Hi fellow travelers! I hope you all are exploring! As I mentioned in my earlier post, I am going to provide some insight into the world of airlines and the tips I have learned from flying just about all of them. My family has traveled the world since I was small and we have flown on quite a few carriers. There are some I love and some that are just not so great, now that I have kids I am so much more aware of what I need out of my airline. When I was a kid flying was very different, I even flew to Spain on an airline that allowed smoking! Fares were not as expensive and the hospitality and customer service were phenomenal. Today, I realize that for the most part, I just want to get to my destination without a delay or unruly passenger, I can’t even believe some of things I hear about passengers and flight attendants anymore. It has made me very critical of certain airlines and there are some that I just refuse to fly, because of all the issues they seem to have. When you are traveling with kids the last thing you need is drama that affects your travel time or safety. With that being said, there are a few airlines that I have had very positive experiences with and will continue to travel on.
United Airlines gets my vote for traveling abroad, as I mentioned in my “Who I Am” page, we took our 10 month old to Crete, Greece and they were just about as convenient as they could get. They have a great mileage program and you can use miles on their Star Alliance partners, which is a nice feature. They also have lounges in most airports and if you have their mileage card you can get free bags and access to their lounges. I dreaded lugging all my child’s gear on three different planes, as we made our way from Denver to Toronto, Toronto to Athens and Athens to Crete. But, the flights were effortless and the flight attendants were great! United has some great Star Alliance partners, we flew Air Canada from Toronto, Canada to Athens, Greece and they are a notable airline. The plane was clean, they offered us a bassinet, which most international flights do, if you are traveling with an infant, and they even allowed us to move up to their economy plus section because the flight was not full. They were on time and their customer service was remarkable! I also love Lufthansa, another Star Alliance partner with United. I would fly them no matter what their ticket prices cost, I have flown them to Europe several times and they are just first class all the way. However, I do have to say that if I am flying domestic, United is just too expensive. Their fares are on the higher side and there are other airlines that are just as good for less money.
If I am flying domestic I look at two carriers, Southwest and Frontier. I have many friends who love Southwest and I did at first, when I didn’t have kids. But honestly, I have flown them twice with children and it just wasn’t an easy experience. Yes, they don’t charge you for bags which is nice, but how many pieces of luggage do you really want to carry around? Another perk is they don’t charge you for changing your flight, if it’s comparable to another flight, if it’s more, then you have to pay the difference. At this point Southwest is pretty agreeable to me, but their fares are still a little high and the one thing I hate is that we don’t have assigned seats, yes, I am reverting back to elementary school, I liked knowing where my seat was! Since we have kids, we can’t board in group A unless we have bought our seats, family boarding is in group B and that poses an immense problem. Everyone who has checked into group A will already be sitting in their aisle seat, while I try lugging an enormous car seat over their head to the window seat. It also means we may have to sit in the very back of the plane if we want to sit together as a family. Now, there are only 4 of us so it’s not a huge deal, but, if there are 5 or 6 in your family how do you all sit together? It’s not an ideal system for families. But, for the most part their flights are on time and they are a pretty good carrier.
My all time favorite airline and possibly the one everyone despises is Frontier! Yes, I know you think I am crazy for paying fees, fees and more fees, but if you add up all the fees you pay on Frontier plus your actual ticket price it’s still cheaper than Southwest and United (yes, it’s true). The reason I know this is because I compare flights endlessly, not just for my family but for my parents and brother. My father has flown to Pittsburgh, PA for literally $100 round trip including seats and bags on Frontier. Anyone who lives out west knows that flying east is not cheap, in fact it’s a fortune. Frontier has cheap fares, very cheap fares, I once paid $68 round trip to Phoneix, AZ. I mean these fares are ridiculous, so I can then justify paying another $12 for seats and $30 for a bag. I still would be paying less than the original fare on Southwest and United. This led me to always buy a seat for my youngest, she has never been a lap child and even at 12 months she had her own seat, the fares are cheap enough to let your kids have some room. I don’t know about you, but I can’t imagine holding a wiggling 1 or 2 year old for three hours in a cramped space on an airplane. The trick is not to bring a ton of bags, strollers and car seats are free, a diaper bag is free, a purse is free, a backpack is free. I pack one suitcase for my whole family, I have a huge duffel suitcase and all our clothes and toiletries go in it. My kids don’t need their own suitcase or backpack, it’s too much to keep track of and I end up carrying it, so, we usually check one bag and we don’t have excess baggage fees. Another tip is to join Discount Den, it’s only $49.99/year and it gets you the cheapest fare, which sometimes can be $20, and kids fly free on certain dates! Yes, they do and it’s to major destinations too, If you plan it just right, they can fly free round trip. Plus, if I book through my Discount Den membership everyone in my booking gets that same rate! Frontier has been my go to because their flights are cheap, on time, they aren’t in the news as frequently as other airlines and have hilarious and sweet attendants. Here’s another tip, bring your attendants some candy to share among them and they will fiercely protect you from other judgmental passengers and even give you free drinks for the kids!
