flying SFO to Penang--need help
Jun 20, 2010, 1:46 am
#2
Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: Southeast USA
Programs: various
Posts: 6,710
August is a busy time transpac in both directions, so unlikely to find great deals. You may have to connect to Asia via LAX to widen your options. 
You should probably head for a consolidator or Asian travel agent to see if they can find you deals. EVA Air sometimes has good deals going, connecting via Taipei, so check their website. If you can get to Kuala Lumpur or Singapore on the primary ticket, getting to Penang is easy and not expensive.
If you can find your way at reasonable cost to HKG (great stopover city), Air Asia, a low-cost carrier, flies directly from HKG-Penang now (I think), though not every day. You'd have to book that separately online with Air Asia.
You should probably head for a consolidator or Asian travel agent to see if they can find you deals. EVA Air sometimes has good deals going, connecting via Taipei, so check their website. If you can get to Kuala Lumpur or Singapore on the primary ticket, getting to Penang is easy and not expensive.
If you can find your way at reasonable cost to HKG (great stopover city), Air Asia, a low-cost carrier, flies directly from HKG-Penang now (I think), though not every day. You'd have to book that separately online with Air Asia.
Jun 29, 2010, 9:10 pm
#5
Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: Dalat, Vietnam
Programs: Vietnam, Asiana, Singapore, EVA, Southwest
Posts: 934
I think you'd be better off flying into Singapore - quite a bit cheaper than PEN
(local traffic to PEN on rail or an LCC)
try Cathay or EVA for inexpensive in the $1400. range
(local traffic to PEN on rail or an LCC)
try Cathay or EVA for inexpensive in the $1400. range
Jul 4, 2010, 1:45 pm
#6
Join Date: Aug 2001
Location: Portland, OR
Programs: NW Plat (now they call it DL Diamond) 1MM, soon to be DL Plat, Hilton Diamond, SPG Gold, Dusit Gold
Posts: 2,706
Affordable will be a little tough, but there are sub-1000 fares available on a number of carriers into SIN and, perhaps, KUL.
I recently flew the opposite direction albeit on a combination of paid and award tickets. PEN-KUL MH $39.69, overnight KUL (Hilton Petaling Jaya $62.64, I took the most expensive normal way there in an ordinary taxi 64MYR from airport, 75 MYR back. You can do this trip for less than 20 MYR as outlined in the Hilton PJ thread).
KUL-SIN $71.14 MI, will be higher due to $27Sin departure tax. I found an MH fare that was comparable to AirAsia, so I booked that.
SIN-ICN-NRT-PDX on a combination of KE and DL (award ticket).
Baggage was able to be checked from KUL-PDX despite three carriers being involved. You should be able to check to whichever airport you are arriving as long as the routing is on legacy carriers (and if the layover in KUL is less than 8 hours [YMMV] on MH. 24 hours and sometimes more is the actual rule).
Therefore the advice is to look for alternative arrival airports, SIN, BKK, KUL, even HKG as they have some good intra-Asia fares which will eventually get you to PEN.
I recently flew the opposite direction albeit on a combination of paid and award tickets. PEN-KUL MH $39.69, overnight KUL (Hilton Petaling Jaya $62.64, I took the most expensive normal way there in an ordinary taxi 64MYR from airport, 75 MYR back. You can do this trip for less than 20 MYR as outlined in the Hilton PJ thread).
KUL-SIN $71.14 MI, will be higher due to $27Sin departure tax. I found an MH fare that was comparable to AirAsia, so I booked that.
SIN-ICN-NRT-PDX on a combination of KE and DL (award ticket).
Baggage was able to be checked from KUL-PDX despite three carriers being involved. You should be able to check to whichever airport you are arriving as long as the routing is on legacy carriers (and if the layover in KUL is less than 8 hours [YMMV] on MH. 24 hours and sometimes more is the actual rule).
Therefore the advice is to look for alternative arrival airports, SIN, BKK, KUL, even HKG as they have some good intra-Asia fares which will eventually get you to PEN.
Jul 29, 2010, 12:57 pm
#7
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: BOS
Programs: UA 2P, DL, FL A+ Elite, AA
Posts: 349
I stopped in Hong Kong for a few days on my way to Penang, then flew direct on Cathay. I was in coach on Cathay, but still experienced the best customer service I've ever had. Top-notch!