Etihad Airways on Sunday said it has launched a dedicated in-flight child care assistance programme for families, led by the introduction of a new flying nanny on board long haul flights.
Each flying nanny aims to provide a “helping hand” to families and unaccompanied minors, the Abu Dhabi airline said in a statement.
They will also introduce children to the exciting collectable Etihad characters – Zoe the bee, Jamool the camel, Kundai the lion, and Boo the panda – who accompany them on their trip.
During the past two months 300 Etihad Airways cabin crew members have completed enhanced training for the role.
A further 60 will be trained in September and 500 flying nannies will be working across Etihad Airways flights by the end of 2013, the carrier added.
The course includes training, from the world renowned Norland College, concentrating on child psychology and sociology, enabling the flying nannies to identify different types of behaviour and developmental stages that children go through.
Aubrey Tiedt, Etihad Airways’ vice president guest services, said: “Flying with a young family can be a daunting task, even for the most experienced travellers, and the flying nanny role demonstrates our understanding of our guests’ needs and our commitment to making the journey as relaxing and comfortable as possible.”
She added: “The flying nanny will liaise with parents and use their experience and knowledge to make the travel experience easier. This includes helping serve children’s meals early in the flight and offering activities and challenges to help entertain and occupy younger guests.”
Etihad said that towards the end of the flight the flying nanny will help parents by replenishing milk bottles, and offering items such as water, fruit and other snacks especially if the family is transiting to another flight.
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