Dealing with bored, over-excited and often tired kids is a situation most parents flying with children have had to deal with. And as the school summer holidays are now just weeks away, the fear factor of worn-down and weary families heading to the airport has already set in.
Luxury villa holidays specialist Oliver’s Travels has revealed what families in the South West of England really think about UK airports, including Bristol and Exeter, as parents with young children voiced their concerns about current facilities. More than four fifths of families in the region (84 per cent) feel like other types of travellers get a better experience and one in three (34 per cent) feel like airports don’t do enough to cater for them and their children.
And in a bid to improve the travelling experience for families, Oliver’s Travels has launched a campaign and official petition to encourage UK airports to better cater to the needs of families.
Extensive research by the luxury villa provider to its database of travellers, coupled with research conducted by Censuswide*, has revealed that nine out of 10 families in the South West (89 per cent) feel an improved airport experience would make their overall holiday more enjoyable.
The survey also revealed that 93 per cent of families in the region believed a dedicated family lounge would improve their experience at UK airports. When asked what facilities would be most useful in a family lounge, parents in the South West prioritised:
- A soft play area
- A film zone playing children’s movies
- An area for parents to relax while the kids safely play
- Child friendly eateries
- More family seating available
Oliver Bell, co-founder and owner of Oliver’s Travels, commented: “The airport is the first stage for our families beginning their holiday experience. We want to ensure that families have the best overall holiday experience and our research clearly shows that airports play an integral role in making that happen, with families across the South West reinforcing that it impacts on the overall enjoyment of their holiday.
“We want to work collectively with the wider travel industry to improve and develop the family travel offering and experience, from families leaving the house to arriving at their chosen villa, and are looking forward to seeing more airports pledge their commitment and consider implementing aspects of this across the UK.”
For more information about Oliver’s Travel’s, please visit https://www.oliverstravels.com and to sign the petition visit http://chng.it/MGbSgYJN2t.
