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As they departed Australia for the 30-hour journey back to Kensington Palace, Prince William confessed he wasn't looking forward to the flight as baby George tends to get a bit 'grumpy'.

It is a sentiment many new parents can understand, with 73 per cent confessing they wouldn't even consider a long-haul trip with a nine-month old.

In a poll conducted by TripAdvisor for MailOnline Travel, less than one-fifth of parents said they would consider taking a long-haul journey with their baby, no matter the length.

Unimpressed: Prince William confessed baby George can get a bit 'grumpy' on flights

A daring 19 per cent said they wouldn't mind a long-haul flight, while eight per cent said they would consider one, but wouldn't go further than eight hours away.

While the Royals may be able to jet around the world with George in tow, the average age of a firstborn child taken on their first flight is five, according to Travelsupermarket.

Just 11 per cent of British parents aged 25-34 years old took their firstborn child on a plane between the age of six-11 months.

And when it comes to keeping children entertained on a flight, 63 per cent said the key was carrying extra toys in hand luggage to put a stop to boredom.

Globetrotter: Almost three-quarters of parents said they wouldn't consider flying long haul with a baby in tow like the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge

Up in the air: Prince George doesn't look impressed as he gets ready to board a Royal Australian Air Force plane for the flight to Australia from Wellington, New Zealand

Just 17 per cent request seats near the front or back to speed up boarding and disembarking, while 13 per cent consider taking along extra members of the family, such as grandparents, for extra support.

Just three per cent would take along earplugs for other passengers on the plane - something the parents of twin baby boys did on an American flight.

Boarding with 14-week old twins, the parents handed out packages of sweets and earplugs to fellow passengers along with a note explaining: 'We're twin baby boys on our first flight and we're only 14 weeks old!

Bribe: Parents handed out goodie bags to travellers on a plane to keep the adults happy

'We'll try to be on our best behavior, but we'd like to apologize in advance just in case we lose our cool, get scared or our ears hurt. Our mom and dad (AKA our portable milk machine and our diaper changer) have ear plugs available if you need them.'

A subsequent picture of the note and sweets was posted to Reddit and became a viral hit as people praised the parents for their creative way of placating fellow travellers.

Bob Atkinson, travel expert at TravelSupermarket, said: 'Travelling with young children can be logistically challenging, but air travel has become a lot more straightforward in recent years.

'The fact that Kate and William are prepared to take such a long flight with baby George, albeit with plenty of help, represents a huge vote in confidence for travelling with infants.'

He added: 'Parents today should have every confidence that they can experience a smooth flight with young children, providing they do their research online before they travel and ensure they aren't caught out by the small print.'

The average British parent is prepared to fly for a maximum of three hours with a child of nine months old

•         Almost a third (29 per cent) of British parents would not fly anywhere with a child of nine months old

•         The average age of a firstborn child taken on their first flight is five

•         TravelSupermarket reports flight searches to Australia are up 78 per cent on last Easter*

As Kate and William embark on the lengthy flight home from their tour down-under, TravelSupermarket reveals that just four per cent of British parents are prepared to fly for more than 20 hours (the duration of the shortest flight from London to Australia) with a nine month old child. Of the British parents who are prepared to fly with a child of that age (71 per cent), the average length of tolerable travel time is under three hours – enough time to reach Spain, Portugal, the Cote d'Azur or Croatia.

Inflight Infants

Two thirds (67 per cent) of British parents are prepared to fly up to 10 hours with a child of nine months, making more exotic destinations such as , Sharm El-Sheikh, New York and even the Caribbean  accessible for those willing to face the flight with a baby. However, that leaves nearly a third (29 per cent) who are not prepared to fly with a child that young, and nearly three quarters (71 per cent) of parents admit having young children has made them think twice about flying.

The research of over 1,300 British parents, conducted by price comparison site TravelSupermarket, reveals Prince George is well ahead of the travel curve as the average age a firstborn child is taken on their first flight is five. In fact, this is the young Prince's second trip having already visited the Caribbean earlier this year. This trend is set to continue as future generations, encouraged by the likes of Kate and William travelling around the world with baby George, have a greater accessibility to air travel with more information at their fingertips. In fact, the average age that a firstborn child is taken on a plane by parents currently between 25-34 years old is age two – a full six years younger than when parents now aged 65+ took their first child on a flight – at an average of age eight.

Airborne Firstborn

Kate and William share company with another 11 per cent of British parents aged 25-34 years old who took their firstborn child on a plane between the age of six-11 months. There's no doubt that Kate and William have plenty of support to look after George as they board the plane to fly back to London, but for those less privileged, the average British parent has other means of getting their child through a flight.

Baby Bribes

The most common way (63 per cent) to ease the stress of flying with young children is to carry extra toys in hand luggage to put a stop to boredom, although just three per cent have their fellow passengers in mind and carry earplugs for them.

Top tips from British parents to get young children through a flight

63%    Keep extra toys in hand luggage to prevent boredom

50%    Pack baby food, formula milk and sterilized water for the journey

22%    Pack less items yourself, so you can carry more baby luggage

21%    Carry children's medicine to relax your child if they're suffering

17%    Request seats near the front/back of the plane to speed up boarding/departing

16%    Carry earplugs and blankets for the child's comfort

13%    Take family along for extra support (e.g. grandparents)

3%    Carry earplugs for other passengers on the plane

The factors parents consider most important when airborne with an infant under the age of two are: comfort (53 per cent), length of flight (51 per cent) and good baby change facilities (50 per cent). The cost of an infant ticket ranks as a key travel factor for 43 per cent of British parents, and so to clear the air, price comparison site TravelSupermarket has uncovered exactly what you can expect to pay, and what you can expect in return for your money when flying with an infant.

Bob Atkinson, travel expert at TravelSupermarket comments: "Travelling with young children can be logistically challenging, but air travel has become a lot more straightforward in recent years. The fact that Kate and William are prepared to take such a long flight with baby George, albeit with plenty of help, represents a huge vote in confidence for travelling with infants. Our research shows that British parents are willing to fly with young children, and have come to expect a certain level of assurance from airlines when they do. Parents today should have every confidence that they can experience a smooth flight with young children, providing they do their research online before they travel and ensure they aren't caught out by the small print."