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When kids are unsettled and cause a commotion on board, it makes flights that little bit more difficult for parents – never mind other passengers. Enter Etihad Airways’ Flying Nanny scheme, which introduces a new member of on-board staff, available to assist families and their children.

Some 300 of the airline’s cabin crew have undergone training to take up the new roles, including guidance on child psychology and sociology. Identified by orange aprons when on board, the Flying Nannies will be able to answer questions and requests by parents who need some help in dealing with their children and babies throughout the flight. The nannies will entertain young fliers with a range of characters that are used in face painting, puppets, magic tricks and origami activities.

We’ve already seen services such as Nanny in the Clouds – which helps babysitters earn money when they fly by matching them with parents on the same flight – but Etihad Airways is hoping to offer babysitting as standard, with plans for 500 Flying Nannies operating by the end of the year. Are there other services that could prove useful at 30,000 feet?

Spotted by Murray Orange, written by Springwise