Flight routes

[Keithambrose]

On 4/19/2025 at 10:24 AM, Olddaddy said:

The worst I flown is Qantas 🦘Always late, but not as bad as Cebu Pacific 

The best is Malaysian Airlines🇲🇾 from Sydney to KL then Bangkok,but nowadays I only fly business class 

I want to try SCOOT Business class on my next trip to Kuala Lumpur 

As you have no money, it is sensible to fly business class!

[Keithambrose]

On 4/19/2025 at 10:24 AM, Olddaddy said:

The worst I flown is Qantas 🦘Always late, but not as bad as Cebu Pacific 

The best is Malaysian Airlines🇲🇾 from Sydney to KL then Bangkok,but nowadays I only fly business class 

I want to try SCOOT Business class on my next trip to Kuala Lumpur 

Scoot do not have lie flat beds.

[vinapu]

5 hours ago, Keithambrose said:

Scoot do not have lie flat beds.

but at least they have seats , not standing room only and paid WC like Ryanair

[vinapu]

On 4/18/2025 at 12:06 PM, Milk78 said:

 Recently, I have flown China Eastern which has the advantage of being much cheaper than everybody else, but the Shanghai transfer is always pretty shit. 

 

before Covid it was my most used airline to get to Bangkok  due to lowest prices and not bad service although  I agree  , transfer at least on return was quite crappy.

 

How it is now I don't know as they raised their  prices and I don't  look at them any more for that reason

[thaiophilus]

40 minutes ago, vinapu said:

but at least they have seats , not standing room only and paid WC like Ryanair

I've seen a certain other airline (better not name it) described as "like Ryanair, but without the irish charm".

[floridarob]

On 4/19/2025 at 7:51 AM, vinapu said:

We proletarians from the last row of economy  are happy with getting to our destination  fed something digestible on the way.

Have you flown long haul business class ?

[ToTheCore]

I can afford up front.  But I'm fit and limber so all that money I save by sitting cattle class goes to arriving a day early at a 5* hotel, relaxing massage, great dining and sleeping  off my jetlag.

Plus I've got a bunch of extra cash left over for many a boy! 

It's amazing what a few hours of a tiny bit of discomfort can buy!

[ggobkk]

Unlike my fellow responders, I fly from the west coast of Canada's southern neighbor.  Once upon a time this was a direct route (translation: one stop same plane).  Recently, my routing was San Francisco to Tokyo with a 5 hour layover and plane change to ANA or Thai to bring me in at 10PM or later.  EVA reverses this with a midnight flight from SF, plane change and multiple hour layover in Taipei and arrival in late morning.  These two flight plans arrived in less than 24 hours.  Others were available but longer in the plane or transfer airport.  

United announced that in October it will be adding a route via Hong Kong with only a brief stop for a plane change. Flight from San Francisco will offer a link to Vietnam.  

I'm with TOTheCore on keeping my devaluating dollars for my Thailand activities.  I've done the EVA business class (where the wine kept flowing) but couldn't balance the $200+ / per hour additional cost.  

[reader]

You can check any airline's long-haul seat specifications for all aircraft types at links below (seat pitch, width, video info, power source and wi-fi):

Economy

https://www.seatguru.com/charts/longhaul_economy.php#

Business

https://www.seatguru.com/charts/longhaul_business_class.php

[Keithambrose]

41 minutes ago, reader said:

You can check any airline's long-haul seat specifications for all aircraft types at links below (seat pitch, width, video info, power source and wi-fi):

Economy

https://www.seatguru.com/charts/longhaul_economy.php#

Business

https://www.seatguru.com/charts/longhaul_business_class.php

Seat guru is sometimes out of date.  I find that 'Aerolopa.com' is more reliable. 

[vinapu]

5 hours ago, floridarob said:

Have you flown long haul business class ?

I only look stupid, have better use for my money. In fact I did once when upgraded on a miles ticket . I liked an experience but it was daytime flight and immediately decided that while comfort is much better , difference in price doesn't warrant paying for it.

[PeterRS]

4 hours ago, reader said:

Economy -https://www.seatguru.com/charts/longhaul_economy.php#

Business - https://www.seatguru.com/charts/longhaul_business_class.php

SInce these are quite complicated charts to go through, seatguru can also give you exact seating layouts for each aircraft in each airline just by clicking on the airline here -

https://www.seatguru.com/browseairlines/browseairlines.php

Click alphabetically to get the airline you are interested in and you get a ist of their different aircraft types and seat layouts (this below is for Finnair and you get the precise layout - subject to @Keithambrose earlier comment about their occasionally not being fully up to date.)

