Flying Around the World with Kids
Long flights with kids may sound daunting, but — like anything — with preparation and practice, it is doable. Below, Petit Passeport Editors share their experience flying around the world with kids ages 5 and 7 years old on a family trip to Bali flying Singapore Airlines in Premium Economy, which included the world’s two longest nonstop flights at nearly 20 hours each way (spoiler alert: it was easier than many flights to Europe for one key reason). They also reveal their top takeaways, tips, and money-saving hacks for long-haul flights with kids.
The Flights
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Long-Haul Flights
Outbound flight: SQ 23 JFK-SIN - 18h50m- 9,537 miles — the world’s longest nonstop flight
Inbound flight: SQ 22 SIN-EWR - 18h45m - 9,523 miles — the world’s second longest nonstop flight
We also flew two 2h40m connecting flights from Singapore to Bali on the same itinerary with Singapore Airlines.
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Aircraft
Singapore Airlines SQ 23 & SQ 22 were both A350-900 aircraft carrying a maximum of 253 passengers. We lucked out as these flights were smaller aircrafts with all premium economy and business class seating.
Good to know: SQ 25 JFK-SIN typically departs at a similar time but is a much larger plane which equates to longer check-in lines, and a lot more people boarding, on the flight, and deplaning.
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Seats
We flew premium economy with the middle 4 seats together (2-4-2 configuration) on both flights, row 34 on the outbound flight and 32 on the return flight. Initially, we booked business class tickets pre-pandemic, but traded these in for premium economy closer to our travel date to extend our time in Bali, for which we have no regrets. The premium economy seats were wider than standard economy with footrests, calf rests, and 8” recline which were amazing for sleeping.
The In-Flight Experience
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Like a Flying 5-Star Hotel
Singapore Airlines was a breath of fresh air, what flying must have felt like during the golden age of travel. The aircrafts, seats, technology — all were modern, intuitively designed, and functional. The in-flight entertainment options were expansive with nearly 2,000 different options for movies, shows, games, music, and apps and the ability to sign in to your KrisFlyer account to save your favorites to a watchlist that carries over from one flight to the next. Noise-canceling headphones (not available to take home) were also provided in premium cabin seating.
Everything from the lighting to the air filters to the in-flight menus (in partnership with the world-renowned wellness retreat, Golden Door) were designed with wellness and well-being at the forefront. The food was solid for airplane fare and include Singapore Airlines signature “Book the Cook” option. There was a snafu with one of our special meal requests on the outbound flight, but the airline more than compensated with vouchers and lots of premium snacks pilfered from business class.
Service was outstanding and the restrooms were frequently attended to. No detail was overlooked and the crew were beyond great with kids. And every member of the crew looked like they stepped out of the pages of a magazine. No idea how they managed to look so put together at the end of a 20 hour flight but it was impressive.
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In-Flight Essentials
The most useful in-flight items we packed in our carry-on included travel neck pillows, compression socks, a lumbar support device, hydration and immunity support tablets, a pashmina, and kids wireless (with wired option) headphones. But the item that proved to be the most crucial? The inflatable foot rest pillow our 5 year-old use as a seat extender / bed — you can guess which one of us slept the longest on both flights. Not all airlines will allow these, but they were allowed on Singapore Airlines at our time of travel.
The Schedule & How We Passed The Time
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Flight 1: JFK-SIN (18h50m)
We arrived at JFK for check-in 90 minutes before flight departure. No online check-in was permitted. If we didn’t have priority check-in due to elite status, we would have needed to arrive at least 2.5 hours prior to departure based on the lines we saw. Thanks to Star Alliance Gold priority check-in, our bags were checked, and we were off to security with tickets in hand after only 25 minutes. Thanks to priority boarding, we were the first people on the plane in the premium economy section.
Shortly after takeoff, a meal was served, which we all skipped due to the late hour opting to sleep instead. The girls each slept 8-10 hours, which was incredible and totally unexpected. We adults got 7+ solid hours of sleep. When the breakfast service began, we all woke up, watched a few movies, had one more light meal service and arrived in Singapore.
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Singapore Airport Layover (3h55m)
Singapore Airport is renowned for being one of the best — if not THE best — airports for transit passengers in the world. If you have a long layover here, you can visit the Jewel, see a free movie, go rock climbing, explore dinosaur exhibits, take advantage of a free 2.5h Singapore guided city tour by bus (book in advance), and so much more.
