Do kids still get free toys on flights?

[samuel337]

I spent today clearing out a lot of junk sitting around in my room at my parent's place, and re-discovered my collection of free stuff from airlines from when I was a kid. I've got Hunt with Hooroo! (Where's Wally style) puzzle books from Qantas, a few Cathay Pacific backpacks stuffed with colouring pencils and books, slide puzzles and postcards, a captain teddy bear and this from an airline that no longer exists -



Do kids still get free stuff on flights? I suppose with decent IFE (instead of fuzzy drop-down monitors) and iPads now this stuff probably wouldn't keep them interested for long. Ah, the simple days.

 

[markis10]

Kids still get activity packs from QF.

 

[samh004]

Kids still get activity packs from QF.

I found one unopened in the seat pocket from QF the other day and promptly took it with me. It's a Flying Fun Pack, complete with games and activities and even my own luggage tag to colour in... I'm looking forward to that!

 

[Austman]

Kids still get activity packs from QF.

As do WPs when pressured by a +1 to request one for the 6 yo nephew in response to the CSM's offer "Is there anything I can get you?"

Next day, the 6 yo nephew took one look at it and went 'meh'... (it's still not even opened AFAIK).

(I knew J-class wine would have been more useful!)

 

[Simo]

Little Miss Simo has done quiet a few flights and been nothing more than an activity pack.

 

[Hvr]

I found one unopened in the seat pocket from QF the other day and promptly took it with me. It's a Flying Fun Pack, complete with games and activities and even my own luggage tag to colour in... I'm looking forward to that!

And we all look forward to hearing you've completed it in 2016-17. After all they're listed as 3-4 years.

 

[Intra]

My youngest sibling got an activity pack yesterday BNE-AKL having purchased The Works package.... It kept her away from the IFE; Each to there own...

 

[bass_ke]

Not really too much, although my little one hasn't flown QF yet.

The last two flights we did get an invite to the coughpit to pick up her logbook however

 

[BoyZeus]

I asked the UA FAs last month in J (for my mates kid who's obsessed with aeroplanes) for something and she replied no, we don't stock anything for kids anymore. She then proceeded to bring me a bag of pilots wings.

A whole bag was a bit random I thought.

 

[trippin_the_rift]

25 years ago I wrote to Qantas asking why kids didn't get anything special onboard and that I was dissapointed on my flight to LAX ...

I received a letter apologizing and from then on received the new max packs each 6 months or so for a few years.

Even under 10's get service recovery

 

[Shorns]

Emirates are pretty good, had a mixture of activity packs in branded back packs, blankets of various colors with soft toys, got a Polaroid taken and framed up during the flight (of my daughter, not me).

 

[samh004]

And we all look forward to hearing you've completed it in 2016-17. After all they're listed as 3-4 years.

Indeed you're right, my pack says "3 +" so I'm going to be a while

 

[fersea]

Little Miss Simo has done quiet a few flights and been nothing more than an activity pack.

If they have been quiet on a long flight, they probably deserve a reward.

 

[fersea]

As do WPs when pressured by a +1 to request one for the 6 yo nephew in response to the CSM's offer "Is there anything I can get you?"

Next day, the 6 yo nephew took one look at it and went 'meh'... (it's still not even opened AFAIK).

(I knew J-class wine would have been more useful!)

Agree the wine is far more useful. You only need to give a six year old one glass and they will be far quieter than if you give them an activity book.

 

[Cruiser Elite]

Adults still get FREE TEDDY BEARS on SQ flts - well if you are only pax in rear cabin on 380 SIN-MEL anyway - gotta love the Singapore Girls - this is how my bed was prepared for me on a flt a while back.

 

[777]

EY does a little backpack with stickers, cards, colouring pencils. My son has a few of them now.

 

[harvyk]

At least on QF, yes.

There is a difference between the domestic and international activity packs. The dom ones are usually a colouring book with a few crayons. The int ones have the colouring book (with different set of characters) as well as a few toys including one of those magnetic writing pads.

I personally wouldn't be relying on just the activity packs, I also tend to bringing some toys for the kids as well (make sure they make ZERO noise), plus despite IFE, I also bring an iPad loaded with the wiggles (since it also works to keep kids quiet whilst waiting in the airport as well).

I don't remember seeing the activity packs on AirNZ, then again on an infant fare it's pretty much the child gets to board the plane that's it, even prior to the LCCification of short haul international under 2's didn't get anything.

 

[joda]

i get quite a chuckle from the domestic kids activity packs. back in the day there used to be 5 or 6 regular sized colour pencils and a bunch of stuff/toys etc. of course over time the stuff always shrinks and reduces in size, quality and quantity, but i've been focusing my attention on airline pencils...... i watched those pencils shrink to a mid size, then the colours cut back in number from 6 back to 5, 4, then 3. Without being able to cut back anymore from the red, blue and yellow colours, they shrunk the size again to become stubby little pencils that can barely fit in a child's hand. to my recent delight the latest "enhanced" pack contained a singular pencil that had a tricolour lead all moulded into one. One pencil??? In a world with IFE and gadgetry galore??? im not sure why they bother sometimes? plus, at the rate kids on planes drop pencils (correction a pencil - as now you only get one to drop - better hold on extra tight kids!) I think we got a full 30 seconds use before it rolled down the aisle......

 

[Deewhy]

My experience:

Last flight int'l QF in 2012 there were Smiggle packs or Crayola packs for the kids. Kids enjoyed them and they were pretty neat. They both had bag tags in them.

In 2010 and 2011 on SQ flights they handed out Nickelodeon branded soft toys.

DL - random wing badges.

VX - nothing.

VA, nothing dom or int'l. Except full size PJs and toiletries packs in J - kids liked them anyway - probably more useful than the toys

AirNZ - nothing.