Melbourne with a 6 year old - flight advice

[snickersnack]

Am planning to take dd to Melbourne to visit family in November. Just the two of us, ds will stay with dh as will be just 3 and not sure he'll appreciate it.

Am starting to think about flights. DH thinks we should go business class and has offered me his many many airmiles to do so. I think we'd still have to pay but would be a fair bit cheaper.

He reckons we'd find the whole trip way better if we were properly rested after the flight (and also rightly points out that we never fly as a family so the opportunities to use the miles are limited).

Very sweet of him, but does it make a big difference? How do children that age cope with long haul flights? I assume she'd be fine curling up anywhere so the benefit would mainly be for me.

And (finally) how do children of that age keep themselves amused for that long? Or am I going to be playing hours and hours of travel Connect 4?

Qantas may be your best bet as they now use the A380's but it could certainly cost a fair bit for the two of you even if you use part miles part money. Also you will have to stop over somewhere for a few hours. Even seated business class you're still going to feel somewhat tired on arrival because of your body clock having to readjust. Your DD would probably be okay as would be your 3 year old; children do not seem to be as badly affected by long haul travel.

Take plenty of foodstuffs for eating on the plane (taking a portable DVD player is also a good idea) and do not rely on the airline to fully provide!.

BA no longer fly direct into Melbourne; they use Qantas instead for the last leg from Singapore.

The journey time from the UK to Melbourne is around 22 hours; the flight from Singapore usually leaves in the evening getting into Aus in the early hours of the next day.

i have just got back last night from melbourne with 3 kids and my hubby i had the 6 year old and we flew with ethiad and its was actually ok
the are always coming round with food i ordered a kids meal for her there is a touch screen tv with games music and films etc they are give out a back pack with stuff to do im sure you would be fine even with economy class thats what we flew as

I went with Singapore airlines on the A380. I took both DDs, 9 and 2.5. They were both well entertained with choice of tv stuff.
I also took along two portable DVD players too. They were fine although older one doesn't fly well, she mainly slept on the flight.
Tip given by my friend who lives in Australia was to try and adjust to the new time during the journey. Set your watch to the time it will be when you arrive in melbourne and try to adjust on the way. Definitely helped us all.
Singapore stopover was fantastic and although 5.5 hours there, plenty to see and allowed both girls to run around for a while, stretching their legs. There is also a play area or two in the airport.
I would definitely recommend Singapore Airlines, the staff couldn't do enough, particularly for older DS who was being sick on the flight home.

we flew to aus xmas 09 with our ds1 8 and ds2 18 months and went in business
it was fantastic. They could lie down properly on the seat had a duvet and pillow and you get to use the lounges which means free food and drinks and showers etc. When we stopped at singapore we all had a shower and fresh clothes before we got back on again
if you can afford it I would definitely do it. I booked 12 months in advance and the price was very reasonable.

I would definitely fly Singapore Airlines if you have a choice - Qantas and BA service is appalling in my experience UNLESS you're in business class! If you can go business class it would definitely make it a more pleasant experience!

we went buisness class and it was fab. ds1 was 5 ds2 was3. we took lots of little presents for them to open on the plane. ds1 was into ben 10 so brought loads of them. open one an hour. something to look forward to!!! also colouring books are good. we kept them in there normal routine so when it's there normal bedtime wash there teeth and put them into pj's. recline the seat and read a story. also the tv is quite good. good luck!!!!!!!! our flight was to perth australia

If you travel on singapore Airline's A380 you won't need to upgrade. I've used it a lot and found it fantastic - and that is travelling alone with DD from 10 months onwards..Lots of legroom and impeccable service. Saying that travelled BA last time I came back to the UK and my brother in law who's a BA pilot git us upgraded to business. We had actual beds and were treated like royalty!!

Get a portable DVD player - preferably one that has at least 6 hrs battery. V.reasonable from argos. Then your DD can choose what she wants to watch.

Try and have a stopover to beat the jetlag - and have 2 night flights. Singapore airport is amazing - there's a butterfly house you can walk through and loads of shops, plus a hotel onsite for a few hours nap (pretty cheap). There's also a pool which is great after such a long flight.

Buy a goody bag full of new books/games etc - that will keep her occupied when she's not watching the screen.

Good luck! Its not as bad as you think - I've always found it harder to do than DD!

Bubbles are good fun to amuze on take off / landing. Burst pretty quickly so don't annoy others but keep them occupied when everything is packed away for landing.