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Home » Reader question » Reader question: Flying with children to Thailand, direct or stopover?
Dear Thailand bloggers,
At the end of this year we want to travel to Thailand with our family (2 children aged 7 and 10) to visit family and to see the country.
We have never been to Thailand and only have experience with long-haul flights to Bali about 12,5 years ago via Malaysia Airlines. Our eldest has already flown once, our youngest never. The children are used to having to travel in the car for a long time and that always goes well (without whining and whining).
What is Wisdom? Book a direct flight or a flight with a stopover, for example with Emirates. Does anyone have experience with this with children?
Sincerely,
marscha
I myself have never made a stopover (ok, once when Bangkok was closed, via Kuala Lumpur to Phuket) but I have often encountered small(er) children on the direct flights to BKK and it has never bothered me.
I would definitely opt for a direct flight with children and thus keep the 'being on the road' as short as possible. With children aged 7 and 10 you should not normally expect any problems, they will enjoy themselves on board.
It seems to me that it is better
no stopover wall you have to with a stopover
wait a long time before you fly to Thailand
Dear Marsha,
This also depends a bit on the kids, and how you keep them entertained on a long flight.
In my experience, small children are often better off on a long flight than an adult.
You should also assume that a direct flight is usually more expensive than a flight with a stopover.
As you wrote, your children have no problem with long car journeys, so I don't see a problem with a stopover at all. We have experience with both options and have not noticed any major differences in the behavior of the children.
Gr.John.
direct with EVA or China or KLM from Amsterdam or from Brussels with Thai is preferred. Waking up (made) when you sleep is not really nice. And then wait… and another 5 hours of flying. Fun is different…
Only 1 piece of advice possible in my opinion: A direct flight. Much more opportunity to sleep peacefully. No nervous hassle with children at an airport. Just directly. My experience is China Airlines. But there will be other good companies too.
We ourselves travel with 2 children via Dubai, more because this saves a lot of money, sometimes as much as 1000 euros, but if money plays no role in this, I would still opt for a direct flight, children often get problems with their ears and because you have 2 landings this can be a problem, also the fatigue with the often longer transfers is less.
I think many readers are curious about your calculation about flying 1000 euros cheaper. ?????
We are going in April and transferring in Dubai.
Our kids are 9 and 13 and we deliberately chose Emirates
Because then they can get out of the plane about halfway through.
Have no direct flight experience.
A stopover in Dubai with a short transfer time is invigorating. If you have to wait 8 hours on the return journey there, then this is “deadly”.
@ Marc Mortier, already written a dozen times. Why wait when one arrives in Dubai at a good time? Why not take a day ticket for 2,75 Euro metro and enjoy!
Options to go with kids when waiting time (during the day). Children City, entrance 2,20. Adult: 2,75 Euro.
Burj al Khalifa where there is a lot to do for kids
Do you want to go crazy? Go skiing if finances allow
Marina, where there are water sports activities for kids and the many water parks
Beautiful beaches if they like a good swim
Most people hang around the airport for a very long time and then complain. Unjustified in my eyes, people see the price, they see the waiting time, why not go to Dubai? For the money? As I said, 2,75 for a metro day ticket. One is short of eyes!
Spent the whole day, child will sleep with a very satisfied and happy feeling in the 2nd part of the flight!
every child is different, so yes what is best for a child? Are they quiet children, are they wild, patient, impatient? You know them best, let your choice depend on that!
Next month I will fly for the first time with 2 kids of 1,5 and 3,5 years old… am also curious…..? Will definitely take that into account of their reaction on the plane on my next flight. Now I have a night layover.
If you have racing kids, they can let off steam and they also find a visit to the Mac a nice change. I didn't actually look for a playground at airports because I don't belong to the target group. They'll be there. Or not?
A stopover makes the journey unnecessarily longer. And hanging out in an airport for a few hours isn't very appealing to most kids.
So flying direct would be my advice. Just keep biting for 10-11 hours and you're done. Moreover, your children have plenty to do: watch a movie, eat, read a book, color, etc.
We have just returned from a Christmas holiday in Thailand with our two (younger) children (4 and 6). We have deliberately chosen to have pleasant flights: during the day, only a short transfer in Paris on the way out and straight back, so no nightly adventure in Dubai or anything like that. With the jet lag and temperature difference added, this went just fine and because of the relatively short trip (2 weeks) we were very happy with that.
Yes, then you will be there in 12 hours.
Transfers are cheaper in all cases, but take into account much longer travel times because in most cases you have a stopover of 5 hours or more
Definitely opt for a direct non-stop flight, i.e. Eva Air, KLM, Cina Airways. Children can sleep well and otherwise enjoy themselves. Also no problems with ascending and descending.
My families with small children only fly non-stop, especially for the children!
Flew with Emirates in 2014…. Dusseldorf – Dubai – Bangkok 2 times 6-hour flights with a stopover of 3 hours.
Rented a house in Hua Hin together with our children (14-14-12-12 and 4) and did various things, such as River Kwai, Erawan and snorkeling on Koh Talu.
Never had such an easy holiday in terms of flying (perfect) and eating and living.
This year we will go again and then move from North to South.
The only problem is, once you've been there you want to go back to this beautiful country as soon as possible.
