Cruising Altitude is a weekly column about air travel. Have a suggestion for a future topic? Fill out the form or email me at the address at the bottom of this page.
Holiday travel is stressful for everyone. Whether you have a whole family in tow or are navigating the airport by yourself, you’re bound to encounter obstacles and (more than likely) annoyances. 
As frustrating as it can be to encounter slowpokes at the security line or screaming children on your flight, everyone who travels over the next few weeks is in it together. But remember: kindness is the key to a happy holiday season.   
As an adult (presumably you’re an adult reading this), you have better control over your emotions than a toddler. Don’t let it get to you if there’s a crying baby on your flight. You probably did that once, too. 
“Having traveled with babies and toddlers, I believe that parents have way more to do. Getting ready for a trip is nerve-wracking enough,” Baby Can Travel blog founder Celine Brewer previously told me. “I don’t believe that other adults on the plane should have this expectation that they’re being inconvenienced by sharing this space with a baby.” 
She added that if you’re an experienced family traveler, it’s nice to offer support to new parents if they seem to be having a hard time. 
“When you become a pro at flying, make sure you offer that reassuring smile to a new parent,” Brewer said. 
To get you ready for your own holiday air adventures, I spoke to Brittney Thompson. She’s been a flight attendant at a major airline for 12 years and has a 4-year-old kid of her own. We chatted about her top tips for stress-free family travel from both sides of the beverage cart. Here’s her top 5 tips:
Thompson didn’t hesitate with this first tip: always travel with a car seat if your kid still uses one at home. 
“[My son] is most comfortable when he is familiar with his surroundings, so he prefers it when we take his car seat on the airplane,” Tompson said. “The one time we did not take his car seat, he was like, ‘Mommy, this isn’t comfortable, I want my car seat.’” 
There’s a good safety reason for bringing the car seat as well. While Federal Aviation Administration regulations allow parents to hold their young children in their own laps while flying, it’s not always a secure way of doing things if you encounter severe turbulence. 
Plus, Thompson said, kids know that the car seat means buckling up and staying (relatively) still. 
Your seat neighbors will thank you for this one. Even if you have a limited screen time policy on the ground, keeping your kids distracted in the air may require different rules. 
“He never gets a whole lot of screen time at home, but when we’re on an airplane, he is carte blanche with that tablet,” Thompson said. 
But, she was quick to add, you have to teach your kids proper device etiquette early. 
“Headphones, tablets are the best for kids on airplanes, and if you don’t have headphones, it just sort of ruins the experience,” Thompson said. “You’ll have that one family with three kids, and all three kids are playing Peppa Pig at volume,” and that’s not just annoying for the other passengers around you; it could lead the flight attendants to make you turn the devices off, and then your kids will really be upset.
While screen time may be a great distraction on its own, especially on longer flights, kids may get peckish and want other things to do. 
“We bring all the snacks,” Thompson said. “I’ve seen ‘snackle’ boxes, they look like little fishing lure boxes, but they’re filled with 12 different kinds of snacks,” and that can make snack time a mini game of its own. 
She also said it can be extra exciting for your little one if you bring them something new to play with just for the trip. 
“A lot of parents will bring their favorite toys, and that’s great, but nothing’s better than something they haven’t seen before.”  
Even something like a new sticker book can be an exciting distraction. Just make sure the stickers don’t wind up staying on the plane. 
No one wants to wait at baggage claim at the end of a long flight, but Thompson said it’s sometimes the best option for a stress-free trip. 
“I know a lot of times it’s hard to do this, a lot of parents try to do it as cheaply as they can, so they don’t want to check any bags. I totally get that, we’re carry-on people too, but there comes a point when you’ve got to check in and check a bag,” she said. “You’re way less stressed when you can walk on the airplane and don’t have to find overhead bin space.” 
Less-stressed parents make for less-stressed kids, and a smoother, happier trip for everyone. 
“Babies can read your energy as well. Try not to stress about the other people on the plane. Try to focus on your baby,” Brewer told me. 
Plus, Thompson pointed out, even if you find overhead bin space, it’s just easier to board and leave the plane when you’re not lugging a whole week’s worth of family luggage down the narrow aisle with you. 
This may sound counterintuitive coming from a flight attendant, but if you’re planning to go over the river and through the woods to grandmother’s house this year, Thompson said, you may be doing it wrong. 
“Guilt the grandparents into traveling instead of you. If you can do that, that’s great, it’s a lot easier for them to travel than it is for you to pack up all the kids and all their things,” she said. 
And finally, Thompson and I both agree that if you’re an adult traveling without kids this winter, you shouldn’t complain if a little one on your flight is having a bad day. 
“Those kids are just screaming because all of us want to scream, and that’s the only way they know how to communicate,” Thompson said. “I always have all the sympathy for the parents, and none of the sympathy for whining adults.” 
And with that, Cruising Altitude is going on Winter Recess. Happy holidays, and see you in the skies in 2026. 
Zach Wichter is a travel reporter and writes the Cruising Altitude column for USA TODAY. He is based in New York and you can reach him at zwichter@usatoday.com.

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