Long Haul Business Class for under $2K (Long Post)

[Luv2Phuket]

I guess good things DO come to those who wait....or who are doggedly persistent! 555

I was able to find an early December return using United miles that works pretty well....and only 99k miles.  Shocker.

I always look at SFO and LAX, but decide to add SEA to the mix when I saw an SFO flight that routed through it. 

I was shocked to find a pretty damn good itinerary at 99k (instead of 200k) miles - 2:40 p.m. Thai flight (Biz) to TPE, 4.5 hour layover, then EVA (Biz) from TPE to SEA.  Gets into SEA around 6:00 p.m., and I am booked on Alaska on the last non-stop out of SEA at 9:30 p.m.  Here's the kicker: my Alaska credit expired 2 days after that flight.

BIG downside - I land in Las Vegas at midnight on a Friday....I've been through this before: that mean the $35-40 Uber ride to my condo will be about $110-120....assuming I can find a driver to pick me up!

So.....I now have a RETURN flight for a November trip and a DEPARTING flight for a February trip....just need to lock in the other 2 legs! 555

[HimBadMan]

3 hours ago, Luv2Phuket said:

If you are looking at AA, write off November -- I just went through the frustration of trying to find something.

BKK-LAX and BKK-SFO (and vice versa) have nothing in November and like 1 flight in December.

I THOUGHT I scored JAL first from BKK-DFW....but after booking it, I realized the BKK-HND leg was in Economy. Fuck that!

Late January 2024 (yes, the schedule is THAT bad!) is wide open on AA from either LAX or SFO to BKK.

I snagged a Biz class JAL seat going on Feb. 1 (gets in Feb. 3).  I will have to wait a few weeks to book the return, as those dates are no open yet. Not the best itinerary - 5 a.m. arrival in BKK and 2:20 p.m. departure from SFO, so I have to decide whether to fly up in the a.m. OR maybe the night before and chill at a hotel close to the airport. Despite the added expense and inconvenience, I may opt for the night before, so I can relax, get a good night's sleep, and no worry about my positioning flight being late/cancelled.

Dammit man. You beat me.  I wanted to leave on Feb 1st as well.   But nothing.   So I booked Feb 2nd out of SFO...   But my flight arrives NRT and departs HND.   So I need to grab the 90 min train to HND.   But I have enough time.  Obviously a lot can happen until Feb.  But I'll keep my eyes open 

I saw a rare award.  Saw lax to BKk on Cathay 1st class.     first to HK and business to BKK. Then I saw that the HKIA to BKK leg was on RJ and I know they will cancel that flight.   So obviously skipped out 

Edited March 11, 2023 by HimBadMan

[Luv2Phuket]

These days, finding Cathay availability is like seeing a fucking snow leopard!

I knocked out one of my 2 remaining flights -- overpriced (128k) award on SQ: SFO-SIN-BKK.  Layover less than 3 hours. 

My last 2 SQ awards have been 128k each. I think the 107k OW fares are getting harder and harder to find.

There was a flight at 107k the following day from LAX, but it is the LAX-Tokyo-SIN-BKK flight, and the layover in Singapore was like 6+ hours.  Transferred some AMEX MR to top of my SQ account to get it.

I am about to book my positioning flight, but, like everything, there are hassles. In this instance, I depart Las Vegas on a Sunday in November (i.e., football season)....the typical $100-150 ticket just bounced up to $250.  Ouch.

Calling AA to use part of my absurd flight credits that I have with them now (wouldn't let me do it online for some reason).

[Luv2Phuket]

20 minutes ago, HimBadMan said:

Dammit man. You beat me.  I wanted to leave on Feb 1st as well.   But nothing.   So I booked Feb 2nd out of SFO...   But my flight arrives NRT and departs HND.   So I need to grab the 90 min train to HND.   But I have enough time.  Obviously a lot can happen until Feb.  But I'll keep my eyes open 
 

Hopefully we can meet up this time, if not before!

I'm looking at August, November, and February trips....but no telling if all 3 (or ANY! 555) will come to fruition.

[HimBadMan]

4 minutes ago, Luv2Phuket said:

Hopefully we can meet up this time, if not before!

