Family Friendly scheme at Gatwick Airport

If, like us, you spent any time in busy airport terminals with small children in tow this summer, I'm sure you'll relate to the findings of this research. It's great to see Gatwick has come up with some ways of being kid and parent-friendly and the travel advice from Becky Wiggins, author of parenting blog English Mum, is very useful too. Feel free to share any other top travel tips you may have.

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This summer, research by Gatwick Airport  revealed that nearly one in three families (30%) find disturbing other holidaymakers one of the most stressful aspects of a trip abroad and over half (54%) of parents are sent on a guilt trip when their child cries loudly or misbehaves. As a result, one in five parents (19%) travelling with children choose to avoid busy areas at the airport so they don’t disturb other passengers.

The research, which polled 1,000 parents in the UK, looks at parents’ experiences when travelling with their children and aims to uncover the most common family stresses when heading on, or returning from holiday.

The survey highlights the extent of the guilt and worry parents feel at disturbing other holidaymakers throughout their trip. More parents are worried about other people’s reactions (54%) to a crying child than the fact they might be in distress (40%) and one in five parents (21%) admit to wishing they had stayed at home. This highlights how the threat of the ‘guilt tripper’ – travellers who make parents feel guilty about their child’s behaviour – in many cases outweighs the enjoyment of family holidays.

Families appear to regularly encounter these ‘guilt trippers’ on holiday with 38% of parents experiencing an ‘evil stare’ from other passengers when their child has cried or misbehaved in public. In addition, a quarter (24%) have been asked to move away from other passengers and one in ten (11%) have been asked outright to keep their child quiet.

Parents are most fearful about their child misbehaving or crying when on the plane (62%) but meal times (24%) and airport check-in and security (32%) are also pressure points.

Other major stress factors for families flying with young children:

A third (36%) worry about struggling with their baggage – this rises to nearly half (46%) of those with children under the age of 3

Over a quarter (27%) of parents find it stressful when they don’t have enough toys or games to keep the children entertained

· One in ten (10%) stress about the journey home from the airport

· As a result of the added stress, 58% of parents allow more time to get through an airport when travelling with their children than they would when flying on their own

Gatwick Airport’s Chief Executive, Stewart Wingate, comments: “The findings of our research show that the stress of the journey is often sky high for parents, but most said a little extra help and consideration would go a long way to making the experience more enjoyable. At Gatwick, we want to extend the holiday endorphins so they hit the moment families walk through our doors to the moment they leave through them the other end. With this in mind, we are committed to doing all we can to ensure a hassle-free experience for all.

“Already at Gatwick we have launched security assistance lanes for parents with children so that they can go through security at their own pace and get a little extra help from our staff. We have also introduced free ‘kids zones’ in both our terminals to enable young children to release some of that pre-holiday excitement before the flight, and we offer a porter service to assist with baggage.

“The return journey can often be just as stressful, with parents having to juggle tired children and more hand luggage than they can cope with. That is why we are now providing pushchairs for parents as they step off the plane. This is a scheme we are trialling in the busy South Terminal. We are also working in partnership with Thomas Cook this summer to prioritise the offloading of prams from the planes so that they are the first to arrive on the baggage reclaim belts.”

Becky Wiggins, author of parenting blog English Mum shares her top tips for families to help counteract the stress that can be induced when travelling with children:

· Go with the flow and treat the journey as an adventure - if you don’t get stressed, then the kids won’t pick up on it

· Pack your child’s rucksacks with interesting things to do: crayons, colouring books, a favourite book or toy (make sure you check if they want to help – although my son once packed scissors and a spud gun!)

· Save a couple of surprises to be whipped out when things are getting stressful

· Most airlines load children first, but it’s not always best to be first on board – sometimes taking an extra few minutes of freedom before being cooped up on a plane journey is a bonus

· Distribute essentials between bags - in case the one with all the important baby items goes missing

· Scan everything and email it to yourself- passports, tickets and travel insurance – you never know when things need replacing on holiday, and it’s much easier if you have all the details

· When travelling with younger children, pack an emergency bag - wet wipes, tissues, change of clothes and most importantly a sealable plastic bag

· Leave plenty of time to get to the airport – then add an hour – airports are great places to explore and an extra hour at the airport is preferable to a meltdown in a traffic jam worrying about missing your flight

About Gatwick Airport and the Family Friendly scheme that the Airport has committed to:

Gatwick Airport is the UK’s second largest airport and the busiest single-runway airport in the world. It serves more than 200 destinations in 90 countries for around 32 million passengers a year on short- and long-haul point-to-point services. It is also a major economic driver for the South-East region, generating around 23,000 on-airport jobs and a further 13,000 jobs through related activities. The airport is 28 miles south of London with excellent public transport links, including the award winning Gatwick Express. Gatwick Airport is owned by a group of international investment funds, of which Global Infrastructure Partners is the largest shareholder.

Gatwick is a one of a number of leading organisations, and the only UK airport, to join a new Family Friendly scheme launched by the Family and Parenting Institute. The scheme aims to make the UK more family friendly.

In joining the Family Friendly scheme, Gatwick has pledged to introduce a number of new initiatives or enhance existing facilities in 2011 to improve the experience of families travelling through the airport. These commitments include:

· modernising all baby changing areas across both terminals

· trialling the provision of airside prams for arriving passengers with toddlers

· providing play areas for children aged between '5 - 11' in both terminals

· providing facilities for 'teenagers' with mobile/laptop charging points and large screens to host interactive games consoles

· developing specific seating areas for passengers with young children to create family only areas with appropriate baby/toddler feeding facilities

· offering a pre-booked 'porter service' for departing family passengers to take care of luggage and escort the family members through the terminals

· working with on-airport retail and catering outlets to seek discounted deals for families

About The Family Friendly scheme

The Family Friendly scheme works with businesses and public services to make the UK a more family friendly place. Run by the Family and Parenting Institute – a leading charity – Family Friendly works with businesses and public services to deliver for families. Bringing local and national organisations together with families, we help them better understand their customers and meet their expectations. By giving families a voice and transforming the quality of the services they receive, we seek to improve family life for everyone.

Please see http://www.wearefamilyfriendly.org/  for more information.

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