Three Hub Circus

Atlanta Airport
American Society of Travel Agents’ Family Friendly Airport Rating - Second Place
J.D. Power 2007 Airport Satisfaction Ranking - 5/5

The Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International airport was ranked the second most kid friendly airport in the US by the American Society of Travel Agents (ASTA) in March 2007. It’s easy to see why with five toddler play areas at the airport.

Play Areas

The toddler play areas are located at Gates A32, B23, C7, C10 and T4. If you’re flying Delta, you might end up at Concourses A, B, or T. AirTran, Comair and ASA use the C Concourse. American, United and Delta use Concourse T.

In addition, military personnel and their children have their own USO play area located in the third level, Main Terminal atrium. This area is aimed at children ages 5-13 and has a TV, videos, books, games, toys and a couch. It is open from Monday thru Friday 8 AM - 9 PM, on Saturday from 10 AM - 6 PM and on Sunday from 11 AM - 8 PM.

There are also four areas for unaccompanied minors only, three for Delta and one for Air Tran. Delta Airlines sponsors their three areas on different concourses and calls them Dusty’s Dens. Supervised by a Delta employee, these areas are for unaccompanied children from 5-11 years old and have age appropriate entertainment.

The Air Tran Airways area is for unaccompanied kids ages 5-11. It’s called Tran Land and Air Tran charges $25 for those on direct flights and $45 for those on connecting flights.

Additional Entertainment for Kids

If you’re in the Main Terminal, be sure to stop by the atrium to see the Yangchuanosaurus skeleton, displayed by the airport in partnership with Fernbank Museum of Natural History. There are also many youth art exhibits in the different concourses in the airport.

Fun Facts

The Atlanta Airport web site has some fun facts about the airport, including the fact that it is the world’s busiest airport. Kids might find it amazing that there are more than 1296 toilets at the airport. In addition, you can share that Concourse E is the largest international concourse in the United States and can handle up to 8,000 arriving passengers per hour.

It seems that you can’t go wrong traveling with kids through the Atlanta Airport, given it’s kid friendly nature and the fact that J.D. Power gave it it’s highest rating for overall airport satisfaction.

Traveling with kids is such a big job, and we’re all in it together. If anyone has airport tips, please comment below. And if anyone travels through this airport, feel free to snap me photos of the play areas.

Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport
American Society of Travel Agents’ Family Friendly Airport Rating
J.D. Power 2007 Airport Satisfaction Ranking

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Orlando International Airport
American Society of Travel Agents’ Family Friendly Airport Rating - First Place
J.D. Power 2007 Airport Satisfaction Ranking - 4/5

Imagine traveling through the airport, between flights, pushing the kids along, weighed down with a car seat, diaper bag and stroller. You have a couple of hours to kill, looking for a way to entertain the children, away from the disdainful glares of business travelers and those without kids. Then you spot it, an entertainment area for kids. An oasis. Here’s my series on kid-friendly airport features so you know your options. When booking flights, this series will allow you to look at connecting airports and pick the most kid-friendly, if you like. I will list kids’ airport play areas by airport and which airlines have the closest gates. Among the airport features discussed will be entertaining artwork, aquariums, and museums. This is the first in the series - the Orlando International Airport.

The American Society of Travel Agents (ASTA) has ranked Orlando International Airport as the most family-friendly airport in a March 2007 survey. One great feature is the kid-sized chairs throughout the airport. Also, thanks to the Orlando Airport Art Collection, there are fascinating pieces of art all around, even in the garages. Many have animal themes, which will please the kids. A favorite work is “The Traveler” in the Main Terminal, Airside 2 security checkpoint - a life-size sculpture of a sneaker-clad tourist asleep on his luggage. In addition, NASA’s Kennedy Space Center has an exhibit in the Main Terminal, B side.

Orlando also has theme-park shops such as Universal Studios, Sea World, Disney and Kennedy Space Center throughout the airport. These have many interesting displays, including aquariums and life-size cartoon characters and you can always pick up a toy to entertain the kids. There is no specific toddler play area yet in the airport, but an 1,800 square foot carpeted area with soft-foam wetlands creatures for climbing is planned for the future in the Airside 2 Terminal.

It’s no surprise, that in such a kid-friendly town such as Orlando, you’d find such a kid-friendly airport.

American Society of Travel Agents’ Family Friendly Airport Rating
J.D. Power 2007 Airport Satisfaction Ranking

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Bringing a baby on a trip adds a whole new dimension to packing.  Sanity lies in very complete lists. If you are aware of everything you might need in your travels, and have it in a checklist, you’re vacation preparation will be much more stress free.

I have created checklists to help you pack everything you will need for your baby on a trip. The lists assume you are travelling in the United States, that you are flying on a plane, and that the climate is warm to cool. My aim is to make these the most specific and complete lists available online, but depending on your family and your destination, you will certainly need to modify the checklist.   You can download a PDF version to mark up with a pen or a Word version to change to your heart’s content.

Some additional tips for traveling with your baby on a plane:

• As you’ve probably discovered, traveling with a new baby, you will probably need to take a large carry on. Be sure to include diapers, wipes, changing pad and an extra change of clothes for you and your child.  Take-off and landing are the most difficult times for a baby because of the change in air pressure. Plan to have them eating or drinking something during these times so that the pressure in their ears will equalize.  If they have had a recent cold, the pain can be worse for them. If they scream very loudly and appear to be in extreme pain, this could be a sign of an ear infection.
• When packing, if you are taking more than one suitcase, be sure to put one sleeper and one baby outfit into each bag. You may want to throw some of your clothes into their bag also, in case luggage goes missing.
• One great tip is to pack each of the baby’s outfits into an individual plastic zip baggie.  If you have more than one child, you can label each bag with the matching child’s name. When you get to your destination, just throw the bags into whatever clothing storage is available and they stay organized, clean and neat. You can always find a use for the empty baggies, such as storage for dirty diapers or laundry.
• Be sure to follow the TSA guidelines for your carry-on liquids and those for formula and breast milk to get through airport security properly.
• See if you can do laundry at your destination. Then you can do a wash at the halfway point in the trip and bring half the number of clothes.

Finally, don’t panic if you forget something. One time I forgot pajamas for both my boys. A quick trip to a nearby big box retailer solved that problem. Most likely, you can easily buy the missing item at your destination. 

Three Hub Circus Packing Checklists for Traveling with a Baby

Other Packing Lists to Try:
The Universal Packing List - interactive tool creates lists for travelers according to their input.
Better Homes and Gardens - interactive packing list.
Babycenter Packing List 
About.com Packing Lists

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