10 Insider-Tips for Parents
Preparing for the family trip
Air travel with children needs to be planned well. With sound preparation, you’ll be able to travel to your long-awaited holiday relaxed and stress-free. Here are our tips to make travelling with children literally child’s play.
Find out about all the applicable regulations at flyedelweiss.com. Below are all the links you’ll need to help you prepare for your trip:
To make sure you don’t forget anything, use our handy packing list in the link below. Important: make sure that you always have enough nappies, drinks, small snacks, and wipes on hand within easy reach in your hand luggage for the inevitable mishap.
Sucking on sweets or chewing gum helps to equalise the pressure in the ears during take-off and landing. These methods are not recommended for babies as they pose a choking hazard. When you fly with your baby, be sure to have a dummy or bottle handy instead. If you’re still nursing your baby, it’s best to put them to your breast. If your child has the sniffles, we recommend giving them a nasal decongestant or nose drops as a preventative measure. If you’re uncertain, please contact a doctor.
We advise you not to fly if your child has a high fever or has recently had an operation. Acute respiratory infections can lead to problems with pressure equalisation in the ear, nose, and throat area during the flight. For this reason, we recommend that you do not fly during this time.
In the case of contagious childhood diseases, travel should only begin again after a specified time.
- Varicella (chickenpox): up to six days after the last blister appears
- Measles and rubella: up to four days after the skin rash has appeared
- Mumps: up to seven days
If you’re uncertain, please contact a doctor.
Plan your journey to the airport well in advance and allow enough time for toilet breaks, meals, etc. For short-haul flights, we recommend checking in and/or dropping off baggage at the airport 90 minutes before departure; for long-haul flights 120 minutes. You’ll find valuable information about your departure airport under the following link.
Would you like to travel baggage-free to the airport so that you have less stress as a family? Let our partner AirPortr pick up your baggage and deliver it conveniently to any Edelweiss destination.
If possible, make sure you use the evening-before or online check-in to save time and avoid stress at the airport. This also allows you to consider how you would like to sit as a family. Side by side or behind each other?
You can find out whether online check-in is possible from your departure airport under the following link.
Be ready for long waiting times at the airport and during the flight by bringing a children’s book, toys, or colouring supplies with you. New toys are particularly suitable as they are interesting for longer.
For our short and medium-haul flights, it’s a good idea to bring a fully-charged mobile phone or tablet, as well as children’s headphones. Thanks to our wireless entertainment system, your little ones can enjoy exciting films, shows, and cool music directly on your device.
On our long-haul flights, you and your children can enjoy the entertainment programme directly on the integrated screen on the seat in front of you.
The layered look is the perfect solution for your child if they don’t want to be too cold or too hot. Dress them in a few thin layers and take a lightweight jacket, socks, and a cap with you in your hand luggage. This way you’re prepared in case your child spills something or vomits. Don’t forget to take thick socks with you as your child’s feet may swell a bit at high altitudes.
Make sure you plan well in advance how you will get from the arrival airport to your accommodation. Families usually have a bit more baggage with them, so we recommend a taxi, Uber, or airport transfer.
You can also hire a car directly at the airport. Remember to bring your own child seats or rent them on site.
There are many new things for children to experience at the airport and on the plane, especially if they are flying for the first time. We recommend spending some time with your child early on talking about the upcoming trip.
An interesting activity, even on the day before departure, is to visit the observation deck at the Zurich Airport to watch the planes take off and land. Can you spot an Edelweiss airplane?
To help your child get excited about the Edelweiss flight, you can check out the entertainment on offer for children before departure and download three colouring-in templates under the following link.
When you check-in, choose a window seat for your child so that they can experience more than just what is happening on board. This guarantees plenty to talk about during the flight. You can talk to your child about what’s going on outside and share this special experience with each other. Flying through a cloud or above a sea of clouds for the first time is always a very special moment.