Liverpool Airport Family Travel Guide

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Whether you are flying for the first time with a baby, toddler or older child, or need to know what facilities an airport has for medical or convenience reasons, this Liverpool Airport Guide will help you prepare.  Information will include (where relevant) tips and guides on:

• Liverpool Airport hotels for families
• Terminal car-parks and Liverpool Airport car park recommendations
• Security – family lines
• Airport Strollers
• Shops which sell baby products, last minute necessities
• Feeding and changing areas
• Sensory areas
• Play areas
• Airport Lounges
• Quiet areas to sleep or rest during transit.

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Airport hotels for families

If you have an early start and a bit of a drive before, staying overnight at a hotel close to Liverpool Airport may appeal- especially with small children.

Hampton by Hilton – closest hotel to Liverpool Airport

This 3-star on-airport hotel is directly across from the terminal. There is also an option to use the on-site car park for stays under five nights and a longer stay option. The Hampton by Hilton has free Wifi, a gym, hot breakfasts and continental options from 4am for late (and early) flights. There is also a 24-hour snack bar on site. The hotel also offers luggage storage and day-use rooms for travellers. English breakfast is available for all guests and, when you pair your stay with parking, you’ll be pleased to hear that the multi-storey car park is connected – so you’re within walking distance of the terminal and parking.

Crown Plaza – 1 mile

The four-star Crowne Plaza is the luxury option near Liverpool John Lennon Airport. The hotel is one mile away from the airport and is actually inside the former Grade 2-listed airport terminal. Guests get free Wifi and access to a Crowne Plaza Bar and lounge area. There is also a hotel restaurant serving a full a la carte menu and 24-hour room service.The hotel offers a park, stay and go option with parking from four, eight, 15 or more nights.

Premier Inn – half a mile

The Premier Inn Liverpool John Lennon Airport hotel is half a mile from the airport and is an affordable option with prices from £45. Free Wifi is available for all guests and there are tea and coffee making facilities in the rooms. Pair a good value hotel with good value parking. You can look forward to reasonably priced food, comfortable beds and service with a smile. Parking is at Liverpool airport’s Long Stay – a secured car park five minutes’ walk from the terminal.

Travel Lodge – 1 mile

Fresh and bright family rooms can have 1 or 2 single pull out beds. All rooms have tea and coffee making facilities. Wifi is free for 30 minutes.

Car Parking at John Lennon Airport

Flying with little ones can obviously raise the stress levels, and it is great to see that some airports are raising the bar when it comes to family travel. Family only security lines are becoming more commonplace and several larger airports even have soft play areas. Liverpool Airport may not have a soft play area but it has recently introduced Fast Track Family Parking –  A service which is only available if you pre-book. It features a dedicated entrance and exit route away from the main airport traffic and has wider spaces perfect for getting to child car seats. Located just a minute’s walk from the terminal building, booking the Fast Track Family also gets you 4 FREE Fast Track tickets (2 adult and 2 child), enabling you to save time at Security and get through to the Departure Lounge and relax more quickly.

The other options for Liverpool official airport on-site car parking and drop off are:

• Drop Off 2 – 5-10 minutes walk (free for up to 40 minutes)
• Express Drop off – 2 minute walk ( there are 2 car parks to choose from: the Express Drop Off and Pick Up car park – fees apply)
• Short Stay – under 1 minute walk away. perfect for pick up or drop off
• Fast Track Parking – Under 1 minute ( only available to pre book)
• Fast Track Family Parking – 1 minute walk as mentioned above)
• Long Stay – 4-5 minute walk
• Multi Storey – 1 minute walk

Off-site parking options vary from several companies, which may mean a short bus transfer.

Below are the car park companies which have the highest ratings. They are in order of closeness to the airport: Click here to see the latest prices.

• Premium – onsite
• SkyPark Meet & Greet – onsite
• APL –  0.4 miles from the airport/ 1 minute transfer
• SkyPark Outdoor Park & Ride – 0.4 miles from the airport/ 2 minute transfer
• Imagine -0.4 miles from the airport/ 1 minute transfer

Airport Strollers

There are no complementary airport strollers currently available.

Security – family lines

There are no specific family lines but booking the Fast Track Family parking also gets you 4 FREE Fast Track tickets (2 adult and 2 child).

