Who Is Better to Fly to Europe with? Qatar, Etihad, Qantas or Emirates?

PropertyPig on 24/02/2018 - 11:07

2 people going to Italy (Rome) Return from Sydney on economy in August.

I've used Skyscanner and Iwantthatflight and the costs are coming up the same-ish ($1400 - $1500) for these airlines. The times are also very similar with stopovers in either Dubai, Abu Dhabi or Doha. Any had any experience flying this route and what they thought of the airline they flew with?

I'm not trying to get the just cheapest flight, but the most comfort and quickest flight for my money. I could fly China Southern return to Italy for $900, but I had a terrible experience with them before. I'm happy to pay $1500 per person. I wish I could go on business class, but the $6000 per person is probably not what I should spend my money on right now.

Any tips or tricks I should be aware of to get better deals, upgrades, points? I know that if i book with STA I can get 10% back on cashrewards.

Poll Options

  • 8
    Qantas
  • 14
    Qatar Airways
  • 32
    Emirates
  • 4
    Etihad
  • 8
    Other
Travel

Comments

  • nubix on 24/02/2018 - 11:22
    +5

    Singapore or Thai for me. Splits the 2 flights a little more evenly.

    • Froot Loops on 24/02/2018 - 11:46

      2nd for Singapore. They are the same price as most of the airlines above, but offer much much better service. Also if you have a stop over in changi, you can get your transit coupon, which gives you access to one of the VIP rooms, plus it's changi, you could have a holiday in the airport itself, so much to do. If you want cheap, then China Airlines (Taiwan) isn't bad and Philippines seemed to be the quick to UK with only a 1.5hr stopover

      • PropertyPig on 24/02/2018 - 12:17
        +1

        I check Singapore airlines, but the layover times exceed a day for the dates I want to travel. I'll see if I play around with the dates I can get a shorter layover.

        • [Deactivated] on 25/02/2018 - 09:13
          +1

          Stay over a few days in Singapore. I love the place.

    • Kiwibigspender on 06/03/2018 - 16:45

      definitely Sin. Qantas staff are more concerned where their next car/house/holiday is coming from & not the customer who pays their salaries.

      If dollars are tight try Scoot (Sin low cost). They'll be flying to Berlin soon & already fly to Athens. You might have a long connection in Singapore but so what.

      They were advertising few days ago from around $300 ish to Athens or Berlin. No food or bags at that price, but that doesn't cost much & their fleet are brand new Boing 787's.

  • [Deactivated] on 24/02/2018 - 11:30
    +1

    I've found some Qatar flights are basically empty planes returnng. Sometimes have a whole section to yourself. Choose a strange flight time and cross your fingers for the joy of a near empty flight with more staff than passengers.

    • PropertyPig on 24/02/2018 - 11:33

      What would you consider a strange flight time? Maybe the middle of the week in the middle of the day?

      • [Deactivated] on 24/02/2018 - 13:02

        Sometimes they have (had?) 2-3am midweek flights Tullamarine - Singapore. Maybe look for returning aircraft having done Sing-Syd-Mel or similar.

  • [Deactivated] on 24/02/2018 - 11:31

    qatar or etihad

  • peterpeterpumpkin on 24/02/2018 - 11:42

    Damn. I just saw $817 return Sydney to Rome in August with China Southern. That seems very cheap for high season.

    I also don't know who to take when they're all around the same price and flight times. For some people the most important aspect is the time of arrival at the destination or when returning home (e.g. so as not to take a day of leave).

  • Froot Loops on 24/02/2018 - 11:47
    +1

    Singapore

  • retiredfeline on 24/02/2018 - 12:26

    I'll give a vote to Etihad. I'm going to try Qatar later this year. I have friends who have used Emirates and Singapore and were satisfied with them. However another friend was caught up in the Qantas debacle two New Years ago and vowed never to use them again as there was no ground support. But Qantas has shifted to Singapore as the stop so maybe things have changed.

    I actually prefer long+short sectors taking off in the evening so that I can sleep through most of the first sector. Wake up for the landing in the Middle East, wait a few hours, then a few hours flight and arrive in Europe in the afternoon.

  • oscargamer on 24/02/2018 - 13:07
    +1

    Any airline that starts with a Q or an E will be fine, apart from Estonia Air or Quesbekistan Air or El Salvador Air……ok, don't fly if they begin with Q or E

  • Jayphen on 24/02/2018 - 13:16
    +1

    I've flown Aus -> Europe return 6 times. Once with Qatar, every other time with Etihad. I prefer Etihad

    • PropertyPig on 24/02/2018 - 13:38

      Any major differences? Was it economy?

      • Jayphen on 24/02/2018 - 14:02

        Business once and economy all other times

        No major difference really, except for the stopover location (I think Qatar stops in Doha whereas Etihad is Abu Dhabi).

        Im a bit biased tho because I am a member of their rewards program (via velocity) so I tend to stick to virgin partners

  • NotAnAudiophile on 24/02/2018 - 13:27

    I used etihad for the past 3 trips but switching to qatar for the trip next month. For one thing abu dhabi for etihad is terrible as a transit stop.

