Air Canada - Flying Fun for Kids

Toronto to Kelowna

On a recent family trip to Big White Ski Resort, just outside Kelowna, British Columbia, we decided to try Air Canada’s new direct service to Kelowna. This direct flight provides an alternative to flying into Vancouver and driving for 3 hours to get to Big White or a connecting flight from Calgary or Vancouver to Kelowna. It also gave us an opportunity to see the services for children on Air Canada.

This was the first time we used an E-ticket and leaving for the airport without an actual ticket in hand was a little eerie but the system, I must say, is great. We were pleasantly surprised to find the advance check in for Air Canada at the airport parking. Show your identification at the check in desk (in this case at the advance check-in) and your boarding passes are printed before your eyes. We didn’t have to worry about losing our tickets for the return flight. Being a domestic flight, our bags were checked in at the advance check-in, not to be seen again until Kelowna. While we were a bit nervous about losing the bags (including all our skiwear), we had nothing to fear and it makes things much easier to pre-check the large baggage right away.

Boarding passes and carry-ons in hand, off to the airport we go. Our Air Canada flight left from Terminal 2 at Pearson International Airport.

The kids had to check out the moving sidewalk that runs through part of the terminal as well, under supervision of course and after the groan when mom said "Only once".

We opted to pre-board our flight. As with most airlines, Air Canada provides this option when travelling with children and it allows families to settled in our seats before everyone else comes aboard. The flight attendant was waiting with a kid’s log book, activity book and stickers for the boys. Hand-held electronic games, which we brought along, can not be used during take-off and landing but the kids didn’t even notice because they were so busy with the activity book.

Shortly after we were airborne snacks and drinks arrived. Pretzels and juice were the order of the day and about an hour later, serving the kids first, breakfast arrived. With a resounding "This is great!", the meal of pancakes, syrup, fruit, sausage and ham was thoroughly enjoyed and cleaned up before we knew it. Having the children fed before our food arrived allowed us to enjoy our meal in relative tranquility.

Next came the visit up front. The captain and co-pilot invited the boys to view the cockpit, see the view from the front, learn how fast and high we were travelling and ask a few questions. All those buttons are just fascinating to kids and it was a thrill to be able to see how the plane is flown.

The April Issue of Enroute provided a focus of Air Canada’s "Air Smiles" program. This program was created by Purser Guy Brodeur. Young travellers are photographed during their flight and presented with a framed souvenir with the date and number of their flight and destination.   Pursers sign out cameras on a voluntary basis.  While not available on our flight, the boys were given a picture of the flight deck from the Captain with some information about the plane.

Well, before we knew it, the fasten seatbelt sign was on and it was time to land and voila our luggage made it too!

We had a great flight on Air Canada and were very pleasantly surprised by the service provided by the flight and ground crew of Air Canada that helped made our trip both to and from Kelowna "Flying Fun For Kids".

To obtain more information or to view details of services for children on Air Canada Go to Kid Friendly Airlines - Air Canada's Policies and Services for Children