kazb67 Posted March 23, 2016 Share Posted March 23, 2016 We have had our visa granted & have just booked flights to activate visa/start sussing areas out etc before moving out. Our flights are Glasgow-Dubai-Perth with 2 hours 30 stop-over 1 way & 1 hour 40 on our return, flying Emirates. Initially I thought this would be fine however it's been 5 years since I was last in Dubai & they we're extending whilst I was there. I will also be travelling with a 1 year old. I'm now panicking that we won't have enough time to get between gates/through security never mind managing to stop & change &/or feed my son. Has as anyone else done this flight & was the stop-over time enough? Plus I'd love to hear your experiences on travelling long-haul with a baby, I'm getting quite nervous. He will do his own thing, it can't be helped, but I'm terrified of being THAT parent with THAT child that cries all the way lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Suzukiscottie Posted March 23, 2016 Share Posted March 23, 2016 You'll have plenty of time. Last time you flew, the gates in Dubai were quite far apart (you may even have got on a bus which met the plane way out on the apron). Now the gates are in the same terminal building. There is some walking, but it's not far. It can take a while to get through security sometimes, but in general you will have time. In any case, your luggage will be checked through to Perth, so the plane won't be going anywhere without you. :wink: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kazb67 Posted March 23, 2016 Author Share Posted March 23, 2016 Thanks. I can't remember if we had to get a bus or not but I do remember having to put a bit of a jog on!! Thats great that the gates are in the same terminal now, & I suppose they'll prob be on the look out for rogue passengers who are connecting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Suzukiscottie Posted March 23, 2016 Share Posted March 23, 2016 Thanks. I can't remember if we had to get a bus or not but I do remember having to put a bit of a jog on!! Thats great that the gates are in the same terminal now, & I suppose they'll prob be on the look out for rogue passengers who are connecting. If there are any delays which can be easily managed, there are usually staff at the gate with your name on a card, and they will help expedite the transition to the connecting flight. If the delay cannot be managed like that, then you'll get an overnighter in A Dubai hotel. The only time that happened to me was a late departure in Glasgow due to the previous landing causing a tyre puncture. The overnighter in Dubai was in a really nice hotel with all transportation and meal vouchers for the hotel restaurants. My babies were all teenagers last time we flew as a family. Sometimes babies are easier! Good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CaptainR Posted March 23, 2016 Share Posted March 23, 2016 Don't be afraid to ask for assistance, if your inbound flight from Dubai is running late, then ask the cabin crew if they can call ahead to arrange assistance or have someone meet you (I have done this). Don't be too British and too polite to ask, as they have many ways to assist you and it's in their interest to have you transfer smoothly. As someone mentioned above, worst case scenario is you miss the connection and the airline puts you up in a hotel and rebooks you the next day at its cost. The connection time should be okay, and seriously don't rush during the transfer, it will only stress you both out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CaptainR Posted March 23, 2016 Share Posted March 23, 2016 Oh yes, and don't forget to have some thing for the baby to drink during take off and landing, and encourage him/her to drink. The little ears struggle to adjust to the pressure changes and drinking helps. I fly a lot, and you can always tell when you see babies suddenly start screaming during take off and landing and the parents looking confused whilst the poor baby is in pain. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ramot Posted March 24, 2016 Share Posted March 24, 2016 2.30 hr should be fine as long as the flt is on time. 1.40 hr is pushing it, usually 2 hr min recommended. We were bused from landing to terminal last year flying with Emirates, not sure if anything has changed from last sept? Fluids aren't allowed boarding in Dubai even if bought airside, or they weren't last year, I don't know if that includes baby formula. Might be worth checking. Good advice about giving a drink on take off and landing. Hope it all goes smoothly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lp77 Posted March 24, 2016 Share Posted March 24, 2016 We flew without our kids last year to suss out. I'm sure we had to get a train to a different terminal... We flew Glasgow Dubai Brisbane.... Tbh the shops slowed me down so we had to run on but as they say your luggage is checked thru, they'll get you on the plane. Prepare for the worst but we have flown