Originally Posted by hyperzulu

I guess it depends. Cathay and Aeroflot might be the worst if you're looking to maximize time in the Maldives and minimize time in transit. Cathay arrives into MLE at night and Aeroflot has a really long connection in SVO.

I would probably avoid Turkish.

Emirates, Etihad and Qatar fly one-stop runs to MLE and arrive between 7am (Emirates) and 2pm (Etihad). The resort will allow you to stroll around, but there's no guarantee that your room will be ready if you're there at 10am.