Despite the constant messages from the abortion industry that women should wait to have children until it’s convenient for them, some businesses are actually helping women realize they don’t have to check their lives at the door just because they are pregnant. The Points Guy writer Angelina Aucello reports on the airline industry’s pro-family, pro-baby policies that help women have the best of both worlds.
Her piece details 11 airlines with family-friendly policies. Elite travelers know all-too-well that without frequent flying, their top-tier status can disappear quickly if they haven’t been able to travel in a while. But airlines, not usually known for their magnanimous policies of generosity — as they charge passengers $30 to check a basic piece of luggage these days, for example — seem to have a soft spot in their hearts for babies.
READ: Photo of baby born at 36,000 feet on airplane goes viral
How does one reach elite or top tier status? According to The Points Guy, there are various tiers of elite status, and they are achieved by flying a certain number of miles, or spending a certain amount of dollars. As you move up the elite status tiers, you get more perks and rewards — and this evidently includes more family-friendly options.
Aucello writes in “Baby on Board: 11 Airlines That Allow Growing Families to Put Elite Status on Hold“:
Some airlines demonstrate their sensitivity to the hectic adjustment phase of becoming a parent, and show their commitment to longer-term loyalty, by having family-friendly “elite hold” policies in place.
While not all the airline policies are specific (American, United, and Delta Airlines say they will review parental leave — meaning a temporary leave from passenger air travel — on a case-by-case basis), some airlines have formal processes that ensure a parent can be home with a child — even an adopted child who may not be a newborn, as Alaska Airlines’ policy implies as it accounts for adoption:
Congratulations, and welcome to your new little traveler.
We understand – you’re ecstatic and very, very, tired all at once. We’ll keep it simple:
Apply now, and we’ll help you keep your elite status for another year during your pregnancy or parental leave.
That’s more time to stay focused on raising your little one, without losing all the Mileage Plan elite status travel benefits you’ve grown to love.
…Qualifying types of parental leave include maternity, paternity, and adoption leave.
Alaska Airlines is not alone. Popular Australian Airline Qantas not only allows for adoption leave but includes foster care leave, as well, with its Status Hold policy.
As Aucello writes:
Family-friendly policies, such as elite status holds, not only promote longer-term loyalty through goodwill, but also show that airlines understand the importance of family. While I could not find any official information about how JetBlue and Southwest (two of TPG’s top family-friendly airlines) handle such requests, I’m curious to see if parents have any personal experiences they can share with those programs.
While it may not seem overtly in the airlines’ best interest to extend elite status for these new parents, it’s not dissimilar to marketing philosophies in which businesses recommend competing businesses to customers when they can’t offer what a customer needs. While this offer simply puts a reserve on the customer’s business instead, imagine the family loyalty to an airline that celebrated the birth or adoption of their child in this manner. Airlines (and other businesses) with pro-family policies like this are upholding the value of life in a practical way, telling women and families that they have good choices. And they also tell those who are not yet elite members of airlines where they might want to put their points and miles for the future.
Children are often treated as if they are unwelcome in many areas of society today, and pregnancy is treated like a disease to be avoided. It’s high time businesses start treating families as welcome customers with family-friendly policies; we can only hope more businesses will soon follow suit.
