Summer Travel: 20 Ways Kids Fly Better with Emirates

Emirates is a globally renowned family friendly airline that flies more than one million children around the world every year, with an annual peak in July when the school term ends and kids set off for summer holidays.

With the top ten kid’s nationalities onboard Emirates ranking as Britain, India, USA, Pakistan, Australia, UAE, Russia, France, Germany and Saudi Arabia, children of all nationalities are flying across the globe and enjoying Emirates, with bespoke services created to cater to kid’s top priorities and non-negotiable requirements; snacks, naps, great stuff to watch, and free Wi-Fi.

20 ways that kids’ fly better with Emirates

Comfort and safety at the airport

1. Across all international airports -Emirates offers priority boarding for families ensuring kids don’t wait too much and have more time to get settled into their seat.

2. In Dubai Airport, Emirates provides free baby strollers for infants and younger kids, providing comfort for tired little legs. Emirates also operates a dedicated family check-in area at Dubai Airport during peak travel periods, to ensure a swift and smooth experience for families with minimal queuing.

3. In the First and Business Class Lounges in Dubai Airport, Concourse A and B, the kids play areas have arcade quality games and Sony PlayStation terminals for gamers. The lounges are also equipped with mother and baby care rooms, comfortable feeding areas and baby changing facilities.

4. Emirates offers a complimentary Unaccompanied Minors service to children aged 5-11 years who are travelling alone, whereby children are accompanied and supervised by specialist Emirates ground staff and cabin crew for every step of their journey. There is a dedicated Unaccompanied Minors Lounge with video games, free Wi‑Fi, comfortable sofas, and children’s bathrooms, where kids can enjoy drinks and snacks as they wait for their flight.

5. For children with hidden disabilities, Emirates supports the travel journey by providing as much information in advance as possible, so that families can plan, rehearse, and be reassured about their upcoming travel. Passengers can check the Accessible Travel page on Emirates.com for information, consult the Autism Friendly Guide to pre-plan their travel and contact their Emirates local office with queries.

Essential snacks and necessary naps

6. Kid’s meals are served almost all Emirates routes, across all classes and feature tasty and nutritious meals, with lots of snackable elements, on a specially designed colourful meal tray featuring the iconic Emirates crew and pilot Little Travellers. Think kid favourites; mac ‘n’ cheese, nuggets and pizza!

7. Organic baby food, milk formula and baby bottles are available onboard for infants if parents and guardians require them during the flight.

8. Parents with babies onboard are given an infant amenity kit including diapers, a bib, lotion and a changing matt so that the littlest passengers stay fresh throughout their journey. Most Emirates aircraft bathrooms are equipped with baby changing tables.

9. For infants under 2 years old, parents can book seats with safe and comfortable bassinets so that their babies can snooze comfortably throughout the flight. Parents can also bring approved car seats onboard for extra familiarity and safety.

10.  Kids in all classes are given pillows and blankets so they can make themselves comfortable and have a little nap if required.

Endless Boredom-Busting Entertainment

11. Emirates award-winning inflight entertainment ice allows kids to get stuck into movie marathons including new releases Avatar: The Way of the Water, Shazam! Fury of the Gods, Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 and The Super Mario Bros. Movie. There is a vast selection including an all-new Disney Classics collection, plus Marvel Studios and Star Wars collections, and the complete Harry Potter movies series.

12. Ice also has lots of kids and pre-school kids TV from CBeebies, Nickelodeon, Disney TV and Cartoon Network, including all the top characters like Paw Patrol, Bluey and Hey Duggee for the smaller ones.

13. Kids can even curate their own viewing experience before their flight, simply by browsing and pre-selecting movies or TV shows on the Emirates app, which can then be synchronised to ice the moment they board, giving parents a moment of peace.

14. Children are given special headsets to enjoy ice, designed to have a better and more comfortable fit on their head while they enjoy a huge array of child-friendly content.

15. Kids of all ages are also offered award-winning selection of toys and giveaways onboard, made from more sustainable materials with each age group in mind. For example, the Fly with Me magazine is a fun-filled activity magazine featuring puzzles, jokes and activities for 3–8-year-olds.

16. Kids get free Wi-Fi messaging onboard Emirates in all classes. Simply sign up to Emirates Skysurfers loyalty programme for young travellers and kids between 2-17 years old can earn Skywards Miles on every Emirates and flydubai flight, then spend them on more flights or unique lifestyle benefits.

Parents can also take advantage of an exclusive summer offer with Emirates Skywards – a bonus Tier Miles offer applicable to all customers who check-in for their flight at the Emirates City Check-in and Travel Store, in ICD Brookfield Place, Dubai Financial Centre (DIFC).

From 15 July- 15 August, members can earn 5,000 Tier Miles for Emirates Skywards Blue and Silver members; 10,000 Tier Miles for Emirates Skywards Gold members; and 30,000 Tier Miles for Emirates Skywards Platinum members once they check in at Emirates City Check-in and Travel Store, ICD Brookfield Place. Terms & Conditions apply.

17. For gaming enthusiasts, Emirates ice even has up to 100 video games, which can be played by two players in different seats on the in-seat controllers.

18. Older kids can get into a groove with Emirates ice music selection and browse over 3,000 albums and over 600 playlists.

19. If a family member or friend is seated in another row, kids can have fun using the seat-to-seat phone to call each other from their seat on most aircraft. No prank calls allowed!

20. To make memories that last a lifetime, Emirates cabin crew can capture kid’s special moments and journeys onboard with an instant Polaroid camera, which is then presented to the family in a limited-edition Emirates photo frame as a keepsake.