exwannabe

Anybody know if this plans to reopen anytime in the mid future (say, end of year)?

Main interest is MU, but any information is appreciated.

hessinger

My guess it will be years. The rollout of vaccination programs is slow in Australasia in general, and even then vaccination doesn't mean 0 covid-19, so you essentially have to 100% vaccination compliance. China is unlikely to relax its current policies much except for travel bubbles between other safe countries which there already partially established for business travelers now.

moondog

Is MU flying to the US again? I thought they were still in the penalty box.

Akiestar

I'm waiting for this too: flying to MNL is tough as it is and while I know MU isn't flying to LAX at the moment, it'll be good to have that option again down the line, especially with DL pulling out.

I imagine not: MU is currently flying PVG-JFK per their latest international flight schedule.

moondog

Thanks. It's good to know that they are in the clear again (fyi, the JFK route is what got them penalized; they brought us 10 Covid positives on a single flight) because JFK is definitely the most efficient way for me to get from here to Boston; hopefully it will price somewhat nicely when I'm ready to book.

MSPeconomist

Somewhat OT, but you can still do a DL to KE connection in ICN to reach Manila on SkyTeam. KE is operation two ICN-MNL flights per day, although as you note the DL operated flights have been suspended.

moondog

The ICN connection is also on my radar from Shanghai. Last time I checked, DL was only operating DTW (not daily) and SEA (daily), and the total travel time between PVG and BOS was ugly. I also looked into KE. This would require an overnight at ICN in my case because ICN-BOS is a morning flight; if I buy through KE (i.e. don't use DL miles), they throw in a hotel.

MSPeconomist

For TPAC segments to the USA, don't forget to check what KE routes are currently being served. PreCOVID-19 they had a (sometimes twice daily) nonstop to JFK. I always like the longer nonstop flights, so I avoid SEA connections to Asia even though they tend to be much cheaper. [Once during IROPs on MSP-DTW connecting same-day to ICN, I insisted on being rebooked through JFK rather than LAX or SEA for this reason, and DL was willing to give me business class on the KE nonstop JFK-ICN following MSP-JFK in FC on a certificate-upgraded flight, although they weren't able to put me on MSP-NRT-ICN all in business due to seat availability.]

BTW, at ICN I use the GH as my airport hotel which has a reliable and frequent shuttle service to each ICN terminal using separate vehicles, so it's quick. The GH at least used to be associated with KE in that their spa and pool were used as a KE arrivals lounge for some of their passengers. If KE will put you up in the GH for the night, grab it.....or reserve it if you're paying. Many of the "airport" hotels are far from ICN and you may as well go into central Seoul for the night, especially if you can use the train/subway rather than being stuck in traffic.

YariGuy

For what it's worth, they're still selling tickets on the PVG-LAX route. I had a ticket for the middle of June, and they canceled it only at the end of April. So they're selling tickets and doing rolling cancellations a month or so ahead of time. This shows me that they're expecting this would be one of the first routes to resume.

moondog

KE has always given me the GH in the past (I think they have an equity stake in it), while OZ has always put me at one of the lesser hotels in Incheon New Town. In some ways, I actually prefer the latter because there are bars, restaurants, shops, saunas etc. The (free) airport shuttles have never let me down.

Akiestar

I was rebooked on KE, as I point out in this thread, which is not a problem for me as I've done it before. I wanted to fly DL to finally try DL on ICN-MNL (and do D1 the whole way on MNL-ICN-SEA), but that's not happening now that they pulled out unless they reverse course closer to the end of the year. (The last time I flew to MNL on an all-KE itinerary was pre-COVID, back in February 2019.)

That said, I normally avoid KE because they're much more expensive than everyone else for Christmas flying, though I don't mind flying them the rest of the year if the price is right. My airline of choice to MNL is actually MU, which is why this thread is relevant to me.

Good to know, but as far as I know they're still not selling connections, so I won't be flying MU for a while from what it looks like. Never mind the fact that MU hasn't resumed service to the Philippines yet, and my Chinese visa is technically still invalid.