A few months ago our family decided it was time for a vacation. After choosing Colorado as our destination, we then had to decide whether we were going to drive or fly to get there.
After much debate we did the unthinkable, we took our three kids, ages five, two and seven months old and got on an airplane.
Was I dreading the flight? You bet.
I could talk about all the negative aspects of flying with kids. You could probably guess most of them. If you have ever been on a plane with kids you have probably seen the screaming, crying and kicking first hand. That’s not what I want to talk about.
I want to talk about the positive aspects of flying with small children.
Long before arriving at the airport we enjoyed our first perk of flying with children. Kids under the age of two fly free. Just take you kid’s birth certificate to the airport and they can be a “lap child” for free. Awesome, we’ve already saved $300!
When we got to the security line at the airport, instead of standing behind a hundred or so people in line we were told to go to the family line. We were the only family in the family line, which meant we moved right through. Just for the simple reason we were flying with kids we skipped a 20 minute wait in line.
On to the gate.
When you fly Southwest there are no assigned seats, you are given a boarding section. If you want to pay an extra fee you are put in group A, then the rest of the normal folks get lumped into groups B and C.
So group A boarded the plane first, then before the people in Group B were called, they let all families board. Were were able to get our seats and get ourselves seated before a majority of people on the plane. Score one more for the people with kids!
Sure the rest of the airport is a little stressful, lugging a stroller, car seats, and the kids’ bags through the airport. But in the end, I’d say it was worth it.
Two and a half hours on a plane sure beats and 18 hour drive to Colorado.
Happy Parenting!
-Pete