NOW CLOSED Travelled through Heathrow recently with your family? How was it for you? If not, do tell us what you think about families and airports - £500 of vouchers up for grabs

[NewGirlHelenMumsnet]

Please note we are talking on this thread about experiences in the terminal rather than on flights or regarding holiday reps or tour operators.

Heathrow have been working on the facilities and services they offer families at the airport and would like to find out from you how they are doing and what could still be improved. They say "We want your holiday to start the moment you arrive at Heathrow. Travelling with children can be stressful and we want to try and reduce the stress and make family journeys through Heathrow more enjoyable. So, this summer there are new dedicated family security lanes, children's play areas, kids' meal deals, giveaways and much more.

Even if you haven't been through Heathrow you can still take part...The team at Heathrow are also interested in your impressions of the family facilities at other airports and would like to know about any shining examples of great family friendly facilities or staff (anywhere in the world). In addition please do share your tips for coping with children in airports - your tips will be used by Mumsnet for future work.

So, if you've already experienced the more family friendly Heathrow - that is you've been through the airport with children since 11 July 2011...then please take a look at the website and then answer the following questions (these are just to start you off - please add any other comments you have too):
a) When did you visit the airport? Which terminal did you use? And who did you travel with?
b) How well does what's offered on the website match up with your experience of the airport? Did you use/notice the services and facilities they offer on the website? e.g. play areas and kids eat free offers. What did they do well and what was missing?
c) Was there anything at the airport that you thought was particularly family friendly that isn't mentioned on the website?
d) What do you think could be improved at the airport to make your experience of travelling through as a family easier/better?

If you haven't been to Heathrow Airport with your family since 11 July 2011...they'd still like to hear what you think of the facilities, services and offers on the website as well as your previous experiences at Heathrow and any other airports around the world. Please answer the following questions (and also add any other comments you have):
a) Which (if any) of the things highlighted on the website as being for families do you think you would find useful if you visited the airport? Which (if any) would you be unlikely to use when with your family?
b) What would you say is the most important thing airports could do to make them more family friendly?

In addition, everyone is welcome to tell us about any bad experiences of travelling through any airport with your family or indeed any particularly brilliant family friendly experiences. Please also share any tips you have for travelling through airports with children - how do you cope with the queues, security, etc?

Everyone who adds comments to this thread will be entered into a prize draw to win one of five £100 vouchers - winners can choose between a £100 Heathrow and a £100 Amazon voucher. The Heathrow voucher can be spent in any Heathrow shop or restaurant within the next year (if you're not planning to fly, you're welcome to pass them onto a friend/relation with your shopping list!)

Thanks and good luck with the prize draw
MNHQ

[CMOTdibbler]

I've travelled through Heathrow recently (and frequently), but not with children.

IMO, the best thing they could do is
a) provide pushchairs for use within the airport (like Copenhagen does) so that families don't have to struggle with tired children
b) make general area gate announcements earlier so that where the gate is a long trek (and I'm thinking particularly about taking the transit at T5 here) you have time to get there in an unhurried manner, rather than being on tenterhooks watching for the announcement and then having to gather everything and rush
c) small activity areas (even just crayons and paper) at each gate. This seems to be a real hotspot for child boredom as parents don't want to get stuff out of their bags when they don't know when they'll need to pack it again.

[hermionestranger]

Airports are a nightmare for travelling with children, but I have found that the security staff at LHR are some of the nicest anywhere. They have always helped me when I'm travelling with my family. They always help me collapse the buggy, pop it on to the x-ray and help me off at the other end. Also having the staff encouraging your children to walk through the scanner makes life easier, much easier than when bored, disinterested staff just give you the "look" and shove your belongings to the end of the belt and leave you.

I find MAN T2 to be far more aggravating to travel through. Overly crowded when busy and badly laid out.

The flight connections centre at LHR is tricky and confusing and time consuming, it needs a total redesign, I find it easier to go out and come back in again.

