Airlines
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Category: Product Reviews
Forum Name: Product Reviews
Forum Description: Cot or bassinette? Which pram is best for you? How about nappies? Check out our Product Reviews board to find out what other Mums and Dads think and share your thoughts!
URL: https://www.ohbaby.co.nz/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=13567
Printed Date: 08 May 2025 at 4:46am
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Topic: Airlines
Posted By: mummy_becks
Subject: Airlines
Date Posted: 13 January 2008 at 12:12pm
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I want to know your opinions on the airlines that fly the tasman please. I am taking the boys over in June by myself and want to fly with a good airline there and back that will help me out. I don't mind flying out of Auckland if I need to. ------------- I was a puree feeder, forward facing, cot sleeping, pram pushing kind of Mum... and my kids survived! |
Replies:
Posted By: FionaS
Date Posted: 13 January 2008 at 12:28pm
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Air NZ - 10/10. Friendly staff, comfortable planes, reasonably spacious seats, good food, free movies & music.
Pacific Blue - 3/10. Excellent staff (very casual though), aweful plane...engine noise so loud it was hard to have a converstation. Cramped..very hard to have a kid on your knee. No free food...have to buy everything except water. ------------- Mummy to Gabrielle and Ashley |
Posted By: lizzle
Date Posted: 13 January 2008 at 12:53pm
| freedom - well, won't fly from plamy as form the end of march - but in my experience once was wonderful and once was one of the worst service I have ever had - the variance is too much to recommend. Airnz is fab and friends have said emirates is great too |
Posted By: ItchyFeet
Date Posted: 13 January 2008 at 2:04pm
| Emirates all the way. AirNZ has lifted it's game, but it could learn many things about service from any of the asian based airlines or from Emirates (who has a better choice of entertainment too). |
Posted By: Paws
Date Posted: 13 January 2008 at 2:18pm
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Obvious bias aside...
Air NZ - my preferred airline (I said bias aside!!!), love the staff and have always had great service even when they don't know I'm also staff. Freedom - Staff were fine, plane was horribly cramped though and not impressed at having to buy snacks and food, beside they are on thier way out from all routes...nuff said. Qantas - both times we have flown we have had bad bad service. Plane was comfy and the individual screens were a bonus but the service really disappointed us...especially as we were on our honeymoon and it was noted to airline staff. ------------- http://lilypie.com"> 
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Posted By: yummymummy
Date Posted: 13 January 2008 at 6:07pm
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Emirates all the way.
I'm not too fussed on Air NZ, sorry - something always seems to go wrong when I go  ------------- http://lilypie.com">  http://lilypie.com">
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Posted By: Bobbie
Date Posted: 13 January 2008 at 6:33pm
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Thai is pretty good I've found. We've traveled with them a few times and always had great service.
AirNZ and Qantas aren't so great IMO -------------  
 
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Posted By: .Mel
Date Posted: 13 January 2008 at 7:52pm
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Emirates hands down, and Air NZ a close second. They were awesome when we flew to Fiji with the kids. ------------- Mr Mellow (16) Miss Attitude (8) Destructa Kid (3) 
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Posted By: shaz
Date Posted: 13 January 2008 at 7:59pm
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Natasha and I flew AirNZ when we went on a trip with The Edge so heaps of kids were on the flight, they had no kids meals and they don't have any entertainment packs now (they used to give out cool bags with goodies in them years ago). In the end the poor stewardesses gave all the kids the ice cream from first class.
At the same time DH flew Qantas with our other daughter they had kids meals and entertainment packs!!! We also flew to LA Qantas and they were great. So I'd go for Qantas if I had to choose between just those two. But I have heard fantastic things about Emirates from friends who have flown with kids. ------------- Mum to Natasha Aroha 9/12/1995, Alexandra Makareta Waimarie 22/4/1998 and....Alyssa Frances Hopaea 18/03/2007 
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Posted By: lizzle
Date Posted: 13 January 2008 at 8:56pm
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i flew qantas and was not impressed by their service - pre-children.
This is OT, but we went to Thailand and flew thaiair. Jake was eight months old and we requested an infants meal. they gave him prawn chili and boy was it HOT!!!!! I couldn't believe it was for a child., the flight attendant was surprised he wouldn't eat it - he cried poor thing - Jake not flight attendant. |
Posted By: Jennz
Date Posted: 13 January 2008 at 10:00pm
lol! We've flown Air NZ both times to the UK and have always been pretty happy with their service (except in Auckland! Awful awful service in Auckland Airport every single time I've been there). I've flown Freedom to Oz once and its very basic- only used it as it was the cheapest but so wouldn't recommend it with kids. My cousin always uses Emirates as do the inlaws and they love them. We can't fly with them as they serve peanuts on the plane  We're flying Qantas when we do our big trip in March so hopefully that goes ok!------------- Jen, Charlotte 7 & Kate 3 
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lizzle wrote:Posted By: caraMel
Date Posted: 13 January 2008 at 11:10pm
Aerolineas Argentinas SUCK! Very cheap, and you get what you pay for  ------------- Mel, Mummy to E: 6, B: 4 and: 
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Posted By: lilfatty
Date Posted: 15 January 2008 at 10:56am
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Ive only ever flown pre children .. .however when DH was posted in the UK one of us would fly over every 12 weeks or so. Air NZ have terrible customer service ... Qantas had great service (and yummy food) ... Thai Airways ... better service but DH hated the food lol. ------------- Mummy to Issy (3) and Elias (18 months) I did it .. 41 kgs gone! From flab to fab in under a year  http://www.femininefitness.co.nz/category/blog - LFs weight blog
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Posted By: aussiegirl
Date Posted: 16 January 2008 at 5:19pm
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I just flew with qantas and Aerolineas Argentinas, and Qantas was the better of the two. A A had a 4 hour delay in Sydney and the inflight service not so great. Qantas was way better. I have also flown with Thai from Sydney to Auckland and in my opinion they are the best!(This is pre-children though :)) -------------  Mum to Hayley **30.6.08
http://lilypie.com"> 
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Posted By: Aprilfools
Date Posted: 16 January 2008 at 6:02pm
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I haven't flown with children but as far as service goes Emirates are really good. Qantas I find average and a bit too disorganised. Thai airways I really like (apart from one lady that growled at me for sleeping instead of eating) they are really friendly. Singapore airlines I have to say I just don't like but I don't think they do trans Tasman anyway, not sure. Air NZ is good and I have noted that they seem to treat parents with children very well. Air NZ will treat you better the more you fly with them. And of course making that step from economy to Business class they fall all over you as do Qantas, Emirates and Thai. If it were me I would probably go Thai, then Air NZ then Qantas.
