I think it depends on your family and the age of your children. As someone without children, I rather prefer direct flights. But I have friends who find it easier on the kids (and themselves) to have a layover to stretch legs, let the kids burn some energy, get some food and then keep going. 400 CHF is a fair amount of money for a family.
We’ve made a stopover in Dubai some years back, but it was not organized by any company. It was interesting, but not as “wow” as we expected.
Agree Dubai is Wow for only about 10 minutes. But don’t limit yourselves to Emirates. Also Ethiad (Abu Dhabi), Qatar (Doha), Turkish (Istanbul), and Ethiopian (Addis Ababa). I suspect you will find even better pricing than EK.
All of these fly from both Zurich and Geneva.
Which airport is more suitable for adults with small children? Doha, Dubai, Abu Dhabi? Thx
Would it be rude to say that I think you are over-thinking this?
Addis, obviously.
Yeah it’s their “ZRH Comfort” at 49 CHF/person, and it’s a crazy number to be honest. I’ve seen priority passes to usually be 5-10 EUR/person depending on the airport, but ZRH also gives lounge access etc which makes it very expensive.
I guess you are right. My son has a medial condition and I don’t want to put too much physical pressure on him. His doctor’s have okayed the trip.
Sorry - I didn’t realise. It wasn’t clear from your posts.
Generally though, people are really concerned about doing things like long distance flying with their first child, not so worried about the second and with the third they ask whether they can put them in the hold with the luggage for a bit of peace.
Hope it goes well.
What are your criteria for “suitable”? For some parents it might be an airport with play areas where the child can let off steam. For others, it might be an airport with quiet areas.
Why obviously? The connections via Addis to Cape Town can have short layovers, which might not be ideal for a parent traveling for the first time with a child. Particularly if the parent is a nervous traveler. However, for savvy travelers the short layovers can be great, because the total travel time is not insanely more than the direct flight. Also the airport is not nearly as huge as the Middle Eastern airports.
As the OP’s child has a medical condition, I think it could be worth asking the doctor what he thinks is best for the child in terms of total travel time and any layovers? A few examples of the quickest times on different airlines (departing from GVA):
Edelweiss = 11 hrs 15 mins
via Addis = 14 hrs 30 mins
via Istanbul = 16 hrs
via Doha = 18 hrs
via Dubai = 19 hrs 55 mins
via Abu Dhabi = 25 hrs (extra layover in Joburg as no direct flights to CPT)
OP, if your child has physical limitations, don’t be shy about requesting wheelchair assistance when you make the airline reservation.
I think this is subjective, and can depend on the each individual family. We did a trip ZRH=SYD in 2022 with our two boys (then 2 and 4) and as long as they had a screen, they were fine, or they were sleeping. Keeping them busy whilst waiting for the flights was probably the hardest thing.
Thank you 3Wishes, very useful. At the end, we might simply take a direct flight or a transfer within Europe so we avoid a huge detour. We will also consider Addis Ababa.
Connecting flights at Addis Ababa Bole International Airport (ADD) are generally well-managed, especially for passengers using Ethiopian Airlines. The airport handles large volumes of transfer passengers effectively, with staff often assisting those with tight connections. For international connections, it’s recommended to have at least 80 minutes for a layover, as this typically allows enough time to transfer without needing to collect luggage or go through customs if your bags are checked through. The airport operates primarily from one terminal, which simplifies the transfer process.
A lot more direct than via Middle East.
Distances
ZRH JNB 5,211 mi
2 segment path:
ZRH ADD 3,189 mi
ADD JNB 2,516 mi total 5,705 mi (+9.5%)
In reading Bowlie’s post above, I realized that md4351 was talking about departing from Zurich and not Geneva. Bowlie had mentioned Geneva in a few of his posts and I ran with it.
It’s not clear to me whether md4351 is flying to Joburg or Cape Town. Either way, the connections via Addis are probably the quickest option behind the non-stop flight.
Apologies not needed. I thought you had done a superb job putting all that info together. Were you a travel agent in another life?
Thanks. Not a travel agent, just someone who travels frequently and has a hobby of following a lot of flight and travel-related things. 
Zürich airport is closer to us but we will definitely depart from Geneva if the flight from Geneva is not too early in the morning. A 3 hour train ride to Geneva is better than waiting for the next flight in Qatar, Istanbul or Dubai.
Thank you all for your help: 3Wishes, Bowline…
If you choose to fly Ethiopian a few things to know:
