Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
26
Purchase y our tickets fr om w ell-marked
kiosks inside the airpor t or at the BAR T
station. I f y ou're staying ar ound U nion
Street, y ou'll pr obably want to get off at
the Powell Street stop.
Flying with Kids
If you plan carefully, you can make it fun
to fly with your kids.
• You'll save yourself a good bit of aggra-
vation by
reserving a seat in the bulk-
head
row.
You'll hav e mor e legr oom,
your children will be able to spread out
and play on the floor under foot, and
the airline might pr ovide bassinets (ask
in adv ance). You're also mor e likely to
find sympathetic company in the bulk-
head ar ea, as other families with chil-
dren tend to be seated ther e. The only
drawback is that in the bulkhead r ow
you can't always lift the armrest for little
ones to rest their head on your lap.
• Be sure to
pack items for your kids in
your carr y-on luggage,
such as to ys,
topics, pacifiers, and che wing gum, to
help them r elieve ear pr essure buildup
during ascent and descent.
•
Have
a long talk with y our children
before y ou depar t for y our trip . I f
they've nev er flo wn befor e, explain to
them what to expect. I f they 're old
enough, you may even want to describe
how flight wor ks and ho w air trav el is
even safer than riding in a car . Explain
to y our kids the impor tance of good
behavior in the air—ho w their o wn
safety can depend upon their being
quiet and staying in their seats during
the trip.
•
Pay extra car eful attention to the
safety instr uctions
befor e takeoff .
Consult the safety chart behind the seat
in fr ont of y ou and sho w it to y our
children. B e sur e y ou kno w ho w to
operate the o xygen masks, as y ou will
be expected to secur e y ours first and
then help your children with theirs. B e
especially mindful of the location of
emergency exits. B efore takeoff , plot
out an ev acuation strategy for y ou and
your children.
• Ask the flight attendant
if the plane
has any special safety equipment for
children.
Make a member of the cr ew
aware of any medical pr oblems y our
children have that could manifest dur-
ing flight.
•
Be sur e y ou've slept sufficiently
for
your trip. If you fall asleep in the air and
your child manages to break away, there
are all sor ts of sharp objects that could
cause injur y. Especially during meal-
times, it 's danger ous for a child to be
crawling or walking ar ound the cabin
unaccompanied by an adult.
•
Be sur e y our child 's seatbelt r emains
fastened properly
and try to reserve the
seat closest to the aisle for y ourself. This
will make it har der for y our children to
wander off—in case, for instance, y ou're
taking the redeye or a long flight and you
do happen to nod off. You will also pro-
tect y our child fr om jostling passersb y
and falling objects—in the rar
2
e but
entirely possible instance that an o
ver-
head bin pops open.
In the ev ent of an accident, unr e-
strained children often don't make it—
even when the par ent does. E xperience
has shown that it's impossible for a par-
ent to hold onto a child in the ev ent of
a crash, and children often die of impact
injuries.
For the same r eason, sudden turbu-
lence is also a danger to a child who is
not buckled into his o wn seat belt or
seat r estraint. A ccording to
Consumer
Reports Travel Letter,
the most common
flying injuries r esult when unantici-
pated turbulence strikes and hur
tles
passengers from their seats.
•
Try to sit near the lav atory,
though
not so close that y our children are jos-
tled by the cr owds that tend to gather
there. Consolidate trips ther e as much
as possible.
