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Whether you’re planning a family vacation or flying solo with your little ones, Delta has plenty to offer families flying with kids. With an impressive array of amenities and services, Delta makes flying with children easy and enjoyable. Here’s our Delta airlines review.
On our recent trip to the United States, we booked our flights with Virgin Australia, however, the return leg of our flights back to Australia were with operated by Delta Airlines.
Having had no previous experience with the airline, we were a tad nervous about what they would be like, especially having had such a great experience with each of the Virgin Airlines branches.
Thankfully our experience with flying Delta Airlines with kids was a positive one!
FLYING WITH KIDS DELTA AIRLINES REVIEW
Flying with kids can be a challenge, but it doesn’t have to be. With a little planning and preparation, you can make the experience go smoothly for everyone involved. Here’s our review of flying Delta with kids, as well as some tips on how to make the most of your own flight with Delta Airlines.
Check In Experience
Our flight with Delta Airlines was from Los Angeles to Sydney, which is around a 7 or 8-hour flight. We arrived at LAX with plenty of time, but the check-in process was a bit confusing and chaotic.
As we had booked our flights on two separate booking numbers, with mine & our youngest daughter redeemed with frequent flyer points and hubby and our eldest daughter purchased as normal, we were stressed we would end up sitting nowhere near each other on the flight.
There had been no option to choose seats during the online booking or check-in process, so we waited until we arrived at the airport and headed to the special services desk for assistance.
Not being able to choose seats prior to check-in is a basic economy restriction, so if you want peace of mind prior to your travel date, you may want to pay a little extra for one of the optional ticket upgrades.
The process of getting our seats moved together on our flight was thankfully straightforward. This was an important first impression of flying Delta with kids.
As it turns out, the flight was pretty empty anyway so there were a lot of spare seats.
RELATED READING: Comprehensive guide to planning your first overseas trip with kids
Delta On-Board Experience
We were on a red-eye flight so we were hopeful for sleeping kids for most of the flight home.
With a 20-month-old and a 4-year-old, these things do not always go to plan! But thankfully our onboard Delta flying with kids experience was a positive one, which made the restless children much easier.
The plane itself was a little bit older and not as comfortable as the Virgin Australia aircraft we had on the way to the USA, but it was adequate and well maintained.
The entertainment system was also standard for an international flight.
We did not utilise it as much on this flight being overnight, but there were enough games and kids’ movies to entertain the girls when they wanted it.
RELATED READING: How to entertain a toddler on a plane
Delta Airlines Food Review
We were served food about an hour into our flight. This was a little slower than I had hoped, which mean our eldest fell asleep before dinner arrived.
Not to matter… sleeping kids are a good thing!
The meals on Delta international flights were fine.
It was fairly typical airline food and adequate servings. However, travelling with a toddler under 2 is always that awkward thing where they aren’t quite ticket holders so most airlines don’t actually serve them a Delta child meal.
This is one thing I do find frustrating with most international airlines, and the fact there is no Delta toddler meal for kids that are no longer babies but not quite 2 does make it hard.
We recommend being prepared and taking your own extra food for your toddler if needed.
Our daughter shared some of my meal instead, although later in the flight, the flight attendants offered her snacks and extra servings of what they were offering, which was really lovely, knowing this was not necessarily part of the service.
The Delta kids meal our eldest received was fine and she enjoyed most of it.
Our kids can be picky so that was essentially a win that she ate any of the child meal Delta provided.
Meanwhile, her little sister ate everything in front of her, just because of the novelty of having her own little tray.
We cannot comment on the Delta baby meal from our experiences.
RELATED READING: Top tips for flying with kids and best family airlines
On-Board Service With Delta Airlines
In fact, the service and friendliness of the staff on the Delta Airlines flight stood out as the number one thing from the flight.
They were always smiling, and chatty and they made extra effort to interact with the kids too. It was definitely above and beyond as far as customer service went and made flying with kids on Delta much easier.
With so many empty seats, many passengers were able to have a full row of seats to themselves to stretch out. We did not get so lucky, with me and 2 kids in our seats, but hubby was able to move to the middle row to give us more room.
It made some difference… except for the fact I had a clingy toddler who wanted to nurse or be held all night… not much sleep for me, but at least the rest of the family slept okay!
Check out our other airline reviews and best tips on how to find the cheapest flights
Delta Airlines Review
Flying Delta Airlines with kids was a positive experience with adequate services and facilities, onboard entertainment, including wifi on select planes (it was not working during our flight and they apologised for the inconvenience), regular meals and snacks and best of all, friendly and helpful staff.
We would be happy to fly Delta Airlines with kids again in future.
In summary:
- Great service
- Onboard wifi and entertainment system on most long-haul flights
- Not the most comfortable seats but adequate
- Availability of several class types
- 2 x 23kg checked bags per person for long haul flights between USA & Australia
- Seats are not allocated until after check-in for basic economy flights
Flying with kids is never an easy thing so having an airline that can take some of the stress out of that part of the trip is always a positive and Delta Airlines does fit the bill!
And make sure you check out our massive tips for flying with kids guide, with more Delta Airlines reviews and other airline reviews before you book your next flight!
If you need help planning your USA visit, check out our tips, reviews and articles on North America with kids.
- Flights – We use Skyscanner or WayAway to research, set price alerts and book flights.
- Car hire – compare the best car rental prices.
- Trains & Buses – We book with Omio
- Accommodation – We use Booking.com or Agoda to book most of our hotel accommodation when we travel.
- Travel insurance – Protect yourself and your belongings with Hey Mondo.
- Tours & attractions – Our preferred attraction and tour booking sites are Get Your Guide and Viator. Booking ahead will mean you don’t miss out on popular tours!
Have you flown Delta Airlines before? Comment below and share your experience.