One thing that I find lacking at MAN is baby changing facilites. This is my local airport so use it most.

If all terminals had a soft play zone in them it would be FAB! Keeps the kids coralled and is great when there are delays. If this was introduced I would suggest putting a coffee bar nearby for the rest of the family.

[Greedypiggy]

I travel through Heathrow frequently, but not recently, with children.
(A) I liked the idea of characters visiting the terminals. It is something to look forward to when you have a long haul flight ahead.
(B) My recommendations would be

1. I agree withCMOTdibbler re providing pushchairs, very helpful.
   
2. There should be small rest and play areas, where the adults can put their feet up and have a coffee and the kids can play.

[Greedypiggy]

Great minds think alike Hermionestranger!

[HarrietJones]

I found terminal 5 very difficult to get to. There's no obvious directions from the car park/bus/train and then getting through the terminal to the gate. My dds were older & I'm glad I didn't have to do that with little ones. Once we arrived at the gate we had to queue to get in & out to the cafe facilities.( which were minimal). This was in 2010 so hoping these are things which have improved. We compared with JFK and the small terminals which were v easy to navigate and easy to spend time there if you had delays,

[thelittlestkiwi]

We last travelled through Heathrow in Nov 2009 and will not do so again if there is any possible alternative. We struggled with our buggy- which is small and light. I remember we could not get it onto the tube platform to transfer between terminals and had to take DD out and lift it over the gate then put her back. There should have been someone there to open the disabled gate but no one was to be seen.

In NZ, we rarely wait in cue at passport control etc. People with small children are pulled out and sent to the front. There are pleasant breastfeeding rooms everywhere and people are just generally more helpful.

[Catslikehats]

I travel through LHR frequently with children. I used terminal 5, flying with BA on 15 July 11. I also regularly fly with Etihad (pretty sure that leaves and flies to terminal 4- which frankly is dreadful)

The biggest thing they could do is provide pushvhairs for the walk from the plane to the baggage carasol (which is inevitably where it ends up despite specific requests for it to be kept on the plane) A number of airports now provide this service and it makes an enormous difference when flying alone with 3 tired children.

The second thing (again so simple) would be to provided a seat near the security scanners which could be used when taking of shoes at security. Having to get down on the floor to remove shoes at 34 wks pregnant is no fun. And if I was really going to go out on a limb a playpen? Being asked to put my 12 day old DC on the floor to go through the scanner is not ideal.

In fact to hell with it - please could families travelling with infants bypass the loooong security queues and be dealt with first? Other airports don't seem to have a problem with that system.

Finally when you return to the UK why are the immigration counters for UK citizens mostly closed? You invariably have to queue longer than those who don't have a UK passport and having to do this with young children is awful. There is a seperate line for business/first, if this is empty why not allow families to use it?

To be honest until a point is reached where I don't have to queue for 40 mins to bag drop, followed by 2 hrs to pass security when leaving through LHR or wait an hour at immigration when entering the UK having walked for 15 mins from the plane with 2 young children and carrying an infant because aforementioned buggy isn't available all the free portions and character visits in the world are not going to make me loathe using LHR.

And just to note I know these things can be done - I travelled out of terminal 5 on 23rd December. There were staff everywhere having been drafted in due to the snow disruption and it was the easiest trip through the airport I have ever had.

Sorry bit if a rant that....

[Catslikehats]

That should obviously read "loathe using LHR any less".

And apologies for typos I was ranting

[Catslikehats]

And sorry I have just read the OP properly and seen there are in fact now family security lanes...there weren't on 15 July.....

[Kveta]

We haven't been through Heathrow as a family, so can't comment on it - but have been through Stansted, Glasgow, and Prague - and of those, Prague had the best play areas (they actually had an unmanned soft play area which DS ADORED - with a bit for (say) 1-3 year olds and a bit for 3-10 or so year olds. It was brilliant for wearing him out before boarding! Either Glasgow or Stansted had one too, but it was a bit 'well loved', and not suitable for a really little child (DS was just 13 months, but could have done with some slides or the like to keep him occupied).