Then click on the aircraft type and you get the seat layout - this image is too long and so I only include the front half of the plane -

The problem comes with major airines which may have 15 or more different aircraft types - including 4 or 5 different types of, say, a 777. Then you just have to check with the airline. But the airlines always have an out. They can change aircraft types for any reason and you as the passenger have virtually no control over reseating, especially if you are at the back of the plane. 

[TMax]

I prefer direct flights from Perth to Bangkok and return rather than short stopovers like with Singapore Airlines (I do like SIA and fly them to other destinations or if on my Thai trip I want to do a few days in Singapore) which means Thai Airways although their flight times can suck a little, depending on the day and to get the early flight I have to leave home at 4am to drop the car off and get to the airport (an hours drive away). The Perth-Bangkok will leave either at 9:25am and gets in at a reasonable time but alas then it's peak hour in Bangkok (the train then is packed to the rafters too) and getting to the hotel takes ages, then there's the 4:35pm flight which gets in late at night and for me that means get to the hotel and rest up (I am not a late night owl). The return is either 12:01am which is quite good for a snooze on the plane and gets in nice and early so I can pick up the car and drive home (an hour away) or there's the 7:25am return flight that gets in mid afternoon but the traffic on the way home truly sucks big time.

I believe there is one other direct airline in Jetstar but you would have to be seriously desperate to fly with them, late departures (worse than Thai) or even worse cancelled flights as has happened to friends seems to be a regular thing with them, plus they are part of Qantas and they just plain suck.

Now days I also prefer to sit up the front in a more comfortable seat, less stress on my spine too so I will happily pay the extra

[Keithambrose]

7 hours ago, PeterRS said:

SInce these are quite complicated charts to go through, seatguru can also give you exact seating layouts for each aircraft in each airline just by clicking on the airline here -

https://www.seatguru.com/browseairlines/browseairlines.php

Click alphabetically to get the airline you are interested in and you get a ist of their different aircraft types and seat layouts (this below is for Finnair and you get the precise layout - subject to @Keithambrose earlier comment about their occasionally not being fully up to date.)

Then click on the aircraft type and you get the seat layout - this image is too long and so I only include the front half of the plane -

The problem comes with major airines which may have 15 or more different aircraft types - including 4 or 5 different types of, say, a 777. Then you just have to check with the airline. But the airlines always have an out. They can change aircraft types for any reason and you as the passenger have virtually no control over reseating, especially if you are at the back of the plane. 

AeroLopa usually gives charts for each version of the relevant aircraft. To give you an idea of the way Seatguru can be out of date, they are still showing the seating plan for two versions of the British Aiirways 747, which were scrapped  years ago. So far I have found AeroLopa to be more accurate. 

[PeterRS]

7 minutes ago, Keithambrose said:

AeroLopa usually gives charts for each version of the relevant aircraft. To give you an idea of the way Seatguru can be out of date, they are still showing the seating plan for two versions of the British Aiirways 747, which were scrapped  years ago. So far I have found AeroLopa to be more accurate. 

Providing seat plans for scrapped aircraft is not really pertinent to the point made by @reader since no one flying will check seats without knowing or makign sure of the aircraft type! Although you did not provide any example to illustrate the benefits of AeroLopa over Seatguru, I note that both sites provide the new BA biz class seating for the airline's A350-1000s. Both also include the 777 version with Cathay Pacific's Aria Suites. That said, I do prefer AeroLopa's easier to read seat plans.

Much obviously depends on those reading the sites and how detailed they wish to delve into aircraft types and seating. And as stated earlier, unfortunately, everyone can be subject to last-minute aircraft changes. This can be a big problem for those seated at the front of an aircraft, most of whom have to pay a considerable amount of cash for a specific seat. That happened to me last year on Qatar. Having been allocated a Q Suite months in advance, I got an sms a few days before flight to say that the aircraft had changed to a 777 and my seat to one on the middle aisle. How I solved that cash problem would take  too long to explain! 😁

[Milk78]

19 hours ago, vinapu said:

before Covid it was my most used airline to get to Bangkok  due to lowest prices and not bad service although  I agree  , transfer at least on return was quite crappy.

 

How it is now I don't know as they raised their  prices and I don't  look at them any more for that reason

The prices are still very good from UK - frequent sales, and the ability to fly over Russia cuts down the flight time. 

