Lastminute.com recently released their top 10 choices for "Most Family Friendly Airlines". Here's the list:
Sidenote: You may also find this article interesting: Safest Airlines for 2020
Please note that the rankings and most of the justifications are taken from lastminute.com.
The website rated a number of airlines on certain criteria: inflight entertainment, priority boarding, child-friendly meals, "Free to take pushchair", "Free to take car seat" (the airlines that check your stroller or car seat for free). With the statistics determined from each of the categories, they developed a composite score, and ranked them.
Here are the Most Family Friendly Airlines of 2020:
10: Turkish Airlines
Credit: Winston Shek
Turkish Airlines is based out of Istanbul, Turkey. They boast a large fleet with an expansive route network. Turkish airlines received a composite score of 6, as they did not provide priority boarding or free car seat check. They also only provided in-flight entertainment on select wide-body aircraft.
9: Oman Air
Credit: Wikimedia Commons
Oman is based out of Muscat, Oman. They recently acquired Boeing 787s, which they have implemented a new, modernized business class cabin on. Oman Air recieved a composite score of 6 as well, lacking the same items as Turkish Airlines.
8: British Airways
Credit: TheExplorerBlog | Daniel Mena
British Airways is based out of London, England. They boast a very diverse fleet, with aircraft ranging from Dornier 328JETs to Boeing 777s to Airbus a380s, as pictured above. Unlike Turkish and Oman Air, British Airways offers priority boarding and free car seat check, giving them a score of 6. They also are missing in-flight entertainment on many of their smaller aircraft.
7: American Airlines
Credit: TheExplorerBlog | Chris Arboleda
American Airlines is an airline based in the United States, hence the name. It has hubs in Los Angeles, Miami, Dallas, New York, Washington D.C., Chicago, and Charlotte. They also plan to expand to Seattle soon.American Airlines received a composite score of 7. They offered priority boarding, and gave customers the choice between a car seat and a stroller to be checked for free. They also had meals for purchase on domestic flights. On many of their domestic flights, they did not offer in-flight entertainment, which contributed to their downgrade in score.
6: TAP Air Portugal
Credit: TheExplorerBlog | Arkin Si
Tap Air Portugal has hubs in several cities in Portugal, mainly Lisbon. They have a decent route network, and boast the new Airbus A330NEO, pictured above. TAP doesn't provide IFE on their narrowbody aircraft, which decreased their score. They also have a score of 7 and have similar amenities as American Airlines in terms of family friendliness.
5: Aer Lingus
Credit: TheExplorerBlog | Luke Jonathan
Aer Lingus is an airline based in Ireland. They own a mostly airbus fleet, and have a decently large route map, especially to America.They offer priority boarding, though only freely check strollers, and not car seats. They also have not fully equipped their aircraft with in flight entertainment systems (IFE), bringing their score to a 7.
4: United Airlines
Credit: TheExplorerBlog | Calvin Stewart
United Airlines is also located in the United States (shocker!). They have hubs in New York, Washington D.C., Chicago, Houston, Denver, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Guam, and have large stations in Frankfurt, Tokyo, London, and Honolulu. They boast their new Polaris Product, and their Polaris lounge was rated best in the world. But in terms of family friendliness, United doesn't have IFE on all of their aircraft, lowering their points. They do, however, provide free stroller and car seat check, and have free meals for their passengers. They also have priority boarding for families with children. Altogether, they have a score of 8.
3: Qatar Airways
Credit: TheExplorerBlog | Michael Pflanzer
Qatar Airways is based out of ... you guessed it - Qatar! They boast an expansive route network out of Doha, and are internationally ranked as one of the best airlines to fly. Their new Q-Suite does not fail to impress, and is seeked by aviation enthusiasts worldwide. Qatar Airways has in-flight entertainment on all of its aircraft, raising it's spot on the list. Additionally, they provide priority boarding for families, free stroller and car-seat check, and free meals on their flight. Qatar airways was given a score of 9.
2: Air Canada
Credit: TheExplorerBlog | Sam Stein
Air Canada has numerous hubs throughout Canada. They fly to almost every continent, and have a relatively modern fleet. Air Canada does not provide free meals on their shorter flights, but make up for it with excellent service to families: express priority boarding, IFE on all aircraft, and the free check of strollers and car seats. The positive atmosphere on the flights also contributed to its composite score of 9.
1: Etihad Airways
Credit: TheExplorerBlog | Ben Kogan
Etihad Airways is not only a highly-ranked airline all around, but it also is very family-friendly, earning it the spot at number one. They offer WiFi on all aircrafts, free kids meals, and a free stroller check. Tied in with the high-comfort seating and world-class cabin crew: a great airline for flying with kids. This airline earned a ranking of 10.
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