Australia January 2017 flight advice.

[Whathaveilost]

We are looking to go to Melbourne in January 2017 for 3 weeks.
I've never done long haul before. Can anyone advice on airlines, when to book for best prices or any helpful to info.
There are 4 of us being 3 adults and a 17 year old ( who I suspect will be classed by all airlines as am adult)

Emirates and Singapore airlines are good, if you can then break up the journey for example Dubai, Singapore and then on to Melbourne

If you don't live near London then Emirates is a good option as you can fly from smaller airports without going through London. With Emirates you can book 11 months in advance. A twelve year old is classed as an adult.

Some people, love a stop over, some people prefer to 'power through'. It's personal choice I think.

Some airlines are cheaper. Qatar, Air China for example. If you go with an airline that does not go 'straight through' you have to be careful with luggage allowances and they can differ on airlines. Not that you will need much luggage as it will be hot!

We will be flying from Manchester so ill have a look at Emirates.
I'm looking forward to it!

Cathay is v good via Hong Kong.
I live in China and would avoid Chinese airlines for a long haul flight - cheaper, but entertainment is not great and food can be dire.

Etihad fly from Manchester as well and they are usually cheaper than Emerates. They were great but Abu Dhabi airport isn't so try not to stay too long!

Look at skyscanner (app or website), it will tell you the cheapest flights and routes and when to book.

Qatar and Singapore also fly from Manchester along with Emirates, Ethiad and Cathay. Quite a few options for stopovers there if want one.

I've flown BA, Qantas, Singapore Air, Korean Air and Cathay Pacific to Oz.
I prefer a stop over personally and have stopped at Hong Kong, Singapore and Seoul. Best stopover was Singapore I think. Depends on how you are with food. I'm vegetarian and found Cathay Pacific vegetarian dinners a bit dire tbh but the meat eaters enjoyed them.
Singapore air was probably my favourite airline overall

BA, Singapore, Eitihad, Emirates and EVA are all good. Really, for that length of time in economy it's much of a much was.

My preference is to fly via Singapore without breaking the journey. There is a hotel inside Singapore airport where you can book rooms for several hours. If you have a six or seven hour stop over, you can rent a room for this period and get a proper chunk of sleep. For a shorter layover there is a great spa area where you can shower; costs £3.

Try for an evening departure. Sleep immediately for a bit then stay awake until your layover, then sleep the second leg. You'll arrive in the morning so you'll be close to being on local time

I always prefer a short stopover in Singapore. Get the whole thing over and done with in one hit.
I usually flew BA/Qantas for the points but have flown Emirates.

January in Melbourne? Pack for sun, rain and bushfires.

Just come back from Australia with Singapore Airlines. Great flights, if you fly economy then try and book upstairs cabin on the a380 - quiet and smooth flight. Food was very decent for an airline. I didn't stop over in Singapore only cos wanted to make the most of the time in Perth. Singapore airport is huge but amazing so if you have time there you won't get bored.

That sounds like a good flight cymru
How far did you book in advance!. There idnt anything up on skyscanner yet?

Hi
I booked in Feb for a December departure. I used Trailfinders who were good, though some recommend booking direct with the airline. Either way you should get a booking number which you can use to log into Singapores website and change seats, meals etc. As Trailfinders were not able to seat all 4 us all together on the way back I was able to check in online 48hrs before the flights and get much better window seats.

Best prices are for non refundable tickets. Bear that in mind when booking and get some good travel insurance as I was ill before we went but my insurance would not have refunded the flights! Luckily I was able to go in the end!

We flew with Cathay, via Hong Kong....no problems, food OK and seats/in flight entertainment pretty good for economy.