Airport Startup Aims to Help Frazzled Traveling Families as Part-Nanny, Part-Concierge
Skift Take
Families traveling by air have often been seen as a nuisance by fellow travelers and airlines alike. How can air travel be more appealing for families with small children after the pandemic?
A new startup offering what it bills as affordable concierge and nanny-like services is providing hope for families choosing to travel with small children ahead of the holiday travel rush at Reagan National and Dulles International airports.
It plans to launch at the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport later this month.
The idea for SkySquad, which offers families and others needing extra help, dedicated airport assistance from the time they arrive at the curbside until they are at the boarding gate and everything in between. The company was born from a bad experience founder Julie Melnick had while traveling back and forth between California and Florida.
"When the kids were little, I just really struggled to get through the airport, I struggled to carry my huge toddler car seat -those car seats are just so bulky-and carrying that along with my luggage and my son was almost impossible and I thought when I have a second baby how am I going to do this? You know, how will I travel?," asked Melnick, 42, who now has two children.
The size of the market is certainly significant. A 2019 New York University family travel study showed that 11 percent
