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Would You Book This When Flying With A Baby Or Young Child?

6 years ago

If you've ever flown long-haul with a baby or young child, you've probably wondered why on earth airlines don't make it possible for little ones to lie down or even nap mid-flight.

Looks like those days might not be far off, if Air Zealand's latest announcement is anything to go by.

The airline plans to introduce a new seating option to allow passengers travelling with children to have their own lie-flat space in which to rest, relax or play without disturbing other passangers.

The Huffington Post reports:

Air New Zealand has developed a 'Skycouch' - a row of three economy seats that convert into a flat surface - which includes an infant harness and belt, allowing kids to remain lying down for the whole flight - evend during take off and landing. They’ve also created an “infant pod”, which provides additional comfort and protection for young kids.

The airline states on its website that the Skycouch Infant Harness, Belt and Pod will be available on all Air New Zealand Boeing 777 and 787-9 operated long-haul services from mid-2018 and is "like having your very own couch on the plane".

I'm always a bit of a sceptic about these kind of ideas – I just don't think airline travel with kids is ever going to be anything other than a bit of a faff and I can't see any of my kids taking kindly to lying down during the flight, except when they were tiny babies.

If you're not planning to fly with Air New Zealand any time soon, you might want to try these products designed to make flying with a baby or young child that bit easier:

That said, it's years since I've taken a long-haul flight so I'm no authority on the matter. In fact we'd love to hear from you who have flown long-haul with babies or young children. Do you think the Skycouch is a good idea. Is this something you would book when flying with your family? Leave us a comment here or come and join the conversation over on our Facebook page.