Flying to Australia-which airline?

[Bessymessy]

We're planning to visit Australia over Christmas with DS7 and DD6. They've never done a long haul flight before and we don't know which airline is best for trips to Oz with Dc. Price is a consideration but prepared to pay more if it means an easier flight. Don't mind about where the stopoff is as planning to go straight through because of time constraints.

Is there any difference between airlines or are they all essentially the same when flying with Dc? Any good or bad experiences?

Thanks for all the tips. Will definitely look at Singapore Airlines. Hadn't thought about Virgin but will look at them and Malaysia too. Have flown BA and Quantas pre DC and agree BA cabin crew rude and unhelpful so don't want to risk it with DC. I'm wondering now if we might not squeeze in a short stopover in Singapore which sounds lovely. It's a long way off but felling very excited now!

I've flown with Qatar Airways twice now and think they are fab! The flight is also significantly shorter and transit at Doha very short too, so you spend less time in the air and arrive there quicker - the shorter trip is a huge bonus IMO!

We have flown to and from Oz several times with Singapore Airlines and have no complaints. We used to go for the Singapore stopover package and spend 1 night in Singapore which helps with the jet lag. We would have a quick nap in our hotel room, spend the afternoon exploring Singapore, visit the zoo the following day then get the evening flight to Oz. Airline staff are very helpful and very family friendly. They have lots of snacks outside of meal times, provided milk for the kids, etc...

I have flown with emirates and refuse to fly with them again because of their service. I've had problems with pre booked meals and we were actually turned up as soon as gates opened to check in for a return flight to discover that they'd bumped us to the next flight. Obviously these days we could check in online but I still don't trust them. We also had friends who travelled out with 3 under-5's. The children slept through mealtime, and then apparently there was no food they could have. When my kids slept through a meal on SA flight we were offered sandwiches, crisps, chocolate and fruit.

I would never fly emirates again. Service was terrible and I hate dubai airport.

Etihad on the other hand have always been awesome, but I've never flown more than 8 hours with them. They also don't have the A380 yet if that's a consideration for you.

My mum and dad love Qatar airways - I've never used them though.

We fly to perth often. We use emirates only because we can go from Glasgow and it is just one stop in Dubai.

My preference is BA/qantas. BA to Singapore via London and qantas into perth.

Singapore airlines on the A380