Best in-flight entertainment for kids
Travelling doesn’t have to be as overwhelming as it seems. With the right selection of aeroplane activities, you can keep your child engaged, entertained and happily occupied for the duration of the journey.
Airlines with the Best Entertainment for Kids
Where from?
Where to?
Dates
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Passengers & Class
1 Adult, Economy/Coach
Emirates
When flying with Emirates your children are guaranteed endless choices of TV programs, games and movies. From CBeebies, Cartoon Network and Nickelodeon, or discover new ones on up to 150 channels in 40 languages dedicated to children’s content. They can also go on a quest or beat their highest scores in up to 100 games.
Movies and TV programs
Movies such as Wonka, Barbie, The Little Mermaid, Elemental, Space Pups, Hotel Transylvania, Minions: The Rise of Gru, Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile and many more are available to watch on board.
TV shows such as Paw Patrol, Curious George, Mickey Mouse Funhouse, Dora the Explora, and Sponge Bob SquarePants are also provided. Kids are also provided with headphones which are specially designed to fit their heads comfortably, so they can plug into their TV and relax. Kids can choose from the latest chart hits, or listen to soundtracks from much-loved movies and musicals.
Toys
Sometimes children don't want to sit in front of a screen, especially for a long flight therefore, Emirates provides toys to keep them entertained. From soft toys and blankets to cuddle with to activities, puzzles and games, Emirates kid's packs offer hours of entertainment for little travellers to while the hours away. Most of the games are single-player affairs and classical board games, like Backgammon and Monopoly, although there are a few multiplayer offerings like in-flight poker.
Games
Emirates has also created a 'Fly With Me' kids magazine which allows young flyers to enjoy games, puzzles and more activities. You can download activity sheets through their website and print them out if your children love getting creative with puzzles, and colouring books.
British Airways
British Airways is the flag carrier airline of the United Kingdom. The airline is excellent in terms of comfort, their loyalty program, and their customer service. British Airways flies to over 200 destinations, and their frequent flyer program is top tier.
So how good is the in-flight entertainment onboard? Passengers can choose from two paid-for Wi-Fi packages including the 'Browse' package, which supports internet surfing, social media and WhatsApp, or the 'Stream' package, which supports streaming of music and entertainment, from the very best online content services, including Netflix. British Airways has a selection of movies, TV shows, audio and games for kids to watch.
Movies and TV programs
Movies such as The Lorax, Kung Fu Panda, Matilda, A Cinderella Story, Shark Tale, Boss Baby, Trolls, The Lego Movie and lots more are available to watch onboard.
British Airways have TV shows including Scooby Doo, Micky Mouse Funhouse, Sponge Bob Squarepants, The Gruffalo, Tom and Jerry and more for kids to enjoy. If watching a movie or TV show isn't of interest then children can also play games such as Bejeweled, Disney Classic Games, Pac-Man, Tetris and Sudoku.
Audio
We know travelling with children can sometimes be stressful, and keeping your little ones entertained is a top priority. If you are on board a night flight and would like to get your little ones to sleep then switch on the audio option. The audio option is where you can listen to educational series, soothing bedtime stories or exclusive music mixes that help children fall asleep on long-haul flights.
Exclusive for Kids
To give your kids a break from screens they offer screen-free entertainment with their free Skyflyers activity pack, including a fun eye mask, paw print socks, crayons and a postcard to send home from your holiday.
Singapore Airlines
Singapore Airlines is consistently ranked among the world's best airlines and is a family favourite. This airline provides a variety of entertainment options, including movies, TV shows, games, and keeping your kids occupied throughout the flight.
Movies and TV programs
Choose from over 1,900 on-demand entertainment options including movies, TV shows, music albums and more whilst en route to your destination. Available movies to watch include Wreck it Ralph, Wonka, The Princess Diaries, Trolls, Storks, Tinkerbell, Batman V Superman and Peter Rabbit.
However, if your little ones are into sports then they can catch up on their favourites such as Rugby, Tennis and Football on the Singapore Airlines live TV section.
