Jonathan Jou

Hello FlyerTalk experts!

I come seeking advice on roundtrip flights from RDU to TPE, departing 10/16 and returning 10/24. There might be some date flexibility (+/- a day, maybe). I'm interested in the best deals for 4 adults (3 adults, 1 senior) flying either all economy or all business, so good business class deals that are more expensive than economy would be helpful too!

I've tried KAYAK.com, which has some interesting $870+ results (RDU->JFK->PEK->TPE, JetBlue + AirChina), as well as the ITA flight matrix, which has some $983 (RDU->JFK->PEK->TPE, JetBlue + AirChina) results too. Are these prices good? The connections are kind of long. How much more should I expect to pay if I want to book through just one airline instead of two?

Do you guys have any suggestions? What sites should I be searching on for good deals? I appreciate any and all help with this matter, since the price difference really adds up across 4 people.

Thanks,
Jonathan

RustyC

The best deals on Asia flights in recent months generally have been out of WAS, NYC, ORD, DFW, IAH, LAX and maybe SFO, SEA, BOS and MIA. If it were me I'd either be looking at driving 'em up to fly out of IAD or DCA (probably IAD) or possibly a 2 ticket strategy. These approaches can involve some added inconvenience, though, and aren't everyone's cup of tea. I remember doing the 2-ticket bit thrice with EY's Christmas 2014 mistake-fare special, flying LCCs to IAD, ORD and NYC respectively to get to MNL, AUH and SEZ and back. The IAD-MNL (over the Atlantic!) might be similar to one of the options u could get to TPE if the ME3 (EY, EK or QR) jumps into the fare war. I'd fly them before flying the Chinese carriers.

There's a bit of a waiting game, but the key for many is to get a carrier like UA, AA, CX, Eva or someone like that matching the Chinese carriers. Sometimes those sales are short-lived.

I'd target something sub-$700 (maybe even sub-$600, especially if from west coast) from someone other than the mainland Chinese carriers. That leaves getting the other ticket or driving, which may not be worth the differential. ATL has the same problem...we don't get the rock-bottom Asia sales and there can be up to a $500 gap between ATL fares and the cheapest from anywhere in the U.S.

I can't really speak to fares in business except that they could add another layer of complexity.

Bakpapier

And to be honest, how does a business class fare even belong in the Budget Travel forum of all places? It should be posted somewhere else, or moved by the moderator. I'll solely comment on the cheapest Y fare.

I can find fares starting from 670$ easily from JFK to TPE. So all you need to do is book a separate ticket on a low cost carrier to JFK and you're set, and that should be possible for some 150 $ or so. Make sure to leave PLENTY of time for your lay over in JFK, as you will be on separate tickets.

Try some other hub cities as well. It may be even cheaper.