SkyTeam - Best ST options NRT-BKK in J

I originally posted this in the Delta forum but I guess this forum is more appropriate.

I am planning an award trip to TYO with the possibly of a stopover in BKK. I made a sample booking of JFK-NRT-(s/o)-BKK-JFK-NRT. Like the DL flight to SIN, NRT-BKK arrives around midnight and the return leaves around 6AM, which I'd rather avoid. The skyteam app on my iPad shows that CI, CZ, MU, VN and KE also fly this route but none are direct. Just in terms of flight arrival and departure times, VN (A330/A321) and CI (both legs A330-300) look to be the best choices. Other than that, how do their J products compare?

I originally posted this in the Delta forum but I guess this forum is more appropriate.

I am planning an award trip to TYO with the possibly of a stopover in BKK. I made a sample booking of JFK-NRT-(s/o)-BKK-JFK-NRT. Like the DL flight to SIN, NRT-BKK arrives around midnight and the return leaves around 6AM, which I'd rather avoid. The skyteam app on my iPad shows that CI, CZ, MU, VN and KE also fly this route but none are direct. Just in terms of flight arrival and departure times, VN (A330/A321) and CI (both legs A330-300) look to be the best choices. Other than that, how do their J products compare?

No Japanese or Thai carriers in ST, hence, no direct flights out of NRT bound for BKK. From the 5 I'd go with KE, by far the best service.
But as you're tending to go with VN or CI, I would recommend the last. Better product on those A333 and a great lounge in CAN.

Is this an award ticket? If so, watch out for blackout dates, especially on KE. KE through ICN would be the longest routing and might not be legal. (If applicable, check MPM, the limit on miles that you can fly with the J fare you are using)

The crack of dawn DL flight is the only way to avoid an overnight connection in NRT/HND, although some routings might allow you to connect overnight elsewhere such as CAN instead and catch an early flight to NRT for your TPAC on DL.

Thanks for the replies. It is an award ticket. Current plan is to stay in Tokyo for 4-5 days and Bangkok for 3-4 days. I'm not married to a return to NY via NRT and looking at the schedule shows that KE is the best choice for the return trip with a departure around midnight (beats the crack of dawn) and avoids an overnight.

I can also return on KQ/KL without losing a day but that'd probably count as a RTW ticket.

Looking at TYO-BKK on the app now I only see VN KE and DL flights so either the schedule just changed or I plugged in something wrong the first time. Both VN and KE leave and arrive at reasonable hours.

So if the dates aren't blacked out I'll go with KE and otherwise I'll make due.

Returning through Europe will probably make this either a RTW or two award tickets. There can be big fees on KQ.

My advice would be to check the KE blackout dates that DL uses ASAP. They cover about five months of the year in total. Note that if KE blacks out eve one flight in one direction on a date, DL blacks out the entire KE system for award tickets on that date, so that looking only at the KE information on this greatly minimizes the problem.

No Japanese or Thai carriers in ST, hence, no direct flights out of NRT bound for BKK. From the, 5 I'd go with KE, by far the best service.
But as you're tending to go with VN or CI, I would recommend the last. Better product on those A333 and a great lounge in CAN.

In TPE. CI is China Airlines.

Looking at TYO-BKK on the app now I only see VN KE and DL flights so either the schedule just changed or I plugged in something wrong the first time. Both VN and KE leave and arrive at reasonable hours.
So if the dates aren't blacked out I'll go with KE and otherwise I'll make due.

No Japanese or Thai carriers in ST, hence, no direct flights out of NRT bound for BKK. From the, 5 I'd go with KE, by far the best service.
But as you're tending to go with VN or CI, I would recommend the last. Better product on those A333 and a great lounge in CAN.

You're quite wrong on 2 parts here.

1) NRT is still a DL and UA hub, so it's not only Japanese and destination country carriers offering non-stops. DL is still very much in Skyteam, but as the OP noted the departure and arrival times in BKK are not desirable.

2) CI is not CZ. CZ=CAN / CI=TPE, though the lounge in TPE is also quite good.

I wasn't very impressed by the lounge in CAN. This would have been when NW/DL still operated CAN-NRT and IIRC they sent me to the CZ lounge before my morning departure.

More generally, I haven't found the CZ lounges in China to be particularly good, but I've generally used the domestic ones. Perhaps the more important aspect is that they do provide lounges, even in relatively smaller airports.

You're quite wrong on 2 parts here.

1) NRT is still a DL and UA hub, so it's not only Japanese and destination country carriers offering non-stops. DL is still very much in Skyteam, but as the OP noted the departure and arrival times in BKK are not desirable.

2) CI is not CZ. CZ=CAN / CI=TPE, though the lounge in TPE is also quite good.

Indeed, my bad, I was talking about CZ, but as for DL and their NRT hub, it was quite obvious that the OP was seeking for an alternative, so no OTHER direct flights out of NRT to BKK with ST.

I wasn't very impressed by the lounge in CAN. This would have been when NW/DL still operated CAN-NRT and IIRC they sent me to the CZ lounge before my morning departure.

More generally, I haven't found the CZ lounges in China to be particularly good, but I've generally used the domestic ones. Perhaps the more important aspect is that they do provide lounges, even in relatively smaller airports.

When was your last visit at CZ's lounge in CAN?
The lounge is quite good http://www.csair.com/en/travel_guide/airport_service/vip-building/index.html

The last time in CAN would have been about three years ago, but I've been in other (domestic) CZ lounges in China since then. In some of them, smoking has been a problem; even if there are separate smoking areas or rooms, smokers don't stay there. People visit the F&B areas while smoking and return to the smoking area with their F&B. I've also seen people prop open the doors to smoking rooms and refuse to close them.

The last time in CAN would have been about three years ago, but I've been in other (domestic) CZ lounges in China since then. In some of them, smoking has been a problem; even if there are separate smoking areas or rooms, smokers don't stay there. People visit the F&B areas while smoking and return to the smoking area with their F&B. I've also seen people prop open the doors to smoking rooms and refuse to close them.

That's all throughout China I guess...