People dressed up as favourite cartoon characters are a bit shite though. there was one in T5 in the rattiest Peppa Pig costume I've ever seen in April. It looked like Peppa had been sleeping rough for some months. That would have massively freaked me out as a child, even with the offer of a free creme egg. A slide and a room with padded walls on the other hand would have been bliss.

Play areas near the gates - with monitors which can be seen by supervising parents, so you know when your flight will be called - are brilliant inventions.

TBH the worst bit for us was between the gate and boarding the plane. Always ended up standing in a queue with a squawking toddler in our arms. But that's probably more a cheapo-airlines thing than an airport thing?!

and make sure people are informed 30 minutes or so before the flight is going to take off, rather than the 'oh, despite us telling you your flight is delayed by 5 hours, it's no taking off in 30 minutes, get a move on!' or the 'this plane is now boarding' followed by the flight actually being cancelled* type of announcements that drive me mad. DS gets calpol-d 30 minutes before take off, and it's annoying if we either don't have time to do it, or if the flight is suddenly delayed.

actually, that applies to all passengers - better communication would make the whole experience far far less stressful.

*this may have just been due to the god-awful weather conditions, but was still deeply deeply annoying - we only found out it was cancelled because a fellow passenger told us. No announcements from the airport or airline. That was Glasgow, and Easyjet, last november, btw.

[Kveta]

oh yes, the bead tables. Does any child actually play with them? every GP surgery and other waiting room seems to have them, and I have yet to see any child use them. they're like the People's Friend of toys.

a space with padding and things to leap from is far far better for keeping kids entertained. If they are old enough to be distracted by a console or magazine, there's a very high chance they will have one with them. Under that age, they need to be running around, so an enclosed space for that is fabulous.

[PrettyCandles]

I spent several hours in T5 a couple of weeks ago, seeing off a teenager flying as an unaccompanied minor. It was a relief to find plenty of eateries and relatively peaceful and comfortable places to sit and wait, rather than the usual rows and rows of seating. I did not find it particularly child-friendly, and did not notice anything aimed specifically at families. In fact, the lack of departure boards would have been a very worrying problem had I been with small children, as I would have been limited to sitting where I could keep an eye on both board and children, rather than in a comfortable eatery or in an area where the dc could play/look out of windows/etc. In enhancing the waiting environment I felt that the designers had rather lost site of the main objective of most users' visits: travelling on a schedule, rather than eating out.

In spring I traveled through Schipol with a 10yo. It was lovely. They keep announcements to a minimum, so even in the main halls it is fairly calm and peaceful. There are plenty of departure boards, with clear directions and information about how long it will take you to walk to each gate. Lots of natural light. A good variety of shops (ds was delighted to have the chance to play with an iPad!). Best of all was the 'library' - an open-plan area with books in different languages, seating, desks. Also large tv showing children's progs/films, with comfy benches and carpeting. IIRC there was also a small softplay area for toddlers.

[memeandmine]

Funnily enough I am sitting at Heathrow right now at T1 waiting for a relative.
I have my 8 year old son with me who is bored out of his brain as there is nothing here for him - not even anywhere he can watch the planes much to his disgust

Then again airports are never going to be that great with kids. When I last travelled by plane (DS was much younger) the staff at Heathrow could not have been more helpful to me.

[Cies]

a) When did you visit the airport? Which terminal did you use? And who did you travel with?

I live abroad and travelled back to UK with my toddler ds. I arrived in Heathrow on 16th July and left Heathrow on 23rd July. Terminal 3. Vueling.

b) How well does what's offered on the website match up with your experience of the airport? Did you use/notice the services and facilities they offer on the website? e.g. play areas and kids eat free offers. What did they do well and what was missing?

