Anyone done a long haul flight with 2 y/o twins?

[Tony Starks]

We're due to return home at christmas for a wedding and just interested in anyones experiences of doing the same from Oz/NZ?

The thing that seems to be playing on our minds is getting extra seats for the kids, if we have them sitting on our laps the prices are reasonable and we can afford them quite easily.
The trouble is, having a 2 year old on my lap for 30+ hours is going to be pretty hard going and if I get sy due to lack of sleep and sore legs I can imagine the kids will too. Which will make for an awesome time for everyone else on the plane.

or do we get extra seats only for them to want to sit on our laps the entire way lol.

cheers

Alex

[LordGrover]

DHL.
Kids that size can last ages in a box with a few snacks. Make an air hole too.
It'll be kinder on your fellow travellers anyway.

[Silverbullet767]

I really envy your fellow passengers.

[Tony Starks]

LordGrover said:

DHL.
Kids that size can last ages in a box with a few snacks. Make an air hole too.
It'll be kinder on your fellow travellers anyway.

While I have no problem with that, it seems the wife does. Women just have no sense of adventure lol

[Tony Starks]

Now we're talking lol, or I could post them and just stay at home as it'll be summer here

[Adenauer]

Silverbullet767 said:

I really envy your fellow passengers.

This, so much this.

Can you even begin to imagine getting on a plane and finding out that you are sitting next to, behind, in front of, 2 year old twins???????

And that on a long haul flight!

[Vaud]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-21977785

[Silverbullet767]

Adenauer said:

This, so much this.

Can you even begin to imagine getting on a plane and finding out that you are sitting next to, behind, in front of, 2 year old twins???????

And that on a long haul flight!

I realise people have to take their kids, but when I came back from vegas, I purchased an extra legroom seat for my and the OH since it was a bit cramped on the way there. I wouldn't have bothered if I knew I'd be sat behind a couple with 2 very young kids. They were loud. VERY loud.

Who the fk brings kids to vegas anyway?

[hornetrider]

Bad news, you have to buy seats for them at 2 years old, they can't go on your lap.

Kiss goodbye to your retirement fund! $$$$$$$$

[LordGrover]

If spending their inheritance, why not plonk them up front with the 1st/business class johnnies and enjoy cattle class child-free?

[Adenauer]

Silverbullet767 said:

I realise people have to take their kids, but when I came back from vegas, I purchased an extra legroom seat for my and the OH since it was a bit cramped on the way there. I wouldn't have bothered if I knew I'd be sat behind a couple with 2 very young kids. They were loud. VERY loud.

Who the fk brings kids to vegas anyway?

Last time I flew out to Florida I had a teenage lad sitting directly behind me with some form of DS I'd guess, and his 'extremely' tolerant carer.

I say extremely tolerant as otherwise she would have probably asked him not to keep hitting me over the head with a cushion.

It was quite a long flight.

[hornetrider]

Adenauer said:

I say extremely tolerant as otherwise she would have probably asked him not to keep hitting me over the head with a cushion.

Why didn't you?

[zcacogp]

Adenauer said:

I say extremely tolerant as otherwise she would have probably asked him not to keep hitting me over the head with a cushion.

Sounds like a case where you needed to get the cabin stewards involved. That's not acceptable from anyone.


Oli.

[Tony Starks]

hornetrider said:

Bad news, you have to buy seats for them at 2 years old, they can't go on your lap.

Kiss goodbye to your retirement fund! $$$$$$$$

technically they'll be 22 months so just in.

And yes I know kids on planes are fun

The trouble we have is NZ direct to LHR is 26ish hours but expensive or NZ to Oz to Dubai to LHR is cheaper but 40ish hours. And that doesnt include getting from New Plymouth to Auckland and LHR to Southampton.

[Hub]

You must know what your kids are like. I've been on flights where young kids have just curled up and gone to sleep and been as good as gold, and others where they were a nightmare running up and down the aisles and being grizzly. My daughter is 14 months now, will be 2 at Christmas so roughly the same age, and she won't sit still now, so active and stubborn that I would fear for surviving four long haul flights, let alone with two of her!

[Dusty964]

Tony Starks said:

hornetrider said:

Bad news, you have to buy seats for them at 2 years old, they can't go on your lap.

Kiss goodbye to your retirement fund! $$$$$$$$

technically they'll be 22 months so just in.

And yes I know kids on planes are fun

The trouble we have is NZ direct to LHR is 26ish hours but expensive or NZ to Oz to Dubai to LHR is cheaper but 40ish hours. And that doesnt include getting from New Plymouth to Auckland and LHR to Southampton.

Stop in Dubai for a couple of days to break up the journey

[Adenauer]

hornetrider said:

Adenauer said:

I say extremely tolerant as otherwise she would have probably asked him not to keep hitting me over the head with a cushion.

Why didn't you?

I did, numerous times, as did several others. The plane was full. What else could I have done?

I just got bladdered and went to sleep more or less in the footwell

[hornetrider]

Righty oh. We flew short haul to Europe with ours twice when she was under 2, both times on our laps and it was ok. She was getting restless after a while though, I can't imagine having the pair of them on laps for the entire flight. You could be lucky and book a window and aisle seat, and hope the flight isn't full and nobody buys the seat inbetween. I personally wouldn't take that risk though.

Additionally, that is a very long flight. Are you considering a 24hr layover, maybe Singapore?

[Tony Starks]

hornetrider said:

Righty oh. We flew short haul to Europe with ours twice when she was under 2, both times on our laps and it was ok. She was getting restless after a while though, I can't imagine having the pair of them on laps for the entire flight. You could be lucky and book a window and aisle seat, and hope the flight isn't full and nobody buys the seat inbetween. I personally wouldn't take that risk though.

Additionally, that is a very long flight. Are you considering a 24hr layover, maybe Singapore?

We did look at it but the costs involved just get ridiculous, as it stands we looking at about £10K just to go to my dads wedding.

[PomBstard]

Phenergan is your friend here. Find some, buy some, trial the dose size first, then use it. If you can't get it in NZ, might be worth finding a way to get it from Aus. At the age of two, they're now just old enough to use it! Used it for ours when she was nearly three, SYD-LHR-SYD via HK. I reckon she slept 6 of the 8 hours to HK, then a further 8 hours to LHR. Same on return.

Then also have lots (and I really mean lots) of activities ready to spring on them when they're up. Get an ipad or similar loaded with films and tv, find other families and encourage the kids to sit together. Beware that some airlines are more strict than others about kids sitting on the floor - last time we went with Virgin, and they were great, as too were AirNZ. Qantas not so much. No idea about Emitrates/Etihad.

Have fun!