Our journey to India began with Emirates Air.  We had a 15 hour flight from San Francisco to Dubai, then a quick 3 hour flight to Mumbai.  We booked this flight for a number of reasons:

The modern architecture at Dubai International Airport.

– We prefer one long haul flight and one short flight as opposed to two longer flights.  Just personal preference.
– The layover was short so the total travel time was shorter than other options.
– The flight cost was similar to other flights we researched.
– Emirates Air has a reputation for exceptional service.

I’ve flown a number of different international airlines and I can honestly say this was by far the best service I’ve ever received.  Excellent staff, very tasty food and spacious seats.  But what amazed me the most was how family friendly the airline was.  Some of the features that had me pleasantly surprised:

– They pre-boarded families with frequent fliers.  Pre-boarding at all is a luxury these days.
– The flight attendant not only helped us carry the car seat, he also helped us install it in the airline seat.
– They had a child meal for my toddler son and offered us several packages of Gerber baby food for my infant daughter.        – They gave each child a toy in each flight AND a gave a baby blanket for the infant to keep on the long haul flight.

My son enjoying his kids breakfast of pancakes while my daughter slept in the bassinet with her new blanket courtesy of Emirates Air.

– They gave us a small care package for the infant which included wipes, a bib, spoon, and bags to use to dispose of the diapers.
– The in flight entertainment system is best in class with individual TVs with access to 100s of movies you can start, pause, and rewind at any time.  They had a collection of family friendly movies including popular options such as Cars and other Disney movies.
– During the flight to Dubai, the flight attendants came around with a Polaroid camera and took keepsake pictures for the family.
-At Dubai there were free strollers to use in the airport.  All over the airport you saw Emirates Air red stroller stands.  You could take one as you depart the plane and return it to a stroller stand near the gate for your connecting flight.

Stroller stands at the Dubai airport.

Flying with children can seem like daunting chore these days with horror stories in the news of families kicked off flights due to crying babies, pre boarding being eliminated and new airline fees targeting families.  Its nice to see an airline that welcomes families and accommodates their needs.

I certainly will be flying Emirates Air again and encourage you to consider them as well if you are headed to this part of the world.