I'm looking at August, November, and February trips....but no telling if all 3 (or ANY! 555) will come to fruition.

I'll be back May and Sept....

This trip I booked for Feb 1 2024..   This is my goodbye USA trip and hopefully perm move trip.     It was suppose to be this past February on my Emirates 1st class.   But I chickened out and said ONE MORE YEAR.    Hopefully I get the balls to actually pull the trigger in Feb.  Hahahaha.   And for sure then catch up Feb 2024

Edited March 11, 2023 by HimBadMan

[HimBadMan]

23 hours ago, Luv2Phuket said:

Hopefully we can meet up this time, if not before!

I'm looking at August, November, and February trips....but no telling if all 3 (or ANY! 555) will come to fruition.

Ended up on that same flight as you. Depart out of SFO on Feb 1.     But doing a 16 hour layover (intentionally)    Since not pressed for time I'll spend the night in Tokyo to see what kind of trouble I can get into.       But look forward to catching up with you In the lounge 

Edited March 12, 2023 by HimBadMan

[Perth West]

The Aussie scene (Perth) is very different it seams ,Prior to the Lockout I would fly direct ,3 times a year on Thai Air in BC for an average cost of 2600$A and get 9000 FF points per trip ,That amounts to a free (discounted) economy fare -42000 points -every 2 years.

Sounds ok ,but remember its only a 6 1/2 hr flight ,The " Free " FF flight had a min of 340$ in charges representing a saving of around 450$ for an economy flight or a one way 'upgrade ' for 76000 points with additional charges .(hardly free)

Thai air have not operated from Perth for more then 3 years ,they advised that  all of the 44000 accrued points will expire in October ,I have flown Smile & Thai in SE Asia several times in the last 13 months but they still  cancelled my Silver status .

The official attitude from staff is "Sorry we follow the rules ,regret U having bad luck ".

Nevermind -I like my flying comfort but really am happy to just 'get there' have used Singapore & Scoot economy for 3 trips with no problems for an  average 800$A return ,the Last trip I flew Malaysian Air ,a full service outfitt ,Never agsain,I have never been so Cramped ,I am 180 CM and my knees where rubbing into the seat in front . It should b illegal to pack people in like that -Bloody Disgusting,tighter then AirAsia &Jetstar ,

I guess living in the most remote Capital in the world has its downsides but never mind ,useless to bitch about it .

cheers

 

[travelling_man]

@Luv2Phuket

If you are looking at USA-BKK on United at a decent price, you can often find a flight routing through ETHIOPIA.  Those flights are usually 99k.

I've avoided those flights so far. 

But looking at December of 2023, RT flights from BKK-USA have been at 195k e/w.  Almost 800,000 if my wife accompanies me.  That makes me cry.

[bgtp]

6 hours ago, travelling_man said:

@Luv2Phuket

If you are looking at USA-BKK on United at a decent price, you can often find a flight routing through ETHIOPIA.  Those flights are usually 99k.

I've avoided those flights so far. 

But looking at December of 2023, RT flights from BKK-USA have been at 195k e/w.  Almost 800,000 if my wife accompanies me.  That makes me cry.

I always consider ‘what could possibly go wrong’. There’s always the possibility of missed connections and delays. In flying to Thailand via Ethiopia, if for some reason you had to spend more than twelve hours in Ethiopia, you would need a yellow fever vaccination certificate to enter Thailand. Some day I might entertain the idea of flying Ethiopian Airlines the other direction, BKK to USA, as a last resort.

I’m planning two trips this year. I’ve got mid-May to early June booked both ways. I’m still looking for a late October/early November award to BKK, but already have the return flight booked for early December. @HimBadMan what are your May dates?

[HimBadMan]

2 minutes ago, bgtp said:

I always consider ‘what could possibly go wrong’. There’s always the possibility of missed connections and delays. In flying to Thailand via Ethiopia, if for some reason you had to spend more than twelve hours in Ethiopia, you would need a yellow fever vaccination certificate to enter Thailand. Some day I might entertain the idea of flying Ethiopian Airlines the other direction, BKK to USA, as a last resort.

