Better cabin experience, happier parents, and more focused crew? Then, start with the kids. Measuring the impact of your child engagement efforts isn’t just smart — it’s essential. Discover how small changes can lead to measurable results.
Kid-focused activities is often dismissed as soft or secondary to core brand performance. Yet, in practice, initiatives aimed at children can have a profound and measurable effect – not just on the child, but on the entire customer journey. Whether on the ground or in the air, children shape the experiences of the adults around them.
Why activating kids onboard goes beyond entertainment
Engaging children while the aircraft is in the air serves several important functions – far beyond the immediate joy it brings to young passengers.
Firstly, it’s about creating a positive experience for the whole family. When children are happy, parents are relaxed. This dynamic often defines a family’s overall impression of the flight – and influences whether they’ll choose the same airline again.
Secondly, it affects all the passengers seated near that family. An unsettled or bored child can unintentionally disrupt up to 15–20 passengers, depending on cabin layout. The inverse is also true: a well-occupied child leads to a calmer environment, benefiting everyone onboard.
Thirdly – and crucially – it benefits the cabin crew. When children are positively engaged, crew members are able to focus on delivering excellent service to all passengers, without spending disproportionate time managing disruptions. This leads to smoother operations, stronger crew morale, and an overall uplift in service delivery.
“…to put it simply – when airlines invest in a kids concepts, everyone wins…”
Different ways to measure success
Measuring the success of a kid-focused activity doesn’t need to be complex – but it must be intentional. The key is to combine both quantitative and qualitative approaches and evaluate across different levels of brand performance.
- Quantitative measures
These are data-driven metrics that help you identify trends and impacts at scale:
- Customer satisfaction scores (CSAT/NPS) for families
- Frequency of repeat bookings among family travellers
- Engagement metrics, such as how many activity packs are taken or used
- Onboard service ratings where kids activation materials are present
- Qualitative measures
Equally important are the human insights that provide emotional and behavioural context:
- Feedback from parents. Were their children entertained? Did it enhance the travel experience?
- Feedback from cabin crew. Was their job easier? Did the cabin atmosphere feel calmer?
- Observational notes from crew or onboard surveys. How did children interact with the materials?
- Levels of Evaluation
You can assess the activities impact across several layers:
- In-the-moment experience. Did the materials serve their purpose during the flight?
- Brand perception. Did families feel the airline “cared” about their experience?
- Commercial impact. Was there an uptick in family bookings or loyalty indicators?
Together, these measures give you a 360-degree view of success – balancing numbers with real-world insight.
How to run a test campaign – start small with a pilot test
You don’t need to roll out a full programme across your entire fleet to start learning. In fact, starting small is often the smartest approach.
At KIDZbranding, we recommend a pilot test across a limited number of flights. This allows you to assess impact, gather feedback, and refine before scaling.
Here’s a proven approach:
- Produce a small batch of materials
Design a limited edition of your child-focused content – such as activity packs, games or storytelling magic sticker kit. Aim for quality, brand alignment and age-appropriateness. - Distribute to around 1.000 children
Based on our experience, this volume typically yields a 30% response rate – enough to provide statistically meaningful feedback. - Include a feedback mechanism
Alongside the materials, include a digital feedback form for parents. A QR code on a printed card makes this process easy and low-friction. Offering a small incentive (e.g. chance to win a voucher) can significantly increase response rates. - Gather crew feedback too
Equip cabin crew with a short feedback form or digital tool to assess.
How the materials were received. Whether they noticed changes in behaviour or mood. Any improvements in service flow or ease of interaction with families
This dual-input model with input from families and crew offers both the external customer perspective and the internal operational view – giving you a rich dataset to work from.
From insight to action and what to look for in a pilot
Once the pilot is complete, it’s time to evaluate.
Here are key indicators of success:
– Reduction in cabin noise or disruption due to occupied children
– Positive mentions from parents in surveys or on social media
– Improved crew feedback on ease of service or interaction with families
– Stronger satisfaction scores from family segments
– Increased preference for your airline among returning passengers
Even more valuable are the narratives behind the numbers – the stories and comments that tell you what resonated, what didn’t, and what could be better. This kind of insight can guide future improvements and justify wider implementation.
How KIDZbranding helps clients measure what matters
We’ve worked with leading airlines and brands across the globe to develop kid-focused activities that not only delight children but deliver measurable business results.
Our support goes far beyond design. We help clients:
– Define objectives and success metrics
– Design branded children’s materials that align with their identity and sustainability goals
– Develop smart feedback systems for parents and crew
– Interpret the data to uncover patterns, insights and opportunities
-Create reports and presentations to build internal buy-in for scaling
Our extensive experience means we know what works – and what doesn’t. We bring creative expertise, operational understanding and a strategic lens to everything we do.
As always – test, learn, improve
Activating children onboard isn’t just a kindness – it’s a strategic move. It improves the travel experience for families, enhances service delivery, and strengthens brand loyalty across generations. But like any smart investment, it deserves to be measured.
The good news? You don’t need to guess. With the right partner and a structured test approach, you can get real feedback, real data and real results – fast.
At KIDZbranding, we’re here to help you start small, measure meaningfully, and scale-up with confidence. Are you ready to find out what a kids concept is really worth?
Let’s start measuring success — together.
