Any Tips for Cincinnati to Wuhan
#16
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Dec 2000
Location: Shanghai
Posts: 42,041
1. Why am I using American Airlines? My children will stay 3 weeks and I will stay 1 week. I understand the unaccompanied minor program much better with respect to American Airlines as opposed to others, and I will need to use it. (Chinese airlines may not have unaccompanied minor program at all. Also, my few attempts in the past to contact Chinese Airlines directly have been worthless.)
Last edited by moondog; Apr 25, 2015 at 1:13 am
#18
Join Date: Nov 2005
Location: SIN / SFO
Programs: UA GS, SQ PPS, Hyatt Globalist, Marriott Titanium, Hilton Diamond, Accor Gold
Posts: 1,215
I'd really skip the train if possible—especially arriving at PVG, it's a huge hassle.
Why not do something like:
CVG - LAX (pick any flight...)
LAX - ICN (KE12, redeye, departs LAX 11:30 arrives ICN 4:40am)
ICN - WUH (KE881, departs 9:10am arrives WUH 11:10am)
ICN is an easy airport to transit, you won't have any annoying ground transfers, and KE has far better transpac service than any of the US flagged carriers. I'm also confident that KE can handle an unaccompanied minor without problems.
Why not do something like:
CVG - LAX (pick any flight...)
LAX - ICN (KE12, redeye, departs LAX 11:30 arrives ICN 4:40am)
ICN - WUH (KE881, departs 9:10am arrives WUH 11:10am)
ICN is an easy airport to transit, you won't have any annoying ground transfers, and KE has far better transpac service than any of the US flagged carriers. I'm also confident that KE can handle an unaccompanied minor without problems.
#19
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Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: Minneapolis: DL DM charter 2.3MM
Programs: A3*Gold, SPG Plat, HyattDiamond, MarriottPP, LHW exAccess, ICI, Raffles Amb, NW PE MM, TWA Gold MM
Posts: 100,413
A year or two ago there were reports on FT of DL being unwilling to do UM handling if a CZ connection were involved.
#20
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Dec 2000
Location: Shanghai
Posts: 42,041
I'd really skip the train if possible—especially arriving at PVG, it's a huge hassle.
Why not do something like:
CVG - LAX (pick any flight...)
LAX - ICN (KE12, redeye, departs LAX 11:30 arrives ICN 4:40am)
ICN - WUH (KE881, departs 9:10am arrives WUH 11:10am)
ICN is an easy airport to transit, you won't have any annoying ground transfers, and KE has far better transpac service than any of the US flagged carriers. I'm also confident that KE can handle an unaccompanied minor without problems.
Why not do something like:
CVG - LAX (pick any flight...)
LAX - ICN (KE12, redeye, departs LAX 11:30 arrives ICN 4:40am)
ICN - WUH (KE881, departs 9:10am arrives WUH 11:10am)
ICN is an easy airport to transit, you won't have any annoying ground transfers, and KE has far better transpac service than any of the US flagged carriers. I'm also confident that KE can handle an unaccompanied minor without problems.
#21
Join Date: Nov 2005
Location: SIN / SFO
Programs: UA GS, SQ PPS, Hyatt Globalist, Marriott Titanium, Hilton Diamond, Accor Gold
Posts: 1,215
KE's policy doesn't seem to have any such restrictions.
#22
Original Poster
Join Date: Jun 2009
Posts: 351
Thanks again for the many good suggestions, which have been helpful to me in deciding my course of action. Right now I wish to avoid non-Chinese or non-American airports because if anything goes wrong in, for instance, Korea, I have no contacts to assist me in resolving the problem. Also, right now my preference is to take the bullet train from Shanghai to Wuhan as a matter of simplicity so that coming and going flights will be the same.
#23
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Dec 2000
Location: Shanghai
Posts: 42,041
Thanks again for the many good suggestions, which have been helpful to me in deciding my course of action. Right now I wish to avoid non-Chinese or non-American airports because if anything goes wrong in, for instance, Korea, I have no contacts to assist me in resolving the problem. Also, right now my preference is to take the bullet train from Shanghai to Wuhan as a matter of simplicity so that coming and going flights will be the same.
But, on the return journey (when you are not with your kids), there is significant potential for things to go wrong. While I don't think this is an impossible to overcome obstacle (e.g. trains are almost always on time, and transportation between SHA and PVG is straight forward enough for you to put a viable plan in place), if you didn't have to deal with it, things would be simpler/easier.
At the risk of beating a dead horse, I encourage you to try to your best to nail down the SFO-WUH nonstop flight as an option (and investigate DL's unaccompanied minor policy on the SFO-CVG leg). If this works, then go with it; the PVG-SHA-WUH (and vv) drill is bound to set you back $600 anyway.
#24
Original Poster
Join Date: Jun 2009
Posts: 351
Moondog: "But, on the return journey (when you are not with your kids), there is significant potential for things to go wrong."
This is what we did 2 years ago and why I feel comfortable with this potential itinerary. Our Chinese relatives just arrived a day ahead of time. Am intrigued by SFO to Wuhan though.
This is what we did 2 years ago and why I feel comfortable with this potential itinerary. Our Chinese relatives just arrived a day ahead of time. Am intrigued by SFO to Wuhan though.