confusedmammy

Hi, i am planning a family holiday for next year,
. Will be traveling with hubby and 3 children who will be 9, 5 and 2.

My question is who is the best airline to fly to Orlando florida, from Dublin Ireland.

I have noticed that all of the aircraft layouts i can find has either 3 or 4 seats together. any tips on where to sit ( across and aisle or 2 behind / infront of each other)

Finally is it worth spending more on a direct flight or less with stop overs.

This will be our first family holiday with 3 kids and before this it was short half hour flights to uk, the stress of which resulted in us going to uk by boat instead.

All advise will be so welcome.
THANKS

gail

First terminology - in the US non-stop is not the same as direct. Non-stop is what you want. Direct flights stop somewhere, and usually you have to change planes. If you can not fly non-stop from Dublin, if any flight is at night, I would do that as the longest leg - hopefully the kids will sleep.

Second, airlines can and do change the type of plane they use - so just because you pick a flight based on what type of plane, there is not a guarantee that is what will fly - it probably will, but still may change, even if you pick seats.

I would book seats in a row rather than in front and back - so that you have 2 aisle seats. that way if one of you needs to get up you have 2 chances of not bothering another passenger. Also, then you and your husband can trade off the kids - or who gets to sit with whichever one is getting upset at the moment. For example, one of you could sit with the youngest one, the other with the 2 older ones and trade off.

If you go to the US or airline section of Fodors and search things like "flying with children" you will get lots of tips from those of us who have flown successfully with children - which I hope will reduce your stress.

My main tip is bring food - airlines are offering less and less food on board, and even if they list it as food for purchase, they sometimes run out. Also, children often do not like airline food. Nothing makes a kid more upset than being stuck in an airline seat while hungry.

Have a good trip - you can do it - and hopefully the fun will be worth it.

confusedmammy

Thank you so much for your advise, It really helps. Did not think about night flights but it does make a lot of sense.

hlphillips2

I personally like to sit back to back, since then my 4yo can have her little sister in the seat in front of her. That way it's only her sister complaining if the older one is kicking the seat. Your 9yo will most likely listen and not bother other passengers that way, but I've found that under 5 they tend to forget. So if I were you I'd try and sit 3 in one row (9 & 5 yo with an adult) and 2 in the row behind or in front (2 yo who will probably need more stimulation).

Bring a DVD player or even better, put some movies onto ipods. My daughter could fly all day (and has) as long as she can watch movies and read books. Definitely bring food as mentioned before. And an extra change of clothes for each child. You never know if airsickness may set in or if luggage won't arrive.

As for flights, I'd agree that if you can get a long non-stop flight that's the ideal way to go overnight. But if you can't I've also found that splitting up the day into shorter flights is better for younger kids who tend to get antsy after being in the air 3-4 hours. Especially on the flight back, which will be a long day, if they can burn off some energy for an hour or two in an airport in the middle of the flights that would be ideal.

dutyfree

I think that you will find that most of the flights out of Dublin to the states leave in the morning so you would connect in either Altanta,Miami or JFK to get another flight to Orlando.When you return to Dublin you will usually have a night flight arriving early morning.

confusedmammy

wow thank you all for your replies, will give them lots of consideration. your right about dub flights they all leave in morning and as my 9 and 5 year old have to be split up in car ( 5 year old loves tormenting his big sis!) will split them on flight.

hetismij

If you can't fly non stop from Ireland then choose a European hub for your stop over. Why?
Because then you do not have to retrieve your luggage and go through customs before rechecking it as you do with a stopover in the US. bad enough coping with the queue for immigration without having to go through all that and get another plane as well.
Does Shannon still offer US immigration at the airport?

doug_stallings

There are certainly flights from LHR to Orlando, and I'd look first at the airlines that fly from Heathrow or Gatwick. I know, for example, that British Airways flies from LHR to Orlando, and I suspect that would be faster, though perhaps not cheaper, than flying on Aer Lingus.

Have you priced packages through a travel agent that include airfare? That would probably be your best bet and would save you a bit on the airfare cost.

hlphillips2

hetismij that is great advice! I'll be considering that as I plan our trip next summer!