The Best Airports for Families

Even the most seasoned travelers may find themselves intimidated by the idea of navigating an airport with children in tow. Between juggling extra baggage, pushing strollers, and searching for kid-friendly food and activities while waiting for your flight (or during a dreaded delay), everything feels trickier when your little ones are along for the ride.

The good news? Quite a few airports have recognized that flying with kids can be tough, and they’ve gone to great lengths to make their facilities welcoming for families. We rounded up seven of our favorite kid-friendly airports, taking into account these key factors: 

• Family-friendly facilities
• Above-and-beyond amenities
• Diverse food options
• Cleanliness
• Location

Keep reading to learn about some of the most family-friendly airports in the world.

Singapore Changi Airport

Consistently ranked as one of the best airports in the world by publications like Travel + Leisure, Singapore’s Changi Airport also happens to be incredibly family-friendly. There’s the obvious visual appeal of the place, with its butterfly garden, art installations, and the tallest indoor waterfall in the world. And then there are the amazing activities that will have you either hoping for a delay or planning to show up a few hours early — like the Jurassic Park jogging and biking trail, a four-story slide, a massive rock-climbing wall, a (free!) movie theater, and the Changi Experience Studios, which takes visitors behind the scenes at this world-class airport. There’s even a rooftop pool, so be sure to pack the fam’s swimsuits in your carry-on.

Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport

A major European travel hub, Paris’ Charles de Gaulle Airport is thankfully very accommodating to families. Like many airports throughout Europe, they offer priority queues for families with young children at security checkpoints and immigration control — which can be a godsend after a red-eye flight! Clean family restrooms with kid-sized toilets are located both before and after security. And in Terminal 1, you’ll find Baby Rooms that have individual alcoves equipped with cribs, seats, highchairs, bottle warmers, and microwaves. Play areas are scattered throughout the airport, as well as rotating art exhibitions hosted by local museums. For older kids, PS5 game consoles and arcade games are located throughout the airport.

Chicago O’Hare International Airport

As one of the busiest airports in the United States, Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport is likely familiar to many American frequent flyers. Yet despite its size, it manages to be welcoming for families. The airport’s Family Lounge in Terminal 2 has colorful seating with charging stations, stroller parking, play spaces, and live entertainment throughout the year. There are mother’s rooms and lactation pods located all around the airport, and plenty of kid-friendly restaurants, some of which overlook the airfield. Do you have time to kill? Challenge your kids to a scavenger hunt, searching for items like a brachiosaurus dinosaur skeleton, a WWII fighter plane replica, and an underground kinetic neon light sculpture.

London Heathrow Airport

London’s Heathrow Airport welcomes families from the moment they pull into the airport’s parking lot, where priority family parking spots are available. Kids under 15 can also ride the Heathrow Express for free when traveling with an adult. There are play areas located throughout the airport, baby changing and feeding facilities, and kid-approved restaurants. Heathrow even has kid-friendly shops like the Harry Potter store and Hamleys Toy Store for those last-minute souvenirs.

Amsterdam Airport Schiphol

Families traveling through the Netherlands are sure to be impressed with Schiphol’s kid-friendly amenities. The airport’s award-winning (and free!) Baby Care Lounges give parents a place to bathe and feed their babies or even let them nap in one of seven sleeping pods. A playground conveniently situated next to the food court invites kids to climb on and in an actual plane, and everyone in the family can enjoy a quieter moment in the world’s first airport library. Need some fresh air? The Airport Park is an oasis of green (with real trees) inside the airport, with loungers, beanbags, and phone-charging exercise bikes.

Los Angeles International Airport

Spotlighted as the most kid-friendly airport in the United States by Upgraded Points, LAX offers numerous family-friendly spaces, play areas, fast Wi-Fi, and plenty of charging stations throughout the airport (because you do not want your kid’s tablet to run out of juice before a long-haul flight).

Tokyo Haneda Airport

As clean and modern as you would expect Tokyo’s airport to be, Haneda welcomes its youngest visitors and their parents with baby rooms, changing facilities, and nursing areas. Free stroller rentals are available in some terminals, and each terminal has two or three soft play areas for little ones. And if Tokyo is your final destination, there are fast and efficient transport links from Haneda.