General Reports

[JiveMofo]

Currently in Pattaya but figured this is more of a general area question. I've installed Line and WeChat to contact girls but have some questions.

Line doesn't seem to have an English-Thai translation service. All I could find was a dictionary, but it only does word by word translation (you have to look each one up) so is kinda useless for me. Girl I met sent me some weird stickers and I don't know what they mean.

Haven't used WeChat yet, but seems to be mostly used for finding FL girls by using the find people nearby function? I've filtered for girls only, but still seem to see dudes in the results. Some girls seem to openly advertise, for others not so clear. In any case, I'm a bit afraid to try as don't feel like the pictures available are enough to go by.

Just installed the English Thai translation app by GK apps so will give that a try tonight. I guess I'll have to get the girl to install it if she already doesn't have it.

Am currently looking for younger girls (about 20) and those seem to all have pretty much zero English aside from the standard questions (where from, how old, what name etc). It's taking a lot of time to break the ice, so I'd like to speed things up if possible.

Am curious as to what others are using, or doing to get around the issue I'm having. Advice would be appreciated.

Thanks.

[BushRusher]

100% sure. I'm booked thru United using FF miles. OZ 211 from SFO to ICN, then OZ 741 from ICN to BKK.

Earlier this month I had a few days in AC, which I have been doing about this time of year for a few years now. I flew with Qatar Airways, in order to fly right into Clark, unfortunately it all went wrong in Doha when I missed the connection due to late arrival. Its the first time I tried that flight, and coming from a 50 minute delayed departure at London (not uncommon these days), the transfer time of 45 minutes was obviously a problem. Anyway Qatar airways looked after the 13 of us pretty well, and offered choice of the same flight following day, or Manila and bus transfer 7 hours later same day. So we took that, and finally arrived at Clark 12 hours late. I had cancelled my airport pick up to Queens Hotel, but was able to get a drop off, as the "bus transfer" from Manila turned into a fleet of 7 seater taxis with 3 - 4 in each.!

With US domestic on UA you are pretty much screwed and need to really push. On international, in or out bound you are not much better. Many airports do not have shower facility. I can tell you that Business does not get any better treatment.

Knock on wood, CX has always taken care of me. Had been diverted a several times because of weather and everyone got put up. They just loaded the same plane and crew the next day. The higher up the food chain you are with them, the better the service. Had good resolutions with BA and LH in and outbound. I don't know your specific situation, but I would much rather have flight delay problems in Asia. I usually get put up for free. 3 months ago, I was getting put up by UA because of a mechanical problem and I heard the supervisor tell the staff to stop issuing vouchers. Not sure what happened to the sods behind me traveling on their own dime.

Shemp,

FYI report from AC thread. Just an example of how the major non-US airlines take care of their customers. Service is better and staff are prettier.

[BushRusher]

I agree domestic wise you have to really know your airline rights.

Internationally, it is a different ballgame due to the distant most people travel, they also still hold the old school rule, take care of the passenger. Two years back I used Cathay Pacific through Hong Kong to Bangkok. Due to HK being their headquarters I was unable to get on a flight for near two days as Standby, the supervisor was kind enough to let me into their lounge to use and shower but there were agents who also treated like shit so typical in general of a Airline own and run by the government.

With US domestic on UA you are pretty much screwed and need to really push. On international, in or out bound you are not much better. Many airports do not have shower facility. I can tell you that Business does not get any better treatment.

Knock on wood, CX has always taken care of me. Had been diverted a several times because of weather and everyone got put up. They just loaded the same plane and crew the next day. The higher up the food chain you are with them, the better the service. Had good resolutions with BA and LH in and outbound. I don't know your specific situation, but I would much rather have flight delay problems in Asia. I usually get put up for free. 3 months ago, I was getting put up by UA because of a mechanical problem and I heard the supervisor tell the staff to stop issuing vouchers. Not sure what happened to the sods behind me traveling on their own dime.

