General Reports

[Syzygies]

Have you tired US domestic economy? Was on a short flight. No leg room. Had middle seat with lady spilling over her seat onto me. Had guy spilling over his seat onto me. Luckily I was so wedged in that I probably did not need a seat belt and the people on either side had to lean away. Bones cannot be compressed any further.

I hated sitting next to a child from Albuquerque. Her fat single mother was at the window and me in Aisle seat (of 3). The child wanted to yack with me the whole way or play games, and her mother was happy to be ignored by the child. I was planning on getting sleep originally. Domestic, can't remember was United or Delta or what, but seats were vastly better than Ryanair. Would have been appreciated if the mother sat between me and her talkative child, whether mother was fat or not.

Children screaming or jumping / bouncing around are the worst for resting up.

[Banana Boi]

Had middle seat with lady spilling over her seat onto me. Had guy spilling over his seat onto me. Luckily I was so wedged in that I probably did not need a seat belt and the people on either side had to lean away.

They have baggage overage maybe they should have passenger weight overage too.

[BushRusher]

I had the misfortune to choose Ryanair recently (not for flight to Thailand of course). Very few tall people on board and I could see why. The seats were appallingly bad causing torture. Minimal leg room reminded me of Malaysia Air Domestic many years ago, but curvature forward on both left and right side edges of the seat back pushed right on the shoulder blades, and seats could not be reclined. I am not quite 6'4 either. I can see why the term "cattle class" seats. Perhaps my shoulders are a bit broader than average as well. I don't have this extreme problem in any other airline to date. Seat design is just shocking (for some of us).

I warn all tall persons not to think of taking Ryan Air except in extreme desperation and very short flights only.

Have you tired US domestic economy? Was on a short flight. No leg room. Had middle seat with lady spilling over her seat onto me. Had guy spilling over his seat onto me. Luckily I was so wedged in that I probably did not need a seat belt and the people on either side had to lean away. Bones cannot be compressed any further.

[Crazy4Thai]

This is impressive. I need to look into Eva Air for sure now. I always notice Eva about 25% cheaper than Cathay. Can anyone else compare Eva Air with Cathay? I find the seats at Cathay to be fairly comfortable even if the person in front of you reclines his seat all the way back.

I need to clarify that it took some discussion to determine that no fee did not apply to certain days, I think Sunday was one of them. I was pretty flexible about when as my goal was just to move the trip up by 30 days or so. I managed this change over the phone while in the US and the agent had a strong accent that took some work to manage. At Esprezzo I would be curious which airline has enough legroom for you in economy since you are 6'4".

[Syzygies]

Thanks, my search with basically a made up date didn't produce the midnight flight at all with the cheaper prices quoted. They were all for the 13:10 with several stops going through Narita. Their schedule must be like Eva, having flights operating on certain days only. I will play around on their website to see what is being offered.ways had a flight BKK-LAX, before discontinue but gave me little time to get out of Immigration and get on the last flight to SFO with my benefits.

Yes if they don't fly your day, then airlines come up with makeshift alternatives. You need to check the airline schedule or timetable more-so than try to make a booking for a single date. I never am sure of my dates, and have to have flexible, so I need airlines that fly every day, hopefully more than one flight per day if possible. Thai Inter is one that flies everyday to BKK of course, from major places, with direct flights, or shares with another Star Alliance airline.

This return trip to Thailand, I was told flight is full for my desired change date at short notice (it's hardly ever absolutely full), and got waitlisted but did not get a mail to say yes, due to being well less than 24 hours away most likely. In these cases I show up to the airport 3 hours before flight, and on most occasions (never failed yet) they give me seat, either immediately or a bit before departure when someone does not show up. Even I was told the flight was full, at the airport check in they admit there is space on the flight. Maybe some airline worker or family member like you with a free seat gets bumped if they really run out of seats. Probably helps I have high frequent flyer status with Royal Orchid, so they seem to always give me a seat at the last minute, if booked in a flexible booking class. Most of my flights are not payed for by me anyway.

BKK just happens to be on the way to everywhere for business. LOL. My passport fills with Thailand in and out stamps rather rapidly. More than anything else.

[LittleBigMan]

My search found this (flying Sun and Wed):

23:25 Honolulu (HNL) - Terminal M.
10:05 Bangkok (BKK).
Duration: 17:40 - 1 stop in Taipei.
Aircraft Airbus Industrie A340-300.
China Airlines (CI 001).
Aircraft Aircraft varies.
China Airlines (CI 833).

Times may change a bit at different times of year. However I suspect Honolulu (HNL) has no daylight saving (just a guess).

Hope you did not search for HON (Hong Kong).