Luckily I saw a poster for the free play area in the departures lounge, and found it after quite a hunt (the gates are weirdly signposted atm because of the renovation works going on.) The play area was great, small but had enough in it to keep ds amused for a couple of hours (flight was delayed). However, the staff were not very engaged with the children, preferring to chat to each other or on their phones. Also, there was no screen nearby, so I had to keep dragging ds out to go and check that our flight hadn't been called. If these play areas are going to become permanent, they really do need to have a full departures screen nearby.

I didn't notice any kids eat free offers, but tbf I didn't go to any cafe or restaurant, as I tried to spend as little money as possible. However, I will be returning later this month and will keep an eye out for this offer then.

There definitely needs to be more promotion of what's on offer. I know of two other families who travelled through HR and didn't find the play areas at all.

I didn't notice the family security lanes, nor was I helped at all going through security even though I was travelling on my own with my toddler son, and had to fold up the pushchair to get it through the x-ray. I would have appreciated a helping hand there.


c) Was there anything at the airport that you thought was particularly family friendly that isn't mentioned on the website?

The baby changing facilities were fine, and I smiled approvingly when I saw the sign for the "nursing room", with an image of a nursing mother, not a bottle. I actually thought of mumsnet then I didn't use the room though.

One thing I appreciate at HR is the drinking fountains, where I can fill up our water bottles and avoid spending a fortune in the shops.

d) What do you think could be improved at the airport to make your experience of travelling through as a family easier/better?

In the toilets, there could be a few more bigger cubicles, that you can get a pushchair plus trolley bag into.

[OneHundredPercentFucked]

I hate being at the airport with the DC's. If there are flight delays it is even worse.

Maybe a children's play area or something of the sort. Or free water for little ones.

Not been to Heathrow.

[Cies]

I agree with other posters btw, if possible I try to fly from small, regional airports, it's just SO much less stressful. But sometimes needs must, and I'm not going to spend hundreds of pounds more to avoid HR.

[HazeltheMcWitch]

The biggest issue for me is always security. I ahve not travelled through Heathrow since the new family lanes were established, but my friend did - and was told they were only open in peak times, so she had her expectations raised and then dashed.

My big request is for more seating, and space, and time when getting shoes on and off for scanning. Particularly getting them back on again, this always seem to end up in a total scrum. But I'd like to say that I have always found Heathrow security staff to be quite human and understanding and friendly - albeit in a nice, low-key, 'british' way!

My other big request would be somewhere for kids to burn off steam. It does not even have to be an expensive area, just somewhere - ideally enclosed - where kids could run around without getting in others' way, and with some seating and space for the rest of the family to park. Eg it does not have to be soft play, it could be a soft surface with 'playground markings' (hopscotch etc) and maybe cartoons showing on loop on a big screen, but with no controls or choice for kids to fight over! And a loo situated very nearby. Also a departures info board - I echo the comments up-thread about not enough boards in Heathrow.

Agree also that Schipol seems to have a better set up, and this makes for a much pleasanter experience for me and mine.

[drcrab]

We travelled through Heathrow T3 in January 2011 and I was flying with 2.11 year old and a 4 month old by myself. Singapore Airlines were fab. They helped with escorting us all the way to the plane, pass security etc. The lady helped carry buggy/bags - the only bad thing was it meant I couldn't browse!! not that I could, with 2 kids.

However, that was a service provided by Singapore Airlines. Heathrow itself is so family unfriendly it's ridiculous. no family friendly eateries, play areas, climbing frames....

In Athens they have the push along trolley which kids can sit in - fab. He loved it. They also had a play area that was supervised where at least the kids could play in, do colouring, watch children's tv etc.

[An0therName]

Well anything that has been done to make Heathrow more family friendly has to be a good thing. Havn't travelled there this summer but have found it very family unfriendly before - and generally not a nice experience - just about getting money out of people, v busy
The best airport for families I have been to was Calgary in Cananda. It had a fun exhibition, few place areas, a nice cheap toy shop
Sigapore with the swimming pool in the airport hotel was brilliant too

[Snapespeare]

at a very slight tangent - travelled back from Poland in March - the lovely 'welcome to London' posters representing Londoners - police officers, guards, beefeaters etc are all of men . I want to show my DD positive images of women in careers - heathrow does have security staff of all races and both gendeers (thank you!) but it wouldn't be that difficult to have a female police officer or fire-fighter - would it?

