I'm booking redemption flights home to MEL for Christmas this year. I'm completely flexible with dates and departure airports (want to avoid LHR though). As I'm flying into MEL, my only *A options from Asia are SQ or TG, which means I need to get to SIN or BKK.

This will be my first time flying C long haul and I really want some good experiences. I'm currently looking at doing an EI flight to CDG from SNN and then doing a simple CDG-BKK-MEL trip. I believe TG have the 77W on the CDG - BKK route. I've read rumours that MEL might get another A380, so just wondering if it is worth trying to get an SQ flight?

If leave from DUB (would prefer SNN though), I could get *A connections to FRA or ZRH. Thai again seem to have the best availability but Asiana is an option into ICN and then onto BKK or SIN.

So if you were going to fly C to Melbourne, who would you be flying with?

Thanks,
Mel.b

If it is your first C trip and you are lucky enough to secure seats on SQ or NZ - I would definitely go for NZ (first preference - via LAX and AKL OR via HKG and AKL) or SQ (second preference).

TG is nice and 77W on CDG-BKK is a plus (777's used on BKK-MEL runs have quite average seats and 2-3-2 config in C, I believe for now only BNE has 2-2-2 configured 777's). IMHO TG normally has good award availability.

You can also fly with CA via FRA They have excellent redemption availability and the lowest YQ (aka 'fuel surcharge') plus you would not need Chinese visa for a stopover shorter than 24 hours (you are permitted to leave BJS or PVG airport).

EDIT - NZ is from LHR...

TK C on A3330-300 is full-flat, and it flies to SIN for now. For a 11 hours flight i would not choose anything else on miles, especially if you can throw in a free stopover. Issue with IST-SIN is that from SIN you can't use SQ's better planes in C to reach MEL

I would also recommend NZ if you can get it. The fact that it is via LHR is not a problem, you would be in and out of T1. The NZ rep in the *A lounge takes good care of her customers and ensures a seamless connection. If NZ were available then I'd definitely not factor in extra connections. It also gives you the option of stopovers in Hong Kong or California depending on availability. IMHO NZ has the best C class in the world all things considered, and I have flown a few including BA and SQ. Main dounside is you may not like seating arrangments if you are travelling with a companion.

Thai is definitely above average C class and taking everything into consideration they can be one of the best flying experiences available. Problem is that it doesn't always live up to expectations due to inconsistent service so you can sometimes feel a little let down. Apart from their oftentimes great service the big benefit of Thai is the opportunity to stopover in BKK which is a fabulous city for visitors. I have been quite comfortable on all Thais angled-flat seats on both 744s and 777s. I have tried redemptions on the 77W from BKK-CDG and failed to get it (married segments problem). I'm sure it would be nice if you can get it but IMO not worth extra connections and journey time involved compared to one stop via LHR.

As for SQ you will not get the new C cabin on either a380 or 77W as these are reserved for their own FFP. Your only chance to experience it is if you redeem on a flight with spacebeds that is later changed to an a380 or 777W. Personally, I wasn't impressed with SQs new seats anyway, they are like booth seats in an American diner; although very wide the lack countours and I found it difficult to get comfortable without using lots of blankets and pillows. However, I'm sure larger build passenges will love them. Service on SQ is consistent and longes at Changi are good but sometimes I find the service a little too inpersonal, robotic and rushed. I have tried quite a few of their BTC menu options and been less than impressed every time; next time I'll pot luck with whats on board.

From July, LX will be oprating their new flat beds to/from BKK every day so you might want to consider routing via ZRH. Personaly the service on LX is too impersonal for my liking and the food I have had in C leaves much to be desired.

OZ are also introducing full flat beds but have not flown them yet so cannot comment.

As others mentioned TK has some nice aircraft and I'm interested in trying them for first time but have avoided doing so as they tend to change aircrafts around routes quite often so cannot be sure what .you will get.

So, those are the options I would consider. Those I would tend to avoid are LH, OS and SK. On a score of 1-10 for me NZ would be 10, TG 9, LX 7, SQ 7.

If you are in a position to reserve now I would advise doing so, lately I have increasing run into married segment issues and these become more problematic the closer you get to travel

Enjoy your trip

I've been doing the MEL-BKK/SIN-LHR for many years now. SQ is very hard to beat but redemptions are rare as hen's teeth, I don't think they even exist. TG is a great second choice however. BKK-MEL-BKK is 777 with either 2-3-2 or 2-2-2 config, there's two flights a day and in J I've rarely seen it full. Service is great and awards very easy to come by. ROP lounge in BKK is ok and J gets you a free head and neck massage in the spa (full body massage for F pax and the TG F lounge is super nice ^).

As others have said I'd look at TG CDG-BKK, I've not done it but others rave about it, check out the ROP forum here at FT for some good pointers. LHR-BKK is the usual great TG service and comfortable but the 747 is starting to show its age, same with ZRH-BKK on the 346.

If flight time isn't a problem then look at NZ, after April this year you'll be on the shiny new 77W, I am .

