EfficientTraveller

If you can avoid the kids sleeping LHR => SIN, I would try to do so. With an early morning arrival into Sydney, ideally to reduce the effects of jet lag, you want to try and sleep the SIN => SYD leg.

If you are flying first, you have complete flexibility about meal times, so you might want to think about something along the following lines:

- Dinner in the CCR at LHR
- Get on board and order food but ask for it to be served say 5 hours into LHR => SIN flight. Sleep.
- Wake up for food and then stay awake (films etc) through to SIN.
- Dinner in SIN (we tend not to shower as it seems to make it feel like morning
- Sleep SIN to SYD

It seems to mean you arrive in SYD broadly on the right time zone but does rely on you being able to sleep / stay awake when required. We find some Nytol quite helpful.

I also think the Qantas lounge has far superior food - the cooked to order asian dishes are great.

Newly Wed

That strategy looks great but it is probably wishful thinking to keep the kids awake on LHR-SIN leg departing at 21.45. They are only little and I suspect they will sleep most of the way there and then be up the entire SIN-SYD leg. Hopefully I can entice them with unlimited iPad time and the promise of a BA F midnight feast.

Jamier45

I ate in the CCR then about 5 hours from SIN. I slept for the last 4 hours of the LHR-SIN then had a small snack in the QF lounge, mainly the fresh veg with a small amount of fish.

As soon as I got onto SIN-SYD I changed into F PJs ordered my food and within 30 seconds from wheels up I was asleep and woke 1hr20 out of SYD and ate which set me up well for a full day of exploring Sydney.

YuropFlyer

Gate closes (exactly) 10minutes before departure.

So when you go from Gate to lounge, remember the time it takes (say, 10 minutes with children) and then leave 10 minutes + walking time + some reserve (say, another 10min) - no need to leave earlier. In that case, it would mean leaving the lounge 30min before departure - you can ignore "Last Call" or whatever they display at T-45min, more often than not, boarding hasn't even started yet.

With most gates only having two security lanes, the idea behind this early "Last Call" is that everyone is already screened early, since otherwise the actual boarding would be delayed.

Globaliser

I agree with you. In addition, the idea that if you stay up on LHR-SIN and sleep on SIN-SYD, your body will then be working on the correct time zone, is fanciful. Body clocks take much longer to adjust.

And there is the risk that if you stay up for LHR-SIN, and then your body clock keeps you awake for all of SIN-SYD. If that happens to the children, then you will have some seriously grumpy kids on your hands right at the start of the trip.

Some adults are better at ignoring the body clock's sleep cycles, perhaps through training or long experience. But you can't guarantee that children will be able to do that. IME kids whose bodies need to sleep inevitably go to sleep.

luftaom

Also the boarding status on the screens in the terminal is always deeply misleading.

Go to gate = you have heaps of time

Boarding = you have plenty of time to finish your drink and head to gate.

Final call = boarding

Gate closing = final call

I haven't been to SIN since the BA lounge it was being redone - but I agree with the comments above re the Qantas lounge (which I personally think is better than the BA T5 First lounge).

jk156

I would unhesitatingly recommend getting a shower at SIN - means you arrive in SYD feeling infinitely more human! Can't vouch for the difference between the QF and BA lounge bathrooms - but food offer is undoubtedly better in QF.

As for the sleep strategy between the two legs - forget about it. It's an 11 hour difference so whatever you do, you're going to be jetlagged to hell when you get there! Best plan is just to relax and enjoy the journey in F!

(Although for the record... when travelling to MEL/SYD I hands down prefer the timings of one of the MH routings, which leaves LHR late morning and arrives in Oz late evening the following day. Somehow feels much less discombobulating to travel through day - night - day and head straight to bed on arrival, rather than having the oddness of night - day - night and then try and survive a long day on arrival!)

MHendo84

Evening All,

Sorry to drag this thread back up, but just wanted to check if this on the whole is still accurate.

Travelling on BA15 shortly in J (row 10) and Silver now .

​Would like to have a shower in the lounge before reboarding. Depending on arrival gate, is this still achievable?

Cheers,
Matt

Stez

It's still achievable if you make a bee-line for the lounge without shopping, having done so the other week. Even if you're in row 53 of the Y cabin.

MHendo84

No stopping for shops here ,
Did you use the BA lounge or Qantas Lounge?
​​​​​​

bisonrav

The showers in the BA lounge are really nice, the food isn't wonderful.

MHendo84

Thanks, maybe head to the BA lounge first. Thinking we'll be stuffed from the first leg anyway.

Stez

I use the QF lounge as I prefer a bite to eat to skip eating on the SIN-SYD leg and the food is much better in QF than in BA.

I haven't tried the BA showers since the lounge got refurbished, no idea if they have changed since the pre-refurb days.

Edit to add: no BA annoucements in QF lounge.

bisonrav

I can affirm that the showers in the BA lounge are all a tired traveller could wish for - modern, shiny and luxurious with a decent water flow. So I guess they had a lot of attention in the refurb. The lounge is tranquil, well updated, and pleasant, has a reasonable drinks selection, but the food is very limited. Some reasonable satay, pasta dish, finger snacks and pastries, that sort of thing.

MHendo84

Thanks Both for your insights, will see how feeling when disembarking at SIN to see if food is required. Ideally want to freshen up in SIN, as have a 4hr Jetstar connection at SYD with no lounge access.