Survey finds airport support gaps deter some families from travelling abroad

London, United Kingdom. Around 30 per cent of adults report difficulties caused by a lack of child-friendly airport support, according to research by British insurance comparison site Tiger.

The findings were released alongside Tiger’s advice for parents navigating summer travel with children.

Border and security pressures

International airports are adapting to the Entry Exit System (EES), which modernises border checks across the Schengen area through the collection of fingerprints and facial scans.

The changes have added pressure to summer travel, with some airports experiencing delays of up to five hours as the EES registration process increases difficulties for holidaymakers travelling with young people.

A survey of 1,000 UK adults conducted by the travel insurance company identified queues, security procedures and transport options as the main sources of irritation for 30 per cent of respondents.

Border control delays were a particular concern, with 12 per cent of parents saying they regularly face longer queues for manual document checks because they are travelling with children.

Security restrictions also caused frustration. Eight per cent of respondents said they were annoyed by limits on liquids passing through security or by additional searches.

Facilities and travel decisions

Six per cent of parents cited the lack of designated play areas before long flights, while 4 per cent highlighted the absence of child seats on airport luggage trolleys.

Families also raised concerns about child-specific time restrictions at hotel swimming pools, adult-only pool policies and insufficient baby-changing facilities.

Seventeen per cent of parents said the combined frustration of these airport obstacles had discouraged them from travelling abroad altogether.

The survey found that families with young children take an average of 2.6 holidays abroad each year, compared with 1.4 trips for adults travelling without children.