Here is my intinerary for a business class award from ORD to SIN to BKK. I'm happy with pretty much everything except the return trip on Air Canada. Having never flown them, I dont know what to expect. Ideally, I would like to get a SQ flight back home but these dates/times work out pretty well.

Any thoughts on the comfort level of CA busniess class would be greatly appreciated Also, I know that Thai Air is nothing to write home about but that flight is realitively short.

Chicago O'Hare (ORD) to San Francisco California (SFO) Thu, Jan 5
United Airlines 0907
Jan 05 07:55 PM depart ORD
Jan 05 10:39 PM arrival SFO Cabin: United Business

San Francisco California (SFO) to Singapore (SIN) Fri, Jan 6
Singapore Airlines 0001
Jan 06 12:05 AM depart SFO
Jan 07 11:50 AM arrival SIN Cabin: I

Singapore (SIN) to Bangkok Thailand (BKK) Fri, Jan 13
Singapore Airlines 0064
Jan 13 01:05 PM depart SIN
Jan 13 02:30 PM arrival BKK Cabin: I

Bangkok Thailand (BKK) to Tokyo Japan (NRT) Sun, Jan 22
Thai Airways Int'l 0676
Jan 22 07:30 AM depart BKK
Jan 22 03:40 PM arrival NRT Cabin: I


Tokyo Japan (NRT) to Toronto Canada (YYZ) Sun, Jan 22
Air Canada 0002
Jan 22 05:15 PM depart NRT
Jan 22 03:30 PM arrival YYZ Cabin: Discounted business
Booking class: D


Toronto Canada (YYZ) to Chicago O'Hare (ORD) Sun, Jan 22
United Airlines 1111
Jan 22 05:30 PM depart YYZ
Jan 22 06:25 PM arrival ORD Cabin: United First

TIA

IMO you will be just fine on Air Canada from NRT. AC operates with only 2 classes. Executive First is somewhere in-between Business Class and First Class on airlines that offer 3 classes of service. The seats are getting old and the entire long-haul fleet will be getting upgraded next year, but not before your flight. Seat pitch is generous (60") and the food will be decent. It may not measure up to SQ, but it will be better than your segments on United and Thai.

Check these links for more on what to expect...

http://www.aircanada.com/en/travelin...fort.html#r0s0

http://www.aircanada.com/en/travelin...pan/index.html

You may also want to look at NH from NRT. I had no problem getting 2 First Class seats from NRT to either SFO/LAX. The seats were available on almost anyday I wanted next February. I chose to go to LAX to get the new First Class Suites they are introducing in October.

The trip back from Bangkok look gruesome to me. I don't believe that AC has lie-flat seats in business (except on their HKG-YYZ flight), so the trip will be very long and not all that comfortable. If it were me, I would much prefer TG's BKK-JFK non-stop (lie-flat seats), then an LGA-ORD flight. Yeah, you need to transfer from JFK to LGA, but that's not a big deal. And besides, it's a lot less risky than the relatively tight connection (2 hrs) that your itinerary has in YYZ -- don't forget, you have to go through customs and immigration twice in Toronto (once to enter Canada, once to enter the US).

The direct flight from BKK to JFK sounds interesting but it appears to leave at 12:40AM which would mean that I have to give up my Saturday night

Call me a glutton for punishment but I'd rather have that "One night in Bangkok"


I am a bit concerned about the connection time in YYZ. I wasnt aware that I would have to clear customs there.

You will clear Canadian customs and then proceed to clear American customs in Toronto as well, which makes your flight into ORD a domestic one...i.e just collect your bags and go at ORD.

True, the seats are not lie-flat and are sometimes the worse for wear. Not sure when the planned refit is to take place. However, they do recline currently to about 150 degrees and are quite comfortable.

There is also a chance that AVOD may not be available.