    For me i need to take a 10pm leaving melbourne and a 6pm arriving back so not to take extra day of leave. So qatars times fit that nicely.

    • PropertyPig on 24/02/2018 - 13:34

      Do you book through their offical website or some other way? Whats the layover like in Doha?

      • NotAnAudiophile on 24/02/2018 - 21:44

        I booked my first trip for Easter direct through the website. Layover is 3hours in Doha.

  • Stewardo on 24/02/2018 - 13:38

    In economy if pick Qatar or Thai
    most airline ratings look at the whole of the airlines business. This skews opinion away from the reality of economy class for 20hrs

    Check world economy class rankings on skytrax

  • altomic on 24/02/2018 - 13:59

    I flew with etihad once and the passenger two rows up snored.

    so go with another airline.

    • altomic on 24/02/2018 - 15:08
      +2

      my point being : each airline is very subjective -they each provide varying comforts, or lack there of.

      And each flight (and it's relative "pleasantness") is dependent on the flight itself.

      e.g. flew Etihad to Europe. had a spare seat next to me the entire way = I recommend Etihad .

      Or, my meal was cold = I hate Etihad and will neg any ozbargain deal due to their shitty service (even though it was a once off experience.)

      • PropertyPig on 24/02/2018 - 15:20

        I know what you mean, one thing in your experience might not be the same for others. But the planes they use are, so comfort would be a point I'd be looking at, and the types of food they offer. If multiple people tell me that X airline has rude staff on many occasions, then i probably wouldn't travel with them. What the airports are like for layovers is something I would look for too.

  • CLoSeR on 24/02/2018 - 14:29

    Emirates via Dubai, have done it twice. Both times were open mouth return flights so into Rome and out of London, second time was into Rome and out of Copenhagen.

    Both times booked with Qantas which at the time has codeshare with Emirates via Dubai; 3 out of 4 legs were operated by Emirates and the experience was very good.

    • [Deactivated] on 25/02/2018 - 09:15

      Ha Ha! You mean 'Open Jaw" not open mouth.

      • CLoSeR on 25/02/2018 - 17:22

        Haha. Yes. I was close, I'm no travel agent.

        • retiredfeline on 25/02/2018 - 17:26

          That would be a foodie holiday. :)

  • altomic on 24/02/2018 - 15:13
    +2

    Welcome to Ozbargain

    your choice is China Southern return to Italy for $900.

    i don't understand why there are other options being suggested??!!!

    • PropertyPig on 24/02/2018 - 15:25

      My main reason is because I had a really bad experience with them last time i flew. Also, they have 2 stops and their stops are 19 hours and 10 hours. So in this instance, I'd pay the extra $500 if it means that my travel time is less than 23 hours, rather than 53 hours.

  • rickxs on 24/02/2018 - 15:40
    +1

    Done Emirates to london , 14hrs to Dubai
    they are shit , preselected my seats 30 days in advance for mid plane away from toilets & cots
    ,last leg coming home they told me, we have changed your seat to an upgrade ,this was after i got to the airport & checked in 2hrs before flight , i was 1 of the 1st ,no que's as they had just opened.
    so I board the plane & where did i go? 1 row behind the babies bulkhead !!! ,the kid spewed over my coat which was down the side near window -+
    The stewardess came down to clean up & throws loose coffee over it !!!
    every leg was chockers ,every leg we sat on the plane for an hour with no aircon ,so they brought warm face towels around , very nice of them
    still wonder who got my seat—Emirates has put me off long haul for life

    • Peck on 26/02/2018 - 23:32

      Not to mention that Emirates beer is luke warm.

  • Ridiculous Panda on 24/02/2018 - 21:00
    +1

    The service onboard Etihad used to be great until about a couple of years ago when they started taking corners in orders to save money. I fly with them about twice a year because a friend who works for etihad gives me hugely discounted tickets. I’d definitely go with emirates if the price difference was less than $100. I haven’t flown woth qatar in a long time but my guess is they are still slightly behind emirates but better than etihad.

    • Ozpit on 25/02/2018 - 10:53
      +2

      " … used to be great until about a couple of years ago when they stated taking corners in order to save money."

      What!!! You mean their planes have stopped doing right angle turns??? That's appalling.

    • retiredfeline on 25/02/2018 - 11:03
      +1

      Hahaha, missed that. samBee, the phrase is "cutting corners".

  • NotAnAudiophile on 24/02/2018 - 21:48

    On youtube, there is a video on the 3 Middle East Carriers - Emirates vs Qatar vs Etihad economy class. Main things discussed are :

    seat comfort - Emirates wins, but not on their 787s. Qatar close 2nd, Etihad last
    entertainment - Emirates wins, Qatar close behind, Etihad last
    Hub airport - Qatar wins, Emirates some way behind, Etihad dead last
    Service - Qatar wins, Emirates 2nd, Etihad last

    Overall, the reviewer concluded Qatar was overall the best, followed by Emirates then Etihad.

  • NotAnAudiophile on 24/02/2018 - 21:54

    Just to add, I feel $1500 on middle eastern airlines to Europe is an average price through the year. I got mine on Qatar for $1200, but that was during their sale in Jan.

