Etihad Airways Is Hiring 500 Nannies To Take Care Of Your Kids In The Air

Traveling with kids is about to get a lot nicer for passengers on Etihad Airways: The classy airline is launching an in-flight nanny service on long haul trips.

By the end of 2013, 500 "Flying Nannies" will be working on flights to take care of children, whether or not they are traveling with an adult.

The nannies will be trained by Norland College, a British training school for early years educators.

According to the school, it will help Etihad nannies identify children's developmental stages and how they are behaving, to best keep them happy and entertained.

Travelers who are disappointed that kids won't be banned from certain areas of the plane should be glad to know that there are professionals on board to keep the youngsters in line.

Activities for children will include arts and crafts, like making hats and origami from paper cups. According to the airline, making sock puppets will be "a key on-board highlight."

Nannies will teach simple magic tricks, give older children simple quizzes, and help parents refill milk bottles.

Etihad, the national carrier of the United Arab Emirates, also has very strict rules for how many falcons passengers can bring into the cabin.