Hi Everyone,

I want to take advantage of American Airlines' six segments bonus. Any recommended route on CX's J class.

I am thinking about a TPE-HKG-SIN-BKK-HKG route... I am also thinking about a quick RT between HKG and MNL, but I don't know if I need to go through immigration at MNL. Any suggestion...

Any Asian destination -- good for mileage run...

Any suggestion will be appreciated...

Carfield

Buying your ticket from HK will not be cheap. Better off getting the ticket from Bangkok. You can go, maybe, BKK-HKG-TPE-HKG-BKK and then BKK-SIN-BKK.

But you're doing this just for the hell of it?

What about transpacific?

Actually I need to get into TPE during the end of July for a wedding. The rest is for the hack of it. For some reason, I cannot fly CX on my way back from LAX to HKG... originally I planned to take advantage of the CX MAX program in the US and Canada (YYZ to HKG -- however, things do not work out). I will hopefully fly a HKG to USA/Canada segment. However, I need to do a couple internal mileage runs in Asia. I am still in the planning stage, but will definitely take advantage of the BKK deal. Maybe a same day type thing, or chop into two days. Since I have the BNO passport, I don't need visa at BKK and SIN, but I need it for TPE (single entry, too). I don't know...

Everything is still up in the air... I also want to squeeze in a couple trips on internal Asia flights by SR, SK, and BA.

We will see...

Thanks for your recommendation!


Carfield

Business/First Class fares from BKK are the cheapest. These are not full published fares but agents' consolidators tickets that you can get miles on.

For example a Business Class return ticket to Singapore from BKK costs less than US$400.
From BKK to Seoul return, it's about US$900.

The best deals are the BKK-North American flights - BKK to California return in Business Class - US$1800. First Class - US$2600. BKK to New York - Business - US$1900 and in First, it's US$2800. Remember, no stop in HK either way!

Just FYI.

Oh yeah - again from BKK .... to SIN for example, the second tiered carriers are the cheapest because they are not as frequent as SQ and Thai. So you can get BARGAINS.

SK - daily to Singapore. All fares return.
Economy Class - US$110
Business Class - US$236

SR - 4 times a week to Singapore. Return fare
Economy Class - US$145
Business Class - US$230 (special season)

For BA - one can only get specials from HK to MNL. The TPE fare is higher.

Cheers!

Thanks Guy Betsy for your reply!

I am going back and forth between this mileage run idea.

I am not sure if BKK is a friendly place to transit. I am a bit worried that the immigration in the US will give me a hard time when I fly back to the US later this summer. But I am somehow tempted to do a quick RT between HKG and BKK though... just to fly EK...

Anyway, thank you for your fare news. I was playing around with the itn.net for the past few days. BKK to LAX on TG's C class costs only $1000, and only $1800 on F class. I wish it still has the night flight, so I can connect from HKG directly to LAX, without staying overnight at BKK!

BTW, how were your experiences with CX lately? I read a couple bad reviews on the Business Traveller Asia edition magazine lately.

Thanks,
Carfield

Oh yeah - I wrote about the one comparing CX's Marco Polo Club vs SQ's PPS a few months' ago and got voted Letter of the Month! I used a Psuedonym though because I didn't want CX to blacklist me!

Service onboard CX is very good. It's the way the Marco Polo Club is being handled that is getting everyone's peeve.

It's a loyalty club but without actually offering all the benefits. I mean it wants to offer it's members status but yet other airlines' top tier members are offering their members similar if not even better treatment. The biggest problem is that CX spun off Asiamiles AND The Marco Polo Club as a seperate company and thus the confusion sets in. Staff are not really hired by Cathay Pacific to handle these group of people and thus no urgency or professionalism is given to Gold or Diamond members. Basically a bunch of untrained and unprofessional reservations agents handle these lines and from what service one got in the old days, this is going downhill. Most staff cannot even handle the English language professionally. Much less handling complicated RTW reservations!

I can go on and on. But Cathay has got to realise that service not only comes from the heart within (their motto: the heart of asia) but from the bottom of the line - the reservation itself from the beginning.

BTW , Carfield, the TG fare you saw on ITN for LAX-BKK for $1000 and $1800 is ONEWAY!

Guy Betsy,

I didn't realize that tickets ex-BKK are significantly lower. Is this true even if booking online on ITN with flights originating BKK or only with BKK-based travel agents. If latter, do you know any BKK-based travel agent that I can deal by email or online. Many thanks!

just got back from LAS...

Thanks for your words! I read that letter myself, too. It is a very good and reasonable letter. I don't realize CX has many problems. I used to be their old "green" member for a while, and my father used to be a "gold" member. My father was constantly upgraded into F class, even when he used points to upgrade to J class. He also got upset by CX and its high fare from HKG to LAX. He switched to CI... (cheaper too).

How is BKK as a transit point? I guess I have to finalize things during the next few days.

Yes, I realize that the BKK-LAX on TG was one way fare... still better than HKG-LAX OW ($2000+). In the USA, TG has quite a number of promotion (also due to its rather outdated J class cabin, too.)

I miss your old name -- Celestar340

Carfield

BKK agents can only be dealt with the old way - walk-in. Forget email and online facilities. You call and you get put on hold forever and you will not be able to understand each other.

BKK agents also prefer to deal entirely in CASH. Quite an inconvenience when you're ticketing afull fare ticket.

ITN can only quote you a fare originating from BKK but will not be able to issue it. Most tickets are specials, that can only be dealth through a locally-based travel agency.

Mind you, only point to point tickets are cheap. RTW (especially STAR and Oneworld) are very expensive.

Not too long ago I flew from Madrid to Bangkok on my way to Tokyo for a wedding. I planned to buy an onward ticket in BKK that would get me back to New York including a stopover in NRT.

I arrived in BKK, got a cheap room at the Asia Hotel, and went in search of an onward ticket and a tuxedo for the wedding.

I had the tuxedo custom-made at a tailor next door to the Asia. Fine job, well-crafted in 18 hours, cashmere of decent quality, two jackets and one pants for US$160.

I bought my ticket at the indian travel agent on Patpong Rd. One-way in C class to JFK with a stop in NRT on ANA was US$1050. The price without the stopover was significantly cheaper. Can't recall exactly how much. I purchased the ticket the morning of my flight.