[LittleBigMan]

If you are UA especially, regardless of class, you are on your own. Even it if it crew or equipment you have to fight. I find a couple of the other US airlines are slightly better. The Aisan airlines, have treated me much better in the past when there are weather delays. But I usually are on CX or SQ mostly.

I agree domestic wise you have to really know your airline rights. Personally first hand I know it is not a easy job for agents to deal with delays since they are control by other people what type of decision can be made. Domestic in the past have taken a beating financially and it all comes down to the dollar. Employee attitude are beaten down due their hands being tied and then in the past few years the large mergers like United / Continental Delta / Northwest USAirway / American, generally speaking agents are more concern about what they might lose in the merger than doing their jobs. Believe it or not I've worked and met many station manager who have no business being in their position solely due to their paper resume. Whenever their are delays they are no where to be found leaving the front line supervisors hand tied. The old days of Airlines are gone, I remember once United flight to Hawaii was delay 4 hours, they provided vouchers in the airport for lunch and we aren't talking just for a sandwich.

Internationally, it is a different ballgame due to the distant most people travel, they also still hold the old school rule, take care of the passenger. Two years back I used Cathay Pacific through Hong Kong to Bangkok. Due to HK being their headquarters I was unable to get on a flight for near two days as Standby, the supervisor was kind enough to let me into their lounge to use and shower but there were agents who also treated like shit so typical in general of a Airline own and run by the government.

[BushRusher]

If the flight is delayed due to weather you are out of luck with the Airline as to being put up in a hotel. But as noted if you are on Business / First as a value customer they most likely go out of their way to make some compromise. In these situation it is best to know your airline rights and asking always help.

If you are UA especially, regardless of class, you are on your own. Even it if it crew or equipment you have to fight. I find a couple of the other US airlines are slightly better. The Aisan airlines, have treated me much better in the past when there are weather delays. But I usually are on CX or SQ mostly.

[LittleBigMan]

If the flight is delayed due to weather you are out of luck with the Airline as to being put up in a hotel. But as noted if you are on Business / First as a value customer they most likely go out of their way to make some compromise. In these situation it is best to know your airline rights and asking always help.

[Run Mann]

There is plenty of action in Seoul.

Just be sure to have plenty of money too as Seoul is quite expensive or "pisa" as the Koreans say. If you miss a connecting international flight, the airline will put you on another flight but most of the times they will hold the departing plane for a while to wait for other connecting flights. Either way it will work out.

[Wimble]

100% sure. I'm booked thru United using FF miles. OZ 211 from SFO to ICN, then OZ 741 from ICN to BKK.

OK. Google is your friend. Asiana will take care of you because you are routed through them and not a code share. Draw back is that it is an award ticket so you are at the bottom of list, I assume, regardless of your status. $$ talks.

Today's flight is an example of probably the worst case. 5 hour delay out of SFO. Means you will miss the BKK flight and the several others after that. The flight was late 55 min last week. But you can get on OZ's later flight or get put on another carrier that evening. With today's flight, you miss everything. If I were you, I would opt for taking the flight to BKK the next day. Borrow the phone at customer service to reschedule your hotel in BKK. Check into a hotel in ICN and hit the special places in Seoul the evening you arrive. There is a free city tour out of the airport during the day. If you haven't done that already, you can do that the next day.

Again, they might or might not pay for your hotel. With UA, most likely not. With full service Asian airlines, most likely yes. Even if you pay, you might get airline corporate rates; really cheap at 5 star hotels.

IMHO, don't over think this. Pack an extra underwear and condoms in your carry on and enjoy the trip. Sign up for flight alerts for changes to your flights. There is plenty of action in Seoul.

[GDreams]

Yeah, both flights are at ICN on Asiana Airlines. 1st flight arrives from SFO at 5:25 pm, the next flight leaves at 6:30 pm for BKK. You think I'll be ok then?

Your option would be to book yourself on a later flight leaving Incheon which is exactly what Asiana will do if you miss the connection. So if you want to get there in the quickest possible time book the tight connection as if you miss it due to unforeseen circumstances Asiana will be obliged to correct it.

