limerence

Hello All,

Been a lurker off and on for years but first post is today and wanted to ask for some guidance. The wife and I are planning a trip to Thailand and hopefully lump in some holidays since she recently started a job and does not have that much paid time off, any days over her accrual at that point will be taken as unpaid. So the two time frames:

1) 11/26 (preferably in the late PM) or 11/27 (preferably in the early AM) to 12/13
About $1200 right now per ticket on Eva Air from 11/27 - 12/13
2) 12/31 (preferably in the late PM) or 1/1 (preferably in the early AM) to 1/17
About $1400 right now per ticket on Eva Air from 1/1 - 1/17 for same flight itinerary as in #1

Question #1
Are there any pros/cons with one time frame over the other (weather, congestion, etc)? I know they both include holidays so it might be hectic in both instances


I am 6'3" 225 lbs and the wife is about 5'8" and will be flying coach. A friend of mine said business class is only about a 20% bump in price and I will get more leg room for someone my size. I checked and I didn't see that was the case, it was more like a 60% to 100% bump. I looked on seatguru which gave seat width and pitch, but I'm really looking for legroom more than anything else. I also looked on Tripadvisor who has ratings when you look for flights (such as Average, or Spacious), but not sure if that means additional legroom

Question #2
With that said, I wanted to ask for opinions on coach seats for international travel. Of the low priced flights I was able to find, it will probably be between Korean Air, Eva Air, and distant third in price is Cathay Pacific. (There are cheaper flights to be had but I heard to stay away from China Airlines and Air China).


Although the wife has family in Thailand, I was going to book rooms at hotels instead since we do not want to inconvenience them. I looked on Tripadvisor to look for well rated hotels under $80 a night for places like Bangkok, Phuket, Hua Hin, and Chiang Mai. The wife said we would save more money and get more bang for our buck by using AirBNB. I know of the site and wouldn't mind using them if it was in the US. However in a foreign country, I'm a little hesitant to book a place that has fewer reviews and take a chance than if I were to look on Tripadvisor or Hotels.com. But, I would feel more comfortable if I were to find out if folks have used AirBNB in Thailand with much succcess.


Question #3
AirBNB worth considering for Thailand or hotel a better way to go?


Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.
-John

Tchiowa

There is a holiday first week of December, but it's a Thai holiday. No effect on tourism. Xmas, on the other hand, sees Bangkok and other areas swamped. The earlier date will be less crowded and you can probably get better hotel deals.

Business Class is a lot more than 20% bump from $1,200. If you hunt and cross your fingers you might get Business Class for $3,000 - 3,500. Cheapest EVA Business Class in that time frame is over $5k. Philippine Air Lines or Air China might be under $4,000.

Your wallet might not forgive you for paying $5k but your knees and back won't forgive you for 15 hours in Coach.

Given recent history (you've seen the stories on SFGate and the Chronicle) I wouldn't get within a mile of AirBNB.

limerence

Thanks Tchiowa.

Would you by any chance have flown on Eva or Korea and can comment on the legroom of the seats?

glob99

EVA has a true Premium Econ. class. That gives more legroom and wider seats. This is what your friend meant.

http://www.evaair.com/en-us/flying-w...class/onboard/

Tchiowa

Sorry. I never fly coach.

limerence

Thanks glob99. I just checked on Eva for the Elite/Evergreen seat. Coach is $1166 and Elite/Evergreen is $1827, about 37% difference in cost. I'll have to think it over but its still a bit steep. I fly dometically in the US for work through Southwest a lot and have Companion Status with them. In thinking about it now, maybe I should switch over to another airline just so I can get miles for international travel.

Thanks,
John

glennaa11

That is certainly high season, especially the timeframe around the first of the year. The weather is typically cooler then as well. But late Nov/early Dec can be quite pleasant.

I've been there on the King's birthday (Dec 5) and there are certainly some festivities going on which can add some interest.

You can find perfectly nice hotels in Thailand for your budget. I would probably stick with that. Are there even many places listed in AirBnB for the cities you are visiting?

limerence

Surprisingly, there is.

paullgo

I found an apt on Airbnb last year. For me it's good location (Silom) 1 bedroom, pool, security. I have stayed there 4 times for a month at a time. Will be back next week for another month. Under $50.00 a day. I have read the negatives about them, but they have worked great for me.

whackyjacky

At your size, I would gladly pay the extra $600 for Elite/Deluxe and I have many Xs. It was better when it was Deluxe and in the nose of the 747, but it's still money well spent IMO.

aBroadAbroad

Welcome to FlyerTalk! Just curious where you're seeing TPACs in biz for only 60-100% more than economy. IME, even very good biz fares typically run at least 3x those of economy. Do you mean premium economy by any chance? Because if you're really seeing biz at this rate, I'd totally jump on it.

I'm a not-very-tall female, but I'm also not very young and mildly claustrophobic, so I prefer biz or first for anything over 6-7 hours. That said, I found myself in EVA's prem econ on LAX-TPE-BKK a few years back, and felt was worth the extra cost vs. regular economy, if only for the slightly improved seat recline/pitch, and a much quieter and less cramped cabin.

limerence

Yes, I'm sorry, my mistake. It is premium economy and not business class.

limerence

To update everyone, I ended up going the cheap route and going economy on Korean Air. However, I decided to break up the legs to Bangkok on two different days and staying in Seoul for a day, both on the flight into Bangkok and out from Bangkok so two days total in Seoul.

Thanks for the help!

Dr. HFH

They're posted fairly regularly in the Mileage Run Deals forum, both one-offs as well as ones that have been around for a while. That said, most of the premium cabin deals I've seen are round trip and start over here, and not in North America.

aBroadAbroad

Yes, I've seen great biz fares to BKK in the mileage run thread, but IME they tend to originate in EU. I definitely don't recall ever seeing one for less than maybe 100% of the economy fares that are typically available ex-U.S.

If you ever see one, please PM me