Best route from Shannon to Sydney with an 11 month old baby?

MiketheMechanic

We have a family wedding in Sydney in November that we are considering attending.

What is the best route from Shannon to Sydney, considering my wife and I will have an 11 month old baby?

Looks like there are a few routes to choose from. Shannon-Heathrow-Sydney with BA looks good. What are the stops in Singapore or Dubai like?

Anyone that has doe this and has recommendations (or what to avoid) - I'd love to hear form you.
Cheers,
MtM

galait

Do yourself a favour -
Book from Dublin with Etihad or Emirates ,

Drive to Dublin the day before a morning flight or the morning of an evening flight , If required stay in Bewleys or similar , Embarking on 2 or 3 Stop Journey with a baby is no fun , My sister lives in Sydney and has 4 Kids, Coming home with small kids and only one stop in Dubai or Abu-dhabi was much easier than dealing with Heathrow etc.

Batgurl

+1 on not connecting in heathrow. Mess of an airport. Occasionally they make you recheck bags etc.

Etihad or Emirates would be my choice with a baby.

dazed+confused

It has been said already, but I can't stress enough how much you should avaoid a stoppover in Heathrow. Nevermind the baby, I'm a fully grown man and I found it horrendous. Last thing you want after two really long flights is a third one!

MiketheMechanic

Thanks folks. The only downside of going from Dublin is the 3 hour journey after you land to get the car etc. and get back to Limerick - whereas we're only 30 mins from Shannon.

Is Ethiad or Emirates better for a baby - are they both the same length of flight time? Doe either make special provision ( e.g. give you a bulkhead with a baby basket) I've heard that some airlines do this for long haul.

galait

Call the airlines as they both have offices in dublin or even call trailfinders in dawson street they are travel agents and give great advice

On the 3 drive if you go via heathrow you will have a minimum 3 hour wait and all the crap that goes with boarding take off and landing with a baby

d.pop

+1 on avoiding heathrow. Have done Ireland to perth about 4 times starting with 1x9 month old, then a 2yr and a 6 month old all the way up to a 6 and 4 year old now. Lately have being flying emirates via Dublin. We travel home to Cork. I would rather get the bus from Dublin to cork than go through heathrow again with kids! We hire a car and drive down by the way. You need minimum stops, better to drive in Ireland than drag kids across airports the size of cities while stressing you'll miss flight.
For your sanity do not do 3 flights. Landing in heathrow after a 21 hr flight with a tired baby and having to wait 3 hrs for a 45min flight is hell plus as earlier comment you could have to go through all the security and baggage again. One stop is the only way to travel.
Also check out travelling with babies on internet or poms in oz for hints.
Good luck. It's worth it but go for at least 2 weeks.

RadarControl

Etihad and Emirates are very similar. Etihad do have a flying nanny service to assist families. Details below

http://www.etihad.com/en-au/experience-etihad/family-travel/onboard/

The only thing to watch with Etihad is that on some days the early flight into Sydney is operated by Virgin Australia. By November Etihad expect to be flying A380 into Sydney.

browne_rob5

MiketheMechanic wrote: »

Thanks folks. The only downside of going from Dublin is the 3 hour journey after you land to get the car etc. and get back to Limerick - whereas we're only 30 mins from Shannon.

Is Ethiad or Emirates better for a baby - are they both the same length of flight time? Doe either make special provision ( e.g. give you a bulkhead with a baby basket) I've heard that some airlines do this for long haul.

This is a good bus service if you want ot avoid bringing the car. Departures every hour so you won't be waiting too long.

http://www.dublincoach.ie/index.php

commited

+1 for Etihad from Dublin. Yes the car trip is a bit of a killer but offset it with a hotel each end of the trip perhaps? I know there used to be a few hotel deals around that included cheaper parking which effectively meant it paid for itself.

Shouldn't cost you much more than €900 return and if you call them after you book, you should be able to guarantee a bassinet seat.

seachto7

MiketheMechanic wrote: »

Thanks folks. The only downside of going from Dublin is the 3 hour journey after you land to get the car etc. and get back to Limerick - whereas we're only 30 mins from Shannon.

Is Ethiad or Emirates better for a baby - are they both the same length of flight time? Doe either make special provision ( e.g. give you a bulkhead with a baby basket) I've heard that some airlines do this for long haul.