[Honeydragon]

Not done Heathrow with the dc's, however last time I used Gatwick, we paid the surcharge for the VIP room, this was worth it purely for the childrens play area. We were in a clean secure area, where the dc's could play safely without getting lost, or us bothering the other passengers with bored children.

Love the idea of being able to prepay and collect the bits you need for baby after security.

Agree with the seating for shoe removal too, also it would be nice if when searching the children they did a parent too, to make it less freaky. ds was much happier when we got pulled and done together than when he got picked all on his ownsome , I know it seems a silly thing to mention, but hey thought I'd mention it.

[Shanghai]

a) I flew through LHR - T5 with BA - last week with my 2 year old.

b) How well does what's offered on the website match up with your experience of the airport? Did you use/notice the services and facilities they offer on the website? e.g. play areas and kids eat free offers. What did they do well and what was missing?
didn't see any kids eat free offers. I couldn't find a decent map (spent ages looking for Pret a manger) and I saw these signs for a play area but they didn't say how far away it was and it looked to be a long walk (I assumed) so I didn't want to go that far while not knowing if I was going to have to walk all the way back in another direction for the gate when it was finally shown. More of the play areas and better sign posted would be great.
c) Was there anything at the airport that you thought was particularly family friendly that isn't mentioned on the website? A bit more about the family lane - it's shown in a picture but not described as far as I can see. I thought this was a great idea as I wasn't rushed by the businessperson behind me being late for their flight as usual!
d) What do you think could be improved at the airport to make your experience of travelling through as a family easier/better?

• Loaner pushchairs or trolleys (understand that you don't want to be encouraging people to bring lots of hand luggage but when you're running after a two year old and he doesn't want to carry his bag anymore and you've got a long flight ahead of you.... it would make it easier)
  
• I agree about announcing the gate earlier - it's infuriating hanging around the shops (which is obviously why they do it!!).
  

-I fly through LHR a lot and I still find it confusing which queue to go to landside (and I always seem to pick the slow one!) but the BA staff

• I also fly into Shanghai Pudong a lot and they have a VIP queue which parents with young children can use if you ask an airport official. I understand there are way more kids flying through heathrow but it would be good if the staff at the passport queue could have the ability to exercise discretion to let families through a quicker queue if available. I flew back recently and arrived with a friend into LHR after a long flight with three kids under 3 who were all grotty and tired - we waited ages at passport control (and weren't allowed to use the biometric queue because we had kids with us!!) - that would have been a good time to be able to exercise a discretion in getting us through the queue quicker. (more pleasant for the other passengers not to hear the crying too!!)
  

On the plus side,
-I went through the security queue that is always quieter (the one furthest from the LHR Express) and it was quick and painless - lovely security lady didn't rush me getting out liquids and laptops etc and the sticker for getting a pat down was a lovely touch. One improvement I would make is being clearer about liquids policy with children - I know the score as I travel a lot but I couldn't tell you how many friends have asked me whether they can travel with formula etc and it doesn't always seem to be consistent what you can bring, what you have to taste etc.

-I also had a positive screen for something on the car seat that I was bringing through. The people who took me for a body scan were courteous, friendly, and v patient. They couldn't have been nicer - they even helped with my son while I had a scan. Usually I'll roll my eyes at extra security checks but I couldn't fault them in this instance and didn't mind at all.

[purcellfan]

When we fly to Vienna (fairly regularly) we always get given our buggy at the gate/on the Tarmac. The walk from plane to baggage control at lhr is really stressful - especially if you have to then carry a toddler in a long passport queue - would be great if buggies could be provided or ours given back earlier. Last time we came through lhr we did get moved up the passport queue but only when we were more or less at the front anyway! have always found security staff quite helpful and child tolerant.