Air travel with children from ABIA

April 5, 2009 by Julia
Filed under Austin (downtown), Resources, travel

watching a plane come in

Austin Bergstrom Airport (ABIA) ranks “ok” in my book as a child-friendly airport. We have flown with our children a number of occasions, and we have never experienced any major issues that would make us run for the hills and eschew all air travel with little ones.

Airport Parking: We have used ABIA’s longterm parking and the off-site parkings with shuttle service. We have found that parking off-site is no more expensive (sometimes cheaper) and is definitely more efficient. Our personal favorite off-site lot is the Airport Fast Park (2300 Spirit of Texas Dr). After passing through the entrance, the parking attendant radios a driver, and a shuttle starts to tail our car as soon as we pull into a space . Within seconds of parking our car, the driver is almost always there to help us load all bags onto the shuttle. With two car seats, double stroller, and multiple luggage bags (not to mention 2 kids in tow), to get up onto the shuttle in under 5 minutes is fast. If the shuttle is empty, the driver may wait to pick up more riders, but we have never waited any length of time. I would say from parking to arriving at the departure terminal takes no more than 15 minutes. The nice thing is that upon arrival back at ABIA, the shuttles run frequently, and it is with the same efficiency that we are picked up and dropped back at our car.

When we have parked at ABIA’s lots, it is always hit or miss whether there are spaces which can be a short walk or a small haul (with children, gear, and luggage) to the shuttle stops. Upon arrival back at ABIA, to get to our cars, our experience has been that some parking lots have shuttles which run more frequently than other lots so the wait can be long.

Checking In: To travel with children, I always make sure to call the airline to double check that a lap baby is ticketed with one adult traveler because if you have boarding passes pre-printed and no lap baby name on the tickets, the gate agent may stop you and make you get new boarding passes at the gate. To save time, we try to use e-tickets whenever possible.

Security Gate: Passing through the security gate with a stroller can be a nightmare, depending upon the airport. Our umbrella stroller can pass through the x-ray scanner, but the double stroller has to be taken to the “swabbing” station. Even children have to remove their shoes when walking through the metal detectors. I try to avoid filling sippy cups with water until I’ve passed through the security gates because carring liquids will definitely slow down the security check process. I also remember to pack anything “liquid” (medications, toiletries, etc) into 1 quart size ziplock bag since that is all the FFA will allow.

Inside the terminal: The restaurant selection is much improved since ABIA first opened, but my one bone to pick here is that the breakfast selection is not great. We almost always fly early morning so our kids arrive at the destination before bedtime, and each time we fly, we walk the terminals only to find that our breakfast choices are breakfast tacos, bagels, and pastries. That doesn’t sound terrible except that the bagels always taste like they have been refrigerated, and the pastry selection is limited too. The lunch and dinner fare are much better. The restaurants include Schlotzsky’s Deli, Maudie’s, Salt Lick, Mangia’s Pizza, Amy’s Ice Cream, Waterloo Ice House, Austin Java to name a few.

The shops at ABIA do not carry too many items for babies (diapers, wipes, etc).

Gates: The seating around the gate-area is usually wide enough (and kept fairly clean) for children to play with relative freedom, and the large windows help to entertain the kids as they can watch the planes come in and out of the gates. We always bring our stroller into the terminal and gate-check our strollers. Only for international flights were we able to gate-check our stroller to the final destination without retagging at a connecting flight, but for domestic flights, gate-checking with multiple layovers means that sometimes we need to visit the gate attendant of the connecting flight to get a new gate-check tag . (Most of the time, the gate attendant will mark on the bright pink tag the final destination with the layover destination.) The advantage of gate-checking rather than bag-checking strollers is that you have access to the stroller upon landing which can help if the connecting flight is a bit of a haul.

Restrooms: ABIA’s restrooms are clean and baby-friendly.

In-Flight: For babies and young kids, landing is far harder on the ears than take-off. Our pediatrician recommended that young kids drink something or babies nurse/take bottle during landing and take-off. We learned a tip on an international flight that for a child who is suffering from ear pain due to cabin pressure changes, ask the flight attendant for 2 styrofoam coffee cups and either wash cloths or paper towels soaked in hot water. Stuff the paper towels into the cups and hold them over the child’s ears. The moisture and heat alleviate ear pain.

We always bring a bag of entertainment for our kids, and for the 2+ set, stickers is a grand idea. They are cheap, and they don’t make a tremendous mess. The kid can put stickers all over the seats, decorate the space, and before landing, you can peel off the stickers easily. What was not such a great idea was Silly Putty and Playdoh. Markers, crayons, paper are also terrific for preschoolers. For toddlers and babies who can crawl, entertaining them is tougher. In a pinch, we have asked for coffee cups, swizzle sticks, spoons for entertainment; the barf-bags are useful for entertainment purposes too. If you own a portable DVD player, now is the time to let the kids use it, and what is even better is if you have noise-canceling headphones. That goes a long way in protecting little ears and keeping the kid’s comfortable.

I tend to overprepare with child medications that I keep in case my kids feel ill in-flight. The cabin pressure change can cause bottles to leak and make a sticky mess so I make sure to double-bag the medicine bottles within the allowable quarter-size bag. I always double check medicine dosage with the pediatrician and write that on a piece of paper that is taped to the outside of the bag to make my life easier if I must dispense medication while on vacation.

Happy traveling!