I would still opt for a direct flight. This way you avoid having to rush to catch the next plane when the 1st flight is delayed. We just experienced this…. Missed flight and had to take another flight 3 hours later. No laughing matter! Sometimes you also have a bad connection, which means that you also have to wait for hours. Even if your kids are used to long journeys, no one likes to wait.
You can also choose to fly via KLM, which lands in Amsterdam. From Belgium it is very easy to reach with the Thalys (also a nice experience and only an hour's drive). This stops at the airport itself. You can order a combination ticket Thalys – flight via KLM. Keep in mind that you usually don't have a promo.
You have to decide for yourself what is important to you: comfort in travel time, comfort during flight, price
We have already flown with the following:
– KLM: + cheap
+ direct from Amsterdam (+/- 10 hours flight)
- little legroom
– small screens for film/animation
– Thai airways/Brussels Airlines: + spacious aircraft/lots of legroom
+ directly
+ good selection of movies, clear screen
+ child friendly
- more expensive)
– Etihad: + spacious aircraft / lots of legroom
+ good selection of movies, clear screen
– transfer
- duration
– Lufthansa: + spacious aircraft
+ good range of movies
+/- not among the most expensive
– transfer Frankfurt
No promo? Select as departure. Antwerp Central Station. And sometimes you get a discount! There are Dutch people who fly from Amsterdam but first do VISA-versa Antwerp by train. It is now also possible to come to Amsterdam with a KLM shuttle bus.
Yes, I completely agree with most commenters. I have flown a lot with my children (young and later a bit older) and flying direct was the best for me. I once had a flight with a stopover, but oh well, the hassle made the children more tired than with the direct flight. So my advice: fly direct.
We have flown to distant destinations with our daughter several times. What we liked best about going to Bangkok is an evening flight from Amsterdam and then keep to the same rhythm as at home. So around bedtime, brush your teeth and go to sleep. I must say that we did
our daughter was 4, 5 and 6 years old. But of course you can also change them into nice sleeping clothes. Doesn't necessarily have to be pajamas. But keeping the rhythm went fine. She slept the entire flight. We went once with Lufthansa via Frankfurt. From Amsterdam to Frankfurt is a very short distance and after the departure from Frankfurt we went to sleep. So it doesn't really matter to the children whether you go directly or with a stopover. As long as the stopover isn't too long. No waiting 4 hours at an airport. Try to avoid that. The total travel time will then be much too long for them. What we have done every long journey is to stay there for at least 2 to 3 nights when you arrive in Bangkok. Get used to the heat, jet lag, the people, culture, etc. Thailand is a perfect country to travel with children. Hope this is of some use to you.
Greetings, Mieke
How about a stopover with an overnight stay?
indeed. Dubai is a beautiful city for an overnight stay. You can climb the highest tower and there is animation there. You can spend half a day in one of the water parks with the children, really fantastic. The Ferrari theme park in Abu Dhabi is only an hour's drive from Dubai.
Plenty of animation, a matter of preparation…
What a fuss with children or is it more about the parents? Let them stop by for a while and experience more and see something different!!
We have been traveling to Asia with our son since he was 1 year old.
Our experience is, make the travel time as short as possible..
If he's sleeping, he might be sleeping through, no hiccups.
Try to book for an evening flight, then it is usually quiet on the plane.
Success.
I flew to Bangkok with my almost 2014-year-old daughter in November 3 and deliberately opted for a direct flight. Eva Airways and China Airways had the best prices and then I deliberately chose Eva Airways because they have a late night departure from Amsterdam so night flight so my daughter could sleep the whole trip, which she did, as well as the return flight from Bangkok had a better departure time than China Airlines.
I would only take a flight with a transfer if the transfer times are under 3 hours and not at crazy times and if it really made a big difference with the price.
Unfortunately, with kids it is not so nice to do the craziest antics for the cheapest possible flight than if you are traveling alone.
You know your children best yourself. It is impossible for us readers to estimate their behavior.
From my experience, a 2-4 hour layover is quite ideal at this age, as it allows them to move around once in a while. Scientific studies have shown that sufficient exercise is positive to combat jet lag and fatigue.
My advice is therefore to always take the cheapest flights (with a reasonable transfer time).
I myself went to Thailand with Thai Airways, but the return flight was at midnight. That was much worse than a flight that would leave in the afternoon (with a stopover).
It is therefore especially important to weigh these things up (travel time).
Going through in a hurry, switching is more expensive in price.
When transferring, you hang around at an airport, nothing to do, perhaps collecting luggage and returning it again, not really great.
There are games and video to see and play
And continue sleeping.
T stays for a while, but then they quickly forget it again.
What you say is not true in most cases.
When a direct flight is cheaper, no one would make a transfer, of course.
As an example, on any given day in September, a flight with a layover of 2-3 hours would cost €500 (Etihad – Abu Dhabi), while a direct flight is usually from €600. (from Brussels that difference is even greater)
You can spend that €100 per person (€300 in the case of the questioner) better, since you only lose a few hours. (How long do you have to work to earn $300?)
You almost never have to pick up the luggage.
Then the question remains whether it is more pleasant to sit still in an airplane for 12 hours or to move in between…
Wow what a lot of comments! We will weigh up all the pros and cons and then we can probably make a good choice.
You have given us plenty of tips and food for thought.
Thanks everyone!