The holiday season is slowly creeping up on us, and families are planning ahead by shopping around for cheap fares.

Talking to a few parents, I have learned that the choice of airline matters to the young ones as much as the holiday destination.

For example, two families recently set out a few days apart from Nairobi to visit Disney World, in Orlando, in the state of Florida, in the US.

The families used different flight routings. One transited via Amsterdam and then to Atlanta and finally to Orlando. The other family opted for a single transit through Dubai then nonstop to Orlando.

On average, each return ticket must have cost approximately $2,000 given that it is peak summer travel season in the Northern Hemisphere.

The dynamics of travelling cheap during the high season can be challenging as the fares are high and fair ones have numerous connections that can be frustrating when travelling with children.

However, the irony here is that the family that travelled through Dubai obtained their fares at least 25 per cent cheaper. Yet they had only one connection compared with the other family that had two connections for a costly fare.

Low points

But it was not the 24-hour journey with multiple stops that the Amsterdam family highlighted as the lowest point of their journey. Or even the airline food, which eventually became bland. Rather it was the inflight entertainment experience, which was basic and way below expectation.

For a bunch of tots and teenagers, a daylight flight exceeding eight hours, calls for continuous onboard engaging entertainment. Should this be lacklustre, the children become irritable, and nerve wracking for the parents.

For an adult (35-65-years old) a flight, however long, is fairly straightforward. A meal followed by some laid back music or movie, with a drink of their choice works just fine.

The cheaper flight was not the only deal the family transiting through Dubai raved about. From their feedback, the inflight entertainment offered an outstanding experience. Coupled with complimentary toys, storybooks and special meals, it seemed the airline was on a pampering spree.

While inflight entertainment is a key factor for families shopping for long haul flights, traditionally it was not seen as a factor, as most families prioritised baggage allowance, short connections and affordable fares.

However, some airlines operating in the region are taking inflight entertainment more seriously by marketing their onboard engagement content and they are finding takers with the younger travellers who have developed highly refined taste in electronic games, movies and music.

In the early days, inflight entertainment was basically fashion shows, live performances by bands and guest appearances by musicians; a practice that is still carried out by some airlines as part of event marketing.

Today, live TV broadcasts, latest movies and TV shows, music, Wi-Fi linked browsers, hi-definition screens all form part of the inflight fare to give the best flying experience.

In fact, airlines are already moving towards giving passengers the ability to preselect content before boarding through apps on personal devices such as laptops, tablets and smartphones.

Change in package

There has been a transition beyond entertainment to communication and information.

For children, features such as dedicated children’s channels, multiplayer video games on the inflight entertainment are a major plus for airlines that have discovered that children can sway the travel purchase decisions of adults.

Other airlines have also upgraded entertainment content for adults to include messaging apps that allow passengers to strike up conversations with others.

Airlines in this part of the world are playing catch-up. This trend is not likely to change for the better until the regional leisure traveller starts to look beyond cheap fares and demands a better onboard experience.

In most cases, airlines will compare well on the fare front but there is usually a huge disparity when it comes to overall travel experience that encompasses the food and entertainment package.

So next time you are shopping around for flight fares for a family holiday, check out the airline’s onboard entertainment package.

Michael Otieno is an aviation consultant based in Nairobi. Twitter: @mosafariz; E-mail: [email protected]