Everyone at some point in their lives has sat on a long-haul flight and been
in one of two awkward situations. The first is when a bored and restless
screaming child seated nearby is scuppering your chances of watching the latest
action blockbuster film, or preventing you from that much needed shut-eye. The
second is when it’s your very own bored and restless screaming child that is
scuppering your chances of watching the latest action blockbuster, or even
worse, preventing sleep. Well, have no fear, because help is at hand. Etihad Airways yesterday launched The Flying Nanny. No, not an aging crime
fighting superhero, but another kind of hero – one to entertain kids on
long-haul flights by performing magic tricks, telling stories and introducing a
bunch of Etihad-created small toy characters called Zoe the bee, Jamool the
camel, Kundai the lion, and Boo the panda. Opting for bright orange aprons, rather than latex or capes, the Flying
Nannies aim to offer a helping hand to families and unaccompanied minors.
In the
past two months, 300 Etihad cabin crew staff have been taught how best to deal
with restless sprogs, while a further 60 employees will be trained in September
and 500 nannies will be flying by the end of the year. “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,” explained Aubrey Tiedt, Etihad Airways’ vice president
of Guest Services. The nanny training includes tips and courses from Norland College, a
specialist school in the United Kingdom that develops nannies in early years
learning and child psychology and sociology. So Etihad flights will boast arts
and craft, paper cups hats, Japanese origami and sock puppets. Etihad says all
the activities are designed so that the Flying Nanny can leave the children to
produce and complete on their own bits and bobs in quiet. For older kids, there
will even be quizzes and challenges to keep the brain occupied. The move by Etihad makes sense. Having launched just 10-years ago, the
carrier has been expanding rapidly, and is consistently trying to differentiate
itself from bigger local rivals like Emirates Airline and Qatar Airways through
its range of services and a strategy of building up its network. The Flying Nannies aren’t the first offbeat initiative launched this year by
an airline. Last month, Virgin Atlantic introduced live in-flight entertainment
on its domestic routes around the U.K., offering stand-up comedians on their way
to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and live music acts from this month. As airlines around the world become increasingly competitive in terms of
onboard services, the range of in-flight entertainment could evolve even more.
Makes you wonder if we’ll see mid-air exercise classes, or even onboard tuition
lessons, sooner rather than later.
