hefbat Posted January 10, 2015 Share Posted January 10, 2015 Hey all, We've got two twin toddlers that will be about 20months by the time we move to Australia. We'll be flying London to Oz (probably Sydney), final destination is Canberra. We'll be booking them separate seats. We've done 6 hours flights with them when they were about 1 but this is quite a different beast. Does anyone have any tips on who to/not to fly with when you have small children, whether to fly straight through on same plane (so only stop for fuel without leaving plane) or book in a layover, etc etc. Cheers! mIKE Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CaptainR Posted January 10, 2015 Share Posted January 10, 2015 Split the journey, possibly get a 10+ hour stopover somewhere and take a hotel. Choose a row of 4 across, and ideally with an airline that had good in flight entertainment (Emirates). Order child meals on the manage booking section of airlines website. Try to plan well and be relaxed as possible through the chaos of airports., Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bound4Tassie Posted January 10, 2015 Share Posted January 10, 2015 We travelled with our eldest daughter at 4 months which seemed hard work but in reality it was a doddle compared to taking her at 2yrs! We said after that we should've booked a stopover to refresh for the 2nd leg. We flew with Qantas who were fine. Travelators at airports entertain toddlers for ages at airports if there's a wait! We went through Dubai. Good luck with the twins... Usually it's hard but not as bad as you imagine but even if its hellish then keep in mind that it will end ! And then you can start your lovely new Aus lives! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scuffythetugboat Posted January 10, 2015 Share Posted January 10, 2015 From our experience the children coped, we suffered, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mungbean Posted January 10, 2015 Share Posted January 10, 2015 Hi from Edinburgh My pal with a 2.5-year old just told me that < 24 months they fly free, or is that not on all airlines/flights? Big difference! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bound4Tassie Posted January 10, 2015 Share Posted January 10, 2015 I don't know about free but under 2's don't have to have their own seat - there is a fee though. With over 2's you have to book a seat for them so its costly. With 2 toddlers the extra seat might be a good idea just as a place to put things! My 2 .5yr old sat on my knee for 24hrs ( even on take off/landing) so in 1 way annoying that we paid for a full seat but on the other hand ,don't know what we would've done without it at meal times (toddler on lap and tray down / 2 meals on 1 tray....doesn't really work! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hefbat Posted January 10, 2015 Author Share Posted January 10, 2015 Thanks all for the tips, everyone. My wife's company is paying for the flight - so we're definitely getting seats for the twins as we don't have to worry about costs. Thank goodness for that. Bound4tassie, how did yours manage without a stop-over? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
benthomas010 Posted January 10, 2015 Share Posted January 10, 2015 Yeah its not free. But minimal cost. costs vary massively between airlines though. With Emirates for my daughter it's about a £20 fee. With Etihad it was in the region of £150, both with her in a small cot thing. We have flown with her again at 1 yrs old (too big for the bassinet, too small for own seat) .. and it was more of a challenge - once they are mobile, being cooped up in a seat all day isn't nice for them. For that reason, I would recomend a stopover so they can get out and play, burn some energy and use their legs a bit. It will also break up the journey for you too. You can actually book a seat for them, at quite a cost. But then you need an approved car seat etc and All the hassle that goes with that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bound4Tassie Posted January 10, 2015 Share Posted January 10, 2015 Thanks all for the tips, everyone. My wife's company is paying for the flight - so we're definitely getting seats for the twins as we don't have to worry about costs. Thank goodness for that. Bound4tassie, how did yours manage without a stop-over? I can't say it was easy but I expected hell and it was slightly better than that! First leg was night time so she did sleep a good chunk of that. 2nd flight more tricky and we did do lots of walking up and down the aisle. Brought a tablet she could watch things in but she wasn't interested in it. Colouring & peppa pig magazines/ books. Toddler attention span isn't always that great though. I did laugh when they asked me to fill in customer survey.... What did I think of the in flight entertainment? Er do you really think I got to watch films??! Worst part was boarding first. Its good that you get first pick of where to put all your luggage etc but then you are waiting eons for everyone else to board, then take off delayed. So she had sat nicely for a while but because of the delay she wouldn't sit in her seat for take off...screamed blue murder. Air steward were good though...let us have a lap belt and sit on my knee even though she was over 2. Anyway to sum up , its difficult and you have 2 of them so hard to get a break. I think stopover would be good idea. But your kids might be more placid than mine!! Just have to keep your eyes on the prize! