In April, I will be taking my daughter Ella (who just turned 4) on her first flight. She has been asking to see my “work” for a while now, considering scenarios (I love how kid’s minds work) where my colleagues would actually think she was a new employee and that she could fix the broken computers (she wants to “help people and fix computers” when she grows up). Apart from that, she has been both scared and excited to have her first flight. But first I had to answer the question: Can you take your child with you with SkyPriority benefits?
For some weeks now, we have -from time to time- been checking websites to see what we could do in Amsterdam; sometimes preparations are half the joy of traveling sometimes (the other half, of course, is traveling with an open mind).
And then I wondered … can I take her with me on SkyPriority benefits for security/boarding? I am Platinum myself with Sky Priority benefits (check-in, security, boarding), but what does that mean for her? And if she can travel Sky Priority, how? Can I buy a supplement for her? Can I connect her ticket to my status in any way? There were some possible scenarios:
- “Polle, you are a cheap ass, buy her Business Class ticket (which includes SkyPriority), then sit next to her in Economy or Economy Comfort” – sorry, not a real option for me.
- “Polle, she should fly more, let her fly another 60 times or some ICA flights to make her Platinum as well” – not a real option for me and not really feasible before April.
- “Polle, you are an idiot and an arrogant ass, just stand in line with the rest of the travelers” – this is definitely the most serious option, but as I just want to know the answer, I would consider this the fallback option.
So then I asked staff:
- Employee at airline desk departures at Amsterdam Schiphol Airport – “this is not a problem, you can just ask at security”
- Airline employee at check-in at Amsterdam Schiphol Airport – “I don’t know”
- Airline employee in the airline lounge at Amsterdam Schiphol Airport – “this is possible, but depending on the airport security”
- Airline employee at check-in at Brussels Airport – “this is not possible, but you can ask at security desk”
- Brussels Airport employee at security desk Brussels Airport – “this is possible, you scan boarding pass and then ask supporting staff at security to have her join you”
In all cases, there was no age threshold mentioned, but a child age 4 was generally speaking considering young enough to join me.
So, this seems a case-by-case / airport-by-airport thing, where there are no clear guideline for staff and/or staff instruction could be improved. For now, it seems yes, it is possible to take a (young) child with you for SkyPriority benefits, but a check with local airport security personnel is advised.
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