Etihad Airways, the national airline of the United Arab Emirates, has launched a dedicated in-flight childcare assistance program for families, led by the introduction of a new Flying Nanny on board long haul flights. Identified by bright orange aprons, each Flying Nanny aims to provide a ‘helping hand' to families and unaccompanied minors. 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 course includes in-depth training, from the world renowned Norland College, concentrating on child psychology and sociology, enabling the Flying Nannies to identify different types of behavior and developmental stages that children go through and how to appreciate the perspective and needs of travelling families. In addition the course also covers many different creative ways the Flying Nanny can entertain and engage with children during flights. 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.” — SG