I’m planning two trips this year. I’ve got mid-May to early June booked both ways. I’m still looking for a late October/early November award to BKK, but already have the return flight booked for early December. @HimBadMan what are your May dates?

Right now scheduled May 7 to 21 with a potential side trip to PP.    If you're in town let's try to catch up again.    Hope you're doing well bud.

[bgtp]

1 minute ago, HimBadMan said:

Right now scheduled May 7 to 21 with a potential side trip to PP.    If you're in town let's try to catch up again.    Hope you're doing well bud.

I get to Pattaya on the 17th, so that’s a few days to try and meet up. All good here, thanks. Hope you’re doing well, too.

[travelling_man]

1 hour ago, bgtp said:

if for some reason you had to spend more than twelve hours in Ethiopia, you would need a yellow fever vaccination certificate to enter Thailand.

WOW!!! I never thought of that.

In 2004, I was denied a visa into Thailand because I had been in Brazil.  I had to immediately get a vaccination.  I still carry it as part of my yellow card, but had forgotten about it.

Thanks for mentioning that.  I looked, and Ethiopia is still on the list of countries that trigger a yellow fever vaccination.

[slashlarue]

8 hours ago, travelling_man said:

@Luv2Phuket

If you are looking at USA-BKK on United at a decent price, you can often find a flight routing through ETHIOPIA.  Those flights are usually 99k.

I've avoided those flights so far. 

But looking at December of 2023, RT flights from BKK-USA have been at 195k e/w.  Almost 800,000 if my wife accompanies me.  That makes me cry.

I'd use 100,000 miles not to go to Ethiopia. 🤣

[slashlarue]

9 hours ago, travelling_man said:

@Luv2Phuket

If you are looking at USA-BKK on United at a decent price, you can often find a flight routing through ETHIOPIA.  Those flights are usually 99k.

I've avoided those flights so far. 

But looking at December of 2023, RT flights from BKK-USA have been at 195k e/w.  Almost 800,000 if my wife accompanies me.  That makes me cry.

On a serious note, I've been looking at United Airlines from the Northeast US. There is such a variety of flights and airline connections when booking with frequent flyer miles on United to BKK, mind-boggling, to say the least.

I have a shitload of miles from not traveling for a few years, and maybe it was a mistake to put all my eggs in one basket, i.e., a UA visa card. I should have used my AMEX Plat card instead, but the UA gave me 100,000 miles if I spent X amount on the card in a few months.

I probably will go in the summer sometime; this is a sample you get. Yeah, Ethiopia is one of the options 😬.

 

[travelling_man]

9 hours ago, slashlarue said:

On a serious note, I've been looking at United Airlines from the Northeast US. There is such a variety of flights and airline connections when booking with frequent flyer miles on United to BKK, mind-boggling, to say the least.

Just for a clarification as I didn't include the qualifier ... When I said United through Ethiopia at 99k, and others at 195k, I was *ONLY* referring to Business class flights - not coach.

Quote

I should have used my AMEX Plat card instead

I use UA branded cards for 95% of all mileage earning, so I don't think it was a mistake.    

 

[Timon88]

21 hours ago, travelling_man said:

@Luv2Phuket

If you are looking at USA-BKK on United at a decent price, you can often find a flight routing through ETHIOPIA.  Those flights are usually 99k.

I've avoided those flights so far. 

But looking at December of 2023, RT flights from BKK-USA have been at 195k e/w.  Almost 800,000 if my wife accompanies me.  That makes me cry.

 

14 hours ago, bgtp said:

I always consider ‘what could possibly go wrong’. There’s always the possibility of missed connections and delays. In flying to Thailand via Ethiopia, if for some reason you had to spend more than twelve hours in Ethiopia, you would need a yellow fever vaccination certificate to enter Thailand. Some day I might entertain the idea of flying Ethiopian Airlines the other direction, BKK to USA, as a last resort.

I’m planning two trips this year. I’ve got mid-May to early June booked both ways. I’m still looking for a late October/early November award to BKK, but already have the return flight booked for early December. @HimBadMan what are your May dates?

I flew Ethiopia Air for work purposes for several years.  It's a solid airline. 

I didn't deal with many delays, though the layovers in Addis tends to be in below average hotels. 