3 hrs of a straight drive from Dublin on the motorway is still better than hanging around Heathrow. You won't feel the drive down from Dublin.

observed

Having to go through Heathrow is one of the worst experiences you could ever come accross with regards travel because of the change of terminals you end up having to go through about 3 different scanning machines and about 4 seperate ID checks.
I always go through UAE with Ethiad or Emirates but had to come home for an emergency this year and the only flight I could get was through Heathrow. There is nothing worse as you are in a zombie like state by the time you get there then you have to face into all that.

I would hapily give 10 hours driving instead of going through Heathrow. Especially with the Motorway it makes it a lot simpler.

statina

I have just flown home with Ethiad, theyre excellent, no issues. There were a few babies on board and the staff were great with them. If you get the 21.50 flight from Sydney, you will get into Abu Dhabi around 5.30 in the morning and the airport is nice and quiet.

I agree about Heathrow, avoid at all costs!

sawdoubters

all the cheap flights are through dubii 700 euro book soon theres a price war

Woofstuff

Instead of Heathrow you could fly from Shannon to Manchester or Birmingham and then through Dubai to Sydney,

Although, looking at the total journey time, It`d be better to go through Dublin!

http://www.kayak.co.uk/flights/SNN-SYD/2014-02-26/2014-03-26

sawdoubters

I was looking its not much more from Shannon and about 4 hour extra than dublin

http://www.skyscanner.ie

Mellor

For me it comes down to;

1. Lowest travel time,
2. Least number of stops
3. Lowest Cost

In that order. Everything else, like stopping in Dubai or Singapore is largely irrelevant. For the most part the airline is too, as long as you are going for one of the main airlines and not some regional Chinese jobbie.

MiketheMechanic

@RadarControl, thanks for the details on the flyingnanny - might be enough to tip the balance towards flying Etihad from Dublin to Syd via Abu Dhabi. Tha flight times out to Oz look reasonable, but an overnight in Dublin beforehand would be a must.

Can I ask, what is the downside of flying on the flight operated by Virgin Australia? The flight I'm looking at leaves Abu Dhabi at 21.50 and gets into Sydney the following day at 18.35

Thanks, MtM

RadarControl wrote: »

Etihad and Emirates are very similar. Etihad do have a flying nanny service to assist families. Details below

http://www.etihad.com/en-au/experience-etihad/family-travel/onboard/

The only thing to watch with Etihad is that on some days the early flight into Sydney is operated by Virgin Australia. By November Etihad expect to be flying A380 into Sydney.

MiketheMechanic

@statina
We have a choice of a 15.55 flight from Sydney that arrives in Abu Dhabi at 23.40
Or the 21.50 flight from SYD , like you say that arrives around 5.30am into Abu Dhabi.

Taking the 15.55 flight is slmost an hour less flight time home to Dublin overall.
Is this the one to go for or am I missing something?

MtM

statina wrote: »

I have just flown home with Ethiad, theyre excellent, no issues. There were a few babies on board and the staff were great with them. If you get the 21.50 flight from Sydney, you will get into Abu Dhabi around 5.30 in the morning and the airport is nice and quiet.

MiketheMechanic

Folks - if flying Etihad Dublin-AbuDhabi-Sydney, there is only a 2-2.5 hour layover in AUH - i assume its just a matter of getting off 1 plane, grab something to eat, then reboard the next flight? right?

Do you stay within a secure zone, or do you have to redo security etc?
Do you have to change terminal?

MtM

Pugins

Bassinets are only for children up to 6 months I think so you will not get one of those. It is possible to book a seat for a baby and bring a car seat onto the plane which can be strapped onto the plane seat. Obviously this costs extra. Otherwise you are looking at holding the 11 month old during the flights which is hard work at that age. But at least there are 2 of you flying and you can take turns!

RadarControl

Mike,

There is nothing wrong with Virgin Australia, they are a very good airline. The only issue is that the flying nanny service would not be available on flight operated by them. There is always somebody from Etihad onboard to ensure comparable level of service is given. I find the flight that gets into Sydney at 18:35 to be great for getting over jetlag. It can be 2hrs to 2.5hrs later before you get home and then all you want to do is go to bed. I always get up at my normal time next day.

Etihad operate from two terminals in Abu Dhabi. If you come into Terminal 1 it is a 15 min walk to Terminal 3 where Sydney flight departs from. If you come into Terminal 3 it is simply walk through the terminal and down a set of stairs. You also may come into remote stand and they will bus you to Terminal 3. You will need to go through security in Terminal 3 and also a secondary one at the departure gate.

Abu Dhabi is not a big airport yet so very easy to get around.

MiketheMechanic

Thanks for the help everyone. Great advice all round.
MtM

MiketheMechanic

Ok some final questions before I book these flights
After taking on everyone's brilliant advice here, we plan to go via Dublin on Etihad.

