I want to go to REP from WAS. Originally, I was planning on AA to NRT and onto BKK and get on Bangkok Air to REP, but with the recent troubles in BKK would rather avoid that city.
Any other ideas on how to get there earning AA miles (or as many as I can)?
I'll be (sigh) in Y.

If you want to avoid BKK, you can fly on Dragonair from HKG to Phnom Penh (PNH) and collect AA miles. From there, Siem Reap Airlines can get you to REP. Or fly to Ho Chi Minh City (SGN) and then to REP.

From Singapore - Jetstar Asia or SilkAir
From HoChiMinh City or Hanoi - Vietnamese Air

If on a budget and for an adventure try overland from Siem Reap to Bangkok It should be less hassle than the other way round.

Happy wandering

Fred

I can second that route when you want to avoid BKK. From PNH you can take the boat to Siem Reap which is quite nice.
Enjoy Angkor, it is magical.

In regard to travel from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap, our reserved hotel in Siem Reap has advised us against taking the boat:

"please note that we do not recommend the boat as the company overbooks their boat, lack of security and very poor service according to the price (35 US$ per person)"

and advise either flying (Bangkok Airways) or taking a bus (they recommend Mekong Express).

Is their advise incorrect? I know that this is probably not the best forum for this query....but after all, OW doesn't get us all the way to Angkor.... Thanks!

"lack of secuity"? W h a t t h e f u c k (since the nanny censors seem to object to W T F ) does that mean? Management by fear strikes again.

Thanks people!

We're flying direct, non-stop from PNH to Siem Reap in two days on Bangkok Airways for about $90 USD/pp. That was the cheapest option I could find.

My route will take me from HKG to SGN. From SGN I will take VN to REP for USD90,- r/t. From SGN I will fly directly to NRT.

The other option is to go via KUL and then take AirAsia straight to REP, as a LCC they are very cheap, when I did this they were fine.

The bus from Phnom Penh to REP is about 5-6 hours. Better idea than the boat, especially if outside rainy season (in dry season the river is too shallow). PNH is worth a day or two to look around too.

Air Asia is great, but be advised that unless it has changed recently (and it may have, I think there were renovation plans in the works) there are effectively two airports at KUL and transit from international mainline to regional LCC's requires entering Malaysia (not a difficult/visa issue on US passport) and then getting over to the LCC terminal/airport. Worth checking on this in advance. That said KUL is an interesting city and if you're not in a hurry a few days there wouldn't be a bad idea. There's both a Hilton and a Westin right at the other end of the express rail terminal to/from the airport for your point redeeming pleasure.

Personally I would spend a few days in PNH if I had to choose between the two, but either are good options. As for the boat up to Angkor I've heard it's tough to rely on as the water levels have been varied, and that the boat lost its appeal in favor of the bus when they improved the road between the two, but again not sure how current that information is.

"Poor service and overbooking". Wow. As if this is something you don't have even when flying on CX.
At the end of the day, all options are cheap so I personally would go for whatever suits what I want to see. A flight is cheap but on the road you will see other things and on the lake even more different ones.