Games
Singapore Airlines has introduced a Kids Mode feature called KrisWorld network. What’s more, kids can enjoy playing games on their devices. On this network, kids can also engage in exciting games such as Airport Run, Drift Boss, Fruit Blade, Koala Sling and Snake Challenge.
Virgin Atlantic
On board a Virgin Atlantic flight is a designated kids section to keep your children entertained with movies, TV, audio and games suitable for small eyes and ears. If there is content that isn't suitable for your little travellers, they have included a parental block as part of their inflight entertainment system.
Movies and TV programs
Virgin Atlantic have hours of shows to keep you and your children entertained whilst you're up in the air. They provide a kids’ zone which is full of PG and U-rated content, suitable for viewers up to 12 years old.
For older kids, there are loads of suitable movies and TV in the main entertainment section. If you want to restrict your child’s viewing to age-specific ratings, they have included a parental block as part of their offering. For help with setting this up, just speak to a member of the cabin crew onboard.
Movies such as Hotel Transilvania, Paw Patrol the Movie, Jungle Beat, Matilda the Musical, Wonka and Elemental. TV shows include Fire Buds, Scooby Doo, Raven's Home and Disney's Magic Bake-Off.
Audio
Something to help you get your little ones to sleep is Stella Sleep which is a range of short and long stories narrated by different people. This covers classical bedtime stories as well as social-emotional learning stories, which help to develop kids' social skills (and to send them off to sleep hopefully!).
Qantas
Qantas has your inflight entertainment covered. Stream and watch more than 2,500 hours of movies, TV shows and more on your next domestic flight directly to your device! They even have their entertainment app so you can start watching the moment you take off until you land at your destination.
Movies and TV programs
From blockbuster movies, TV box-sets, the biggest comedies, engaging documentaries, kid's shows and more, discover what's on Qantas entertainment systems.
For slightly older children movies such as The Hunger Games and The Marvels are available to watch, however, if you have children under 12 there are movies such as Barbie, Finding Nemo, The Lego Movie, Ice Age and Rio which are popular kids' films. They also have a selection of TV shows which are Paw Patrol, Rubble & Crew, Bossy Bear, The Patrick Show and Bluey.
Audio
If you prefer your kids not to spend a lot of time looking at a screen then audiobooks could be an alternative. With a library of nine audiobooks from award-winning international children’s authors, there's a book for all reading levels. Favourites include Jackie French (Diary of a Wombat and Other Stories), David McKee (The Elmer Treasury) and Sally Rippin (The Wayward Witch and the Feelings Monster).
Games
To help settle your children on a flight there's Joey Club Art Studio which is an interactive colouring game, featuring all of our characters, including Matilda the kangaroo and Queenie the emu. Kids can choose to colour an iconic scene at a Qantas destination such as the Sydney Harbour Bridge, the Hollywood sign in LA, New York’s skyline or London’s Big Ben. Keep a look out for the game, on aircraft with seat-back entertainment systems.
Other useful guides for flying with children
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FAQs
Should I book seats in advance to be with my kids?
Although most airlines try and keep those on the same booking sat together this isn't always the outcome. Booking a seat on the plane gives you peace of mind and guarantees you and your family will be sat together.
If you want to keep a close eye on your child and ensure their safety on the flight, it's a good idea to book your seats in advance. You can book seats next to each other and all in the same row.
The only downside to booking seats in advance is it can be expensive. By using our flexible Fly Now, Pay Later payment plans at checkout, including Afterpay, Klarna and Affirm. These let you spread the cost of your flight tickets over time.
Should I bring my own headphones?
Most airlines on long haul flights provide headphones for both children and adults however, we suggest looking on their website to make sure or bringing your own as a back up.
What are the most family friendly airlines?
We have a page on best airlines for family travel which include airlines such as British Airways, American Airlines, Virgin Atlantic, Delta, Emirates, Southwest, Air Canada, Alaska and Jetblue.
What age is a child ticket?
The age range for a child ticket can differ from airline to airline, so it's best to check with us or the airline itself. Most airlines class a child ticket as between the ages of 2—11. However, others will class anyone under the age of 16 as a child. Some airlines, such as Virgin Atlantic, offer young adult tickets, which range between the ages of 12—15.