I moved from London to Sydney last year, and have flown the route via Dubai (on Emirates) three times now. Takes about 24 hours if you have a short layover in Dubai.

I'd gladly pay extra for a direct flight, because...

- 4 hours quicker

- An aircraft issue at Dubai can add a day to your journey (as happened to a friend who visited at Christmas)

- Changing at Dubai always seems to involve twenty minutes of walking, ten minutes on a train to go between terminals and then ages on a bus to get from the gate to the actual aircraft. Total PITA.