xmlsoa

Need Help! to SELECT a ROUTING: BOM to SFO/ SJC with some medical constraints?

I'll cut it short on what kind of *A ROUTING & product FLIGHT SEGMENTS I need.

For health reasons I need and I'd like to:

+ FLY 180' FLAT-BED BUSINESS Class Product from BOM to SFO / SJC - SLEEP is KEY - Hard Product
+ CUT my FLIGHT SEGMENTS & TRANSITS into 6-8 hours (Max 9/11 hr) or so per SEGMENT.
+ EAT at Airport/ On Ground - Not on flight - VEGETARIAN
+ DRINK Hot Water through trip when awake.

- AVOID 13-15 hr SEGMENTS
- AVOID Eating on flight
- AVOID Trans Con US Long Haul in absence of Sleeper/ Lie Flat product.

EXAMPLES OF 2 Segment POSSIBLE ALTERNATIVES from BOM to SFO / SJC:

- LH (via FRA)
- SQ (via SIN + 1 stop)

- UA might be out due to their BOM to EWR 13/15 hr Segment?? Any other options?
- ANA ?? (How would this ROUTE?.. Since it seems to be a well reviewed BF product on the web/ forum)

Are there some ROUTINGS that I am missing and you could recommend?

For now it seems I'd have break it into TWO SEGMENTS (Can I break it into THREE Segments)?.

Some possibility to combine Thai Airways towards the length to SIN via BKK (Maybe get a suit made on a long stop over?).

NOTE:
I have 100k miles with UA and am looking to use this for a One-way SAVER AWARD. Hopefully I wont have to use non-Saver award.

Unterwegs

That seems difficult.
You either need to go via the Pacific or the Atlantic.

If you go via the pacific then you need to stop somewhere closer than Asia. This could be a routing on United via Hawaii etc on to Japan, possibly Bangkok. You would need to find some flights with their better seats, From NRT you can take TG on the 380 to BKK and then on to DEL - but I don'tthink they fly any horizontal flat seats to that destination.
Another option is SQ from SFO to HKG (very good business class, good food options) and then Thai to DEL.

If you go via the atlantic you could use NZ to LHR (nice seats, but the flight is longer than you want. One of the shortest flight would be BOS-LHR (United).
You can also look at Swiss, SAS (SK).

I personally would go on CX (their food is actually edible and they have lotsof choices of special food) or EK (shortest total time and good business class on the 77W.
When you stop less than 24 hours it still counts as a connection.
You could for example take SFO-HKG 11:55-18:55 and then next day HKG-DEL 14:25-20:50.
Or if you prefer a night flight 21:10-06:00 and then 20:00-23:55

xmlsoa

Thank you. At least, someone replied with good suggestions.
I think you seem to have gotten the DIRECTION wrong BOM > TO > SFO one way, not the opposite.

Either way, I'll try to piece together your suggestions in reverse in some way and come back to you. Maybe you can help me more then.

SLEEP:
I am guessing I WONT be able to SLEEP all the 20+ hours of the journey in all segments. Is that correct? Or there are people who are able to DOUBLE SLEEP it i.e. THROUGH BOTH SEGMENTS?
Let's see if I could break it into SEGMENTS with FLAT BED (for SLEEP) and some connectors which don't have or need FULL SLEEP.

FOOD:
I intend to avoid eating on the flights as much as possible. Fill up, before and after at Airport/ Lounge as much as possible.
VEGETARIAN / VEGAN / AVML (Typically Indian food) on the GROUND. So hopefully airport transits with GOOD VEG FOOD OPTIONS.

Let me GO THROUGH charting this and come back to you. Thank you, once again.

BOM > FRA : 8.5 hr
FRA > SFO : 11.5 hr

This seems the most BALANCED in a 2 SEGMENT SPLIT. Would these Flight Segments have 180 FLAT BED?

If so, are there other similar ROUTES I could/ should look at? Suggestions?

I am guessing there will not be FLAT-BED on any/ many SEGMENTS less than 8 hours. Right? Then 8-11 hours is a decent range to look at?

13+ hours segments being the least preferable?

What are the SHORTEST segments with FLAT-BED out there on the globe?

PS: Also curious.. Do the UA: EWR to SFO Business Class have FLAT BED/ LIE Flat / SLEEPER seats as they are Trans Con?

Change of Terminology a per: http://www.farecompare.com/travel-ad...t-comfortable/

vroom

LH doesn't have a true flat-bed on most of their flights, so connecting through FRA won't meet your requirements. Going with LX BOM-ZRH-SFO is probably a better option if you want a balanced 2-segment split.

xmlsoa

Is there any Pacific Route that I can make more balanced? If not 2 SEGMENT, make it into 3 SEGMENTS?

Thoughts? Ideas?

sfo3388

Dear OP,

You seemed to mention that you planned to use UA miles to get a saver business class award ticket from BOM to SFO. If it is true, then it adds layers of difficulty.

