I need to make a trip back to Scotland and will be flying Melbourne to Dubai with 2 hrs to get to the transfer flight to Glasgow. It is the first time I will be flying with my 2 little ones (age 6 and 2) on my own. I am really worrying about it but it has to be done.
Firstly, will I need something from my husband to say he gives permission for me to take them back to the UK without him? He has work commitments and can not join us. We're only going for a few weeks then coming home to Oz.
How did you handle the flight on your own with little kids? How do you negotiate the toilet situation? All of us go together every time?
How about the transit through Dubai airport as a woman on her own with kids? Any advice?
I don't really know what I am looking for. Just some advice from those who have done this as it was hard enough doing the one way flight to get here a few years ago with help but doing this on my own and having to do it again coming home in a few weeks is really freaking me out.
Thanks for reading.
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Emirates Melbourne to Glasgow on my own with 2 kids - I have some questions
Rosalina99 · 07/04/2015 03:42
They still have strollers in the Emirates terminal. 2 hours is fine, but it is a very big airport so make sure you find out how far your new gate is straightaway.
With regards to toilet breaks, the 6 yo can go by himself/ stay when you go and look after the 2 yo? Also don't be afraid to ask for help. (Remember nobody can get off the plane with your children 
)
You can book a special children's meal for the little ones. Those also usually get served first which is nice.
You will be fine. Having flown since my dd was 7 weeks old, long haul now with 4dc I still wouldn't worry.
Strollers as said in terminal if it helps.
Surely at 6 toilet etc is quite an independent activity?
Don't pack much is my advice. TVs colouring stuff, food. The more you carry the more you lug around. We travel in joggers. That will do day and night. They will sleep at random times. Just go with the flow.
As for Letter of permission. Urrr wouldn't even cross my mind. You have their passports. Your a parent. As long as dh doesn't call the police to say you can't leave all good! There is only an alert if its triggered by the police. Hence people leave the country and are summonsed to return under Hague convention. I guess if it makes you feel better take a letter but it's in no way legally binding, could be written by anyone .
I've done the Emirates Melbourne to Glasgow run a couple of times now by myself with our toddler.
Never taken a letter. Even when toddler was on an Aussie passport and I was on my British one. Never had a problem...never been questioned, and never even thought about it.
Dubai is great - strollers galore, and the gates are never a huge walk from each other.
Other passengers and crew have been very helpful at loo breaks! Crew especially have always been more than happy to hold baby/sit with toddler (I never ask at meal service etc though).
Always lovely arriving home in Glasgow - queues at immigration are short 
I am chuckling at my only immigration faux pa when did left Aus aged 7 weeks. She had her passport flown to the airport for us to collect as we left. Caused great drama, not as ex partner her biological father wasn't present, given consent or anything to do with him, but because It hasn't been activated in the haste of getting it! It was a one year temporary passport, I was made to sign in in front of two policemen. With 3 proofs of ID, sobbing as I didn't want to leave. But no mention or concern of dd's biological father
Chloe perhaps you just need to accept that just as you have not had any problem going through various immigration procedures others have and its way more common than you think.
Sorry about that.
I have been questioned with my children and grandchildren when entering the Uk, France, and going between Wales and Scotland. And the letters were not enough, my granddaughter was actually asked questions by the immigration officer to see if her details tallied up with what was on the letter and the passport.
Ive also been asked if I could prove my severely disabled son mixed race son was in fact my son.
Im sorry, I did it again and posted to soon.
Also wanted to say a quick search of MN will show many threads where people are telling of being stopped and asked for letters of authorisation, and in one case when the parent didnt have one the immigration officials phoned the other parents and asked if the child was being allowed to travel
Definitely take snacks. We've recently done Emirates from oz to UK and the kids meals were awful, my DC didn't eat any of the hot food and just picked the cookies, crisps and juice..great. I normally take lots of little sandwiches (Vegemite, cucumber, cheese) making sure the fresh stuff gets handed out first, raisins, mini breadsticks, apples (bananas just get squished), satsumas and then treats....treatsize choc bars given out every hour for good behaviour
Hi, am just back last weekend from a melbourne-gatwick Emirates flight with a 6yo and 3yo. Flight was full of families with small children and there was a bit of helping each other out. Cabin staff weren't massively helpful - there weren't really enough of them. My children barely ate any of their meals (didn't need to book special childrens meals, these came automatically) so definitely take some snacks. Also, it was hard getting enough water, so take bottles on with you, although you get screened getting off and onto the plane in Dubai, even though you're still in transit, so you'll need to empty your bottles and refill them from fountain in the departure lounge if you don't want to have to keep buying more water.
Onboard entertainment system kept my children happily entertained for entire flight - there's a CBeebies channel. We had iPads loaded with stuff as well, and there are recharging sockets in the backs of seats to keep everything going. They also get a colouring book and pencils, a soft today and special blanket. We didn't use any of the colouring books etc we brought, so I wouldn't bother with that again. Basically, they just wanted to watch TVs and sleep.
Dubai airport was fine - couldn't find any play areas, but the gates were pretty close for our flights each way. Lots of loos and children's changing areas. Grab the first buggy you see as they go pretty quickly! Or you can get little luggage trolleys with a seat for a child, which my son managed to sleep in!
I would take a letter, you never know..Reduces any stress if you have it just in case. But there's no customs etc in Dubai, so you won't need anything for there, just at the oz and UK ends. I noticed that customs at both ends were pretty careful to check out my children's Id - not just whether photos matched, but also checking whether they responded to the names on the passports.
Hope that's helpful - the flights were actually much easier than I was expecting, mainly because they can now watch tv for hours and because they're so small, economy is like business class for them.
Good luck
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