Around 10 April was different (flying Mon and Thurs) confirming variation in times:
01:15 Honolulu (HNL) - Terminal M.
10:00 Bangkok (BKK).
Duration: 15:45 - 1 stop in Taipei.

Thanks, my search with basically a made up date didn't produce the midnight flight at all with the cheaper prices quoted. They were all for the 13:10 with several stops going through Narita. Their schedule must be like Eva, having flights operating on certain days only. I will play around on their website to see what is being offered.

I knew HNL, had a flight to Bangkok but it was via through Taipei, by the way Hong Kong is (HKG) always looking for alternatives to using my flight benefits which in the past was good but these days with all the Code Shares and Alliances it is near impossible to get a seat.

I was interested in HNL, because I can get to HNL, for free and have family in HNL, but not sure how crowded their flights and RL response made it sound as if it was a non-stop from HNL to BKK. The less stopover I have the less chance of getting bumped off a flight.

Thai Airways had a flight BKK-LAX, before discontinue but gave me little time to get out of Immigration and get on the last flight to SFO with my benefits.

[Syzygies]

If I was 6'4 which I'm not I might have been the first Asian in the NBA, before Jeremy Lin 555? But since I'm not, I have no problems sitting in coach, in fact with Eva, I feel more comfortable sitting in coach.

I had the misfortune to choose Ryanair recently (not for flight to Thailand of course). Very few tall people on board and I could see why. The seats were appallingly bad causing torture. Minimal leg room reminded me of Malaysia Air Domestic many years ago, but curvature forward on both left and right side edges of the seat back pushed right on the shoulder blades, and seats could not be reclined. I am not quite 6'4 either. I can see why the term "cattle class" seats. Perhaps my shoulders are a bit broader than average as well. I don't have this extreme problem in any other airline to date. Seat design is just shocking (for some of us).

I warn all tall persons not to think of taking Ryan Air except in extreme desperation and very short flights only.

[Syzygies]

I am not aware of China Air having a midnight flight out of Honolulu, they only show a flight leaving at 13:10 and the fight makes a number of stops. Also not aware they offer a direct flight from Hon-BKK.

My search found this (flying Sun and Wed):

23:25 Honolulu (HNL) - Terminal M.
10:05 Bangkok (BKK).
Duration: 17:40 - 1 stop in Taipei.
Aircraft Airbus Industrie A340-300.
China Airlines (CI 001).
Aircraft Aircraft varies.
China Airlines (CI 833).

Times may change a bit at different times of year. However I suspect Honolulu (HNL) has no daylight saving (just a guess).

Hope you did not search for HON (Hong Kong).

Around 10 April was different (flying Mon and Thurs) confirming variation in times:
01:15 Honolulu (HNL) - Terminal M.
10:00 Bangkok (BKK).
Duration: 15:45 - 1 stop in Taipei.

[LittleBigMan]

I have used China Airlines for years and I am a gold level customer. They are also a Taiwanese airline. Great service and never delayed. I leave Honolulu at midnight and I am in Bkk the following day at 8:30 am. Take the MRT and switch to the BTS and get off at Asoke. Take a taxi to my hotel from 21. All told is 100 baht from the airport to my hotel. A taxi with tolls is 400 baht. And you have traffic jams with a taxi.

RL.

I am not aware of China Air having a midnight flight out of Honolulu, they only show a flight leaving at 13:10 and the fight makes a number of stops. Also not aware they offer a direct flight from Hon-BKK.

[Robert Long]

One reason EVA costs less is that for the bargain basement fares, THEY DON'T GIVE MILES.

I have used China Airlines for years and I am a gold level customer. They are also a Taiwanese airline. Great service and never delayed. I leave Honolulu at midnight and I am in Bkk the following day at 8:30 am. Take the MRT and switch to the BTS and get off at Asoke. Take a taxi to my hotel from 21. All told is 100 baht from the airport to my hotel. A taxi with tolls is 400 baht. And you have traffic jams with a taxi.

RL.

[LittleBigMan]

If I was 6'4 which I'm not I might have been the first Asian in the NBA, before Jeremy Lin 555? But since I'm not, I have no problems sitting in coach, in fact with Eva, I feel more comfortable sitting in coach. I've upgrade to deluxe slightly bigger seat design a number of times and the seat make me uncomfortable and after a few hours my hamstrings gets tight from the too much pressure on them from the design of the seat cushion. But based on aircraft seat design for coach I doubt anyone being 6'4 is going to be comfortable in coach with any airline. The aircraft they use are B777-300 ER, and aircraft configuration are different for shorter trip like from TPE / BKK. Their long segment of SFO / TPE the aircraft all have been upgraded decor, bathroom are tops providing toothbrush / paste and earplugs. The screen are now 10 inches and have USB connections. WiFi is available for a charge.