with 2/3kids since 2008 and they were always better than I expected. Some new things, cartoons munchies and I took a baby mat so they could roll around the floor in the airport. Good luck x Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quoll Posted March 24, 2016 Share Posted March 24, 2016 You'll be fine - just follow the Sheep through security from one flight to the next. Check the boards for gate information - its a silent airport but everything is pretty accessible once you're through security - it's queueing for security that takes the time. My advice would be to take a sling - Ergobaby seems to be a popular brand now and I know my granddaughters used one. You don't want to be wrangling baby and the kitchen sink. Travel light! Don't be scared to walk around the plane if the munchkin does start to howl - you can walk across the world if necessary. The worst crying kid I ever heard (on my last flight as it happens) her parents were trying to do the soothing in their seat (and failing miserably!). My son walked across Asia with DGD 2 on their last trip - she slept like a baby LOL but it was payback because I had done much the same with him when he was 12 weeks old and we had flown over! Don't sweat it if your little fella is unsettled, most other passengers will look sympathetically upon you! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patphillips47 Posted March 24, 2016 Share Posted March 24, 2016 We have had our visa granted & have just booked flights to activate visa/start sussing areas out etc before moving out. Our flights are Glasgow-Dubai-Perth with 2 hours 30 stop-over 1 way & 1 hour 40 on our return, flying Emirates. Initially I thought this would be fine however it's been 5 years since I was last in Dubai & they we're extending whilst I was there. I will also be travelling with a 1 year old. I'm now panicking that we won't have enough time to get between gates/through security never mind managing to stop & change &/or feed my son. Has as anyone else done this flight & was the stop-over time enough? Plus I'd love to hear your experiences on travelling long-haul with a baby, I'm getting quite nervous. He will do his own thing, it can't be helped, but I'm terrified of being THAT parent with THAT child that cries all the way lol We have done similar Newcastle - Dubai - Adelaide and the times are adequate My hubby is very slow has bad arthritis so we amble for want of a better word through the airport often only have time for the loo and a coffe then in the next flight Remember too your luggage is booked right through so the second plane won't take off without you We have often traveled and seen babies on flight most of the time they are really good ,odd times not but can't be helped Good luck anyway Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kazb67 Posted March 24, 2016 Author Share Posted March 24, 2016 Thank you all. I'm prob stressing unnecessarily. I'm used to it just being the 2 of us so rushing between gates/terminals, even in Heathrow :wacko:, wasn't too bad once we had a calming drink in hand! Haha. It's just unchartered territory for us but thousands of people do it. CaptainR - drinks for take off/landing is defo something I'll try & encourage, I've heard poor wee babies in terrible pain before, not great for them. Quoll - I hadn't even given the sling a thought, I just thought I'd grab a pushchair at the gate that had 4 sturdy wheels ready for the dash, good shout thanks. Emirates claim to be a very family friendly airline so I'm sure they'll do what they can to help if we're delayed in any way. Plus they wouldn't sell the flight with a stop-over time that was impossible to meet. My my sensible head is telling me that this should not be my biggest concern when I'm emigrating with a baby but it's the only thing I can chew off at the moment, everything else is still swirling around my head right now! thanks everyone!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patphillips47 Posted March 24, 2016 Share Posted March 24, 2016 I don't have a baby but I do have a very slow moving hubby so my head swirls too ! We often get told put hubby down as disabled but we did that one time and the lass in Heathrow wasn't strong enough to lush the wheelchair Then when we boarded there were disabled Olympians being boarded and my hubby felt awful as the were obviously much more disadvantaged than him We have traveled with a two year old she slept from Singapore to Heathrow and had to be woken up when we got off Am sure you will be fine good luck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bell123321 Posted March 24, 2016 Share Posted March 24, 2016 Last year I did London - Dubai - Sydney and back, Had 2 hours 30 minutes going out which was plenty of time had enough time to look in a couple of shops. However coming back I had 1 hour 50 minutes and I literally had to run half way across the terminal. Our flight was slightly delayed leaving Sydney, and my husband called Emirates asking if they were going to hold the plane at Dubai and they said no, they said my flight which was in the afternoon was the last flight of the day and they would end up putting me in a hotel if I missed that flight. I ran so so fast and the only reason I made my flight was because they had issues with a passenger which delayed the flight slightly. Personally I would never do under a 2 hour stop over again as it was way to stressful, and them telling us they would not hold the plane either. I know everyone is saying it is fine and it probably will be fine but if you encounter any delay leaving Perth then be prepared you may have to stay over night in Dubai. Sorry to put a damper on just giving my personal experience. