Thailand - Need intra-thailand air option validation

Hi all, I finally booked my honeymoon using UA miles. Its going to be great. I have the to/from Thailand all settled, but the inra-thailand flights i will need are a bit in the air. below is my current itinerary with some of my finds on those flights (bolded red). anything jump out as a problem (connection times, quality of flights, etc) to those in the know?


8/24/2012 Friday Chicago (ORD) to Brussels (BRU)
8/25/2012 Saturday Arrive BRU
8/26/2012 Sunday Brussels (BRU) to Frankfurt am Main (FRA) Frankfurt am Main (FRA) to Bangkok (BKK)
8/27/2012 Monday Arrive BKK 12:50pm
??? Bangkok Airways BKK 2:45p → USM 3:50p 1h 05m nonstop
Arrive USM
8/28/2012 Tuesday Koh Samui
8/29/2012 Wednesday Koh Samui
8/30/2012 Thursday Depart USM
??? Bangkok Airways USM 5:30p → HKT 6:30p 1h 00m nonstop & Thai AirAsia HKT 8:15p → CNX 10:15p 2h 00m nonstop
OR
??? Bangkok Airways USM 2:25p → CNX 6:15p 3h 50m 1 stop (BKK)
Arrive CMX
8/31/2012 Friday Chiang Mai
9/1/2012 Saturday Drive Chiang Mai to Chiang Rai
Chiang Rai
9/2/2012 Sunday Depart CEI
??? Thai AirAsia CEI 9:15p → BKK 10:35p 1h 20m nonstop
OR
??? Thai Airways CEI 8:25p → BKK 9:45p 1h 20m nonstop
Arrive BKK
9/3/2012 Monday Bangkok
9/4/2012 Tuesday Depart BKK
??? Thai AirAsia BKK 6:15a → DPS 11:30a 4h 15m nonstop
OR
??? (12,500 Miles or 17,500 Miles) Thai Airways BKK 9:10a → DPS 2:30p 4h 20m nonstop
Arrive DPS
9/5/2012 Wednesday Bali
9/6/2012 Thursday Bali
9/7/2012 Friday Denpasar (DPS) to Bangkok (BKK)
Bangkok (BKK) to Milan (MXP)
Milan (MXP) to Zurich (ZRH)
9/8/2012 Saturday Zurich
9/9/2012 Sunday Zurich (ZRH) to Brussels (BRU)
Brussels (BRU) to Chicago (ORD)

I wish you many years of happiness in your marriage! Please accept my best wishes.

On to your itinerary:

You indicate, Pnut4912, that on 8/30/12 you have a choice of: 2 different airlines to get from Koh Samui up to Chiang Mai, or a direct flight on only 1 airline. My thought would be to get to Chiang Mai using only 1 airline. I myself have done a similar connection using 2 airlines at BKK and I allowed myself on that occasion 3 hours; I see that you are allowing yourself only 1h 45m. Go with the all-PG routing.

I notice that your itinerary includes both Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai. Those two cities are not sufficiently different for each to warrant a visit: I would select one or the other and then spend the time there.

The flight down to Bali on 9/4/12 on AirAsia has a terrible departure time out of BKK. I would personally save the $175 cash and spend the miles instead so as to leave at a civilized hour on TG instead.

Lastly, I am frightened at your flight schedules to and from the U.S. You display 4 flight segments to get to Koh Samui! Can't you find a better routing requiring fewer segments? Is there anything available across the Pacific instead?

The return home looks even more onerous: 5 flights segments!

Keep checking with UA. Surely something easier on your butt will become available.

Enjoy Thailand and Bali!!

Lastly, I am frightened at your flight schedules to and from the U.S. You display 4 flight segments to get to Koh Samui! Can't you find a better routing requiring fewer segments?


UA does not have nonstop service to BKK; you must connect at NRT first, so at a minimum it would be ORD-NRT-BKK-USM (and any other service would force a connection in Europe, or SIN on SQ, or LAX on TG). Given that, and given the OP's post explaining this is award travel (http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/thailand/1359692-honeymoon-activities-itinerary.html), 4 stops isn't so bad, I think.

(I am also betting that the OP is booking self+spouse in F. ;))

For the intra Thailand, advice is much appreciated. The Koh Samui up to Chiang Mai flights both have a stop. The all Thai flights stop in BKK, and the combo carrier flight stops in Phuket. I do see what you are saying about sticking to 1 carrier in total though, makes for easier rebooking if misconnect, etc.

Many people on these boards and others have said a drive in the golden triangle area is well worth it. So I figured a drive from Chiang Mai to Chiang Rai would satisfy. If they really are similar, we can scratch Chiang Rai. We originally had all our time in the north in Chiang Mai.

For the Bali flight, we want to make sure we get to Bail ASAP as we have limited time there. Figure we could sacrifice a really early morning if that means we are on the beach at a reasonable hour. If you suggest that unreasonable hour is TOO unreasonable, im all ears. Will there be no transit options to get to airport, etc?


Lastly, I am frightened at your flight schedules to and from the U.S. You display 4 flight segments to get to Koh Samui! Can't you find a better routing requiring fewer segments? Is there anything available across the Pacific instead?

The return home looks even more onerous: 5 flights segments!

Keep checking with UA. Surely something easier on your butt will become available.

(I am also betting that the OP is booking self+spouse in F. ;))

Correct, we are in First on UA thru Brussels to get confirmed F. So figured why not spend a night there and see a city we haven't been to before. We then connect in FRA to pick up Thai FRA-BKK, in Thai first suites which was a product I always wanted to try. Same goes for the way back too, all the connections are to get the product we want and we were able to add a night in cities we haven't seen. Were totally OK with the 4 stops and will also be looking for close in space opening on LH/LX as the date approaches.