E+ Connecting or Economy Non-stop Intl
 

I have two elementary school age kids. They travel well and the longest flight thus far has been 8 hours.

With a set airfare budget, which would you choose for IAH - AKL:

NZ nonstop, seated in Economy (no skycouch) - 15 hours red-eye

Or

UA connecting IAH-SFO-AKL Economy Plus - 19 hours red-eye

My personal bias would be the direct flight, since the long flight is the same duration and I am just adding on hours to the trip.

Not having flown New Zealand Air, I don't have a basis for comparison, but assuming it is similar to United, I'm not sure the kids are old/tall enough to benefit from Economy Plus enough to outweigh the extra travel time.

Opinions and advice welcomed please!

no meaningful difference for small kids eco vs eco+.. they are not tall enough... take the nonstop

Thanks, I decided to go with the direct flight. Appreciate the insight!

The seats are tight.... maybe not for the kids... but Id suggest the rest of the experience will be better....... NZ entertainment system is quite good...the food leans to the edible.....

Sure, E+ is better but not a deal breaker.

Non-stop is always better, much better, with children!

Remember too that a "direct" flight can stop so be sure it's well-marked "non-stop". The two terms aren't interchangeable.