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LKC Posted January 11, 2015 Share Posted January 11, 2015 Flying with kids is a bit like being in labour. It hurts at the time, but the pain is worth it at the end! We have flown with our girls as toddlers, you just have to be as prepared as possible and expect the worst. We have done both straight through flights and one where we stopped in Singapore for 6 hours in the transit hotel, both had plusses and minuses, but I think the straight through flight felt less exhausting. We took a 'lucky dip' bag, with lots of small toys wrapped up in wrapping paper. If they had been good for a bit, they got a lucky dip - bribery works a treat! Some of those things were 'Bob the Builder' duplo sets, which of course not only took time to build (we wrapped the pieces up separately, they got a piece or two for being good), but they also played with them afterwards. We took some kids magazines, and books, took some food (biscuits, crisps, fruit etc - eldest was very picky with food at that age, and we figured that rubbish to eat was preferable to nothing to eat). Take spare clothing, more than you think that you will need. Favourite teddy/toy/blanket, colouring pencils and paper. The first time we flew with them (dd1 was about 26 months, youngest was 6 months), we booked three seats, and were seated in two of the centre seats and then OH was given a seat a few rows back - that was hard because either we all had to squash in to the two seats, or one of us had to have the kids on our own. The next time we flew we booked four seats across the middle, and have done that every time since, because it is easier for the kids to spread out. We also pre-select seats, and tend to go for seats with the bulkhead behind us (but away from the toilets), because although the seats don't quite fully recline, it is a bit quieter for the kids when the lights are out. We also found that they will serve the kids meals first if you ask, and being at the back of a section means that you are given your meals last, meaning that there is time to sort the kids out. Airline wise, we have both flown Qantas and Singapore Air. Both were great with the girls, we choose simply based on price. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shak Posted January 11, 2015 Share Posted January 11, 2015 We flew from manchester to sydney with our 17 month old...we just made sure she were kept entertained throughout, took lots of books for her (she loves her books),downloaded her favourite cartoons onto a tablet (this was really handy),took her favourite snacks to eat on the plane,we went with emirates they had a ceebeebies,had some of her toys too.we also booked a seat for her so we can lay her down when she fell asleep...she wasnt as bad as i thought she'd be,it was only when we landed in sydney,that was it,she was a handful due to tiredness Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LKC Posted January 11, 2015 Share Posted January 11, 2015 Oh, and take a lollipop or something like that for each of them for both the ascent and descent on each leg - our youngest finds it really difficult to equalise the pressure in her ears and always cries because of the pain. When they are a bit older they can do it themselves, but when they are little they need something to suck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quoll Posted January 11, 2015 Share Posted January 11, 2015 Never done it with twins but have done it with my own kids as babies and toddlers and, latterly, my grandkids. They've always managed really well. With kids nearing 2, The bassinettes will be useless so their own seat will be ideal. I've always gone for flights that leave late at night so they (and I) are knackered and sleep the first leg. I always get straight through flights - use the refuelling for a nice long walk/ run around in the airport then knock ff the second leg (my preference to go through Asia rather than the ME - that long leg from Dubai second is a killer). I just like to get it all over and done with! Sadly, Qantas no longer flies through Asia so if you go Qantas you're going to be stuck with the killer second leg. Travel light - you don't want to be wrangling the kitchen sink as well as the kids. I always wrapped some little presents to be given at strategic points - little books, cars, dolls or the best, surprisingly, a magic doodler from the Dollar shop (doodle then erase). If your kids watch videos then there will be plenty to amuse them but child headphones work better than the adult ones (we got some for the grandkids but they weren't great video watchers though they were good at listening to books). My biggest issue was travel sickness - if you have a kid who gets travel sick, be prepared! Sadly, under 2 there is nothing recommended for kids any more (not from the Aus end anyway, there may be something from the UK end) but whatever you want to try, try it first before you go anywhere near a plane! Some