SGN DL/KE or DL/VN
Jan 11, 2017, 2:18 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Oct 2009
Posts: 351
SGN DL/KE or DL/VN
Have to book a trip to SGN options are thru ICN or NRT connecting to KE or VN. Looks like I don't earn MQM for the KE segment since the DL codeshare ticket price is way higher vs. on VN I earn MQM. Looks like the VN flight is on a A321 vs. KE on A330 so no lieflat on the VN. Leaning towards KE any other considerations or preferences
Jan 11, 2017, 3:38 pm
#3
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Join Date: Sep 2003
Location: San Antonio
Programs: DL DM, Former AA EXP now AY Plat, AC 75K, NW Plat, Former CO Gold, Hilton Diamond, Marriott Titanium
Posts: 27,040
Also KE keeps cabins very hot. If you like it slightly warm, you'll still be sweating on KE.
Jan 11, 2017, 6:52 pm
#4
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: HNL
Programs: DL PM/1MM, BW DE (lifetime), HH DE, Marriott PE (lifetime), National Emerald Executive
Posts: 7,204
VN A320s still have a very generous recline and some of the best food and service of any airline (on all but the very short <2h flights).
Jan 11, 2017, 10:57 pm
#5
Join Date: Jan 2001
Location: ZRH / SEA, DL PM
Posts: 1,156
VN is a sold airline with great food but choosing VN 320 over KE regional 330 for a 5 hour flight? You must be joking!
Besides seat, KE service will be vastly superior to VN and KE food is not bad at all. I also trust KE to handle IRROPS better than VN (based on my very limited experience of poor ground handling of VN in SGN and exceptional KE handling when I nearly missed flight).
My second choice would be to stay overnight in Seoul, rest, and take VN flight on new Airbus 350 next day around 11am. If there is 350 option from Tokyo with stopover it would be even better (check HND too).
Forget about NRT unless you are making a stopover in Tokyo. NRT is dump compared to ICN.
To summarize:
For connection ICN >>> NRT
For stopover Tokyo >>> Soul.
KE 330 >>> VN 320 on everything except food
but VN 350 > KE
Besides seat, KE service will be vastly superior to VN and KE food is not bad at all. I also trust KE to handle IRROPS better than VN (based on my very limited experience of poor ground handling of VN in SGN and exceptional KE handling when I nearly missed flight).
My second choice would be to stay overnight in Seoul, rest, and take VN flight on new Airbus 350 next day around 11am. If there is 350 option from Tokyo with stopover it would be even better (check HND too).
Forget about NRT unless you are making a stopover in Tokyo. NRT is dump compared to ICN.
To summarize:
For connection ICN >>> NRT
For stopover Tokyo >>> Soul.
KE 330 >>> VN 320 on everything except food
but VN 350 > KE
Jan 12, 2017, 4:37 am
#6
Join Date: Apr 2007
Programs: AA, DAL, blah, blah, blah...The usual.
Posts: 646
Take with a grain of salt any information regarding aircraft type on VN's website.
VN doesn't assign a particular aircraft to a flight until a day or two before. The aircraft is based on ticket/cargo sales, and you won't know what kind of plane you're on until it pulls up to your gate.
A flight may be planned for. 787, but if only 50 tickets are sold, you won't be flying a 787 (unless VN is needed to get that 787 back to Vietnam from a remote station).
3 of the 4 flights I had on VN last year were equipment swaps. (Twice I had shiney new A-350s yanked out from under me, replaced with very worn A321s)
On the last flight, I mentioned this to the senior flight attendant, and she explained the constant shuffling of equipment. Flight crews aren't terribly fond of it either.
The crew and food on all VN flights were pleasant.
Use a visa expeditor for arrival visa, BTW.
VN doesn't assign a particular aircraft to a flight until a day or two before. The aircraft is based on ticket/cargo sales, and you won't know what kind of plane you're on until it pulls up to your gate.
