Aust to UK - best economy class airlines??

[hal55]

In May 2009 I'll be travelling to the UK with my wife. Not having flown internationally in the last 20 years (except New Zealand) I'm not up to date with who the good, bad and indifferent airlines are these days. So, simple question, which airlines have the best economy class, and which airlines should I stay well clear of? We are very flexible when it comes to stopovers but will require at least one each leg.
We are in our 50s and my wife is a little on the large size, so we really don't want to finish up going "cattle class" and getting our holiday off to a bad start.
All comments much appreciated and does everyone expect the big surcharges to start dropping soon now that oil has come right down?

Thanks,

Hal55

 

[moa999]

I'd be aiming for any of the airlines flying the A380 on the route AND making sure that I book onto the A380 plane and no other.

By mid-next year that will be Qantas (QF), Singapore (SQ), Emirates (EK).

 

[Travel Guru]

IMHO, SQ eclipses them all still in economy, though i'm basing that mainly on feedback as it's been a while since i've sat down the back.

TG

 

[bokflyer]

I agree that the A380s will offer the best economy class and since you don't appear to be a frequent flyer, I imagine earning points doesn't matter, so go for the best deal. Unfortunately, virtually every airline these days has the same leg room in economy and they are all pretty much cramped. If your budget can stretch, going premium economy is a good idea, QF or BA. QF is the better premium economy product but BA tends to be a bit cheaper. Both are infinitely preferable to regular economy, even on the best airlines, such as SQ. Virgin has premium economy as well, but I haven't flown it, so can't offer an opinion. Also, if time is not an issue, you can think of alternative routes, such as via Tokyo or Johannesburg, rather than the normal Singapore or Bangkok. Both can be attractive places to stopover for a few days, and before anybody says Joburg is a pit, I'm suggesting going to nearby game parks.

 

[Travel Guru]

If it's May 2009, i'd be looking at the Qantas 2 for 1 deal, especially given you should be able to secure Premium economy (if available) for not much more than the standard economy price.

The bonus with Qantas premium economy is that if for some reason there a change in aircraft and yours doesn't have Premium fitted, they'll quite often upgrade you to business.

TG

 

[Mr Somerset]

I fly back to the UK every year, and am now an Singapore devotee. I'd avoid Emirates, as their economy seats are very narrow & cramped, service is ordinary, and Dubai airport is a complete state.

Haven't been on QF for a while so I'm not sure about them. Singapore's seats are fine, their service is fabulous, and there's always the opportunity to have a quick pit stop at a transit hotel in the terminal.

Mr Somerset

 

[hal55]

I wish we could stretch to premium economy but it just isn't possible - hence in large part this post. None of the big carriers can be recommended as having a touch more seat room in economy? How about the new 380s as mentioned earlier - any idea if the seat plans will be a bit more generous on those aircraft?

hal55

 

[trooper]

If you can get the SQ 380 all the way (?)... and get one of the pairs of seats on the Upper Deck then IMO you will be getting about the best economy travel there is..

Equally good for the actual flights (and I may be biased here!!) would be flying NZ... with a seat pitch on the 747 of 34", good AVOD/food/staff etc (again IMO!) it's pretty decent...

Downsides there are the extra stops in AKL (not a biggie I reckon) and... to get the 747 all the way you can't go via HKG (that is changing soon to a 777.. and I don't think they are as good...) .. so it has to be via LAX.. and THAT transit is not good.... (I'd build in a day or two there to not only break up the trip, but also to be able to avoid the "pen" they put you in when in transit)

Have a great trip whichever choice you make!

 

[NM]

There is little difference between the seat pitch in the major airlines flying between Australia and Europe. All will be around 32 inch pitch. If willing to go the long way you could get up to 34 inches of pitch with Air NZ, but need to look for the 747 operated flights via LAX to get the 34" pitch.

The rest of the experience can be very variable in economy. There are lots of horror stories and good experiences posted regularly relating to all of the major operators of the route, including QF, BA, SQ, CX, MH, TG, and EK.

Note that some of these airlines operate different types of aircraft on different sectors and that can make a big difference to the product. For example, SQ (and QF by the time you are looking to travel) will have A380 aircraft operating many flights to London, offering the most modern cabin features and entertainment systems etc. However, EK and CX operate 'regional" aircraft with older style seating and poor quality/feature entertainment options from some Australian ports like BNE or PER.

The service aspect of the flight will depend greatly on the particular crew you have operating the flight. Some airlines have quite a range of "quality" when it comes to the crew and in-flight service. One flight can be fantastic and the next a nightmare just because of the way you are treated. This can be especially true if there are problems or delays along the way.

One thing that some people consider important is the frequency of services, just in case there is an aircraft serviceability issue that cancels a flight. The more regular the flights from more chance of your disruption being minimised.

 

[Keith009]

IF you don't mind the inability to credit miles to a good FFP - MH is the one to gun for in economy. Decent food, 34" pitch and heaps of legroom, comfy seats, reasonably good IFE, fantastic service, and cheap!

EDIT: I've not been on them for a while and since then I've heard some "enhancements" with their food. Nonetheless the other things haven't changed and are still good.

 

[Starship]

If you can get the SQ 380 all the way (?)... and get one of the pairs of seats on the Upper Deck then IMO you will be getting about the best economy travel there is..

If you can get the 2:1 deal - and take QF A380 premium economy (all the P/E seats are upstairs at the back) - do so.

Other than that it is a matter of which shoe horn works better - or finding a flight with low load, so you can nab 4 seats across the back in row 79 for a sleep / space.