OUT:
The route out is fine - stay in Dublin the night before - 08.20 flight from Dublin to Abu Dhabi, then on to Sydney, landing the following day at 18.35.
As RadarControl says - hopefully this will help with the jetlag.

BACK:
This is where I have a bit of a dilemma and some questions.
There's a choice of 2 flights home.
Flight EY6451 leaves Sydney at 16.05. Its operated by Virgin Australia (VA29 I think), so no flight nanny service. This is a 14.5 hour flight to Abu Dhabi. Arrives Abu Dhabi at 23.40 and Dublin at 06.50 the following day. This means I would be hitting the M50 around 8.30am on a weekday.

The alternative is flight EY41, which IS operated by Ethiad.
Its a red eye, leaving Sydney at 21.50 and getting into Abu Dhabi at 5.25am. theres an extra hour in Abu Dhabi (3 Hour 35min layover) compared to flight EY6451 before the fight back to Dublin whach arrives at 13.35. So hitting the M50 around 3pm.

Can anyone recommend one over the other. Transit time is one hour shorter on the first one, but maybe there's more opportunity for sleep for the baby in the second?

Any final advice?

Batgurl

MiketheMechanic wrote: »

Ok some final questions before I book these flights
After taking on everyone's brilliant advice here, we plan to go via Dublin on Etihad.

OUT:
The route out is fine - stay in Dublin the night before - 08.20 flight from Dublin to Abu Dhabi, then on to Sydney, landing the following day at 18.35.
As RadarControl says - hopefully this will help with the jetlag.

BACK:
This is where I have a bit of a dilemma and some questions.
There's a choice of 2 flights home.
Flight EY6451 leaves Sydney at 16.05. Its operated by Virgin Australia (VA29 I think), so no flight nanny service. This is a 14.5 hour flight to Abu Dhabi. Arrives Abu Dhabi at 23.40 and Dublin at 06.50 the following day. This means I would be hitting the M50 around 8.30am on a weekday.

The alternative is flight EY41, which IS operated by Ethiad.
Its a red eye, leaving Sydney at 21.50 and getting into Abu Dhabi at 5.25am. theres an extra hour in Abu Dhabi (3 Hour 35min layover) compared to flight EY6451 before the fight back to Dublin whach arrives at 13.35. So hitting the M50 around 3pm.

Can anyone recommend one over the other. Transit time is one hour shorter on the first one, but maybe there's more opportunity for sleep for the baby in the second?

Any final advice?

What day / rough date is the home flight?

I ask because mid-week off-peak that red eye flight can be half empty so a quieter flight equals much better chance to sleep. Just my experience.

The virgin-operated plane will be a smaller aircraft so will be fuller.

MiketheMechanic

Batgurl wrote: »

What day / rough date is the home flight?

I ask because mid-week off-peak that red eye flight can be half empty so a quieter flight equals much better chance to sleep. Just my experience.

The virgin-operated plane will be a smaller aircraft so will be fuller.

The flight home is on a Thursday I think.
As far as I can tell on seatguru.com, Virgin use a B 777 also, the same as Etihad.

Stinicker

Virgin Australia has 3-3-3 seating compared to Etihad with 3-4-3 on the Boeing 77-300ER. So for me Virgin Australia wins this contest hands down.

3-4-3 is just too cramped on the Boeing 777-300ER and you will have the feeling of more space on the Virgin plane compared to Etihad.

Etihad are a very good airline and have good customer service. They are far superior to Emirates, Abu Dhabi Airport is a nice easy transfer and you just have to go through security once. Dubai Airport is a total zoo by comparison although is worth it if you get to fly by A380 which is the very best way to fly.

Missed a connecting flight with Etihad last year and was sent to an excellent hotel and well looked after with food etc. Virgin and Etihad codeshare so even though you'd be flying Virgin Etihad would be responsible for customer service etc.

statina

I prefer to take the 9.50 pm ethiad flight cos firstly I'm more tired at that time than the day one and secondly in my experience, the flight is much more quieter and therefore easier to sleep. Plus there's feck all traffic on the M50 at 3.00 pm as opposed to 8.30 am.

MiketheMechanic

statina wrote: »

I prefer to take the 9.50 pm ethiad flight cos firstly I'm more tired at that time than the day one and secondly in my experience, the flight is much more quieter and therefore easier to sleep. Plus there's feck all traffic on the M50 at 3.00 pm as opposed to 8.30 am.

That's the one we have ended up going with Thanks statina.