Thanks again for the info. I am a Silver Elite member (earned just last year), so hence some of my unfamiliarity with how this works (particularly from an Elite standpoint). Unfortunately, my plans are pretty tight on this trip. But I will certainly keep the routing thing in mind in the future. As for BKK this time around, I'll keep calling NW (I'm using the dedicated Silver Elite line) and hope something opens up.

Thank you!