DH wants to go to Oz!!!

[Columbus1]

We (DH!!) are thinking of going to Australia in September 2005. By then DS will be 21 months. I am very worried about the flight. Does anyone have any idea on the seating / cot arrangements for a DS this age, as the airlines I have contacted have not been much help. And any ideas about whether best to stop only for a few hours or for a day or so. Can't believe I am really considering doing this.

singapore airlines are the best for us - have travelled twice with them - once when dd was about 8 months old and once when she was almost 2 - from UK to aus.

first time she had a sky cot, second time we bought her a seat. We stopped for only an hour or so first trip, second trip we had 5 days in Singapore..

there are tonnes on threads on flying long haul with toddlers and babies - I am about to head off to bed - but am sure if you did an archive search you would find lots of info.

Second Singapore Airlines. At 21mths I think you don't have to buy a seat but it is likely he will be too big for the sky cot so may be on your knee for most of the time.
When our dd gets bigger we were considering shelling out for 2x business class seats and have her on our knee in more comfy seats rather than pay for 3 economy.

3rd for singapore airlines, We went when DS was one. Go for a night time flight, so he can sleep most of the first part of the journey. Take lots of things for him to do, pencils etc and other toys that you open on the plane, so they are still new and exciting.
I would stop only for a few hours, it gets the whole journey over with in one go. Whenever I have had as a stop over on the way to Australia I always end up more exhausted, messses up yur body clock

we flew out late afternoon - works outa night flight to SIngapore and then due to time difference it was a night flight to Australia then. That was the first time - we had about an hour and a half on the ground in Singapore airport - lots to see and do.

fourth for Singapore airlines
he'll be on you knee, but choose a day mid-week to fly and you'll get a seat for him no doubt as it won't be full

Don't be worried about travelling to Australia, you don't have to be a convict anymore, honest it's OK

haven't travelled singapore air, but have had 2 poeple tell me in the last week how good they are

suzywong is right - we flew wednesday and despite buying a seat for dd there were tonnes of seats free.... lots of space.

I'm always blinking right

We went to Oz with a 5 yo, a 4 yo and dd: it was her second birthday on the flight! You won't have to pay for a seat, but a sky cot would be no use to you either. He will jjust have to sit on your lap although if the plane isn't fully booked, the staff will try to make room for you (they moved a man who was on his own and seated next to dd and me - I think more for his sake so he didn't have to sit next to a 2 yo but we benefited too! dd could easily sleep lying flat on two seats.) This was BA BTW.

All the seats have their own TV and a children's channel which kept my three amused for most of the time. Also special children's food although BA cocked up that for us!

We took off at 10 pm (kids all wide awake until after midnight!) and had a couple of hours only in Singapore. The first day in Australia (arrived in morning) the kids had a nap in the pm and went to bed early. Woke up early the next morning but after that were perfectly adjusted to the time difference and had no further problems with jet lag.

We flew recently with Singapore Air with my then 3 year old and 5 month old baby. We chose them due to all the good comments about them. However, I would not fly them again. It really depends on what your needs are. Without a doubt, the staff were very corteous and helpful. The problem was that although there were seatback tvs, there was not under 5's channel. My older child was bored witless. But he loves tv and would have happily watched it for hours if anything had been on for him. Also, I found their kids meals totally unsuitable. They were not western style at all - eastern kids obviously eat very differenty and my son would not touch them. If these issues are not important to you, then they are a good airline. If they are important to you, then I would recommend Virgin. They have just started flying to Sydney. They have an under 5's channel playing all the cbeebies favourites and their kids meals are much better. Their staff on the otherhand can be a bit ratty, like in all western airlines.

As to the stopover thing, we stopped in the transit hotel in singapore airport for a few hours. This was a godsend to me as I could not sleep on the plane at all. Dh took the kids around the airport while I got a couple of hours catch up sleep. You pay for it in 6 hour blocks and you do not need to leave the terminal as it is right there.

HTH

We have just come back from Oz with a 2 1/2 year old and a 8 month old and flew with Singapore airlines. I would have no hesitation in recommending them. We had to pay for a seat for the 21/2 year old and had a sky cot for the 8 monht old, be warned the sky cots are very small. We didnt have an issue with food, the 2 1/2 year old had fishfingers, OK they tasted like cardboard, pretty much like everything else on the flight, but we took all our own food for the kids. Singapore is a good airport to stop in, very safe and lots to to do and we also took advantage of the transit hotel. We only had a stopover of 6 hours in Singapore and was in Sydney for 1 month, we wanted to spend as much time in Oz as possible. It would probably be better for you if you could spend at least 4 nights (long enough to help the jet lag) in Singapore but that obviosly depends on how much time you want to spend in Oz

I have also flown Virgin, Long Haul. They were fantastic and they gave out Icecreams during the movies. This was pre DS though. I imagine they are pretty good with Kids.

Thank you all so much! I will check out Singapore airlines and virgin and BA. In a way it is just good to know other people have done it and survived! All the people I had spoken to looked at me as if I was insane (possibly they were not far wrong on that!) to be taking ds on a flight that long.

Thanks!!!!!

The sluglet an I are vetran long distance travellers, we once did Uk/New Zealand/UK/Australia/UK all within the space of 3 months. Singapore airlines does come out best in my experience, with the added advantage that, if you transit through Singapore Airport, there is a swimming pool in terminal 1. Take your swimming gear in your carry on lugage, towells and shampoo come as part of the entry price. It was worth it for exhausting the small one before the second leg of the flight (though now when she decided that teddy really needed a swim too)

another vote for stopping at Singapore
There is stunning showers available, the one we went in when coming from NZ to UK was manned by a starched nanny in a playroom, child was tagged you were given a room with a video monitor of your child in the play area, you then showered in total 5* luxury with free Clarins products
BLISS 3 yr old ds loved it and would not leave.
Well worth the $7 SD it cost.
We flew SA airlines as well
Superb with kids, meals out of hours, lots of tours of the plane, really really good...

Definitely wouldn't recommend BA they were truly terrible when we flew with them. Ds was 19mths and the only reason I booked them was because instead of just a skycot they also offer a kind of carseat which is supposed to be suitable for up to 2 years. Ds was 19 mths and did just about fit in it. If you 21mth old is large he may not. It straps to the table where the sky cot goes. I had a lot of trouble booking it though and the staff were atrocious, so was the food.

I will also add that singapore are just awesome.... never had a problem with food and DD has flown 3 times back and forth and is only 2yrold. But perhaps I am a bit unconventional with our diet. Being Aussies we eat alot of thai, vietnamese, indian, seafood... fresh fish noodles etc. DD has no choice she eats what i eat! I fly alone and the staff are awesome... DD gets plane sick on bad landings and has redecoratded the cabin a few times. Nearly always some of the same staff on every trip year after year and they recognise you and are just amazing... cant rate them enough. However i will say they have started filling planes more and fewer flights so less spare seats, if you can id book an extra seat (you also get the extra baggage allowence). DD few at 10 months and although she was very active walking etc and teh sky cot was useless. After this flight io always book her own seat and take a car seat. just remeber that they only have a lap belt.