[HorseTrader]

Is a 1 hour connection between a flight from USA arriving at airport in Seoul, connecting to flight leaving.

For BKK 1 hour later. Was wondering if I would have to exit / change terminals, go thru security etc. Before getting to 2nd flight.

I think that 1 hour connection is marginal, at best. About a month ago I flew from Washington, DC, and strong head winds caused my flight time to be more than an hour longer than projected. My scheduled layover was 2. 5 hours and I made it to my 2nd flight only about 15 minutes before boarding time. A 1-hour layover simply wouldn't have worked for me. Both my flights were on Korean Air.

As other's have pointed out, you need to look for the "Transfer" signs. That is a security checkpoint (show passport, empty pockets, computer out of bag, etc.). Once you get through the transfer checkpoint, you shouldn't have any other delays to your second flight.

[David 2]

100% sure. I'm booked thru United using FF miles. OZ 211 from SFO to ICN, then OZ 741 from ICN to BKK.

I've done that exact trip many times, and Asiana is one of the finest airlines in the business. The crew is fantastic, the planes are spotless, the food is great, and you're going to love your trip. Having said that, however, they have no control over weather conditions, and planes sometimes run late due to many factors. SFO is known for delays due to fog this time of year, and the weather in Seoul is equally unpredictable. I'd be very leery of a 1 hour layover.

So I always book my trip with a few hours of layover. It gives me a chance to enjoy the many amenities at ICN, including showers, so my next leg to BKK is very enjoyable. And there is a hotel in the airport that can be rented in 6 hour blocks, rather than a full day. I always rent a room, take a nice nap and a shower, have a nice meal at the airport, and I'm totally refreshed and ready for the rest of my journey.

https://www.incheonairporthotels.com...transit-hotel/

[Shemp]

Are you sure you are on Asiana and not Korean Air?

100% sure. I'm booked thru United using FF miles. OZ 211 from SFO to ICN, then OZ 741 from ICN to BKK.

[Wimble]

Yeah, both flights are at ICN on Asiana Airlines. 1st flight arrives from SFO at 5:25 pm, the next flight leaves at 6:30 pm for BKK. You think I'll be ok then?

Are you sure you are on Asiana and not Korean Air?

[LittleBigMan]

Airlines aren't going to sell you a ticket with a connection if there isn't enough time to make the connection. Sure it might seem tight but like another said they pretty much got it down. From my experience whenever a flight connection is really tight as you are deplaning usually there are customer service agents with signs looking for those passengers with short connections. They are there if needed to guide you through security ASAP so you can make the connection instead of waiting in line unnecessary. If there isn't someone and you are concern you can air out your concerns at the transfer desk and they usually if someone is missed call down the gate to hold. In general they sell you a ticket and leave you behind in a connection there are penalties against the airline plus they for example must put you on another flight, Airline, hotel, meals etc.

[LA Guy 5]

Yeah, both flights are at ICN on Asiana Airlines. 1st flight arrives from SFO at 5:25 pm, the next flight leaves at 6:30 pm for BKK. You think I'll be ok then?

The one thing I can add to what has already been said is the transfer security checkpoints at Incheon can be a royal pain in the ass. I have gone through them for Asiana flights a number of times and although I don't recall whether the lines were long, the scrutiny they apply to carry-on baggage can be more substantial than TSA or other Asian checkpoints I have gone through. In a number of instances they made me take everything out of my carry on luggage and ran everything through the scanner, adding precious minutes to the time I had to spend at the checkpoint. Note, however, I tend to travel with a lot of electronics, such as cameras, lenses, tablets, laptops, and accessories and it takes me awhile to both remove everything and then re-pack it. So my advice is in order to maximize the chance you will make your connection, try to travel light with regard to carry-on items and also get to the security checkpoint as quickly as possible after your plane arrives so any delays at the security checkpoint won't make you miss your connecting flight.

Good luck!