Long direct flight or short hops

[Colrad]

Hi AFFs,

Have a family holiday to Europe coming up in the next few weeks. Currently booked on EK for the return leg FCO-DXB-SIN-MEL, but noticed some seats open up on the direct DXB-BNE flight.

On our current booking there is a 7 hour layover in Singapore.

Wondering if anyone has a view/advice about whether we are better to break the flight into three 5-7 hr legs with a long layover in Singapore to stretch and refresh and then arrive in Australia at our final destination (MEL), or should we get the DXB-BNE flight and then get a domestic hop to MEL - assuming we would need to collect our luggage, clear customs and re-check bags in BNE.

Travelling party is myself, Mrs C and the three juniors (12, 14 & 16), mix of F and J.

Any help or similar experiences welcome.

 

[russ]

By the time you muck around in Brisbane you could have arrived in Melbourne

 

[JohnPhelan]

The direct DXB-BNE flight is great. If you want to have a sleep, it's long enough to get a proper one. But it's a mid-morning departure from DXB, so if you've had a full night's sleep before that, it may be hard to nap onboard.

 

[JohnPhelan]

By the time you muck around in Brisbane you could have arrived in Melbourne

No, because the option the OP is considering of EK to MEL involves a 7 hour stopover in SIN - it's not the direct DXB-MEL flight (for some reason).

 

[andye]

Hi AFFs,

Have a family holiday to Europe coming up in the next few weeks. Currently booked on EK for the return leg FCO-DXB-SIN-MEL, but noticed some seats open up on the direct DXB-BNE flight.

On our current booking there is a 7 hour layover in Singapore.

Wondering if anyone has a view/advice about whether we are better to break the flight into three 5-7 hr legs with a long layover in Singapore to stretch and refresh and then arrive in Australia at our final destination (MEL), or should we get the DXB-BNE flight and then get a domestic hop to MEL - assuming we would need to collect our luggage, clear customs and re-check bags in BNE.

Travelling party is myself, Mrs C and the three juniors (12, 14 & 16), mix of F and J.

Any help or similar experiences welcome.

When travelling with family the short-hop at the end is the one I would try to avoid. You are in Australia, you are nearly home but you've still got to hang around in an airport waiting for that last flight. It's the issue most likely to brought up in a domestic tiff about non-direct flights at our house. Having said that, I've always been in Y with family

 

[AIRwin]

Another factor is the aircraft - DXB-BNE will be on the A380 (with showers if you are in F) but SIN-MEL will be on the B773

 

[Colrad]

No, because the option the OP is considering of EK to MEL involves a 7 hour stopover in SIN - it's not the direct DXB-MEL flight (for some reason).

Hi John,

Thanks for the reply. The reason it is not the DXB-MEL direct flight, is because it is a QF Reward booking - and there is no availability on EK 406 on the day(s) in question, only via BNE or SYD.

 

[Colrad]

Another factor is the aircraft - DXB-BNE will be on the A380 (with showers if you are in F) but SIN-MEL will be on the B773

Thanks AIRwin, it is for that reason that I am considering changing. FCO-DBX and DBX-SIN are both on the A380, but the last leg is on the 777.

 

[Colrad]

When travelling with family the short-hop at the end is the one I would try to avoid. You are in Australia, you are nearly home but you've still got to hang around in an airport waiting for that last flight. It's the issue most likely to brought up in a domestic tiff about non-direct flights at our house. Having said that, I've always been in Y with family

Thanks andye, that was my thinking also. If I could get the direct DXB-MEL it would be an easy decision, but only availability on our departure dates is via SYD or BNE. Both options have their pluses and minuses.

 

[mooingchicken]

I think a 7 hour stop over would be a killer unless you want to get a transit hotel, or go for a trip to the city then thats different story. Seems like with swaping airports in bne etc you will get home a lot sooner for me that would be the winner. Depends whats important to you, F/J all the way home and more lounge visits or home sooner. If i was flying econ ild go the shorter trip.