Having travelled with some people who are 'larger than life', be thankful the airlines have not [to date] been allowed to discriminate about individual's size and charge for 2 seats for the same person.

 

[Alanslegal]

I'd try and book the QF '2 for 1 deal' in premium economy.

Dummy bookings reveal around $5200 for two passengers which is not much more than a regular economy non-sale seat.

 

[dajop]

I wish we could stretch to premium economy but it just isn't possible - hence in large part this post. None of the big carriers can be recommended as having a touch more seat room in economy? How about the new 380s as mentioned earlier - any idea if the seat plans will be a bit more generous on those aircraft?

hal55

At the end of the day economy is economy - although being 6' tall I do notice the sligtly extra leg room offered by the 34" seat pitch on Thai, AirNZ and Malaysian. The shorter you are, obviously the less important the seat pitch. As you mention your wife is on the large side, you may want to avoid Emirates who on their Boeing 777 squeeze 10 seats across a space most airlines only put 9 seats into.

Singapore Airlines has exceptional service, but food is not much different to any airline. Qantas have their good and bad days and Thai, Malaysian, Air NZ, are all good.

The big thing you'll notice different from 20 years ago is the in flight entertainment - all the carriers people have mentioned have personal TV on each seat, and most of them have AVOD (Audio Video on Demand) with a range of movies and TV programs to choose from - so this would be my main selection criteria - no AVOD, or at the very least no personal TV with what is known as "looped" programs -= NO GO!!

Another suggestion, to make the journey more palatable, take an afternoon/evening flight to Asia, overnight there and then continue on a day flight the next day - removes the need to overnight on the plane (impossible to do this on the way back though!). A number of airlines have this option including Singapore Airlines and Qantas- via Hong Kong.

 

[dajop]

I'd try and book the QF '2 for 1 deal' in premium economy.

Dummy bookings reveal around $5200 for two passengers which is not much more than a regular economy non-sale seat.

But is about $2k more than the sale fare. If I was going for a week or two, it would make sense to go premium economy. If I was going for a month I'd go in economy and spend the $2k on better or more hotels/dining/sightseeing when in Europe.

 

[Harpoon]

I've done Emirates, Qantas and Malaysian to the UK.

Qantas is a 'good all-rounder'. Decent entertainment, food, seat. But nothing spectacular. However if you can get an A380 in may next year, Qantas suddenly becomes more attractive.

The other point I dont think anyone has mentioned with the A380 is it's noticably quietier than 747/777 options. So if you find dozing off difficult due to the humm of the engines, this may be worth considering on QF, SQ or EK.

Emirates I am NOT a fan of their economy. Although they may be A380's by May which may be worth a look. I've only been on their 777. But if it's their 777 or A340 I would give them a miss just because of the overall package. Though they do have competitive prices, probably for that reason :|

Malaysian I liked. Decent service and food and seat. KL is a nice stopover too if you want to do a day there.

Never flown SQ but have heard only glowing reports for their economy product.

If I had to pick right now, assuming they were all closely priced, I'd pick QF or SQ and try to book an A380 flight on either. And if your scheduling does not allow for an A380, go with the cheaper of SQ or QF. or if you want to stopover in a particular city, just go with that airline.

In the end, it's still 24 hours of travel time at least in an econ0omy seat which WILL be cramped and uncomfortable after 24 hours. So whatever airline you pick, whichever seat you get, whatever food you are served, you're still inside a cramped dry hull of an aircraft for 24 hours which is horrid even in First class (well almost)

One last point - if you go with the cheapest deal out of all the airlines - often the fact that you know you're saving $300 or whatever can make up for a coughpier seat. A purely psychological thing. Because things can and DO go wrong if you spend that little bit extra to get 2" or extra legroom. If you go with the more expensive SQ seat, you can still get a screaming child next to you! So if you go the cheapest, you'll always know you went the cheapest!

 

[simongr]

I would not be basing a QF decision on the likelihood of getting an A380. With so few in the fleet the chance of an equipment swap is relatively high so you might aim for an A380 and get a 744. With SQ at least you will have a better chance of no equipment swap .

 

[hal55]

Thanks to all for ther input. It's brought back memories, good and bad, of long haul flights from long ago. I see that the terror of seeing tiny tots near you on the plane is as strong as ever. One surprise was that Emirates didn't feature as positively as I'd thought and I had no idea of they're 10 abreast seating plan.

Again, thanks for the input,


Hal55

 

[NM]

Thanks to all for ther input. It's brought back memories, good and bad, of long haul flights from long ago. I see that the terror of seeing tiny tots near you on the plane is as strong as ever. One surprise was that Emirates didn't feature as positively as I'd thought and I had no idea of they're 10 abreast seating plan.

EK can be a very good option in premium cabins, but their economy product on some aircraft types is less desirable than other airlines.

 

[futaris]

I'd recommend SQ or QF as well. Whatever's cheaper or has newer planes. Also, if you're flying on a SQ 777-300ER you'll get power socket in Economy, which is a bonus.

The only other airline that no-one else has mentioned is Etihad. Like Emirates, it is a 2 stop flight, once in Singapore, and once in Abu Dhabi. I think they have one of the largest AVOD touch screens in economy.

 

[hal55]

We were originally looking at Etihad, mainly because they land in Ireland and we liked the idea of a quiet start to the holiday before heading to London/Oxford. Unfortunately Ireland had to be dropped off when the problem of too much to see/do and too few days to do it in surfaced.

Hal55