know they are there for your comfort and your convenience of course but ultimately they’re there for your safety and there they really are and they’re very well trained and very well versed in those circumstances and more than just the formal training they’ve got experience you know they’ve got little tricks and they know how to deal with kids and how to alleviate fears. They’ve been through it a million times so there’s also experience to draw from.

Immediately I start thinking what about our children with special needs and differently abled children, what  can we do to make their travel a little bit easier? You know, you’re absolutely right and we kind of concur with you on that front in that for us it’s about passengers, of all types you know, not just kids, it’s about passengers with special needs it’s about first-time flyers, it’s about people that are traveling for horrible reasons, I mean you kind of learn in time that it’s all very fun and sexy and holidays and airlines but actually ultimately you’re dealing with people in a number of different states, and I think you know what is true for kids with special needs is probably true for a lot of different passengers and that’s a lot of it’s about prep and when I say prep I don’t mean look we can we can rattle off a list of you know the top 10 tips of have a snack in your handbag and all those kinds of things but I mean kind of emotional and psychological prep and I think that’s what really helps a lot in those circumstances is chatting to your little one beforehand, explaining what the sensations will be like of an aircraft taking off what the sounds will be like, thinking about is your little one inclined to be more claustrophobic or less claustrophobic, like you know would they feel safer and more contained sitting further up in the airplane where there’s less happening in front of them or further back where there’s a bit more breathing room you know and then setting all of those expectations along the way.

I think those are really important things that these parents can do to try and set and smooth the journey from there on forward, but you know one thing that is of course very important for all of our customers especially those with special needs, and whether it’s a special needs child or an adult doesn’t really matter, is do give us a little bit of advanced warning, give us a call before you coming. We of course have all of the ancillary services that we can book for you so if there’s need for a wheelchair or for some assistance at the airport or whatever the case is, let us know. We can have those lined up, it’s just better to know ahead of time.

Let’s talk about traveling with baby, what will happen if you’re traveling with a baby for the very first time and you are boarding the flight. I remember there was a time that we all thought we needed to travel with a car seat, uh then we realized that it’s not necessary you don’t have to travel with a car seat, you actually keep baby on your lap and then the air hostess comes, and she hands you this red seatbelt and you like another seatbelt, what do I do with it, so just take us through that. What will happen if you are flying for the first time you’ve never been on an airplane before, and you also need to travel with baby. For starters just to talk about prams and car seats um you know particularly car seats we are huge advocates of safety, and so we encourage folks to travel with their car seats where they like to, um and if you’ve got one of the sort of snap in and out uh phenom scenarios, you can bring those along as well, prams um and even um bassinets can be brought through to the actual aircraft itself, so you can you can cram your pram right through security and hand it just there. We’ll put it in the front of the aircraft and then hand it back to you on the other side, um so there’s no controller until you’ve bought it. You go through the boarding gates, you take the pram to the gate to the airplane to the area and where they sanitize that’s where you can give them the okay all right, you grab baby we take pram we’ll put it in the front and swap it around. 

Okay I mean unless you want to I suppose so you can take the pram right up until you literally step onto the aircraft and on the other side when you get to Cap Town or Joburg, uh they’ll hand it back to you with all the sky check bags so it literally goes to the same place, so and there’s no charge for that um so that is there to help parents through when you’re on the airie, um you will be presented with a little seat belt as you said, so effectively all it is, it’s rather than looping the two of you under the same seat belt it’s just another loop that goes around to put baby into your lap so you know, same scenario that adjusts to an adult you want that safety so just loosely fastened around baby um it’s just a safety requirement the services will find you and they’ll provide you with those um they’re standard inventory for all infants um yeah and the rest of it’s really just up to you to to enjoy the trip you know, and do it as best you can.

Why can’t pregnant women or women with babies sit at the emergency exit? Ah so emergency exit rows are obviously an institution within aviation at large, we all love them because they’ve got extra room yeah, and then you sit there, and you think there’s this whole idea about like if something happens I’m going to have to activate myself which is like. We’re competent just because we’re pregnant doesn’t mean we can’t rescue someone, of course of course, so no I you know it’s actually literally civil aviation authority wording, unfortunately no one under the age of 16, um no pregnant persons, um and then there’s kind of a caveat to say the captain may decide at the end of the day in terms of who sits there but I’ve got another interesting one that you may not know, so folks that might have two infants and that sometimes happens it’ll get a family, mom and dad will want to sit together each with an infant on a lap, um can’t sit in the same row we can only have one infant per row of three chairs and that seems like a weird rule until you understand why and the reason is that above every row of three chairs there are four oxygen masks, so in a scenario where you need the oxygen masks there are four so that you can accommodate one two three people and an infant so if you’re ever in that scenario where you’ve got two infants and you’re a couple traveling together um you’ll find yourselves seated either side of the aisle rather than next to each other on the same row, so that’s a little known fact around traveling with infants. 

I’ve been traveling for years I didn’t know that but it’s because one I always had an infant and then a child in seat and now I have two children in seats yeah and I have two children in seats and and also separated because we are four so there’s three and then the fourth I didn’t know that Kirby, actually imagine you have twins, or you had two very close together you know then you’ve got two infants that happens! 

Children are supposed to wear masks and I’ve got a four and a six-year-old and on your flights I let them wear their masks and when they get really hungry and the air hostess is not looking I give them their sarmi and then I put their mask on again and then um they eat under their masks, so what’s the rules I mean do they do they really have to wear them? So so the law is and as we all know everyone has to wear a mask in a public space, um there is actually civil aviation regulation that allows for kids under six some leniency there, um I think look, we would leave it very much up to a parent’s discretion if you’re very concerned and you want to ensure that your child is super compliant and mask wearing then obviously that’s up to you um I for one I’m quite conscious of my own mask, I would be lying to you if I said on the last flight I was on I didn’t slip a wine gum under my own mask every now and then but it is, look it’s a challenge and it is something that we all need to do and we obviously need to do what we believe to be responsible over and above everything else, um and yeah we’re just there to look after the policy you know, unfortunately with anything that’s safety related and masks has been now whitewashed in that environment, um you know if we if we are seen to turn a blind eye or to disregard anything, um we lose our license we lose our whole business you know, so if I let you light up a cigarette in an airplane um and it happens to be a CAA inspector on board, um you know it’s tickets. 

What is wonderful is that today I’ve learned why infants can’t sit together if you for instance have got twins uh I think what is important is to call the airline ahead of the time, if you are unsure about whether you are traveling as someone with special needs or have got a differently abled child and I think if you also can’t wear that mask it’s also something to take up with the airline before you even take that flight and most of all to make it an adventure I love that!  Oh, wait and then this thing happens when you’re on FlySafair, it says, “And now a message from Kirby Gordon” and then it goes like this, okay Kirby you need to give us the message! So you have to intro just right bless, so the lady that does our all of our announcements is actress Mary-Anne Barlow who is just, oh yeah she’s amazing, yeah she’s wonderful, we love Mary-Anne and she’s but she did this thing with my little announcement beforehand that I always always tease her about because she said, “Now an announcement from Kirby Gordon”, okay so I always say that “If you enjoyed your flight with us today please do let us know through your social media channels but if however for some reason whatever that is, we’ve disappointed you please make sure that you get hold of us and let us know because we’re the only ones that can do anything about it and we want to, so send any feedback to feedback@FlySafair.co.za. 

I’ll send you feedback I think this flight was great, what do you think? Awesome, also I think it was good too! I think and I think the weather is pretty fair out here in Johannesburg as well. Thank you Kirby for your time. You can follow them FlySafair.co.za