We flew from Bankok to Sydney with Quantas and I cannot fault them. They were superb and looked after us well. Not having flown with other airlines to Oz, I cant compare but we would fly with them again. Hope this helps. Have a fab time - its one of my favourite places EVER BTW - We flew BA to Bangkok. Are you going to be stopping off anywhere en route?

have used malaysian airlines and they were brilliant, couldn't fault them at all and would use again. had games consol on t.v and inbetween meals if you were peckish or thirsty you could just go up to the stewards station and get a plate of rolls and cakes and drinks! no need to wait til meal times.

Are you flying economy?
I have flown Malaysian Air economy to Australia and found the flight pretty good. I have also flown many different airlines to the far east.I found Malaysia had more leg room than Singapore, though I believe Singapore's B777 and A380 have better leg room than their B747. Service on Singapore was better than Malaysia . Thai are another possibility their planes have very good legroom and the service is normally good. The only drawback with Thai though is they don't have seatback entertainment systems on all of their planes( but I believe it is being introduced). I am not particularly impressed with Cathay though many people find their new seats in economy very comfortable. BA, Quantas, Emirates and Virgin planes all seem to have cramped seating which isn't great on very long flights.
If you are planning a stopover then whichever city you choose will limit the number of different airlines you can choose from..

We're off to Sydney in October. Just booked our flights.

Qantas have a sale on at the moment and the fares were very reasonable. We fancied trying to go on their new A380 aircraft but the flight options offered on their web only seemed to offer a B747 flight. In the end we booked with Virgin Atlantic as we can stop off in Hong Kong on the return for a few days.

My suggestions would be Emirates, Singapore Airlines, Qantas or Virgin.

I am soooo jealous Traveller I just loved it there. We spent four weeks there, 5 days in Sydney and then we hired a car and drove up the Gold Coast, stopping and staying overnight wherever we fancied for 7 days. Arrived in Brisbaine for a couple of days, then flew up to Cairns and stayed in Coffs Harbour for a week (if youre there, you must go to the Inlet Restaurant - fantastic) then back to Sydney for a few more days before stopping in Singapore for 3 days and then home. Cant wait to go back

Less than 300 sleeps to go.....

Domestic flight to Sunshine Coast booked with Virgin Blue. Think we will try Jetstar on the domestic flight back to Sydney.

I have flown down under a few times and the best is probably Cathay Pacific. Air New Zealand has the best leg room but getting to OZ would require two stop overs I think. Also wouldn't hesitate going with Virgin Atlantic who have a sale on right now.

Cathay Pacific in economy has new seats that don't recline but the cushion slides in the same way as a recline which basically means when the passenger in front reclines- you don't lose your legspace- brilliant!! Virgin has more legroom than British Airways in economy and both Cathay and Virgin have better In flight entertainment that BA.

If you are going Premium Economy, don't bother with BA it is just extra legroom and first choice of the economy meals not worth the extra.

Business- again Cathay is best but Virgin has the onboard bar and the crew are more fun.

Ali
You may want to check out http://www.airlinequality.com for reviews on all of the airlines recommended by HT members. One of my worst ever longhaul flights in economy was with Cathay but lots of people have positive experiences with them, see Jimbob's post. If you are intending flying business I would recommend either Singapore or BA, both come out very high in polls on flight review sites and BA (and Quantas) are offering special low business rates at the moment. I have had superb business flights with both Singapore and BA.
Based on my experiences if I was flying to Australia again I would choose Malaysia or Thai (if I could get seat back video) in economy and either Singapore or BA in business.

Judith

I have flown long haul with BA, Qantas, & Cathay from and to various locations in Asia and Australia. I would say that Cathay and Qantas are the best, just feels like more room, especially in economy. BA 747-400s really are cramped at the back. However, if you can afford to travel in World Traveller Plus or Business then BA is better than the rest.

Just returned this weekend from Oz and NZ. Flew internationally and domestically with Qantas and they were superb. Great service and the legroom was fine on the international. Flew one domestic flight with them which was slightly smaller legroom but nothing too major. Flew another domestic flight with Virgin Blue from Sunshine Coast to Sydney and they were superb also. Loads of legroom, comfortable seats and great staff. Have a fantastic time - you will adore it, we did - been back three days and already planning to move out there!

Hello,

Can anyone recommend any websites or let me know of any ways I can find the cheapest flights (poss indirect) from London to Australia?

Is it worth the hassle of booking legs of the journey individually and picking up suitcases and then checking in again? Can this feasibly be done?

Thanks.

samanthatracey,

You might want to have a look at this thread for advice. You've got plenty of options; British Airways, Emirates, Singapore Airlines, Cathay Pacific, Virgin Atlantic to name but a few. It's easier using the same airline / code share as it's a hassle having to pick bags up and re-check-in.

Darren

I have flown to Australia with Qantas Emirates and Singapore Airlines and for me SIA were the best in terms of leg room and service.
Also their stopover package was fantastic value and I would certainly prefer to fly with them on my next venture. Who knows when.
Hi Judith and thanks for all your advice prior to my trip last November.

Sue