UNT study: Suggestions could make DFW airport more family friendly

Traveling by air with children usually means packing a carry-on bag with everything from extra diapers and clothes to enough toys to ward off boredom during airport layovers and waits.

However, if officials at Texas' busiest airport heed the advice of students in a UNT anthropology class, parents won't have to pack so much. Instead, they may soon find what they need at the airport before boarding a flight.

Six students in the Ethnography of Product and Technology Use class taught by Christina Wasson, assistant professor of anthropology, interviewed travelers at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport at the request of the airport's manager of marketing research and manager of concessions. The students targeted travelers in Terminal A, which includes gates for American Airlines and its regional partner, American Eagle. DFW International is a hub for the airlines, with many travelers using it for connecting flights.

The class divided the 83 people who spoke to them into five groups, including one they called Traveling Families. The Traveling Families proved to be the neediest group in terms of desired airport services, says Yvette Justice, a master's student in anthropology.

Justice says most families said they had positive experiences at DFW International and believed the airport is accommodating of families. They praised the space in the terminal, the quick check-in process for families and the airport's stroller carrying system.

However, the families pointed out that Terminal A lacks concessions that cater to children, such as The Disney Store, or that sell children's clothing, such as Old Navy or The Gap.

"It is difficult for families to anticipate what they will end up needing during their travel," Justice says. "A child may have an accident and suddenly need a change of clothes, which parents may not have in a carry-on bag. Airport concessions have the opportunity to satisfy unexpected needs."

The families added that concessions that already sell children's items such as diapers need to be more clearly identified.

In addition, the families agreed that the airport needs a play area to entertain children during long layovers or flight delays.

"Traveling families are conscious of how they affect others. They acknowledge that children are difficult to entertain. To counteract boredom, parents carry toys or take their children for short walks, but this is not enough," Justice says. "They would like to be in an area where they do not feel like their children are disturbing other travelers."

She added that most families are willing to pay for the use of a play area.

An arcade with video games or a portable video player rental facility would also be useful, the families said. Some described the arcades at airports in Amarillo and Atlanta and the play area at Portland (Oregon) International Airport.

BY NANCY KOLSTI nkolsti@unt.edu

Other featured articles in this issue

• Summer I enrollment climbs 1.2 percent over last year
• UNT marketing and logistics students impress General Motors executives
• Play therapy pioneer retires from internationally renowned UNT center
• UNT service providers have shorter summer hours
• Federal grant fosters program for biomedical information professionals
• Faculty Senate holds final 2003-04 meeting
• University Union Information Center provides assistance
• Nineteen UNT students earn Mayborn scholarships

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