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quoll Posted March 24, 2016 Share Posted March 24, 2016 Last year I did London - Dubai - Sydney and back, Had 2 hours 30 minutes going out which was plenty of time had enough time to look in a couple of shops. However coming back I had 1 hour 50 minutes and I literally had to run half way across the terminal. Our flight was slightly delayed leaving Sydney, and my husband called Emirates asking if they were going to hold the plane at Dubai and they said no, they said my flight which was in the afternoon was the last flight of the day and they would end up putting me in a hotel if I missed that flight. I ran so so fast and the only reason I made my flight was because they had issues with a passenger which delayed the flight slightly. Personally I would never do under a 2 hour stop over again as it was way to stressful, and them telling us they would not hold the plane either. I know everyone is saying it is fine and it probably will be fine but if you encounter any delay leaving Perth then be prepared you may have to stay over night in Dubai. Sorry to put a damper on just giving my personal experience. The point is though that once you've checked in, you're their problem so go with the flow! Unless you've got a job interview lined up for 30 minutes after arrival or your parent is dying in intensive care they understand circumstances beyond your control and they usually handle it well. If you miss the plane through no fault of your own they will accommodate you. If you're really anxious and time is growing short they will do an "excuse me" process for you to help you speed through - they don't like missing their slot, it costs them money. It's not that big a deal to be accommodated, it's happened a couple of times for me over 40 years. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted March 24, 2016 Share Posted March 24, 2016 I travelled through there last year with my 7 year old and hated it as an airport to transit through, more so with a child. Sworn off the route and sticking to Singapore in future. Far less busy and manic and easier to get around. Dubai we had to walk a long way to get from one flight to the departures then wait for a while in mad busy area till our flight came up on the board. Down 2 floors in the lift, catch a train, go up huge escslators and then hike to our departure gate. You'll get through it. Be prepared for a walk and the security check at the end of it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kazb67 Posted March 24, 2016 Author Share Posted March 24, 2016 Snifter I wasn't too mad on the airport the last time I went either, it did feel quite stressful & that was just adults. Given the choice we'd go through Singapore with Singapore Airlines but they don't fly from Scotland & I don't really want to add another flight getting to Heathrow. If it really is awful we may consider it when we move out permanently. Thanks Quoll, your right, they won't want their flights held up or additional costs any more than I want to miss it!! Ill just have to get practising my relaxation breathing techniques & take it as it comes. Calm parents = calm baby.......I hope lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patphillips47 Posted March 24, 2016 Share Posted March 24, 2016 Use this trip as your trial run and yes they will put you in a hotel if things go wrong which is a good thing to know We are doing the one way trip in April but Newcastle - Singpaore Airlines 2 days stopover and then Adelaide we have found the Dubai flight taking off mid afternoon for a 7 hour flight saw us try to stay awake on that leg ,yomp through the aiport then 13 hours we did get some sleep but were were shattered for a couple of days flying from Heathrow is late night around 10pm so we might sleep ,stop over then onwards If you did do the Scotland Heathrow bit make sure you book the flight down in conjunction otherwise you will need to pick up the luggage in Heathrow and lug that through as well as the bubs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kate24 Posted March 24, 2016 Share Posted March 24, 2016 I did the same flight at Christmas with my 6 year old, plenty of time to get to the gate for connection. Last time i was in Dubai airport was 2009/10 and it was very different then. There are buggies at the gate for families but I did notice that they were a bit low on availability (was comparing to my previous trip when they were easily available and thanking the Lord my child could walk now!) As for the flight, I did it myself when my daughter was 11 months, we got a seat with a bassinet- they aren't very big, fine if your child is a good sleeper but my daughter wasn't so I couldn't relax in case she woke up, sat up and leaned over/fell out. On the way back I had her much better trained and she slept happily in the bassinet and it was very relaxing. Take a bag with lots of snacks and buy some new toys for the flight. