G4L

I'll be going to KUL from Sept 8th to Oct 16th. I have 200000 points and here are the options I have so far looked at:

Option 1:
Flight to KUL: YYZ - YVR - TPE - KUL (all business class on BR)
Flight to YYZ: KUL - SIN - ICN - LAX - YYZ (first class from ICN - LAX with Asiana and business for the rest)

Option 2:
Flight to KUL: YYZ - YVR - TPE - KUL (all business class)
Flight to YYZ: KUL - SIN- TPE - SFO - YYZ (business class with BR and economy from SFO to YYZ with AC)

Option 3:
Flight to KUL: YYZ - YVR - TPE - KUL (all business class)
Flight to YYZ: KUL - BKK- MUN - YYZ (first class from BKK to MUN and economy from MUN to YYZ on AC)

Which option you would pick? Also, do you guys have any better options that I have not thought of yet?

Dorian

Option 1 - avoid economy and enjoy Asiana F.

longtimeflyin

I'd pick option 3 in an effort to avoid transiting through a United States airport.

G4L

I understand that but from what I've heard Thai Airways first class is not as good as Asiana plus I'm flying economy from Munich to YYZ

Transpacificflyer

I would go with Option 1 because;
Departure isn't through the USA and EVA is a known entity(consistent quality, excellent cabin, decent F&B). I assume YYZ-YVR is on AC because BR only does YYZ-TPE or YVR-TPE.
Too bad you cannot get the YYZ-TPE direct flight.
Arrival: Yes you transit through LAX but the advantage is that once you go through the USA, you are less likely to be pulled aside by Canada customs. (My experience.) When I fly via LAX I usually stop over because the BR or TG flight arrived early evening and the best I can connect to is the redeye to YYZ and that isn't what I want. I go get a good nights sleep and fly the next morning. If you can make a decent connection, with about 3-4 hours time, you will be ok. LAX customs can take 1-2 hours on a bad day.

F on OZ is what its business class should be. Sorry to say but my J class with OZ is less than impressive. F will make their flight acceptable. OZ is overhyped. On the positive side the OZ F lounge is as good as the EVA lounge in TPE or a CX lounge in HKG.

Why would you even consider accepting any segment in Y? They want 200K and their charges, then let them give you the cabin that goes with it.

Adam Smith

I would go with option 1 since I don't sit in Y on long flights.

P.S. I think when you say MUN, what you mean is Munich, whose airport code is MUC. MUN is in Venezuela.

Jasper2009

I would most definitely rule out any option that has you sitting in Y for more than 1-2h.

So my vote goes to option 1.

longtimeflyin

Sorry, I missed the economy part.

I personally now avoid Asiana due to safety concerns after the San Francisco however both Thai and Asiana have a great premium product.

Perhaps Option 4 can be explored (one that involves flying home in a premium cabin) in an effort to avoid flying through the Ununited States.

canadiancow

You seem to really want to avoid the US.

As someone with GE and Pre✓, I wouldn't ever worry myself.

We don't know if the OP has any easy way to bypass lines in LAX, but a Canadian passport and a J ticket is pretty good on both counts.

jc94

Unless I've missed it, we're assuming OP has a Canadian passport. I know a number of people in YYZ who do not have one, and try to avoid the US due to needing Visas, and more.

But, assuming no issues in that said I'd take any non-Y option. So #1 .

jerryhung

There are no TK options in J? that'd be awesome Mini-RTW
YYZ-IST-KUL if possible

and there's no BR YYZ-TPE at all? too bad

Check out my thread in signature also, personally I'd avoid YQ carriers like TG/Asiana/AC if possible

IluvSQ

Option 1 for sure - avoid Y for any long haul.

eigenvector

US CBP isn't too bad even without GE if you use Mobile Passport. TSA however is invariably a gong show without Pre, particularly LAX. I would take option 1.

Have you priced out the surcharges and fees on each of these? The BKK MUC YYZ one sounds like it's gonna be pricey.

Dorian

Hate to break it to you but Thai was banned from new routes to the US (or adding more lift) up until a year ago, specifically due to maintenance issues/records. ICAO had Thai 'red flagged' as well. Maybe they even still do?

KenHamer

When was the last time they lined up on a taxiway?