airport hack parents

This Instagram mum's airport hack for parents flying with children is genius

Ignore what you've been told about speedy boarding, this tip is so useful

Senior Lifestyle & Fashion Writer
July 26, 2022

If you're a parent planning to take young children abroad this summer, you might be feeling anxious about the upcoming flight - but this genius airport hack is a game changer for jet-setting families.

SEE: 9 family travel mistakes that are costing you money this summer

World traveller and TV host Samantha Brown took to Instagram to share her ultimate travel hack to ensure a seamless flying experience with children, claiming the tip "saved her marriage" when sharing it with her 140k social media followers.

The Places To Love host explained that most parents prefer to take advantage of 'pre-board' privileges on flights, which allow parents with children to board the plane early, avoiding the busy surge of holidaymakers finding their seats.

Samantha has been travelling with her twins since they were two months old

Yet Samantha says this is a no-go, and parents who aren't travelling solo with their kids should always wait until last before getting on the flight - and the logic is genius.

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"Partner number one uses the pre-board to load all the stuff onto the plane, the bags, the strollers etc," says Samantha.

child on plane

The genius travel hack gained over 130k likes on Instagram

"Partner number two waits in the gate area with the kids, keeps them worn out, walks them around and does not board until the very last zone is called. You then walk your children on board, get them settled, and the plane will hopefully leave 10-15 minutes later," she continued.

MORE: Ultimate tips and tricks for travelling with a baby

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"If you use the pre-board, your child is sitting in the plane for a good 45 minutes more than the flight time. This is a really stressful time for kids, they have bags going over their heads, people are really stressed and they can feel it.

"What happens is once they get to a cruising altitude for 30,000ft, that's when the child releases that stress they've just felt." Makes total sense, right? And the Internet couldn't agree more.

Samantha says boarding the plane last removes the stress for parent and child

"As a newly retired flight attendant for Delta, these are some of the wisest words written. Thank you for posting what I've been thinking for years," read one comment, as another fan penned: "As a former airline employee, I approve of this message [clapping emoji]."

"When my kids were little, we'd explain upfront to the airline our strategy so they'd understand why only one of us was boarding - they were fine with it," added a third. Will you be trying this hack this summer?

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