rojicha07

Hi everyone! I need to travel on next July from Beijing to my hometown in Costa Rica. I've got several options (that fit my budget) to make this long trip. Basically, I've narrowed the options to three of them:

1) PEK-DOH-MIA (and then connecting to SJO) on Qatar Airways (77W & 77L respectively)

2) PEK-ORD (and then connecting to SJO) on Hainan Airlines (787)

3) PEK-ICN-LAX (and then connecting to SJO) on Asiana Arlines (A333 & 77L respectively)

According to Skytrax, all these 3 airlines are 5 stars, so I don't know which one would provide me a better service/experience in ECONOMY class.

I know the route by Qatar Airways is much longer than the other 2 options, but I really don't mind about the distance/time. I'm a little fanatic of aviation/airlines and all that and so I love long flights (even if it sounds a little crazy haha).

Also, all of those options have almost the same price. Therefore I want to take the decision exclusively based on which airline is better in economy class (in terms of confort, service, IFE, food, etc.)... Could you please give me some advice/opinions based on your experiencies with these airlines? Which one do you recommend me to fly with?

I really appreciate any information you could provide me in order to help me making up my mind about this trip...

Thanks in advance!

moondog

Don't let Skytrax influence your decision too much; few of us around here put the slightest bit of credence in their ratings though I will admit that 4s and 5s are usually unquestionably better than 2s. I would probably go with HU because the routing is the most efficient. You might want to price their business class as well; it's often quite reasonable.

ETA: You should also look into CA (nice planes to the US) and AC (single connection on an airline other than UA).

jansoncheng

There's only slight difference in economy for these 3 airlines, I would suggest you to choose the cheapest one, and the shortest time if the price is on the same level

warakorn

long detour!

probably the best choice, however, be prepared for some nasty scheduling changes.

I would avoid transiting in ICN between July and October due to typhoon risks and associated cancellations.

dvs7310

Couple more options you may want to look at:

AM NRT-MEX with appropriate connections or AC PEK-YVR/YYZ with appropriate connections just to avoid transiting the US.

I don't know if you have a US passport or not but in either case, all 3 airports you're considering can be unpleasant if you come in behind another flight and add to that if you get stuck in the back of economy on your flight.

rojicha07

Yes I've heard much about it, for example, I think many people don't think Hainan deserves the 5 star award hehe. For instance I flew with Emirates a few months ago (a 4 star airline according to Skytrax), and it was amazingly good. So you're right, I shouldn't be very influenced by these ratings.

Indeed I like the Hainan option because is the simplest route. Air China offer even better options for me to connect to a flight towards Costa Rica, but their fares are very expensive right now, I don't know why. Ironically with Air China, if I depart from Hong Kong (instead of directly from Beijing), then do a layover on Beijing before continuing to the US, the fare is almost half the price... ah, I sometimes just don't understand airlines haha. Air Canada offers great itineraries and prices, however as a Costa Rican I need a visa even for transiting in Canada, so it's not worth it.

Thanks for the advice. Currently the cheapest option is Qatar Airways. Sounds good to me

By Qatar is a huge detour, but I like flying, so I don't mind taking such long flights haha.

Does Hainan usually have troubles with their schedules? That could be a big inconvenient for me, because I would need to conect later on Chicago to a flight towards Costa Rica (I would have about 3hrs layover in ORD)

Oh good to know about the typhoon season, thanks for the information.

I have a US Visa so it's no problem for me to transit through the US. Altough it worries me the fact that either way I would need to connect to a later flight towards Costa Rica, and I know sometimes there are eternal waiting times at passport control in the US airports. Last time in Houston I had to queue for about 3 hours, I almost lost my connection flight and my luggage didn't make it...

I ruled out Canada because I need a visa for transiting there.

About the Aeromexico option, I did see that one and found it very interesting too. They have a good price, use a 787 in the NRT-MEX option and overall seems great, but I don't know if it would be better by any of the other airlines in terms of confort/service/experience haha. I know it can't be asked a lot in economy class, but I'm looking forward for a better experience than the ones you usually get with US based airlines in long haul flights.

Thank you very much everyone for your comments and advices. Any other recommendation please post them here, I really appreciate all of them.

tboons

QR economy on 777 is the best economy. Better than CX and SQ. And their PC club is quite ok to get status.