Although our layovers were not long enough to explore all that this incredible airport has to offer, the girls did enjoy riding the airport tram and hanging out in the SilverKris Lounge (which we were able to access thanks to the Star Alliance Gold status we got through the United status match challenge, pictured below). The lounge was fairly busy but had a great food and beverage selection and lovely design. There was also a SATS lounge nearby for Priority Pass or Amex Platinum cardmembers.
The gate for our SIN-DPS flight was practically adjacent to the arrival gate, and the lounge area was a 3-minute walk and up the escalators from the gates. Prior to entering the gate area for our Bali flight, all passengers went through a separate security check, though our checked bags went straight from NYC to Bali (no luggage collection / recheck was required).
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Flight 2: SIN-DPS (2h40m)
Our booking contained mixed fares as premium economy was not offered on our SIN-DPS SQ 938 and 945 flights. The economy seats for these flights were more than adequate, plus we experienced the aircrafts, technology, and the service to be superior to most economy flights on US based carriers.
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Bali Arrival and Customs
The time from deplaning in DPS to meeting our driver to our hotel in Bali was about 45 minutes. We bought the VIP Fast Track arrival service through our hotel concierge for ~$70 USD + tax per person and it made a huge difference. We were greeted as we got off the plane and escorted through the Arrivals Hall, then to Visa on Arrival (VoA; you must purchase visas here with credit card), and the Ambassador line of Immigration and Passport Control. Our greeter also assisted with collecting our checked luggage and escorted us to the pickup point to meet our driver to Amankila (link to review here).
Tip: Purchasing the Fast Track service for our Bali arrival was well worth it, in our opinion, based on the time and hassle this saved us after a long flight. Even though we all slept well on the long flight, we arrived very worn out from jet lag and ready to get to our hotel. The Fast Track service can be booked through any hotel on the island.
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Flight 3: DPS-SIN (2h40m)
We spent our last day on Bali at the Sundara Beach Club at Four Seasons Resort Bali at Jimbaran with a private beach bale, spa access, and the girls were able to spend most of the day at the adjacent kids club. We actually stayed at the Four Seasons Resort Bali at Sayan for 3 nights at the end of our Bali trip (review here), but opted to spend our last day at the Jimbaran resort given its proximity to the airport, which we are very glad we did (see tip below).
Check-in, security, and passport control at DPS all took about 45 minutes in total, but the airport was not very busy. We passed the rest of the time in a partner lounge as the Singapore Airlines lounge there was closed.
Tip: Consider booking a hotel (or beach club day pass if your flight leaves late) in Kuta for your Bali departure day to help ensure a smooth departure. If you are driving from elsewhere on the island (like Ubud), Bali roads are notoriously unpredictable and your supposed 2 hour drive could easily turn into 5 hours. The Sundara VIP Boarding Lounge package we booked through Four Seasons Resort Bali at Jimbaran is available to the public on your day of departure from Bali (proof of boarding pass required) for a $50 USD food and beverage minimum spend — a steal of a deal. The airport transfer we arranged through the hotel was about $30 USD for a 15-minute drive and included luggage assistance all the way to airport security.
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Singapore Airport Layover (55m)
When we arrived, we went straight on to the next flight. Again, our gates were practically adjacent to one another and our Bali flight arrived about 15 minutes early to Singapore.
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Flight 4: SIN-EWR (18h25m)
We spent our time on this flight much the same way we did on the prior long flight as this late-night flight left at approximately the same time as our first one. Our flight experience was also very similar. Again, everyone slept about as well as you could ask for.
Tips & Hacks
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Child Fare Discounts
SIA typically offers child fare discounts for kids age 12 and under when booking directly, plus complimentary standard seat selection in economy when traveling with kids
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Status Match
United status match challenge got us valuable Star Alliance gold benefits (premier check-in, boarding, SilverKris lounge access) — status match program typically happens each year through sometime in June
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Sleep
We all slept better on these flights than on flights to Europe. Why? B/c of longer lights-off time between meal services — everyone got 8-10 hrs 💤 each way 🙌
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Gear
Inflatable foot rest pillows are allowed on SIA flights — we used this for our then 5 y/o and it worked like a charm, transforming her seat into a bed
(also Ostrichpillow neck pillow, Cabeau belt, hydration tablets)
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Premium Economy Fare Sales
SIA Premium economy was a great product at a fraction of biz class price — SIA has great fare sales from time to time (set up Google Flights fare alert or subscribe to SIA emails)
What has your experience been with long-haul flights with kids? Contact us to let us know — we would love to hear from you!