The cabin, although older, was much better than I expected it to be. The in flight entertainment is shockingly bad, which is not an issue as I just load up the iPad. 

The airport in Shanghai that China Eastern flies into (I think there are a couple of airports in Shanghai?) is really dull. Often when the flight arrives (early or late) the shops are shut and it is very difficult to restock on water/ snacks for the long leg back to the UK. The security screening on transfer is the worst I have experienced anywhere (no joke). 

Having done trip a couple of times now, I think I will look at alternatives. 

[PeterRS]

14 minutes ago, Milk78 said:

The airport in Shanghai that China Eastern flies into (I think there are a couple of airports in Shanghai?) is really dull.

Shanghai has two airports. The one in Pudong is large and relatively new having been opened only around 25 years ago. The much older Hongqiao airport bascially handles domestic flights with just a few international routes. I have flown into and out of Pudong aiport many times and agree it is boring but I have never had to transfer there. One benefit is that it is served by the Maglev train into part of the city. The ride takes only 8 minutes and I have photos of it travelling at 425 kph. Unfortunately the plans to extend the line into the centre of the city remain in limbo but there is an easy transfer to the subway.

China Airlines through Beijing's wonderful 6-year old massive Daxing Airport might be  better bet. Or China Southern Airlines through Guangzhou. Hainan used to get great reviews for its flights from America, but it went through bankruptcy proceedings in 2021 and I have no idea what its service and connections are like now.

[vinapu]

33 minutes ago, Milk78 said:

The airport in Shanghai that China Eastern flies into (I think there are a couple of airports in Shanghai?) is really dull. Often when the flight arrives (early or late) the shops are shut and it is very difficult to restock on water/ snacks for the long leg back to the UK. The security screening on transfer is the worst I have experienced anywhere (no joke). 

 

with that I can agree although it needs to be said -I always made the transfer on time despite that mess

[floridarob]

11 hours ago, vinapu said:

I liked an experience but it was daytime flight

How long was the flight, which airline?

[billyhouston]

On 4/18/2025 at 5:06 PM, Milk78 said:

Having now been there and back again from the UK a few times, I have tried a few different routes/ airlines into BKK and Chiang Mai. 

Just wondering what others' favourite routes and airlines are - do you always fly direct or do you take the cost saving and add a transfer on route? I am tempted by Ethiad. I have not done the UK-Thailand route but recently went to Sri Lanka with them and it was very good.

I seek to fly MAN-CNX and since covid have flown via LHR, AMS and CDG. Cathay now seems to be getting its act together once more and I'm hoping to return to MAN - HKG - CNX. The connections in HKG are just over 1 hour each way making for short total flying times. Just at the moment their calendar only extends to 28 Mar 2026 (switch over to Daylight Saving time.) but I would prefer a few days into April. If that doesn't appear, I'll take 28 Mar.

My record from stepping off the plane, having come in from HKG, going through Immigration and customs, where they invariably x-ray one of my bags, and getting to the car is 12 minutes. How I love CNX.  

[vinapu]

12 hours ago, floridarob said:

How long was the flight, which airline?

9hrs, LOT Polish between Budapest and Newark

[floridarob]

14 minutes ago, vinapu said:

9hrs, LOT Polish between Budapest and Newark

I'm sure if you tried one of the airlines mentioned here going to BKK, you  might be impressed.... Cathay, EVA, Singapore, ANA, Turkish for example...... 

Find out for yourself, as someone says..... 😉

[vinapu]

1 minute ago, floridarob said:

I'm sure if you tried one of the airlines mentioned here going to BKK, you  might be impressed.... Cathay, EVA, Singapore, ANA, Turkish for example...... 

Find out for yourself, as someone says..... 😉

Find out what ? Charms of business class ? Didn't I say before I only look stupid. I'm not in position to afford business class flights and daily whoring and long ago opted to the later

[floridarob]

40 minutes ago, vinapu said:

I'm not in position to afford business class flights

Credit card points, frequent flyer miles....buy coach and upgrades, many different ways.... I've been buying roundtrip FROM Asia to N. America, usually much cheaper than the other way around.

[Keithambrose]

4 hours ago, vinapu said:

Find out what ? Charms of business class ? Didn't I say before I only look stupid. I'm not in position to afford business class flights and daily whoring and long ago opted to the later

Another good example of different people having different  views and priorities. All good!