When you are flying with a baby, you’re allowed to take enough baby food and/or baby milk for the journey, even if that is over the 100ml limit for liquids.

Shops which sell baby products, last minute necessities

You can also pre-order baby milk and other products approximately 5 days in advance from Boots online.  Choose your products and pay online, and your items can be picked up on the day of your flight. Boots Liverpool Airport is located in the Departure Lounge after Security, on both the Upper Level and Lower Level.

Child friendly restaurants

The airport also has a picnic area near gates 3-10 and many of the restaurants provide children’s menus. Frankie & Benny’s and The Kissing Gate are particularly family friendly.

Feeding and Changing areas

You will find dedicated baby changing facilities throughout the airport, with family facilities located on the Upper Retail Level. Breastfeeding is welcomed throughout the terminal, however, if you prefer to feed in private, a dedicated feeding room is available on the Upper Retail Level.

Sensory areas

There are currently no sensory areas.

Airport Lounges

Aspire Lounge: rates from £24.99 for an adult. Under 1’s free.

Quiet areas to sleep or rest during transit

Once you enter the Terminal, walking to the right past the Subway restaurant there are four or five comfy benches, cushioned and without armrests, on which you can lie down and get some sleep if needed. These are really close to the Arrivals section, so  it can be noisy until late. Alternatively, if all the benches are taken, one can rest on the sofas of the Subway or Starbucks. The restaurant area is on the 3rd floor.

More information on the Liverpool Airport site.

I sometimes find it very hard to be inspired about where to go on our next family holiday. Even though I have plenty of places on our bucket list, some I’m saving for when the children are slightly older, like Disney, horse-riding trails and cruises etc. I think being an ex flight attendant makes it harder as I have been so fortunate to visit lots of places that my husband hasn’t been to.

However, when looking for inspiration, it’s sometimes the airports rather than the airlines or travel brochures and blogs that can inspire you. I don’t mean glancing up at the departures board, (although that can help too!)  but some airports websites can provide some inspiration for your next getaway. Another perk being, regional hubs are sometimes a little cheaper to fly out of and hopefully a little less busy, meaning more time in duty free! (See my post on how to find cheap flights for further information.) A lot of the budget or lower cost airlines fly out of regional airports too. Now we have moved from the outskirts of London, a couple more airports have opened themselves up to us, which will mean avoiding the M25 – surely a good thing?

A great example is Liverpool Airport. Liverpool John Lennon Airport (JLA) has over 60 destinations covered by EasyJet, Ryan Air, Wizz Air, Thomson and Aer Lingus, meaning a huge proportion of Europe is readily accessible.

One of these destinations is Majorca. Last year, we flew to Majorca for the second time as family, but for the first time as a family of four. We also flew with my friend who has a flying phobia and her husband and toddler too. From Liverpool Airport, Palma, Majorca is only a 2.5 hour direct  flight away with either EasyJet, Ryan Air or Thomson. The mini destination guides on the JLA airport website provide useful information including time zones, currency, weather etc.  Majorca is best enjoyed between May and September where the temperatures can reach a high of 26 degrees. The guides also supply an overview of the type of holiday you can have – so you can make sure all needs are met whether you are a beach type or culture vulture or both!

I noted the recommendation for the Caves of Drach in Porto Cristo. We all enjoyed our trip there, including the girls. The Caves of Drach are magical caves with stalactites and stalagmites which wind further down to lakes and finally to a dimly lit arena. Once everyone is seated, these boats appear from the darkness with a small orchestra and play a concert. It even transfixed a 3 and 4 year old, who also enjoyed the mini boat trip in the caves afterward! This was the perfect activity for a rainy day.

A further nice touch on the website are the Don’t Miss’ sections which include recommendations for local restaurants and other places to visit. A major plus point in functionality is the time-saving bonus – once you have decided on your destination, you can search for the best deal and flights available on the same web page, as the site uses Skyscanner travel search engine for locating flights. Job done!

Airports helping reduce the stress of family travel

So next time you are looking for some family holiday inspiration and some good deals, take a look at your surrounding regional airports – you may find some great inspiration and facilities to help you plan and navigate your way through the airport.

This post is in collaboration with Liverpool John Lennon Airport.

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