ExpressJet Captain and the playdate group

Traveling with the family is not easy! There's planning, packing, stressing over which liquids are allowed on board, in the luggage, or on your person; getting to the airport, checking luggage and ultimately going through security. And all this with time constraints. We decided to make it a fun event and got ExpressJet Airlines to organize it for our Playdate on May 13th, 2008.

Stace Robeson, Chief Pilot for the Cleveland Base, Nancy Libiger, Cleveland Base Administrator and Eric Fanello, Intern of ExpressJet Airlines worked with TSA Security, the City of Cleveland and Airport personnel to make our fieldtrip an unforgettable one. The children were between the ages of 2 months old and 2 1/2 years old. We had 12 children and 10 parents in the group. When we arrived, we met with Nancy and Eric who accompanied us through our Airport journey. They handed us Security Clearance boarding passes which allowed us to go through security. Strollers, toddlers and babies, a usual nightmare through security, went pretty smoothly. In line, I observed travelers, surely hoping we weren't on their flight. You know the look, you've probably given it before, to parents arriving down your airplane aisle with their loud toddler throwing crackers and a screaming baby.

It was so unusual to walk through the airport with no stress. We walked to Concourse D. With the toddlers, this took about one hour. Those little legs running through concourse C, stopping at each window and looking at the big airplanes. The tunnel from Concourse C to Concourse D was a treat. The kids were so excited to walk on the walkway. It might have made a couple of travelers unhappy because our kids do not understand the concept of stand on the right and walk on the left. Our final destination was Gate D3 where an Embraer 145 Regional Jet was waiting for us. Parents and kids went down the jetway to the aircraft. They got to sit in the airplane and in the cockpit. Of course parents were with cameras ready to capture the memories.

It was a wonderful experience for them. The kids loved to dress up with the Captain Hat and earphones and touch all the buttons in the cockpit, some did not want to leave the cockpit and give up their turn, and others wanted to fly off, hands on controls. They were sad we were going back home.

Thank you to the organizers of this event and especially a big thank you to ExpressJet Airlines for letting our toddlers sit in the cockpit of a jet Airliner, like in the old days where we could go up to the cockpits of airplanes and talk to the pilots. Because of security issues, this is not anymore possible, but ExpressJet has permitted our kids to experience it!