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kate24 Posted March 24, 2016 Share Posted March 24, 2016 Be careful with the snacks though, I happily fed my apparently ravenous daughter and she chundered like the exorcist all over her nana about 3 hours into flight- aircrew were nowhere to be seen for a help with cleaning it up btw. Nana stank of baby chuck for the next 20 hours- bleugh!! (We had several changes of clothes for baby, none for us!!) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jodipodi Posted March 28, 2016 Share Posted March 28, 2016 I dont know if you have a bassinet booked...maybe bubs is a little too big now for one of those....?...Probably.... But for anyone who travels with a baby small enough to fit one- book it!! I also reccommend an umbrella fold buggy with an attachable parasol - the parasol was invaluable for us on the flight- taken off the buggy we positioned it just so each time baby fell asleep we could lay a muslin over it and block out the light /air con /noise...it really was the best thing ever...and most have a a clip to allow you to attach to bassinet. You should be able to take powdered milk in hand luggage and boiled water is usually available on the plane itself.... I don't know how much you are bothered about water/sterilised things etc or how much that would concern you, but the water is usually red hot out if the water heater and baby's of a certain age put everything in their mouths anyway don't they?.... You can get steriliser bags that you can take which you just add water to....again can do in plane....we did all of this, hung the plastic bag on a hook on the plane etc....make sure you take teething gel, calpol/nurofen etc too and anything that will save sanity....got dummies?... Take ten....snugly blankies?...take ten....anything to keep you and bubs content. We did it with a 12 week old. Xx Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pommy Jimbo Posted April 26, 2016 Share Posted April 26, 2016 Traveling long haul with a baby. You'll love it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dmjg Posted April 26, 2016 Share Posted April 26, 2016 With a one year old it should be fine. Weve travelled back and forth with anything from six months upto five years. Prepare! Pack ultra light in your hand luggage. For one year old we didnt book a bassinette as they are tiny and he wouldnt have fit in it. One bottle, formula already metered out into sachets. Boiling water asked for as soon as we could get onto the plane, thus it cooled in the bottle and we were able to mix in the formula when needed and hand to him. We had slowly reduced the temp of his formula over two months from 35 down to 20 degrees, thus no warming needed. Also, at that age, everything goes into the mouth, so sterilising the bottle wasnt necessary, i just scrubbed it with a new toothbrush after use, refilled with more boiling water and let it cool for the next feed. Also, in manchester we were able to buy pre packed, made up aptimil in 150ml packs AFTER security. Thus it could be taken onto the plane without the rigmarole and stress it would have caused twenty yards back...... The next is a bit dodgy, but it helped us. A one year old moves fast! At an airport waiting for the next flight, you will be buggered and he will want to go. To hold him close i put a harness on him, attached about five meters of string and tied him to the chair leg i was sitting on......... Lots of wet wipes. Nappies. Change mat. Two sets of extra baby grows for him. We took his jumper off when we were on the flight and wrapped him in airline blankets. That way if he chucked, they would have the issue of dealing with most of the sick, and it wouldnt wreck our only jumper...... Spare tshirt or two for you if he is a sicky, as ours used to be. Or again, add an airline blanket as a barrier...... Your own little kid headphones, if he is able to watch the screen, along with a quids worth of ailine adapter off ebay. Kids headphones from the airline are crap! I had some old biddy mumbling about the noise he was making once, i handed him to her and said i was doing my best to calm him, it obviously wasnt good enough for her, so it was her turn! Shut her up real quick...... Good luck, its an experience. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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