As this has nothing to do with bmi or Diamond Club and more to do with a choice of *A airlines, we'll move this thread to a more appropriate forum.

GoldCircle
bmi forum Mod team

Thanks for all the suggestions (and for Gold Circle for moving this to the mosre appropriate *A forum)...see my comments below

A quick look at ITA and NZ doesn't seem to be available through HKG. I'd rather not go through the US/NZ as that would mean DUB-LHR-LAX-AKL-MEL...even if it is a great C seat it seems to be the rather long way round!

Which ever way I go, I need two stops, as I need to get off this lovely island of Ireland. Currently looking at booking AerLingus SNN- CDG and then TG from there. SNN is only 20min down the road from me, whereas DUB is 3hours away so convenience is a factor/issue. I could get EI from SNN - LHR but would then be paying the high LHR departure tax.

Lurking on SQtalk.com there is rumor that another MEL service may go to A380. Has anyone heard anything about this, or know which one it is likely to be. Currently the only redemption availability I can get SIN - MEL is with SQ 237 (and MEL - SIN with SQ218) on the 773 (old regional C I think from reading)

I can't find any availability with LX, although there is plenty with OZ.

Thanks. I hadn't thought of TK before but it would involve DUB-IST on a not so nice C seat. I've also spent 15 days in Turkey travelling around - if I hadn't been before then the thought of a stopover would be more appealling.

Mum is doing BKK- ZRH in August this year. I wish i could wait until then to hear what she thinks (although I'm sure she will love it also as her first experience in C) However travelling at peak time in Dec means I have to book now (and therfore hopefully avoid the married segment issue)



Ok, for convenience sakes it looks like
SNN-CDG with EI then CDG - BKK with TG. I might then do BKK/SIN - MEL one way with SQ and the other with TG so I can experience them both

WooHoo...looking forward to this trip already. Flying in comfort, being home in the sun for Xmas and getting to see my nephew for the 2nd time and meeting my niece for the first time^

Thanks for all the help (and if anyone has any info about SQ & another A380 for MEL feel free to PM me )

Mel.b

I read through your reply and taking all your points into consideration I think the conclusion you have reached yourself is a good one and the right one for you. However, there are some FTers around with great ideas so give it a few hours/days to see what else is suggested. Starting in CDG will make your redemptions on the TG 77W much easier but be warned DC refused me a redemption on it as a standalone flight even though ANA showed it was available. Despite persistent trying I was always told it was unavailable for redemptions by several agents. I have got the feeling it is easier to get redemptions with TG on the daytime flights. If you go on rev ticket to Paris then leave ample time for your connection. If you do a BKK-SIN leg or vice versa then I recommend that you choose TG as opposed to SQ on this sector as you are most likely to get 777 (all angled-flat) or 744/7 (likely an upgrade to F). If you do TG on the BKK-SIN directiobn then you can pop into the spa for a comp massage before departure. SQ on this route has always been old regional C on the flights I took. I would be surprized if SIN-MEL wasn't a spacebed so worth checking out. You could google a380 deliveries to get an idea on when SQ will get more and rumours on where they will go. Although I'm not a fan of the new SQ seat I did enjoy my a380 flights despite this so IMO it's worth a gamble on getting the experience.

Not sure on this but I have heard of people with redemption bookings getting equivalent class on the A380 if they had an existing booking and the aircraft gets changed, so worth a punt maybe. Chances of getting F or C straight up on an SQ redemption on the A380 would have to be close to zero though.

Hope I didn't put you off TG on these routes (LHR-BKK or ZRH-BKK), it is still very nice. We're all just getting spoilt these days

Great idea trying SIN one way and BKK the other, best of both worlds.

Lets hope so, summer in Victoria this year has been way too wet, we've spent years praying for rain and now we are very sick of it! It's raining right now!!!

Your info is right, this is how I got my two LHR-SIN returns on SQ a380, and I enjoyed the experience and loved the airplane. However, I share your enthusiasm for TG though and if I had a choice of full flat on both TG and SQ I'd personally fly TG.

The OP might really want to consider this option. CA's brand new Boeing 777-300ER will be operating to FRA effective 1 September 2011.

http://airlineroute.net/2010/12/20/ca-77w-seat/

Yuck, avoid Air China.. the aircraft may be brand new but the rest of the experience is going to be awful (delayed flights, nonexistent/incompetent airport staff, etc).

Hmm I may be off but hasn't SQ refurbished one 773 and it did almost exclusively doing SIN-MEL-SIN as SQ237/238? Or was that one diverted to DEL flights in late 2010? This one has the new regional biz seat which is angled flat and actually quite decent. I had it on the A333 and liked it. Better then old regional C and better than Spacebed. Should be bookable as *A award.


If you want to find LX availability use LH M&M account or Expertflyer.

Come on, have you ever tried Air China? Most of the criticism of Air China here on FT seems to come from people that have never even boarded an Air China flight before. They're really not as bad as they're claimed to be, in my own experience - much on par with UA/AA/DL/CO but there's just a language barrier sometimes.