Planes
Emirates
I travelled from Auckland, NZ to Glasgow, UK via Duabi on Emirates. It was my first long haul international flight in nearly 30 years and my first one solo!
Dubai, was just a stop over long enough to navigatet this HUGE airport, to
change planes - allow plenty of time to get from one gate to the next,
for me it was a huge treck, but fortunaely my luggage was checked
through, so I only had my carry on luggage with me, in hindsight, I would
have not bought duty-free (yes alcohol!) in Auckland, and had a smaller
cabin bag or even a different style of cabin bag, that would have been
easier to carry around. With the long walk, great after the long flight,
carrying what I had was an absolute pain in the butt!
It was my first time flying Emirates, and I can say, they were a fantastic airline to travel with. Great service pre-boarding, and while in the air. I was really fortunate that the flight from Auckland to Dubai, there was only myself and one other passenger in our three seat configuration, so gave us just that bit of extra space to try and sleep. Then on the leg from Dubai to Glasgow, I had the three seat configuration to myself - BLISS! I think this was all down to timing and luck - the world had only just started 'righting' itself after COVID - so international air travel had not returned to normal.
Additional Air Travel
Since arriving in the UK in April 2022, I have completed numerous other domestic, and international travel. These have been with 'budget' airlines such as EasyJet, Ryan Air, Aer Lingus, TUI Airways, and Jet2. I always shop around for flights, looking at both the cost and convenience. I make use of various websites for this, and also check directly with the airline.
While most of these flights have involved delayed departures, non have been cancelled (touch wood!), and the longest delay has only been for 90 minutes. When there are delays I have found the airlines have been very good at keeping you up to date.
While I initially would check in one item of luggage, I am now down to taking just carry on luggage. Generally, I'll pay to have the slightly larger carry on luggage allowance, but it means I don't have to wait around to collect any bags!
Possibly one aspect to be mindful of is that when booking, and you think you have a 'cheap' flight, with these budget airlines as you are booking, you will be ' charged' for various add ons e.g. where your seat is, extra sized carry on, checked in luggage, etc. Sometimes I go through the process of booking with a few airlines to get the flight at a price I am willing to pay! It does take extra time, but if you are on a budget like me, can be worth it!
Planes and Flying
This page on flights is 'light' on detail and content, as I will be adding more. information, tips, and tricks, and content as I build the website and create affiliate marketing partnerships with airlines and relevant other partners as it relates to flying. I trust that this has given you a bit of a flavour of what is to come, and I look forward to sharing more content with you.