Sydney - With Children

[Beriltheperil]

Am planning to fly to OZ this year with the familly, one of which includes a 10 year old. Just wondering, is it better to fly the whole route in one go or break it in the far east? (Views of those who have down it with children).

A friend mentioned going via LA and that this would be better for jet lag?

And lastly, which carrier would be best for comfort and keeping kids entertained. Ideally would love to fly business, but won't be able to afford this so will need to be coach or one above?

Thanks
BTP

[Crepello]

Sounds like you'll need good inflight entertainment - seatback TVs and preferably computer games. SQ (Singapore Airlines) are good in that regard and so are several others - though I've no recent experience on that route. They won't have the very cheapest fare but a friend of mine used to do Europe-Oz four times a year, to visit his fiance. He'd pay the extra for SQ because their service and amenities were deemed worth it.

I'd disregard LA - that'd be two very long flights at least - and whichever way you go, it'll take a few days to adjust your body-clocks. Plus I suspect it's a more expensive routing. Just watch the timings on the eastbound route - I did AMS-SYD via Tokyo seven years ago with a 9hr stopover in Narita. Not much fun at all.

Do any of your kids have a birthday coming up? If so, it might be worth investing in a handheld games console to help pass the hours - could lead to arguments but hopefully they'd figure out a way to share. I mention this as there's no guarantee that the airline's entertainment will be operational at every seat.

Australia's fantastic - have a great trip.

[Globaliser]

Another thing about flying via LA: You'd need to disembark, clear immigration, collect your baggage, clear customs, then hand back the baggage and then go to board your onward flight.

Even if you have neither the intention nor the desire to enter the USA.

This madness is bad enough for sole adult passengers, and would be worse if you're trailing kids. I'd recommend trying to avoid it.

[Gordon17]

I would agree that the LA option is not good - two very long sectors (11 and 13 hours) instead of an 11 and an 8.

My advice would be to take one of the many flights that give a couple of hours in Bangkok or Singapore and get it over with as quickly as possible. I've done it with a 2 year old and couldn't be bothered with the extra hassle of getting off, transferring to the city, checking in to a hotel then doing all that again backwards to get the onward flight. Just get to Australia as quickly as you can and get stuck into your holiday.

And my advice for minimising jetlag is to make sure that you stay up all day when you arrive in Sydney early in the morning. Get out in the fresh air and have an active day in the city then go to bed in the evening and you'll sleep well and be straight - at least that's always worked for us.

[radeng]

I saw a report that transit passenger numbers through the US had dropped by over 40% because people were avoiding the hassle of immigration when transiting. Apparently, the number of visitors and students has dropped, too, representing a big loss of income.

[Bangkokeasy]

My recommendations would be:

- try to do it in as short a time, with as few stops, as possible
- DO NOT transit in the USA, which can be a real nightmare (fancy standing in a queue for an hour or two with your tired kids?)
- transit in Singapore, where there are a lot of free activities for kids of all ages during the transit.

If you feel you want to break the journey in the Far East, then Singapore again would be my recommendation, unless you have been to any of the other options. Hong Kong, Bangkok and KL, being the obvious options, can all be a bit of a culture shock for the uninitiated with only a day to spare.

[Globaliser]

Originally Posted by radeng

I saw a report that transit passenger numbers through the US had dropped by over 40% because people were avoiding the hassle of immigration when transiting.

What's more, it's led to NZ instituting (from northern winter 2006/7) AKL-HKG-LHR flights, in large part because AKL-LON premium pax have got fed up with the enforced rigmarole at LAX even when they're only transiting.

[Beriltheperil]

Thanks all, I avoid the LA routing and go the other way round.

[Wyler]

Malaysian is good but its a very long transfer to KL city if you stop over. A couple of days in Singapore is good to wind down and there's plenty for the kids to do. The Night Safari is great. Failing that, a few hours in Changi is good. One of the best airports I have visited. You can grab a shower and the surroundings are great. Very family friendly as well. Only 6 hours to Sydney and 4 to Perth so the hard bit is done.
Have a good time.

Wyler

[AIRWAY]

I have done it with Emirates via Singapore and Dubai (B777 and A330) to Uk and vice-versa, and i loved it, the best of all no jetlag (except on the way back where i felt a bit tired and slept like a baby but that was one night only, after that everything went back to normal) the flight was 3 (sectors) x 7 hours each approx, loved everything from Emirates apart from the 3x4x3 Economy class on their B777, flew Business on the A330 Gatwick-Dubai and it was 5*.