travelling with an 10 month old to NZ

[eviltwin1098]

I was wondering if anyone has any advice on what sort of stop over to do. I am wondering whether it would be best to fly to Singapore and do the 11 hour stopover giving me and my flying partner some time to recover or, fly via San Fran or somewhere similar and take a couple of days before doing the next leg?

I think that Air NZ's hub airport on the West Coast is Los Angeles (and not SF).

I would consider flying east via Singapore and stopping off there for a couple of days rather than going through the US as their immigration procedure in transit can be a long and protracted process.

I did it with a 4 month old via LA. Shall be back once my coffee has kicked in (on my way to work in Auckland right now) and I can organise my thoughts :)

Ok, I'm awake now :)

By preference of my proudly Kiwi DH we travel Air New Zealand. They are really fabulous, but often a bit more expensive.

Last time we travelled out here (3 years ago), we flew Dublin-London-LA-Auckland.
Pros: I'm pretty sure it's the shortest time - the stop off is just for crew change and refueling
Cons: It's LA. We were travelling premium economy, so we got a little bit of extra help (no need to queue for immigration - they let you off first with a little card, so you can go back and do immigration once all the economy class passengers are finished). Otherwise, it's off the plane, queue for ages, sit in holding room (with free tea/coffee/snack etc) and get back on the plane. Even if you travel business class (which we did once years ago) and you want to use the lounge you have to go through immigration, customs, through the baggage claim, physically out of the airport building, back in, through passport control etc before getting to the lounge.

Alternatives: Air NZ through Hong Kong. Much nicer process, you get to wander around the duty free shops etc. Altogether a much more pleasant experience (thinking back, I now have no idea why we didn't chose that way when we flew over this time, there must have been some reason).
Emirates: Depending on where you are flying from this may be an option. My parents fly Dublin - Dubai - Brisbane - Auckland. Emirates are usually the cheapest option for them at least.

We usually try to get the whole thing over in one go. While it's pretty horrendous to do 30 hours of travelling all in one go, then at least it's over. The thoughts of going out of the airport, checking in somewhere, unpacking, only to have to repack and do another very long flight a few days later, just doesn't appeal to me with young children.

Sorry for the epic post, I'll probably be back with more when it occurs to me later!

Is it for a move or a holiday? (I think that might inform my decision a bit on airlines/stopovers etc too)

An alternative is london-KL-Auckland with mayalsia airline. MIL did it in September and loved it. They were cheapest when she bought her tickets, which we guessed was due to the two unfortunate incidents. They also allow two suitcases and 30kg, I'm sure it's the most generous. The transit is the same as HK as you can get out into the airport.

I have also done so Singapore airline and stopover in Singapore.

I basically pick the cheapest option with one stopover which is not LA. I have done that once and never again. I can't stand waiting in the holding room.

Consider the Emirates route - UK-Dubai-Melbourne-Auckland. Nice plane, decent crew etc.

It's the route we use, albeit not with the Auckland leg. And we just push through the entire flight. I don't stop off cod is rather deal with the baby jet lag at home (on either side) rather than a hotel.

From London the cheapest is usually Korean via Seoul. The lay over on the NZ bound part is 1 hour and about 19 on the way back which gives you time for a hotel and sleep.

To be honest I prefer to get it over and done with. With a small person travelling via Singapore would be my recommendation. Singapore airport has a swimming pool. Pack your swimsuits in your carry on luggage towels and shampoo etc come with the entry price. It's perfect for exhausting a wiggly toddler after a long flight. Just make sure you hide Teddy in case they decide it needs a swim too and determinedly try to throw him in. The last thing you need is a sopping wet soft toy as you attempt to get them to sleep.

I've flown the london to sydney route with my now 5yo twice a year since she was 3 months. By far the easiest i've found is via seoul. Korean air do a four hour stop over on the way out which is long enough to refresh and then get it over with, and on the way back your ticket includes a paid for overnight stop over in a decent hotel. The other plus is the airline staff are always happy to take your small off for a wander up to first class to give you a break. In any case i find a longer stop over just prolongs things and like slug i would rather get it over with.

Hi!! What exciting things to get to plan!! We flew this time 2 years ago with 10mth dd and went via San Francisco with air nz. Had 6 nights in San fran and loved it- all very child friendly and Air Nz were fantastic! It's one of their stopover routes if you choose multi stop booking. you can get good price options if you book in advance! We fly again in a week, this time with 2.9 dd and 9mth ds via Dubai/Brisbane direct with Emirates as left booking flights too late and this was cheapest! I'll update in a week when we've survived it!!

We flew to NZ with a 12m and 2.5 year old. They slept when they needed to and it was us that were exhausted and jetlagged. We had a stop at LAX where we sat in a lounge for a couple of hours but had decided that direct would be less painful in the long run. We were met by friends who looked after the kids whilst we slept so that helped.

I have done the via Seoul route and it was great. But I hate flying direct and will avoid wherever possible!

Looking forward to what you have to say about that route Kiwiclaire as that's an option i have been looking at.