Which airline has the best free toys? Photo / 123rf
Which airline has the best free toys? Photo / 123rf
Airlines like United, Air France and Qantas provide free kits with toys and colouring books for young fliers.
Every parent of young children has the debate before a long flight: How much screen time do I allow my child? And don’t forget to pack a snack, or allot time for a trip (or two) up and down the aisle.
If you’re trying to keep the kids entertained, some airlines can help. Carriers such as Air France, Qantas and United Airlines hand out complimentary activity packs to young kids on long-haul flights.
The kits vary from airline to airline but follow a similar pattern. They typically include some type of activity book, plus crayons or coloured pencils, and a toy or game. Some are even made in collaboration with popular brands, such as Disney or Sesame Street.
“It’s a nice way to serve [kids], to give them something to do,” said Mark Muren, managing director for brand identity, product and loyalty at United, talking about the airline’s children’s travel kit. “Customers love it. Families really appreciate it.”
For curious parents, there is no shortage in videos previewing the various airline offerings. But which do children prefer?
We put the question to a crack team of testers: my son and two of his friends, all ages 4 or 5. We had them try out activity packs from six airlines - Air France, Qantas, Singapore, TAP Air Portugal, United and Virgin Atlantic. Our reviews are based on their comments - and a little parent support. (All kits were provided compliments of the airline).
Air France
The Air France activity kit arrives in a cardboard box adorned with faux stamps and “PAR AVION BY AIR MAIL” across its front. Points for exterior creativity.
But, with the kids eager to see the toys inside, the very well-taped box proved challenging to open. And we weren’t even in the confined quarters of an airplane seat.
Once open, out came an assortment of toys. A colouring book with coloured pencils and, to the kids’ delight, a wooden traveller doggy with a suitcase and plane, complete with a miniature runway puzzle.
“I like the airplane and the pilot doggy and the runway,” said the sole girl in our group. The other kids were simply too engaged with the toys to comment. Engagement, as parents know well, is exactly what you want for your child on a long flight.
The Air France activity kit arrives in a cardboard box. Photo / Air France
Qantas
The Qantas Joey Club pack comes in a resealable plastic bag adorned with recognisable Australian animals: a kangaroo, koala, emu and others in a pastoral scene that includes the iconic Uluru rock.
The scene was immediately recognisable to the parents. But for the children, none of whom had been to Australia, not so much.
The reusable bag was quickly tossed aside in favour of what’s inside: an Etch-A-Sketch and a fold-out activity pamphlet. We were all only briefly amused.
“If you’re going to fly for 14 hours to Australia, that would not cut it,” said Ted Thurn, a civil servant and parent to one of our testers.
Singapore Airlines
The Singapore Airlines activity packs - yes, there’s more than one - come in their own packaging with offerings that range from a travel journal and pen, a puzzle pack or a plush wristband. They also had stuffed animals for smaller children. Did I mention it’s all Disney-themed?
The Disney characters were immediately recognisable to the kids. That was a big plus. The downside was that our testers all gravitated toward the puzzle, the most interactive part of the kit. Thankfully, with multiple interlocking pieces, each child could take a few puzzle pieces and build with what they had with no tears shed.
Singapore’s packs were a good reminder that if you are flying with multiple children, make sure you get an activity kit for each.
The Singapore Airlines activity packs are all Disney-themed. Photo / Singapore Airlines
TAP Air Portugal
The TAP kit came in a large drawstring bag decorated with a map of the Western Hemisphere, where the airline flies. Inside was a plethora of items: a deck of cards (maybe for parents), coloured pencils, an activities “passport,” a foam tic-tac-toe board, eye mask, socks and a paper scroll that unveils different puzzles as it is unrolled.
TAP gets props for variety, and that is no small thing. Parents of small children know well that a child’s attention span is short. Being able to pass them a new toy or activity every few minutes can really make a long flight go so much faster.
One downside was with the tic-tac-toe board. We almost immediately dropped a few of the Xs and Os and were scrounging around on the floor for them; imagine trying to find those under your seat.
United
The United kit comes in a paper envelope decorated with Sesame Street characters. Inside was an Oscar the Grouch activity booklet and slide puzzle, crayons and a sensory calming strip.
The puzzle proved popular among the kids. If there was a clear theme among our testers, it was that physical toys that they could play with proved much more popular than pamphlets and colouring books.
The Sesame Street theme, however, fell flat. It is a crossover with the airline’s sustainability marketing campaign that includes Oscar as “Chief Trash Officer.” But none of the kids recognised those characters like they did the Disney personalities.
The Virgin Atlantic pack, like TAP, also came in a large drawstring bag. Inside was a different story though: an activity book and journal, coloured pencils, a pop fidget toy and sunglasses.
All of the kids reached for the pop fidget toy, the only tactile item in the bag. The sunglasses also proved popular - if only for a minute.
“This is squarely in the medium,” said Anne DeVine, a manager at a global non-profit and parent to one of the testers.
The winner
Our judges were clearly tactile kids. They gravitated to toys they could play with rather than colour on, something that is certainly not true for every child. Given this predilection, the preference was clear: Air France.
TAP came in second simply for the variety of items. But after all of the activity packs were opened and played with, my son described the group’s favourite succinctly: “I like the plane”.