 

[Colrad]

I think a 7 hour stop over would be a killer unless you want to get a transit hotel, or go for a trip to the city then thats different story. Seems like with swaping airports in bne etc you will get home a lot sooner for me that would be the winner. Depends whats important to you, F/J all the way home and more lounge visits or home sooner. If i was flying econ ild go the shorter trip.

Thanks mooingchicken, total travel time is slightly longer with the Brisbane option, as it leaves DXB six hours later than the Singapore flight (3.30am vs 10.05am), where we will be arriving from Rome at 11.15pm the previous night. Then there is the transit/changeover in Brisbane to the domestic terminal, clearing customs, collecting and rechecking bags etc and QF flight to MEL. But I guess we would qualify for Dubai Connect if we had the longer transit time in DXB.

 

[AIRwin]

Have you checked if there are any availability on EK408 to MEL (via KUL) which departs DXB at 3 am?

 

[Colrad]

Have you checked if there are any availability on EK408 to MEL (via KUL) which departs DXB at 3 am?

Hi AIRwin, there is none currently but I'll keep an eye on it. I think that would be on a 777 wouldn't it? I'm in F, so it won't make a huge difference to me (apart from not having a shower), but the rest of family will be in J, where I suspect the A380 will be a better prospect. Although not having tried either of the EK J products yet, I'm only guessing.

And before anyone warns me (quite rightly) of the perils of putting myself in F, while Mrs C is in J with the kids, we have the reverse arrangement on the forward leg to London, where Mrs C will be in F SYD-DXB-LGW, with me and the kids in J. Those flights are all scheduled to be on A380s, so at least I can mingle with the other pax in the J class bar at the back of the bus, while Mrs C enjoys her Dom in F.

 

[Alanslegal]

Do you have to fly EK?

Can you, say, book with SQ (FCO-SIN-MEL) or CX (FCO-HKG-MEL) which is much nicer in connections/timing/direct?

 

[Colrad]

Do you have to fly EK?

Can you, say, book with SQ (FCO-SIN-MEL) or CX (FCO-HKG-MEL) which is much nicer in connections/timing/direct?

Hi Alanslegal, the flights are all booked on QF points, so can't book SQ I'm afraid - and while I can get from FCO to HKG on CX, I can't then find seats from HKG-MEL. There are five of us and I was lucky enough to find five seats in a combination of F and J on EK several months ago and now some additional seats have opened up, including direct from DXB to SYD and/or BNE, but nothing direct to MEL that fits with our dates.

The best connections timing wise seems to be on QF10 from DXB to MEL, which leaves 2hrs 15 mins after out flight from FCO gets into DXB, but I've more chance of flying to moon than securing 5 reward seats in F/J on QF, despite being WP and using QF points.

Appreciate the thought though.

 

[harvyk]

Whilst from a pure FF point of view lots of short connecting flights is the way to go, there is something to be said about just getting from A to B when travelling with the family.
If at all possible avoid the short domestic flight when you arrive back into Australia, as there is nothing worse than sitting around at an airport for hours after a long trip thinking "my house is only an hour by air in that direction" when you've just spent 15 hours travelling. (As a CBR'n speaking from experience more times than I can remember)

 

[amaroo]

I like hops on the way out (think Flounges), on the way back - I like direct.

 

[UP4014]

With family, always the least stops and get it over with (for everyone), when by myself stops can be good fun.

Matt

 

[Colrad]

Whilst from a pure FF point of view lots of short connecting flights is the way to go, there is something to be said about just getting from A to B when travelling with the family.
If at all possible avoid the short domestic flight when you arrive back into Australia, as there is nothing worse than sitting around at an airport for hours after a long trip thinking "my house is only an hour by air in that direction" when you've just spent 15 hours travelling. (As a CBR'n speaking from experience more times than I can remember)

Thanks harvyk, you have summed up my dilemma perfectly. What to do?

 

[mooingchicken]

If the brisbane route doesnt get you home any quicker then I would go via SIN, F/J all the way and lounges, no swaping from international to domestic. A long stop in singapore you could go into town, or watch a movie at the cinema in the airport and then hangout in the lounge/s