It should be noted in regards to Eva, they mix up their prices a lot, especially out of Bangkok to the SFO, many of their low fares at times try to move you to a long layover in Taipei, this can happen also when booking from SFO / LAX, so once you move forward double check your the length of the flight or trip that is going to be a clear giveaway. Also be flexible in your travel dates, you can move a date before and after and the flights cost can drop a lot? Their lowest fare reading the fine print normally don't include any mileage or just for their short segment Tpe / Bkk. If mileage is important to you if you choose the next higher fare it would include full or 80%. When it comes to fares, for example I checked a fare for Sept 11th, this year in Jan every date for the month was 56,000 baht BKK / SFO, that is very high for Eva, when that happens I wait, just last week I checked again and the fare dropped to 26,500 baht for the same date. It seems if you research too far ahead they got the fares up so be patient. As the flights start to fill up the prices start to drop, and after booking if you can't select a seat or not what you want like aisle keep checking everyday. As you get closer to the travel date travel agents start to turn in their unsold allotment and seat become more available. There are ways to double check to know whether a flight is selling out? In the end, if you can't get a aisle seat call reservation and let them list you for a aisle or emergency exit row instead of just asking when checking in. I've done this every time and when I check in they already have honor my request for all segments. I'm one of those guys that like to be the first to check in so get my request every time. Sitting in the aisle emergency row also allows you to board right after first class.

Some mention minimum cost for changes, for example if you purchased your original ticket at 28,000 baht, on April 1st, and after purchase you need to travel on another date, if that date there are seats still being sold at 28.000 then there is no higher charge but if the lowest fare for your original date is 35,000 baht now you will have to pay the difference to make the change. Their normal cancellation and change is 2000 baht?

[PinkPearl]

Total newbie, and actually my first post. After years of wanting to visit Thailand I finally am able to make it happen. I did a great deal of research here as well and thought I had all my bases covered. And then I find out that it just so happens that my trip is scheduled during the Songkran. I did not even know this existed and had apparently not seen anything of it in my research.

I can deal with the getting wet part, but I am concerned that some of the bars may be closed or very short staffed. Is this something I should be concerned with? Or is this a blessing and something that may be fun and end up being a positive?..

Personally I always try to land in Bangkok after Songkran or leave well before it starts.

If you can arrive a week or two later I'd suggest it, or even in May.

That being said, I've been there during Songkran more than once & still had good fun with the street ladies outside Nana hotel across from the NEP gogos.

[Eszpresszo]

This is impressive. I need to look into Eva Air for sure now. I always notice Eva about 25% cheaper than Cathay. Can anyone else compare Eva Air with Cathay? I find the seats at Cathay to be fairly comfortable even if the person in front of you reclines his seat all the way back.

Well, I can attest to the poor amount of legroom on EVA. I'm 6'4" and in coach it was a bit tight on the way over, and needed a Thai massage upon arrival to get myself back in shape. Luckily I was in the right place. However, they are very generous in regards to changes with a relatively benign fee, which was $100. KAL on the other hand, hit me with a $300 penalty after I had to get a refund. I had to postpone my trip and while there was a modest fee for a change of dates (around $100), all available dates in the near future had a much more expensive fare. Even the agent I spoke to (who had an Indian accent) flat out told me it was going to cost well over $1000 to get my reservation changed to a later date. I ended up taking the $300 hit and rebooked with EVA for a ticket that was about $200 less to BKK and back, so it wasn't a bad loss. Yes, I like EVA but coach is crammed with a lot of short Asian people with too much carry on baggage. Customer service in English is pretty dismal at KAL, which I can see on their website seems oriented towards Koreans.

[Banana Boi]

For my return flight I needed to move the date up by 1 month. I did so with no extra charge.

This is impressive. I need to look into Eva Air for sure now. I always notice Eva about 25% cheaper than Cathay. Can anyone else compare Eva Air with Cathay? I find the seats at Cathay to be fairly comfortable even if the person in front of you reclines his seat all the way back.

[HornDog 3]

Hey Guys, thanks for all of your info on airlines. I was flying CP for a few years. I did not like the long layovers in HG. Now that Eva is flying out of Chicago. I thought I would try it. They were about $1200 cheaper than CP for premium economy. Plus they fly out at midnight so I get in to Manila by noon. I can get to Bangkok by 6:00 pm. With CP I always ended up in Bkk at midnight.

The flight was nice. The service was good.

In Pattaya now until Tuesday. Then off to Angeles City for a week.