It depends what is more important to you, the cost or the service? (although you always deserve good service IMO) Air NZ have the most comfortable seats and I believe that little bit of extra leg room in economy. Would love to here which one you decide to go with. We're flying Cathay Pacific in April for the first time so I'm interested to see what they are like. |
Posted By: mummy_becks
Date Posted: 16 January 2008 at 7:27pm
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I'm thinking I may fly Air NZ as I can book all our bags in at Palmy and pick them up in Brisbane (can I still do that Paws??) and then not have to worry about anything but my children in Auckland (and meeting up with a few people). ------------- I was a puree feeder, forward facing, cot sleeping, pram pushing kind of Mum... and my kids survived! |
Posted By: Maya
Date Posted: 17 January 2008 at 2:58pm
Qantas suck the big one. I used to always fly Qantas, I would have made more than 2 dozen flights with them when Maya was younger and every time something went wrong. My first flight with her the sheets on the bassinette were filthy 
But my last flight with Qantas takes the cake. I ws flying with Maya and the gremlins and my Mum and we prebooked a bassinette. Confirmed the bassinette at check in. Got on the plane to find that the bassinette had been assigned to a 16 month old, and we had been given 'an extra seat' between us to somehow juggle the 10 week old gremlins. They refused to reseat the lady with the older child (who btw also had her husband to help her).I lost the plot and threatened to get off the plane. The lady said we could have the bassinette so the staff moved us around, and then GET THIS - the flight service director brought HER a bottle of champagne for the inconvenience! WTF! So I wrote a complaint to Qantas with the email address the FSD gave me, got an autoresponse saying they would reply within 10 days, on the 10th day got another autoresponse saying "thanks for your feedback, if you want a personal response please post a hardcopy to..." Could they not have said that in the first place? So I posted a hardcopy and what do you know, no response. So I have never flown Qantas since, and never will again. That experience, combined with all the other niggly little problems we've had in the past has put me right off. Air NZ on the other hand have been good, they arrange a meet and assist for me when we land so I have an extra pair of hands which is useful. They don't do kids meals or anything fancy like that on TransTasman routes, but it's only a short flight anyway. Emirates are absolutely brilliant, IMO the best airline flying that route if you're flying with kids, they have special kids packs, great, healthy kids meals and the staff are really friendly. More fool Qantas really coz I do fly a lot so they lost a good customer. ------------- Maya Grace (28/02/03)
 (02/01/06)
The Gremlins:Sienna Marie & Mercedes Kailah (14/10/06)
Lil miss:Chiara Louise Chloe (09/07/08)
Her ladyship:Rosalia Sophie Anais (18/06/12)
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Posted By: mummy_becks
Date Posted: 17 January 2008 at 3:24pm
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Well thats helped a little Emma. I won't be flying Qantas with the boys. Maybe I may look at Emrites see if they have any specials going. ------------- I was a puree feeder, forward facing, cot sleeping, pram pushing kind of Mum... and my kids survived! |
Posted By: Maya
Date Posted: 18 January 2008 at 9:36pm
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Emirates are often the cheapest, which is great coz it's definitely a case of getting more than you pay for, unlike Qantas where you pay a premium for crap service. ------------- Maya Grace (28/02/03)
(02/01/06)
The Gremlins:Sienna Marie & Mercedes Kailah (14/10/06)
Lil miss:Chiara Louise Chloe (09/07/08)
Her ladyship:Rosalia Sophie Anais (18/06/12)
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Posted By: mummy_becks
Date Posted: 18 January 2008 at 9:40pm
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Mum told me NOT to fly qantas, and try to fly Air NZ if possible as I can do straight through flying from Palmy. ------------- I was a puree feeder, forward facing, cot sleeping, pram pushing kind of Mum... and my kids survived! |
Posted By: aussiegirl
Date Posted: 27 January 2008 at 9:25am
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Gosh!! That is terrible Maya shocking service!!
My parents really rate Air NZ, whenever they fly over they prefer to fly from Sydney to Auckland rather than Freedom Air straight to Hamilton (I guess they will be Air NZ soon anyway soon) ------------- Mum to Hayley **30.6.08
http://lilypie.com">
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Posted By: JadeC
Date Posted: 27 January 2008 at 12:01pm
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Emirates all the way!! They're usually only a little dearer than AirNZ or Qantas (like $50) but it's worth it.
That said, I constantly fly AirNZ or Qantas because I'm usually not the one paying, and always choose the cheapest and regret it!! ------------- http://pregnancy.baby-gaga.com/" rel="nofollow"> 
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