Flying with kids can be a stressful adventure in the best of times. But now it seems like there have been so many stories in the news of passengers behaving badly. We have flown a few times since the beginning of the pandemic, but we have been lucky enough to avoid some of it. Unfortunately we did get to take part in American Airlines cancelling tons of flights and get left in Chicago for an extra two days… at our own expense.
Flying during a pandemic is not ideal to some. And I am sure there are people that would tell me it is a bad idea. Im not out to say what is right or wrong for everyone. I am saying my family has had the opportunity to travel and the numbers were down so we took advantage of it and went on an adventure.
My kids are a little older now, so I don’t have to worry with how to keep their masks on. The only tip I have really heard in regards to helping little ones with keeping a mask on is to practice at home. If wearing a mask is just something they do, it would seem to be that they won’t put up a fuss with doing it while at the airport and on planes. Wearing a mask is required at every airport and on every airline that I am aware of. If you know differently I would love to hear from you.
The change in flying with kids during a pandemic from “normal” times… is food. Food on the plane and food off the plane.
We took a long flight from Texas to Honolulu and the only meals served during the flight for coach passengers was one small snack box per passenger for the flight. Meanwhile in first class passengers still enjoyed steak and shrimp with all the fixings…. I am not kidding. When checking the airlines website it said there would be a meal service in our cabin, but that was not updated since the pandemic. So take that information with a grain of salt.
In the airports some are still not back at pre-pandemic levels. Or they are dealing with the labor shortage. There are restaurants and coffee shops open, but not as many in some airports meaning longer lines at the remaining spots for grabbing a bite. Also with less food served on planes there is a greater need for passengers to get food so more people are in the lines. So is that what is wrong with folks? They are hungry? Always be ready for delayed flights.
My greatest piece of advice is to carry food. And carry plenty. When my kids and I were stuck in Chicago for two extra days we did go through a serious amount of food. When all the stores/restaurants closed for the night we were so glad to have food in our bags. We also carry water bottles with us, so we were able to refill our bottles at the fountains located all around the airports. So carry an empty water bottle. Refill it after clearing security… this is always something we do for environmental reasons, and I don’t like paying $5 for a small bottle of water in the airport.
My daughter has been flying since she was 6 months old, and has rarely had a problem with her ears. On one of our last trips they did bother her and I let her have some gum on decent…. big mistake. The sweetheart forgot she had her mask on and attempted to blow a bubble into her mask…. oh what a mess it was. AND it was her only mask I could access. So she took it off a moment while I got the biggest part of it off and had to wear it with gum in it… at least until I could get her another. Carry extra masks for everyone and keep the accessible.
Rental cars…. Apparently the chip shortage for new cars led to a shortage of rental cars. A few times during the pandemic we have attempted to rent cars and have been unable because there just were no cars (despite having it reserved and paid for 3 months prior) or the car rental was $300 a day. So if renting a car, do so in advance and have a back up plan in case there is no car there when you arrive. We have used and like Turo, which is a great option when available. (For those unaware Turo is like AirBnb for cars… and just with renting from anyone be sure you read the reviews.)
In our travels we encountered mostly helpful kind people. We got lucky, no doubt… but just bring plenty of patience and know everyone has been through a lot through this pandemic. Be kind even if others aren’t. Kindness always wins.
I hope you have a great trip if you have one coming up. If you have flown with kids during the pandemic I would love to hear from you with any tips you might add.
As always if you have any questions I would love to hear them…
For first time flyers check out this post for info.
