PsiFighter37

fumje

Not sure I'm doing anything special, but when I search UA dot com I get results (mix of OS and LX operated) that match Google's lowest prices (2700USD). It is not on as many dates as Google returns, but here's one example:
https://www.united.com/ual/en/us/fli...&taxng=1&idx=1
(Click the blue 'Business' rectangle to get it to sort by price for that class)

As PsiFighter37 says, it won't be possible to find the direct on TG for any discount fare. Interestingly, I did not know that BR flew LHR-BKK, but that is half the price of TG.

wco81

When you choose a set of flights, both outbound and return if you're searching for round trip, it should offer 1 or more links.

one of them may Be UA if you select an all *A routing.

but beware, sometimes booking through UA may result in a higher fare.

goodeats21

Just reporting back. Thanks again to everyone for your inputs.

United flight was on-time, so no worries at all. And the Cathay mobile boarding pass worked great. A bit of a worry when I checked in the day before, as a warning popped up that my names on the ticket do not match my passport. (BA Award booking, which apparently doesn't use middle name). Perusing the BA/CX boards indicated this would probably not be a problem...and wasn't for me.

As FlytheTail predicted, Cathay would not put me on the earlier flight, so I lounge hopped a bit. Closest to my arrival gate was "The Deck", so I stopped there for a shower and a bite to eat. Went to "The Pier" later, as it was closest to my departure gate for more drinks. Nice lounges, for sure.

On the return, I had a pretty tight schedule and just booked the ANA 6AM flight. I got REALLY lucky and they apparently swapped an Intl 787-9 for the flight, so it had plenty of leg room. Still pretty tight width-wise, but magnitudes better than the 787-8.

My next BKK trip is in July, and I had to maximize my time, so booked ANA for the NRT<->BKK legs. One is scheduled as 787-9, one as 787-8. Fingers crossed...

I still have some BA miles, obtained from an AMEX transfer bonus, so I am sure to use the CX HKG transfer at some point again. I do get stressed on the separate tickets, though.

te36

Trying to figure out how to best connect BKK->HKG to use UA862 into SFO.
Seems all the useful options into HKG are non-SA, so lets assume its going to be two tickets and then guessing i can not check into the UA flight at the airport in BKK (true ?).

The few times i have tried to check-in via the UA app going back to the USA (don't remember from which countries/airports i tried), i think to remember it never worked, and the explanation given was that it wasn't permitted due to security rules at the country/airport/united. Can someone vouch that one can check into UA flights HKG->USA (US passport on file in the app). ?

Lets say i can not get checked into the UA flight in before (BKK, app). How would it work at the airport ? Can i just stay inside the secure area, check into the UA flight at the gate ? What's the cutoff for check-in in those cases ?

Seem to be simple beginner questions, i am surprised i managed to fly as much as i do without running into this issue. I guess i am rarely using routes with bad star alliance connections ;-)

Kacee

You can check-in for HKG-SFO using the App. Or at the UA transfer desk at HKIA. You're going to have to clear transit security regardless.

The biggest problem you're going to have is finding a flight that connects to UA862 same day. HK has two very early morning departures (like 3:30 and 4 a.m.) that work. CX has a single flight part of the year only, though that's a tighter connection. I typically fly TG or CX the day before and overnight in Hong Kong.

FlytheTail

I've flown on the very early morning HK and CX flights and then connected to UA (same day) multiple times, almost always on the same 016 ticket. I've never been able to check in for the UA segments until after I've checked in with HK or CX in BKK. Once in HKG, as Kacee noted, you can check in for your remaining UA segment(s) online, and if any problems arise, visit the transfer desk. After you have your onward boarding pass, clearing transit security usually only take 5-10 minutes, so I've always had enough time to shower and/or grab a small bite to eat in the UA lounge. I believe check in cutoff time is 60 minutes before the UA flight departure.

wxguy

Agree with all of the above -- same experiences. One minor point to add: If for some reason you can check-in for UA in advance and print out a BP, make sure you do not cut it to size as most of us do here in the US. Bring the ENTIRE 8x10 (or A4) page. HKG transit security summarily rejects anything smaller. I don't now why, nor could HKG security or UA/GS staff give a good reason! "IT'S THE RULE!" is all they could say.

Kacee

Similarly (though not relevant to OP's question), transit security at HKG will not accept a TG mobile boarding pass. They will accept a CX mobile bp. I don't think I've tried using a UA mobile bp.

wpcoe

Did you mean "HX" (Hong Kong Airlines)? If so, I've made the same HX-to-UA connection (departing BKK early morning, about 0300h) before *and* HX checked my bags through to UA, which I was not expecting. I was able to use the UA boarding pass on my iPhone at the transit security checkpoint at HKG. I specifically remember it because I had to turn up the brightness on my screen for it to work with their scanner.

Kacee

I see NH is back to flying the regional 787s on BKK-NRT next January. I'm guessing this is due to the Trent debacle.

There's a decent UA fare on my travel dates ($3k RT), and I'd like to get my PQD out of the way early next year, but pretty hard to justify the NH/UA routing when I can fly CX or BR all lie-flats for a few hundred more. And not have to leave my BKK hotel at 0-dark-thirty.

ExplorerWannabe

I came back from BKK via NRT last November in Polaris. It was a pretty nice fare although I don't think I got the best Polaris experience on that flight, especially after experiencing Polaris to and from Sydney last week.

I'm a little confused by the mention of having to leave the BKK hotel at 0-dark-thirty. My BKK-NRT flight left BKK just after midnight so I left my bags at the hotel, roamed the city, had dinner, then picked up my bags and took the express train to the airport. After checking in, I went to the contract lounge and got a shower and a drink before boarding my flight. I have no experience with CS or BR but I'm pretty sure I had lie-flats on the NH 787 to NRT as well as the UA 787 to DEN.

goodeats21

ANA runs 2 flights from BKK to connect to the United bank out of NRT.

There is the flight you apparently took, which is around midnight, then there is a second flight that leaves around 7AM.

The 7AM flight allows for the shortest connection times in NRT, but requires leaving for the airport around 3:30 AM...or 0-dark-thirty

Kacee

Exactly. UA/NH are the odd carrier out on this. If you fly CX, BR, CI, etc., you can leave BKK in the late afternoon for an evening arrival on the west coast. This is the flip side of the westbound TPACs, where UA's daytime departures result in a late night arrival BKK (as opposed to a nighttime departure, which gets you to Asia in the early morning). In both instances, you basically waste a hotel night somewhere in Asia due to UA's TPAC schedule. This is a big part of why I've been flying OAL (BR, SQ, CX, CI) TPAC this year. I basically gain a full day in Asia on either end compared to UA.

Got a bit off track though, my main comment was directed at NH flying the regional 787s on NRT-BKK again, which is a real bummer.

exerda

I took that midnight NH departure last time I was in BKK. A little OT, but I suggest the BR lounge; its showers are superior to the other options IME. I liked having the whole day in BKK... the downside is that you have a looooong time in NRT before the evening UA departures. You could I suppose go into Tokyo (if you aren't too wiped out to spend 45 minutes each way on the train), or into Narita City; it's tough to kill all that time in NRT, though. The other options are earlier-departing NH flights to the US, but those are harder when using GPUs (and if lifetime miles matter to you, you're flushing several thousand miles away). I've done both, and honestly prefer the UA evening departures to the ANA noon-ish ones; the seat on UA is more comfortable to me for the long flight to IAD or the connection via LAX/SFO.