Flight from UK to Australia - Family Visit

[Chocoholic27]

Hi,
Looking for tips on managing the flight with an 8 year old from the UK to Australia. We will be going in winter time this year to meet their elderly grandmother (never had the opportunity to go over due to cost and other circumstances - she is too frail and dependant to come to the UK).

I've just heard a recent horror story about a kid becoming unwell on a Ryanair flight. As someone with emetephobia I wouldn't be able to cope if this happened to us with our child - I would be immediately turning back home. Our child has motion sickness but this is managed with medication, sea bands, not too much snacking on sweets, not eating too much/too little and hydration with clear fluids.

I am just feeling so over worried about illness happening on the flight (obviously motion sickness is something you have to manage with different methods, which is different to sick bugs and viruses - I would never board with an actively unwell child). Do the airline carriers to Australia let actively throwing people on their aircraft - like Etihad, Qatar, Singapore, Quantas and BA. I hope not.

Please be kind. Just looking for reassurance.

Thank you x

I would think no, they wouldn’t.

I have done the trip many, many times. My advice is to spend at least one night in HK or Singapore or Dubai on the way over to break up the trip. I’ve never once encountered an obviously ill person. There’s no guarantee but I’m sure you will be fine. Have a lovely trip.

No they do not allow people actively throwing up to board.

To be frank OP, if someone starts throwing up in the middle of a 14 hour flight there’s no ‘turn around and go home’ option! The good news is that motion sickness on planes is very rare, especially on long haul where you’re cruising high above the weather systems and turbulence is unlikely.

DH is a pilot and unless severely unwell enough that there is potential to cause an emergency landing or need medical attention, there’s nothing to stop a sick passenger from boarding. Anyone who actively chooses to do that though on such a long flight would be very brave..

There is no guarantee that anyone can give you that vomiting won’t happen on the flights. It’s just one of those things. What you can do is assess whether a trip to fabulous Australia is worth the very small risk. Personally, I think a once in a lifetime trip is worth it. We did Australia last year and it was absolutely amazing.

I've flown to Australia 6 times and never have I encountered anyone throwing up. The planes are nothing like Ryan Air short haul routes. They are smooth taking off and landing. And whilst there can be turbulence, it is generally minimal and short lived.

Agree with PP to take a stop over of a night or two if you have the time at your layover destination.

I usually fly via SIA, and love a layover in Singapore. This year we will be going via HK, with Cathay Pacific, which we have never done before. We are stopping 3 nights on our return home.

I find long haul a lot smoother than short haul. DD had motion sickness in the car when younger and never threw up in a plane and she flies since she is 8 months old.

She flew long haul the first time when she was 7 and just spent the time watching movies and napping.

I would see if your budget allows for a stop over in Singapore, it's a lovely city and plenty to do. It also gives your body a chance for a proper rest.

I used to fly between the UK and Sydney a lot as flight crew and I'd second all of the above.

Don't want to drift into a TAAT, but let's say there's some alarmism has crept into some discussions on illness onboard in the last few days.

Don't recall the route being out of the norm for airsickness (so not a lot).

Would recommend time in SIN if you can.

I think you have to keep in mind that not everyone who throws up on a flight is ill, my in-laws live in Australia and we do the route every couple of years with the kids, it's just the way it is with family in 2 different countries that are thousands of miles apart. Both our kids struggle with motion sickness, the younger one will generally manage the journey to Oz fine having taken travel sickness tablet(s), but sometimes the teenager will get so stressed to be point of being sick. It's all in their head, it's always anxiety related, I try really hard to keep them calm but sometimes it fails and they are definitely not ill. I don't think you'd actually notice it happen (huge plane, people are watching films etc) though unless they are within your line of sight.

I've been doing long haul for 40yrs. The only time I saw someone being sick was myself! I'd clearly had a few too many drinks on an empty stomach. I tried to be as discreet as possible and used the sick bag. Not everyone vomiting has an illness nor are they going to be vomiting throughout a flight. And no, they won't let someone on the plane who is actively being sick at the gate!

If you aren't stopping en-route, another option would be a direct flight from London to Perth, then an internal flight to your final destination. What mental health support have you had for this OP? If you aren't flying till the winter, then I'd suggest getting some/more to make the trip more enjoyable for you all x