Flying long haul
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Category: General Chat
Forum Name: General Chat
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URL: https://www.ohbaby.co.nz/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=21057
Printed Date: 16 October 2025 at 5:06am
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Topic: Flying long haul
Posted By: tishy
Subject: Flying long haul
Date Posted: 19 September 2008 at 2:16pm
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DHs office closes over Xmas so he has to take 11days annual leave.
We were going to fly home to Ireland with the girls in May but are currently looking at Xmas flights now. yayy! Anyway I'm wondering about the stopovers. What are peoples experiences with flying long haul with infants? Basically we normally just travel as quickly as possible. However with 2 11 month babies in tow would they/we be better off to have a longer stop along the way? One flight we're looking at has just a refuel stop. I think my opinion is that the girls are going to be disrupted anyway so might as well just continue on and let them readjust once we get to our destination. I suppose it's really a matter of personal choice really. Maybe I should just go with the flow and just return to stressing about which grandparents get the pleasure of having their first grandchildren present for Christmas dinner  
Seriously we might just take a baby each 
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Replies:
Posted By: AnnC
Date Posted: 19 September 2008 at 2:33pm
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I would say go direct. I did with Rhyley (4months and 6 months). although that always depends on how long you are going to stop over for - if only a couple of nights not worth it - your /their body would take that long to ajdust to the time difference only to go to another. we went direct to london/england there and stopped over in USA on way home for a week.
and if you were to stop over I would do it on the way back.. personal choice there just wanna get to my destination on the way there but on way back i can delay going home a lil more. How exciting - where in Ireland are you goin? I haven't been there but if SIL has her way she'll get us there one day. ------------- Ann 
Also Mum to Josh (15) and Brooke (10) |
Posted By: HippyMama
Date Posted: 19 September 2008 at 2:47pm
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I would probably choose to go direct too, even though we have only flown with DD as an infant to Australia, and then to Canada with her not that long ago (so as a 2yo).
I agree with Ann, if you are going to do an extended stopover then try and do it on the way back. ------------- Mama to two earth walkers & two angels. Remember, you are not managing an inconvenience; You are raising a human being. ~ Kittie Franz Next Slingbabies! Meet - Friday 4th May !! |
Posted By: sweetpea
Date Posted: 19 September 2008 at 3:22pm
| Ummm no kids of our own yet but i have done lots of travel and know what it can be like on our bodies let alone wee ones. I would say fly direct and if you're not sure regarding airlines go emirates i really can't rate them high enough and i've been on lots of different airlines so has DH |
Posted By: Redbedrock
Date Posted: 19 September 2008 at 3:24pm
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We did a stop over in singapore for a night, was enough for us to recharge our batteries rather than Fay, but this is how we have always done it, I hate going in one big hit it takes me nearly a week to feel human again. Babies tend to cope with what you throw at them, they don't have the choice and don't know any better/different. fay was 10mo when we did the trip to the UK this time last year ------------- http://www.babysfirstsite.com"> 
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Posted By: kriss
Date Posted: 19 September 2008 at 3:25pm
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tishy your girls have gorgeous names, i've seen them before in novels and always wondered how they are pronounced? ------------- http://lilypie.com"> 
http://lilypie.com"> 
 Little Angel, April 10
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Posted By: tishy
Date Posted: 19 September 2008 at 3:39pm
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AnnC - I'm from Cork and DH is from Limerick so we'll be alternating between both.
On our own, we've always either stopped over somewhere to visit friends for a few days or just had 10ish hours stopover to visit a city. I think we'll probably do the shortest stopover we can to get the journey over and done with as soon as possible. When I think about it don't think the credit card can handle a couple of nights hotel on top of the flight costs 
kriss - Eimear = 'ee-mer' and Aoife = 'ee-fa' |
Posted By: Peanut
Date Posted: 19 September 2008 at 3:51pm
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Hey there,
Good friends of ours just took their 6 month old to Scotland to visit family. They stopped over in Dubai for a night on the way over and the way back and said it worked really well for them. Gave them a chance to relax for a wee bit without a plane full of strangers watching them! Think it was only about 10-12 hours so was basically spent in the hotel having nap and a play. -------------  
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Posted By: Lou1972
Date Posted: 19 September 2008 at 5:07pm
| Tishy,if you're looking for xmas flights you really need to book asap.We've just decided to go back to Ireland (Limerick) for xmas and have had so much trouble getting flights as everything is booked.We're going via the states on way there and via hong kong on the way back and we're not going to have any stopovers. |
Posted By: tishy
Date Posted: 19 September 2008 at 7:45pm
Yeah, we've got flights on hold at the moment with Flight Centre going through LA/Frankfurt with Air NZ  and Lufthansa 
This is with minimal stopovers. I'm going to look online over the weekend to see if we can get a better deal. Won't be buying any Xmas pressies this year that's for sure!
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Posted By: Maya
Date Posted: 19 September 2008 at 7:52pm
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I took Maya to London at 22 mths and we went direct for the reasons everyone else said. Flew Qantas and they were horrific. Have only ever done short haul with Emirates and Air NZ but they are great short haul.
We had a couple of hours in Bangkok on the way over and Singapore on the way back. ------------- 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: CuriousG
Date Posted: 20 September 2008 at 6:35am
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Go AIR NZ, they are just so much better than anything I have ever flown. (And bugger flying Qantas at the moment, what is up with their planes!?) ------------- http://lilypie.com"> 
http://lilypie.com"> 
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Posted By: Jennz
Date Posted: 20 September 2008 at 7:17am
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I've done both- came over when Charlotte was 2 1/2 (then another return flight when she was 3) and did the non stop thing. Then last time we came back (Charlotte was 4 and Kate 9 months) we stopped off for 2 days in Singapore on the way over and 3 days in LA on the way back. They both have their pluses and minuses but I preferred stopping off for a bit. The non stop flight from Auckland to Heathrow is 27-29 hours which is blimmin horrific and a couple of hours stop off is pretty awful in itself, especially if you're going through the US.
We have flown with both Air NZ and Qantas- found them both really good except Qantas 'partner' ariline that flies from US to UK is BA and they are not very good when you have kiddies- the plane we came over on was soooo old. No personal screens and a bouncinette for the baby to sleep in! ------------- Jen, Charlotte 7 & Kate 3 
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