I did quite a few biz class award ticket searches in past few months. Here is a summary of what I found:

1. SQ business class award tickets to USA (ICN-SFO, HKG-SFO, NRT-LAX, etc.) are impossible to find. SQ only releases seats to its own program. Not to other *A partners. You still can find biz award tickets in intra-Asia such as BOM to SIN or SIN to PEK but I am not sure if those flights have flat beds.

2. It is not easy to find biz award ticket on FRA-SFO, MUC-SFO, ZRH-SFO and LHR-SFO non-stop flights in next 3 months. LH, LX or even UA.

3. The following trans-Pacific flights have flat beds on business class and show more availability on random searches:
a. UA 892 ICN-SFO
b. UA 888 PEK-SFO
c. BR 018 or 028 TPE-SFO

With that say, on 10DEC2013, LH757-LH454 offer saver biz class seat from BOM to SFO. I just don't know if those flights have flat beds. Also sometimes United.com has phantom LH availability.

Good luck!

You probably need at least 3 segments. For example on United.com:

14OCT2013 SQ421 BOM-SIN on 777-200 (11:45am-7:45p)
15OCT2013 CA970 SIN-PEK on A330-300 (12:15am-6:10am)
15OCT2013 UA888 PEK-SFO on 747-400 (12pm-8:25am)

There are long layover in between but with a business ticket you can visit lounges in SIN and PEK.

I know UA has flat bed on 744 but don't know SQ and CA provide flat beds on intra-Asia flights.

xmlsoa

Thanks SFO88. I appreciate your response. I will study it as its late night for me right now.

I was wondering which * Alliance carriers would be good to find award availability on given the above research?

MatthewLAX

My advice: sacrifice the lie-flat seats on initial flights and fly BOM-BKK-TPE-SFO, with time to eat in BKk and TPE.

sammybk

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My suggestion would be BOM-ZRH-EWR-SFO. There should be some flat seats on EWR SFO. You could also so BOM ZRH ORD SFO.

Swiss tends to have award space into JFK ans BOS most commonly. You won't get flat seats BOS to SFO.

MatthewLAX

I've never seen saver space on the EWR-SFO lie-flat flights. Swiss is a good option up until that point.

If you go through Asia, if you don't get lie-flat you will at least have an angled lie-flat unlike a EWR/BOS-SFO which would likely have a standard domestic first seat.

amolkold

You'd get lie-flat on JFK-SFO ps.

xmlsoa

My priorities as per doctors recommendation:
+ SLEEP and REST so the HARD PRODUCT i.e. Seat/ Flat Bed is a priority.
+ ANOTHER BENEFIT of FLAT BED - Can do light YOGA when I feel like - Stretch the body.
- AVOID eating IN FLIGHT FOOD
+ EAT pre-FLIGHT (VEGETARIAN at Lounge or Airport) - DIGEST on LAND, and then SLEEP OFF on FLIGHT.
+ WARM SHOWER to relax would be great (before or on flight).

I am 5'11 and athletic so I do not know if the length of the seat would be a bother.

Then which Business Class product would suit me more?

I was thinking about this to some extent. The question in my head.

Should I SLEEP, ALL THE WAY to the US or should I only SLEEP a certain LENGTH/ SEGMENT so as to SYNC my BODY CLOCK to the DESTINATION.
To minimize and AVOID Jet Lag?

And if its better to SLEEP only 8-10-12 hours out of the 20+ hour trip then how should I select/ choose the LENGTH best suited for sleep to bring me in SYNC with SFO time (Pacific Time).

Thanks for the insight.

I am thinking if BOS to SFO is a day journey, then "maybe" I do not need to fall ASLEEP. Maybe I can just meditate through it and sync with the destination time zone.

But, then I have to do immigration at Port of Entry (pain!) with long waiting queues (unless there's some way to bypass with being Business Class?)

I thought the Asian carriers (through asia) had much better Business class products as per the reviews (ANA etc) I am seeing on forums and blogs?

Is that only for the SOFT PRODUCT? Are the seats on FLAT-BEDs?

uwr

I agree that the award ticket will be difficult, but not impossible depending on the dates of travel. Mid-December to mid-January are difficult dates.

I think that BOM-BKK-NRT-SFO on Thai/ANA is a good option. Thai/UA is another option. I know someone who is flying on a revenue ticket on ANA, a one-stop via NRT, but I have never seen that flight with Saver award availability.

LH has reclining seats, but as someone noted, they are not currently flat beds on the BOM-FRA-SFO routing.

Some of the UA awards to India route via PEK. Under no circumstances should you plan to connect in China. It is a nightmare eclipsed only by the international -to-domestic connection at BOM.

PVDtoDEL

BOM-NRT-SJC on NH may be worth it if SJC is more convenient than SFO to you.

xmlsoa

Hmm.. China connections that much of a big pain? And food options at airport? I guess then Asiana / China carrier is not recommended?

I am looking at October and can do the trip on saver award availability opening at short notice as well. What are the odds of that?

Thanks. I am open to SJC as well. Both are equidistant from my location in the Bay Area.