A flight may be planned for. 787, but if only 50 tickets are sold, you won't be flying a 787 (unless VN is needed to get that 787 back to Vietnam from a remote station).
3 of the 4 flights I had on VN last year were equipment swaps. (Twice I had shiney new A-350s yanked out from under me, replaced with very worn A321s)
On the last flight, I mentioned this to the senior flight attendant, and she explained the constant shuffling of equipment. Flight crews aren't terribly fond of it either.
The crew and food on all VN flights were pleasant.
Use a visa expeditor for arrival visa, BTW.
Last edited by airmotive; Jan 12, 2017 at 5:44 am
Jan 12, 2017, 5:50 am
#7
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: Washington, DC, Chapel Hill, NC (RDU)
Programs: DL Plat (won't hit DM again) 2MM (2.5), HH Gold, PC Gold, Hyatt Plat
Posts: 5,626
I had absolutely no problems securing a Vietnam tourist visa online a few years ago but with an expeditor. I didn't pay extra to have the expeditor process my visa on arrival at SGN, but it would have lessened my wait time to have the visa on arrival attached, but since my flight arrived early morning I couldn't have gotten into my hotel anyhow.
Jan 12, 2017, 6:39 am
#8
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: ATL
Programs: DL SkyMiles PM/2MM, AA Plat, IC Diam. Amb., Peninsula regular, amanjunkie
Posts: 5,848
KE's A330 regional seats in Prestige (Business) class are the exact same Prestige Sleeper seats as on long haul 77W's, except when the A330 had the new Prestige Suites that are also found on a few of the newest 77W's. And I've had the new suites on SGN flights a couple of times. So, in terms of seats, absolutely no difference between intra-Asia and longhaul (unless you get an older 772 or 744, which I haven't seen flying to SGN in a while). The only difference I notice is in the catering. Dinner served on a single tray with paper linens, and no personal bottles of water.
FWIW, all the business about Korean saunas in the sky is overblown IMHO. I barely notice it.
I haven't flown VN to ICN or NRT yet so can't comment. But I recently booked a trip to ICN on an A350. Looking forward.
FWIW, all the business about Korean saunas in the sky is overblown IMHO. I barely notice it.
I haven't flown VN to ICN or NRT yet so can't comment. But I recently booked a trip to ICN on an A350. Looking forward.
May 5, 2017, 3:44 am
#9
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: ATW
Programs: DL DM
Posts: 72
Very, very true! The 321s are old and sloppy. Service and food are just "okay."
Take with a grain of salt any information regarding aircraft type on VN's website.
VN doesn't assign a particular aircraft to a flight until a day or two before. The aircraft is based on ticket/cargo sales, and you won't know what kind of plane you're on until it pulls up to your gate.
A flight may be planned for. 787, but if only 50 tickets are sold, you won't be flying a 787 (unless VN is needed to get that 787 back to Vietnam from a remote station).
3 of the 4 flights I had on VN last year were equipment swaps. (Twice I had shiney new A-350s yanked out from under me, replaced with very worn A321s)
On the last flight, I mentioned this to the senior flight attendant, and she explained the constant shuffling of equipment. Flight crews aren't terribly fond of it either.
The crew and food on all VN flights were pleasant.
Use a visa expeditor for arrival visa, BTW.
VN doesn't assign a particular aircraft to a flight until a day or two before. The aircraft is based on ticket/cargo sales, and you won't know what kind of plane you're on until it pulls up to your gate.
A flight may be planned for. 787, but if only 50 tickets are sold, you won't be flying a 787 (unless VN is needed to get that 787 back to Vietnam from a remote station).
3 of the 4 flights I had on VN last year were equipment swaps. (Twice I had shiney new A-350s yanked out from under me, replaced with very worn A321s)
On the last flight, I mentioned this to the senior flight attendant, and she explained the constant shuffling of equipment. Flight crews aren't terribly fond of it either.
The crew and food on all VN flights were pleasant.
Use a visa expeditor for arrival visa, BTW.