of the ones that used to be suggested can have a paradoxical effect and you don't want a hyperactive toddler bouncing off the walls at 35000 ft. As has been said, give them something to eat/drink for ascent and descent to equalise their ears. Dont be afraid to walk the aisles if you need to. I've always used slings/packs for my kids and my grandkids use them too - the Ergobaby (no affiliation) is a great sling that works for toddlers as a backpack carrier (again, use it beforehand) can be helpful if they are fretful. To to get to Canberra you'll need to go via another airport in Aus, usually Sydney or Melbourne. My own preference is Melbourne because you can walk to the domestic side, in Sydney you have to go by bus to Domestic and the planes are jets rather than the prop planes of the Canberra/Sydney leg (smoother, usually!) Theyll be fine, you'll be knackered but it's only 24 hours of your life and you can stand pretty much anything for 24 hours! Good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hefbat Posted January 12, 2015 Author Share Posted January 12, 2015 Thanks again everyone. Quoll, that is really good intel, hadn't though of the prop/jet, shuttle/walk, and killer 2nd leg. Really helpful stuff Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Murta Posted January 12, 2015 Share Posted January 12, 2015 When we flew ours where three and seven so a bit older I admit , but none tieless we were so delighted with our experience.we were so prepared and more. We have all the snacks under the sun. Changes of clothes , bedroom slippers etc.cushions . We then had technology....which is what our kids are into. We brought their own head phones with socket adapters so they could watch the same movie on the iPad if needs be. We orebodies the kids meals. Inthing i I tried a few days before was to stretch their bed times to later so it would slot into the airlines flight times. We had a short turnaround in kula lumper which was better as on the way bCk we had a good few hours stop over which was boring but we got through. Yeah also surprise gifts along the route, beakers etc they had t seen before so all new fangled..worked for us Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
budeman Posted January 15, 2015 Share Posted January 15, 2015 My personal opinion would be to get a day flight - I have flown both night and day with little ones and although they do sleep a bit more on the night flight because you are knackered it makes for an arduous journey. Your tired, the kids are tired and everyone around you is trying to sleep - day flight your more awake so can cope with them better and going up and down the aisles the other passengers (most of them!) are generally pleased to see the kids. We went with Singapore and I couldn't recommend them enough - staff were really attentive and flying to Singapore you get the longest flight out of the way first. We flew to Perth so it was 12 hours to Singapore and then 5 to Perth. Plus Singapore airport is really nice - they have a butterfly garden, kids play area, big Koi carp pond so the kids are more than happy there - heck of a lot better than T3 at Heathrow! We didn’t have a stop over and it worked fine for us - we had a 2 hour break and a 4 hour break the second time. For us we just wanted to get there asap I'm not sure how much rest you or the kids would get - I imagine it depends on how well they (and you more importantly) would sleep in the break. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rvaria Posted January 15, 2015 Share Posted January 15, 2015 Just flown with Singapore Airlines (who now fly T2 at heathrow btw), from Heathrow to Perth. They codeshare with Virgin but it was cheaper to book through Singapore Airlines unless you have Virgin points or something to use up. Very, very good airline for kids, good selection of child friendly movies and TV (they had Frozen so my little one was happy, lol), they had children's headphones (I had taken my own ones plus adaptor, didn't use them), good food for kiddies and could ask for snacks at any time and they got served first, but make sure you pre-order their meals. As mentioned above, Changi airport is very good. Again plenty for kiddies to do and just unwind a bit. Did a night flight on the way out but due to out of control family on row behind didn't get as much sleep as I hoped. Had the A380, which was very quiet and smooth and had a little bit more space than the A330 we had on the second leg. 5 hour stopover turned out to be a good idea as we managed to unwind. Singapore to Perth was a measly 5 hours. Kids suffered from jet lag a fair amount when we arrived at 6am. Way back, left at 6am then only 50 minutes in Singapore. Kids stayed awake the whole journey except the last 2 hours. We landed at 7pm local time. One day off and everyone was back to school / work. Very little jet lag that time except everyone woke up at 5am the first couple of days, lol. For time about the plane, we've done quite a few long haul flights (family spread all over the world) from baby stage upwards and I pretty much echo everything that Quoll said. Great advice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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