    Abu Dhabi is by far the worst hub airport amongst the 3. Terrible long security lines, and walking between gates the walkways are so narrow and its so crowded it becomes SINGLE FILE. Food options are very crowded and limiting, I ended up at Maccas twice. Because Abu Dhabi is so behind in expansion, lots of times you get bussed to the plane which i really hate.

    • retiredfeline on 24/02/2018 - 22:45

      That is true, even back in 2012 I felt that Abu Dhabi airport let down the show as it had not kept pace with the growth of the airline. That's partly why I'm trying Qatar this time. There are still some good deals on Qatar from $1200. They've started services to Canberra and have promotional deals.

      • NotAnAudiophile on 24/02/2018 - 23:29

        That makes 2 of us travelling Qatar.

  • negger on 25/02/2018 - 08:59
    +1

    Qantas is the worst out of the lot mentioned. I would prefer Singapore Airlines though. Stop over in middle east is not great in my experience.

    • NotAnAudiophile on 25/02/2018 - 11:32
      +1

      I swore off qantas for international unless they are cheap.but they arent.

  • Bacook89 on 25/02/2018 - 09:04
    +1

    I really enjoy flying Korean Air, check them out.

  • kiitos on 25/02/2018 - 10:50

    Op, those $1700 flights seen like good prices for flights to Europe with a reasonable duration. We booked flights to Rome, returning from Stockholm, for July a week ago, and the best we could find was around $2600 for 25.5h out, 24h in.

    Feeling a bit ripped off now.

  • lainey13 on 25/02/2018 - 16:12

    $1500 for peak time is ok. I've flown with Emirates before and it was pretty great. The entertainment system is great, hot towels were a nice touch, food and service was great. Only downside was the 3am departure, the stop in KL and bloody Dubai airport. The 3am and KL stopover is gone now but Dubai airport is still total rubbish. Yes it's newish and clean. But the security rigmarole just to change terminals was a nightmare, the endless going around in circles because nothing was straightforward, the abysmal shops and food, the Arabic men staring at my legs because they had clearly never seen a female wear a skirt before…. rubbish.

  • 88mph on 26/02/2018 - 02:33
    +1

    My two cents worth…

    Have done various parts of Europe on all those airlines within the past decade, and would rate as follows:

    Singapore Airlines (best service, clean planes, good pilots) > Qatar > Etihad/Emirates (rated equally), Thai, and Qantas a last option (worst inflight service run by a bunch of arrogant self centred hags/drama queens)

    The Asian airports are more pleasant to layover than the Middle Eastern ones though…

  • Ryanek on 26/02/2018 - 08:29
    +1

    We flew via Korea Air. You can have an overnight stop over in a 5 star hotel in Seoul but we preferred this so we could break up our flight. It also gave us the opportunity to explore the city for several days on the way back.

    • retiredfeline on 26/02/2018 - 19:25

      Not sure why you and Bacook89 got negged. Maybe the guy who doesn't like Korean food, hahaha. It's a valid option, as is Cathay Pacific. I have used Korea Air and it was good. Issue is though the total distance is longer, so a stopover is a good idea. One advantage is that their timezone is UTC+9 little difference from AEST or AEDT so little jet lag if stopping over there on the way to Europe.

  • therooftop on 27/02/2018 - 00:01

    Airport and flight times/connections - Singapore
    Food - Etihad food has been consistently good for me. Theres usually one middle eastern and one western option.
    Seats - Depends on which aircraft I guess, The Emirates flight felt like it had more legroom but seats felt a bit narrow
    Rewards - Three return flights with Etihad and I managed to redeem a Bose QC35.

  • Romain on 01/03/2018 - 08:28
    +1

    I recently flew Qatar and was impressed. Food in eco is actually good, IFE is very good, planes are new. Even though I still rate SQ a tad higher for service, I think Qatar is overall the best economy I've flown (but see below about headrest). The airport is also alright, and I enjoyed visiting Doha for the day. Overall I'd say the ME3 are quite close with Etihad a bit below due to food and airport, and Qantas a distant fourth.
    My only complaint with them, and quite a big one in fact, is that the head rest has a rounded shape that doesn't change, as opposed to other airlines where it's flat but you can move the sides. As a result, it doesn't hold your head as well for sleeping as on other airlines.

    But as others have said, it's a matter of luck regardless of airline. One flight I had an empty row to sleep, the other flight I was sitting near someone with smelly feet… not the same experience at all!

    • retiredfeline on 01/03/2018 - 11:32

      Ah thanks for the heads up, I'll take an inflatable pillow.

  • LemonShapedRock on 01/03/2018 - 17:45

    Qatar Business Class or Etihad Business Class?

  • Yorkshire-Man on 01/03/2018 - 21:54

    We fly about twice a year for 20+ years now. Flew mainly Singapore for years but their fleet is getting on a bit (1st gen A380’s so the fitouts are a decade old) so switched to Etihad. Near new fleet, great to fly on. Singapore airport is better, to fly with Etihad.

  • 00 on 04/03/2019 - 19:59

    Qantas on the Perth - London direct route (no stopover)

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