I once flew into BKK via Ethiopia Air, never touched African soil. Thai immigration still demanded a yellow fever card because of the airliner I was on. 

 

[Luv2Phuket]

Among Star Alliance carriers, I have no interest in flying either Ethiopian or Air China.  I don't even consider them.

[Bonkabit]

On 12/03/2023 at 13:57, Perth West said:

Last trip I flew Malaysian Air, a full-service outfit (Perth, Australia to Bangkok). Never again, I have never been so cramped; I am 180 cm, and my knees were rubbing into the seat in front. It should be illegal to pack people in like that...

Recently flew Malaysia Melbourne-KL-BKK. I'm also 180cm and the seat space was indeed rather tight, though the A330 itself was otherwise excellent.

SeatGuru shows Malaysia A330 seats (in inches). There is 10 cm difference between 32 and 36 inches, significant for six footers!

		Pitch	Width	Seating details
	Economy	32-36	17.3	263 standard seats

What puts me off the idea of that route again is KL airport. Had to train (pay for ticket) from one terminal to another, signage was unclear so it was easy to lose one's way. Worst of all were the many long queues, sometimes 30 minutes of tedium.

Compare KL with Suvarnabhumi in Bangkok and Changi in Singapore.

Edited March 13, 2023 by Bonkabit

[travelling_man]

56 minutes ago, Luv2Phuket said:

Among Star Alliance carriers, I have no interest in flying either Ethiopian or Air China.  I don't even consider them.

Agreed, *BUT* if things don't get better in reward availability, I am going to be on them.

I flew Air China once.  I was shocked at the bitchiness of the attendants.  

[madmike]

2 hours ago, travelling_man said:

Agreed, *BUT* if things don't get better in reward availability, I am going to be on them.

I flew Air China once.  I was shocked at the bitchiness of the attendants.  

You'd probably be bitchy too if you lived under a communist regime.  😅

[slashlarue]

11 hours ago, travelling_man said:

Just for a clarification as I didn't include the qualifier ... When I said United through Ethiopia at 99k, and others at 195k, I was *ONLY* referring to Business class flights - not coach.

I use UA branded cards for 95% of all mileage earning, so I don't think it was a mistake.    

 

You have a wider choice with AMEX.

[travelling_man]

1 hour ago, slashlarue said:

You have a wider choice with AMEX.

I'm sure that is true ... you can move to more programs ... but a) I despise Amex even though I have both Amex rewards and Delta rewards through Amex and b) more importantly, my UA cards are old programs no longer offered which have allowed me to keep status for many years.

My status with UA is only in jeopardy this year because most of the grandfathered exemptions expired.  In the past, I didn't need to take any flights on UA metal and I could maintain Platinum.  Not true any longer.

[Luv2Phuket]

9 hours ago, travelling_man said:

Agreed, *BUT* if things don't get better in reward availability, I am going to be on them.

I flew Air China once.  I was shocked at the bitchiness of the attendants.  

Just seen too many videos of shit hitting the fan in Beijing when flights were cancelled....it looked like Spirit in Atlanta or Miami on steroids!  555

[JustL]

21 hours ago, Luv2Phuket said:

Among Star Alliance carriers, I have no interest in flying either Ethiopian or Air China.  I don't even consider them.

Flew Air China once. Never again. Ethiopian Airlines I might be open to....maybe. 

Edited March 14, 2023 by JustL

[Little Evil]

Anyone having any luck with CX recently? They were my go-to out of Boston, but have been extremely difficult to book through any means, even Asia Miles/Cathay Pacific. Hoping things improve now that China opened up the mainland to foreigners again. 

Thought I found a loophole on CX's website. No matter what I searched for under business, no availability. But noticed if searched first class, it would then show me business options as a consolation for not finding first class seats. That's even if the exact same search in business didn't show availability. Tried to book J using this method, and when you get to the penutlimate booking screen, it throws an error message about not being able to locate the fare. This is after it clearly shows you the miles and surcharges.  Specifically:

"ERROR We are unble to confirm the fare for the flights you have selected. Please choose a different fare or flights and resubmit your request. (15012-104)"

Tried this a half dozen times now and get the same message. Anyone else see this before?