But United Airlines is now bucking that trend and giving parents a little help by providing kids with extra fun (and safety) while onboard.
After a successful trial within select markets, United Airlines now offers complimentary children's activity kits on all mainline flights. United tells TPG that flight attendants will offer the kits to children during the inflight service.
The children's activity kits include:
- Child-sized mask.
- Travel journal activity book with crayons.
- Origami paper airplane activity.
- Sanitizing wipe.
- Eco-friendly, recyclable paper bag.
Little things can feel like big things when traveling with kids strapped into a seat in a small tube in the sky for hours on end.
When my kids were younger, there were times that even the pictures in the inflight magazines provided a few minutes of backup entertainment when we'd been through our bag of tricks. While United's children's activity kits are simple, sometimes simple is all you need in the sky. Getting something made especially for kids can be a welcome and exciting break during the flight for both kids and parents alike.
Related: AA introduces new amenity kits
And of course, given the current times and protocols, having an extra kid-sized mask and sanitizing wipe on hand is also an asset.
Related: 9 ways to use your amenity kits
United Airlines is also in the process of retrofitting aircraft to again have personal built-in inflight entertainment screens and has made its inflight entertainment complimentary. These are also both great moves toward providing a more pleasant inflight experience for passengers of all ages.
