Just curious as to the opinions, what's the best option:
MCO-HKG via ATL/LAX/JFK and ICN or NRT?
Does it matter if I switch airlines (DL/KE to CX or NW or Asiana) at ICN or NRT?
Or should I pay $400 more to go direct from the USA on UA from ORD/SFO or CO from EWR? I'd like DL miles too...thanks!

Both ICN and NRT are good airports, but my preference leans towards ICN.

ICN: Nice, modern, and easy to navigate in one building. ICN also has nice day room facilities/hotel airside and a nice KE Business Class lounge which I believe SkyTeam Elite Plus members should be able to use (I've used it flying KE Business). Food in lounge is good, free computers with internet available, slumber rooms in lounge, etc. ICN has a good selection of duty-free shops airside. ICN also ranks highly along with KUL, DXB, etc., in recent survey's I've seen.

NRT: Two seperate terminal buildings (Terminal 1 and Terminal 2) but one must use a bus to switch terminals if changing between carriers which do not use the same terminal. If connecting NWA to NWA, they have a nice setup in Terminal 1 which is easy to use and navigate. The NWA WC lounges aren't bad, but can get packed. The Terminal 1 departure area airside is nice, but lacks in duty free shopping and prices don't seem great.

At both airports you will have to clear security as a transit passenger to make a connection, but security at both ICN and NRT is efficient, polite, and professional.

As far as airlines, KE, NW, and CO, are all part of SkyTeam and you should earn DL mileage providing you're on an eligible fare.

In the end, I would look at the flight times, schedules, and prices and see what works best for you with arrival and departure times. ICN or NRT you can't go wrong - find yourself a good schedule at the right price and go with that. If you do go non-stop from the US, I would suggest CO's service via EWR, which will also earn you DL miles.

SDF_Traveler

I'd go with the EWR-HKG route on Continental. You can get DL miles on CO. May even be able to book as a DL codeshare? Route could be MCO-ATL-EWR-HKG. Takes one full leg out.

If you want to stay on DL or other DL codeshares, I'd go MCO-ATL-ICN-HKG. You cna probably fly KE metal from ATL all the way to HKG. I have, if memory serves. ICN is nicer than NRT now, and unless they're done remodelling NRT it can be very difficult to transfer. Haven't been there in a while.

Best planning suggestion is to minimize stateside layovers & connections on return flight. That's when you'll have the greatest difficulty with jetlag. Flying from Southeast to HKG, I always planned 25-30 hours door-to-door.

I like the ICN airport, but there's one negative about ICN that I've never seen mentioned before.

ICN is about 6 km or 6 miles or so from the border with North Korea. And the one time I flew out of there, we took off on a bearing heading almost directly for the border. Kim Jong Il was being especially belligerent at the time, so it was a little unnerving watching the flight map display as our plane inched closer and closer to the line before turning west, south, and then east to head for San Francisco.

I couldn't stop thinking about those North Korean anti-aircraft gunners on the other side of that line, who watch civilian aircraft coming at them several times an hour, suspecting that any air attack that might come could very well include radar signatures disguised as civilian flights, and they have about 30 seconds reaction time.

A disputed "border incursion" resulting in a shoot-down would sure make a convenient excuse for an unstable, desperate tyrant who wanted to provoke a crisis.

I never realized ICN was only 6 miles or 6 km from the North Korea border. I suspected it was close from looking at maps such as AirShow, but I didn't think it was that close. Anyone know the actual distance?

On a recent flight from LAX-ICN I was sitting on the upper deck of the 744 on the right side of the aircraft. As we approached Korea, the flight path took us along the South / North border per AirShow, on the South side of course . Being on the right side of the aircraft, it was interesting to look out the window and see all of the light of South Korea and then absolutely no light (was early morning prior to sun rise). I'm certain what I saw was the border, considering electricity is scarce/non-existant in many parts of North Korea. As we were at 30,000 ft, I am sure we were further from the border than it seemed as we made our trek across Korea.

We landed from the south, IIRC, with a northbound heading at ICN. Upon departure out of ICN we took off to the north and then turned west and to the south with a heading towards Taiwan, as this particular flight was an ICN-KUL flight. It didn't seem as if we were that close to the border -- with the aircraft speed, even at takeoff, if the border was 6 miles or 6 km from the airport, it wouldn't take long to cross it. I don't believe the runway heading is a true north either, perhaps at a northwest / southeast heading.

With the number of flights in and out of ICN on a daily basis, I wouldn't worry. I'd probably be more worried about a commercial aircraft losing contact with ATC or going off course at DCA or in the WAS area.

I like ICN and I'd be happy to use ICN again when the need arises.

SDF_Traveler

According to IATA and ACI survey, ICN recently ranked as the second best airport in the world. FYI, HKG ranked as the first best and SIN ranked as the third best airport in the world.

You might want to check out these.

https://164.214.2.62/products/digita...LS_DME_15R.PDF
https://164.214.2.62/products/digita...LS_DME_15L.PDF

These are designed for military use by USAF, so it should be different from civil edition. Anyhow, this is the only one that I can find now.

Good advise, JHattery. To the OP, with respect to jetlag it is important to keep in mind "West is Best, East is Beast".

I too would limit stateside connections to one, especially on the return. A routing such as MCO-ATL-ICN-HKG (DL/KE) would work, as would MCO-DTW-NRT-HKG (NW). Alternatively, MCO-EWR-HKG is the probably the easiest routing with CO and only one connection at EWR.

ICN is the nicer of the two airports, but the remodeling has been finished in the airside Terminal 1 NWA area at NRT. It's a nice facility for a NWA to NWA transfer and it's all in one area. As previously noted, Duty Free and shops are quite limited at NRT in T1 where NWA operates. If one has to transfer between terminals to switch carriers, it will mean a bus ride and working through a maze at NRT.

See which one has the best flight times and connections. On your return, go with the shortest possible "legal" connection, within reason, at your point of entry to allow time for US Customs/Immigrations and then hop a flight to MCO without waiting around.

I would only do one connection stateside maximum, especially on your return. A connection in Asia would be easy and if a connection at ICN or NRT will save you money (and you have time), go for it. Then select the best flight schedule with respect to arrival and departure times.

FWIW, last week I flew MEL-KUL-NRT on MH and then NRT-DTW-SDF on NW. The MEL-KUL-NRT wasn't bad because of the minimal time zone change (south to north flights), but the NRT-DTW threw me off -- usually does eastbound. When I landed at DTW, I was extremely happy I only had a short 50 minute flight to SDF.

SDF_Traveler

If you have a World Club membership, I would recommend NRT. ICN is a nice airport but the WC is very small and boring. There are 2 WC's in Narita one is bigger than teh other.

As a UA flyer, I now prefer ICN over NRT.

Its newer; the duty free prices are lower, the Raffles lounges are nicer, the Asiana lounges are GREAT!