liverpool girl

We plan to fly out from Manchester to Sydney next Feb to validate our visa and have 2 choices of airlines that fly from Manchester - Singapore and Emirates. The problem with the singapore flight is that we will have a very active 2 year old flying with us and it is a daytime flight departing at 8:40am so I am guessing that she will be awake for the majority of the flight. In addition to this there is also a stop at Munich for 1 hour where I guess we will not be able to get off the plane (someone please correct me if I am wrong on this) so total flight time is over 15 hours Other option is to go with Emirates where I can get the flight times that I want but one sector the journey from Dubai to Sydney is on the B777-LR where they cram in an extra seat on each row of seats which leaves you with narrow seats and narrow isles. They have had consistently bad reports and singapore airlines who we have flown with a number of times have good reports. I am inclined to go with Emirates for the better flight times what with having a 2/3 year old but am concerned about the seat width etc on the dubai to sydney sector. Could anyone who has recently flown on this aircraft tell me whether the seats really do feel that narrow and their general experience of Emirates.
Many thanks in advance

Red_V_Roger

Manchester to Dubai on the 10 seat wide 777 is just OK, but I find the 777 that goes from Dubai to Sydney via Bangkok an absolute nightmare.

Last time I did it, the via Bangkok flight was about $200 cheaper than teh direct A380...never EVER again. After about 9 hours cramped Dubai to Bangkok, to have to get off this thing, go back through security and get back in to this little seat for another 10/12 hours aaaahhhh....

Ok, so I am quite a big lad, so this probbaly doesn't help too.

koalakim

Hi there

Have to say I'd choose Singapore because the hosties are always very good with kids and if the flight is quiet, they are usually happy to keep the little ones entertained. I haven't got kids but have been on plenty of flights where they have been and they always seem to take good care of kids and parents.

I've done a few Emirates flights but always find their service hit and miss whilst Singapore is always consistant.

Hope you have a good flight, whichever one you choose!

HelenTD

We just returned from a holiday to the UK with our 2 kids, flying with Emirates. I posted about this in another thread:

http://britishexpats.com/forum/showt...hlight=HelenTD

The kids loved the ICE entertainment system, the only downside being that they were so engrossed it was hard to persuade them to sleep. The kids' food was terrible and they got served at the same time as the adults, making it hard for you to eat if you have to help them with theirs. Adults with special meals (vegetarian, etc) got served before the kids.

There are several problems with Emirates seats: the foam is way too hard (absolutely no give), there are no footrests (apparently most airlines remove them to reduce weight, leaving your legs dangling in mid-air unless you are tall or provide yourself with a footrest), and the aisles are narrow, so that the person sitting there gets knocked by the trolleys and people walking by. I have never felt so uncomfortable on a flight and I got almost no sleep. I also ended up with a very stiff neck and shoulders for a few days afterwards. There are several websites that evaluate airline seats and other aspects of flying.

On the other hand, Emirates are considerably cheaper than other major airlines (but there's good reasons for that) and their flight schedule is the quickest, going Perth-Dubai-London and return. I know it would be a pain, but I'd be tempted to look at the options travelling from Heathrow.

Red_V_Roger

Just booked today to go back in April 2011 to Manchester from Sydney. Emirates prices have been climbing steadly over the last 2 weeks - now $5,600 for the two of us.

Decided to jump in with Etihad at $4,060 for the two of us based on their current offer of sale prices for departures to end of March - so we are going right at the end of March to overlap in to April.

At least only B777 from Abu-Dhabi to Man and no stop in Bangkok!

liverpool girl

Thanks for the reply. I think we are going to have to consider getting down to heathrow to get the singapore night flight. It's a right pain because we live in Wilmslow just 10 mins drive from Manchester Airport. Also, I guess we're concerned about getting to down to heathrow in Feb if the weather is bad like it was last winter. I think which ever way we do it the flight is going to be difficult.
Does anyone know whether you can get off the plane in Munich with the singapore flight from Manchester??

Red_V_Roger

Have you looked at Etihad Airlines? as a 3rd option from Manchester with only one stop.

Then also Emirates from Newcastle - easier than Heathrow

liverpool girl

Yes I have also been looking at Etihad. I don't think they have the best reputation either but maybe they are better than emirates. Anyone with any experience of Etihad compared to Emirates would be good to read.
I really want to go with Singapore but have to weigh up if their good service will make up for the fact that we are travelling with a very active 2 nearly 3 year old during the daytime. Maybe for the sake of more convenient flight times we would be better off putting up with Emirates bad service?
We also plan to take the car seat on the plane so that we can strap her in otherwise we will spend the entire flight getting her to stay in her seat. She doesn't do sitting still and is always on the go! So different to my eldest child.

HelenTD

Our 2 kids sound like yours - the eldest can sit still for hours, but the youngest is always on the go. The entertainment system really helped keep him in his seat, although he seemed to want to go to the toilet every 5 minutes, usually just when I was nodding off. We took the night flight from Perth and told the kids beforehand that it would be sleep-time and they did both get some sleep. This was a 777 leg and it was about 11 hours Perth-Dubai. It was an A380 from Dubai-London, during the day, about 6 hours. As you might expect, neither got any sleep and nor did we. The same happened in reverse.

Overall, it was much easier persuading them to sleep when it was dark and ICE kept them occupied during daylight. Apart from ICE, the kids were given a hand puppet and were offered crayons and a very basic colouring-in book. Neither of mine were interested. Food was poor and I'm glad we persuaded security in Perth and London to let us take our snacks on-board.

On any flight betwen the UK-Australia, you are going to have to deal with how kids might cope with the long hours of travel and being confined. You're more likely to cope better if you get looked after yourself, or if the airline has a good reputation for looking after kids.

heldownunder

When i flew on singapore via amsterdam we had to get off. We found flying in the daytime easier as we were not tired to entertain them though suggest u take your own dvd player to play little ones favourites rather than rely on the airline choices. I think the whole noise thing helps toddlers sleep even in the daytime.
Hubby just returned with Eithad to Manchester the leg from abu dhabi was on a really old plane but service was ok.

Jon77

Singapore Airlines, flown with them a number of times and cannot fault them at all Service with a smile and they do look after the kids.

Good tip about taking a DVD player with you also.

ex_exile

Another thing to consider is that Emirates 777LR aircraft are configured as 10 across in Ecomomy class wheras Singapore 777's are only 9 across so you will have considerbly less space on Emirates.