Originally Posted by
JacobP
Sri Lankan is an interesting alternative I hadn't thought of, they also run a BKK-HKG service that might make them worthwhile, it's not nearly as convenient as Cathay, but the business class is almost the same price as Cathay's economy typically. Not flying to the US is a downer though as a huge chunk of my miles come from those flights, but I might still be able to put 30k miles on them via India, Europe, and Hong Kong flights.
You don't need to fly even 30k miles as long as you buy business class - FlySmiles uses 'tier miles' for qualification purposes, which incorporate class-of-service bonuses. Cheapest business (I) earns a 50% bonus, so you'd need to fly only 20k miles in order to reach the Platinum qualification threshold. That's one BKK-CMB-FRA return flight to Europe (19500 tier miles in I) and one HKG flight (1574 tier miles one way in I).
And while UL do not fly their own planes to the US, they codeshare on EY (via AUH) and AA (via Europe) - those flights should earn the same as native SriLankan flights.
Looks like you really could benefit from them here as far as ease of attaining OW Emerald is concerned.
I noticed you mentioned AY's program to someone else, I've never flown with them so I can't evaluate their hard product, but I've noticed they also fly nicely priced business class flights to europe and jfk from BKK. I assume it's not as nice a product as QR's business, but from a quick bit of research it would be easier to qualify for emerald with them based on my flight patterns. Plus at least for now they offer full points (km based instead of miles) for all classes of AA economy for any domestic US connecting flights I might take. Any overall opinions or impressions on AY both as an airline and a ffp? Thanks again!
I like them as an airline. They are now my preferred carrier between Europe and Asia after MHs almost complete withdrawal from Europe following the two disasters (used to love MHs A380 from CDG). Tried QR, RJ and UL besides AY, and all have their pros and cons.
Connecting in HEL is as hassle-free as it gets - I like the airport experience with short walks, and no huge crowds (at least in the non-Schengen parts). The premium lounge is really nice, with good catering and a sauna(!).
They are flying brand-new A350s on the HEL-BKK route - those have a state-of-the-art 1-2-1 all-aisle-access business class product that is not worse than QRs (same Cirrus seats and layout as CX and AA on their 773s) and economy is bearable as well, thanks to 18"-wide seats with generous legroom in Economy Comfort, which is free for OWEs and surprisingly affordable for everyone else.
Their older planes, specifically their A340s - well, the seats are old slanty angled-flat ones and QR definitely trumps those. But then, I can still get a night of sleep for not much money.
It basically boils down between a nicer seat plus a bar (QR uses A380s on BKK-DOH - those are equipped rather lavishly and feature an onboard lounge and bar), but interrupted sleep because of the DOH connection. Same is valid for nicely-priced RJ (nice 787s albeit with a 2-2-2-layout, and pray for no IRROPS) and connection in AMM, btw.
Most AY frequent flyers I talked to were quite happy. It seems that op-ups tend to happen more often than with other airlines.
Have a look at the AY forum on FT for a bigger picture:
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/finna...nair-plus-636/