My DH and I are planning to fly to Japan later this year with our 4 year old and 1 year old. My mom will also be joining us. We have 2 options for flights....
- fly non-stop for 12 hours
- or have a connecting flight in Hawaii for 2 hours, so our kids can run around and release some energy (the first flight is 5 hours, and the second flight is 9 hours)
What would you do? Our 1 year old will be a lap infant.
grapefruit / 4671 posts
Non stop, just get there! I found that for me layovers are always the toughest part because my DD just takes off and goes wild running all over the airport. Impossible to track down.
bananas / 9973 posts
Non-stop! The takeoff and landing is always the most frustrating part for us. And a 2hr layover isn't really as long as you think with the de-boarding and boarding time at least 30 min. before takeoff again. Plus, if LO happened to be asleep, it would just wake her up.
grapefruit / 4400 posts
Non-stop-- I'd rather get it done in one shot than deal with potential missed/canceled flights, etc. With a 2 hour layover, a lot can go wrong. If your first flight is late, then you might have to dash from one gate to the next with two kids, a ton of carry ons, etc. Or your 2nd flight might be canceled or delayed for more time, which turns your "easy" 2 hour layover into an overnight stay at the airport.
Best case scenario: kids do great on the long non-stop flight, you get from Point A to Point B with no issues.
Worst case scenario: kids have a tantrum, but you have to now worry about popped ears two more times, plus having them a mess during the layover, etc.
pineapple / 12566 posts
Non-stop for sure! We are flying 19 hours in 3 legs this summer and I'm already DREADING it. So much stress with the connections and going through the whole boarding, disembarking each time.
grapefruit / 4923 posts
we did non stop from dc to seoul. it's going to be tiring either way, i didn't want to get off and on a plane, especially if LO had magically fallen asleep.
GOLD / wonderful coffee bean / 18478 posts
I always choose non-stop! You never know what might happen with connections and any further delays with kids is a pain. Changing planes and getting everyone resituated again is also a chore.
coconut / 8430 posts
Nonstop for sure!!!! Two hours will fly by when you are trying to wrangle kids/luggage to your next gate, finding baggage space and getting everyone seated again.
clementine / 878 posts
Non stop! Get it over with, the kids will be more tired and dragging it out won't be fun for anyone.
grapefruit / 4187 posts
I agree with the non-stoppers! Very little chance the layover will actually be beneficial.
grapefruit / 4819 posts
Nonstop! Layovers with kids is a PITA as inevitably one, or both, of the kids will be sleeping when it is time to disembark for the layover and then you gave tired, grumpy kids who will then be somewhat refreshed from their cat nap and not sleep again on the second leg (can you tell we've been there before? 
). Definitely nonstop!
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