Airlines

[ebianca]

Again I can't be bothered to look for the old threads.

What airlines do people recommend from UK to NZ?

A few people have already advised me not to go Air NZ via LAX (especially with my 2kids)- was my first choice due to extra baggage allowance.

What has everyone else done.

Also we will be heading out on return tickets as we will be applying for our visas whilst in NZ so does anyone know if the returns can be cashed back in once we have our visas granted.

I'm looking at you especially Dawn for advice on this as you have done the move recently with kids and no visas but of course anyone else is welcome to reply too.

Thanks in advance guys.

Beth

[MotherBear]

There's all sorts of info on airline quality and airport rankings here but, as you say, there's nothng like a bit of personal experience to sort the wheat from the chaff.

[Burgundy21]

Hey Beth,

Although we are going out of Paris I imagine that the service would be the same ( brilliant). We are using Singapore Air. We searched the web for ages and discovered that by moving dates we could save 1000 euros. We get 30kg luggage (OH phoned after buying tickets and said as we are teachers we needed to take certain books, no problem, no charge and up from 20kg to 30kg!) We are shipping some boxes using their freight too, again really helpful. Also incredible choice of food on board. The flight for me is the worst part of this adventure so we decided spending a bit more could make a big difference. Only snag is if you guys are coming soon I guess it is peak season thus highest ticket price. Have a look on the web! We have no return ticket either but are prepared for immigration with various possibilities.

[Ace]

Looking on airnewzealand.co.nz, it looks like they fly from Heathrow to Wellington, connecting in Auckland, through both LAX and Hong Kong.

I would stick with Air NZ if you can, since they're one of the few airlines that also flies from Auckland to Wellington, and changing airlines in one trip always seems to increases the chances of baggage getting lost, delays causing missed connections, etc. For me, I also enjoy getting a taste of NZ while I'm traveling -- it makes the flight a little more fun.

It looks like the flight through HK is actually 3 hours shorter, so that seems like the way to go. However, don't let people scare you away from LAX -- it's not that bad for an all-international flight, particularly if you're staying on the same airline.

Those flights are 27 hours long all together. Ugh! At least there's something to look forward to when you arrive....

[Welshgirl]

I'm off to Wales on Sunday for a 6 week trip and I'm flying with Emirates - never used them before so I'll let you know what they were like when i return

Only ever used Singapore Airlines and Air NZ previously, both were perfectly fine, I'd recommend them to anyone - although my loyalty to my home country would put ANZ slightly ahead of Singapore Airlines

[Glenda]

Have a good flight Welshgirl!

Have been on many Emirates flights, though 2+ years ago now. They were just as good as Singapore. On the entertainment screen, they used to have on Channel 17 and 18 a live showing of the plane's take off and flight from cameras positioned on its belly.

[ebianca]

Wow WG- that was quick- how'd ypu manage that?

Hope you have a great time back in walesxxxx

[MotherBear]

Originally Posted by Glenda

On the entertainment screen, they used to have on Channel 17 and 18 a live showing of the plane's take off and flight from cameras positioned on its belly.

Yes, I've only flown once with them (which is odd living only a hop, skip and jump from Dubai), but I remember being startled to see our descent onto the runway.

We were stuck on the runway before take off in Kuwait and the poor stewardesses were soaked with perspiration yet still managed to smile and be friendly and helpful. It wasn't a long flight but it was a good one.