Monarch or Emirates to Maldives?
Just researching on behalf of a family member ahead of an upcoming trip to the Maldives at the start of December and wondered if there might be any advice as to which carrier would be preferable.
Route is MAN-MLE.
Option 1 is a shuttle to LGW (not through ticket), before taking a Monarch flight to MLE.
Which aircraft type is commonly used on the route? The A330? If so, I presume it is non-stop? Is legroom/premium economy available on the route? What sort of charge might there be for this and is it worth it?
Option 2 is Emirates via DXB. I know the aircraft will be 777s, and the approx sector and connection times involved. Just wondering if the seating and service (plus the "hassle" of a 2-3h connection) would be preferable over option 1?
The DXB stop breaks the flight up quite nicely, but it's quite a long time on the ground there.
The LGW option means it is a risk to take the nearest shuttle to the LGW-MLE departure in case of delay, so maybe an earlier shuttle is required. Plus, there is only 90 minutes after landing back at LGW (I believe) to catch the last LGW-MAN flight of the day.
Opinions in the next 24 hours would be gratefully received.