I realize that everyone has had positive and negative experiences on every airline, I have too. But, for as often as I fly with my kids these airlines have been the easiest to navigate and the most reliable. Safety is my number one concern and I would fly these airlines over and over. It is nice to be able to take my kids on adventures and not be grounded by how expensive traveling can be!
Leave me a post and let me know which airline gets your vote!
United Airlines gets my vote for traveling abroad, as I mentioned in my “Who I Am” page, we took our 10 month old to Crete, Greece and they were just about as convenient as they could get. They have a great mileage program and you can use miles on their Star Alliance partners, which is a nice feature. They also have lounges in most airports and if you have their mileage card you can get free bags and access to their lounges. I dreaded lugging all my child’s gear on three different planes, as we made our way from Denver to Toronto, Toronto to Athens and Athens to Crete. But, the flights were effortless and the flight attendants were great! United has some great Star Alliance partners, we flew Air Canada from Toronto, Canada to Athens, Greece and they are a notable airline. The plane was clean, they offered us a bassinet, which most international flights do, if you are traveling with an infant, and they even allowed us to move up to their economy plus section because the flight was not full. They were on time and their customer service was remarkable! I also love Lufthansa, another Star Alliance partner with United. I would fly them no matter what their ticket prices cost, I have flown them to Europe several times and they are just first class all the way. However, I do have to say that if I am flying domestic, United is just too expensive. Their fares are on the higher side and there are other airlines that are just as good for less money.
If I am flying domestic I look at two carriers, Southwest and Frontier. I have many friends who love Southwest and I did at first, when I didn’t have kids. But honestly, I have flown them twice with children and it just wasn’t an easy experience. Yes, they don’t charge you for bags which is nice, but how many pieces of luggage do you really want to carry around? Another perk is they don’t charge you for changing your flight, if it’s comparable to another flight, if it’s more, then you have to pay the difference. At this point Southwest is pretty agreeable to me, but their fares are still a little high and the one thing I hate is that we don’t have assigned seats, yes, I am reverting back to elementary school, I liked knowing where my seat was! Since we have kids, we can’t board in group A unless we have bought our seats, family boarding is in group B and that poses an immense problem. Everyone who has checked into group A will already be sitting in their aisle seat, while I try lugging an enormous car seat over their head to the window seat. It also means we may have to sit in the very back of the plane if we want to sit together as a family. Now, there are only 4 of us so it’s not a huge deal, but, if there are 5 or 6 in your family how do you all sit together? It’s not an ideal system for families. But, for the most part their flights are on time and they are a pretty good carrier.
My all time favorite airline and possibly the one everyone despises is Frontier! Yes, I know you think I am crazy for paying fees, fees and more fees, but if you add up all the fees you pay on Frontier plus your actual ticket price it’s still cheaper than Southwest and United (yes, it’s true). The reason I know this is because I compare flights endlessly, not just for my family but for my parents and brother. My father has flown to Pittsburgh, PA for literally $100 round trip including seats and bags on Frontier. Anyone who lives out west knows that flying east is not cheap, in fact it’s a fortune. Frontier has cheap fares, very cheap fares, I once paid $68 round trip to Phoneix, AZ. I mean these fares are ridiculous, so I can then justify paying another $12 for seats and $30 for a bag. I still would be paying less than the original fare on Southwest and United. This led me to always buy a seat for my youngest, she has never been a lap child and even at 12 months she had her own seat, the fares are cheap enough to let your kids have some room. I don’t know about you, but I can’t imagine holding a wiggling 1 or 2 year old for three hours in a cramped space on an airplane. The trick is not to bring a ton of bags, strollers and car seats are free, a diaper bag is free, a purse is free, a backpack is free. I pack one suitcase for my whole family, I have a huge duffel suitcase and all our clothes and toiletries go in it. My kids don’t need their own suitcase or backpack, it’s too much to keep track of and I end up carrying it, so, we usually check one bag and we don’t have excess baggage fees. Another tip is to join Discount Den, it’s only $49.99/year and it gets you the cheapest fare, which sometimes can be $20, and kids fly free on certain dates! Yes, they do and it’s to major destinations too, If you plan it just right, they can fly free round trip. Plus, if I book through my Discount Den membership everyone in my booking gets that same rate! Frontier has been my go to because their flights are cheap, on time, they aren’t in the news as frequently as other airlines and have hilarious and sweet attendants. Here’s another tip, bring your attendants some candy to share among them and they will fiercely protect you from other judgmental passengers and even give you free drinks for the kids!
I realize that everyone has had positive and negative experiences on every airline, I have too. But, for as often as I fly with my kids these airlines have been the easiest to navigate and the most reliable. Safety is my number one concern and I would fly these airlines over and over. It is nice to be able to take my kids on adventures and not be grounded by how expensive traveling can be!
Leave me a post and let me know which airline gets your vote!