Flying with children age 3 1/2 and 7 months, which airline?

[SaraC]

Hi,

 

We're quite far into our emigration process (just CO, Medicals and PCC's to get) and we're starting to wonder about the finer details now, we have WA SS but we're intending on flying into Brisbane and spending a month or so with Hubby's family before flying over to WA. We have a (highly strung!) but film-loving 3 and a half year old and a 7 month old baby, we usually fly Emirates but have read on here that Singapore Airlines are the recommended airline if you have young children.

 

We flew to Oz with our little girl when she was 7 weeks old and flew FinnAir (never again) to Hong Kong and then Cathay Pacific through to Brisbane but have also flown with Emirates twice (before we had children) and loved that airline.

 

If anyone has any tips, we would be most grateful!

 

Thanks :biggrin:

[Alaska]

I think they are all pretty good these days as most have the TVs in the back of the seat.

We travelled with Emirates over here and they gave them little puppets and crayons and they had the TV and games.

The flights were much more bearable than I imagined. I wouldn't worry about it too much.

[J&T]

We have only ever flown with Emirates to Oz, but have booked Singapore Airlines for our one way tickets due to the price difference.

 

When we first flew with our 4 children, (the youngest who was 2), we timed it so we mainly flew at night so the children could sleep, had 2 hour stopover at Dubai and the children got their gifts from the airline to keep them amused along with our colouring in books, magazines and the on-line entertainment, they weren't too bad! (I just always got lumbered with the children who wouldn't sleep, while OH got the settled ones)!!

[Guest lisa crowe]

We flew British airways, they were good, the cabin crew very helpful and nothing was to much trouble, even when our 4 year old threw up as we had to keep circling Singapore due to weather lol

[Guest]

I like any of the big airlines that fly into Changi airport as that is our preferred route to Aus as we like a night flight out, land at tea time in Singapore, have a few hours on the ground for son to run around in the play areas or hit the pool or grab a shower (Rainforest lounge, lovely and quiet usually with big sofas and space). Then feed son, get him ready for bed and onto the next leg at about 10pm Singapore time to land in Aus about 7am.

 

Qantas are fine, they codeshare with BA and if we fly with these we try to book the first leg with BA over Qantas but if you've a young baby then look for an airline that has the drop down cot, which iirc Qantas does but BA doesn't, they have little rocker type chairs that clip onto tables which isn't ideal for a long sleep or extended periods of time IMHO. Thankfully last time we flew with them they bumped someone up and there was a spare seat next to us so our son went and sat in that one which saved our laps (he was too big for the chair by this point anyways).

 

Singapore probably comes out tops overall though.

 

I'd check seatguru.com for the info on what the planes have on them so you can see about sky cots and so on.

[Rupert]

If you like Emirates use them and then you know what you are getting. A lot of people like Singapore, personally I thought they were fine but nothing special. I really can't imagine they will be that different in terms of dealing with youngsters.