Asia Air Arrangements

[kathy16]

Anyone have any luck booking affordable and reliable multi-city airfare from the US to Asia, using travel agencies located in Chinatown areas of NYC or Boston, etc? I am cruising from Hong Kong to Singapore in Jan/Feb 2010, but I would like to spend a few days in Beiijing and Angkor Wat, before and after my cruise. ( I have a few days on either side of the cruise) Any suggestions for the sequence, considering I then want to fly back to the US, with least amount of problems/airtime.

Thanks,

Kathy

[greatam]

Anyone have any luck booking affordable and reliable multi-city airfare from the US to Asia, using travel agencies located in Chinatown areas of NYC or Boston, etc? I am cruising from Hong Kong to Singapore in Jan/Feb 2010, but I would like to spend a few days in Beiijing and Angkor Wat, before and after my cruise. ( I have a few days on either side of the cruise) Any suggestions for the sequence, considering I then want to fly back to the US, with least amount of problems/airtime.

Thanks,

Kathy

 

Just a couple of things. Some of the Chinese travel agencies provide good prices BUT. They often book intra Asia flights on the LCC's (of which there are now many). LUGGAGE weight becomes a BIG problem if you take much luggage and want to fly coach intra Asia.

 

IF this was my trip, an open jaw ticket USA/HKG and BKK/USA would probably be about the cheapest. Then separate tickets to Beijing and from SIN to BKK to REP.

 

You can leave most of your luggage in HKG at the airport, fly RT Beijing on a separate ticket (this is where the Chinese travel agencies shine-they CAN get cheap tickets). Go on your cruise. Then you just have to worry about luggage weight on the short flight from SIN to BKK.

 

Jet Star generally has coach tickets from SIN to BKK for under $75.00 with 20KG weigh limit, ONE carryon. Anything over 20KG will be charged at about $14.00 per KG (20 SGD). When you get to BKK, leave your excess luggage at the airport. Fly RT Bangkok Airways to Siem Rep and fly home from BKK.

 

Dates and departure cities would help considerably. You MAY save a considerable amount of money booking a SEPARATE flight from the East Coast to CA (SFO or LAX), then your overeas ticket from CA. You may also want to look into the Cathay Pacific flight from JFK to Vancouver to HKG. Fantastic flight/great service. And the JFK to Vancouver RT ticket has been VERY, VERY cheap for the last couple of years (about $500.00)

[kathy16]

Greatam,

That is a great idea- thank you. Where does one store luggage at HKG and BKK airports? Would we able to fly from SIN to BKK arriving around 8:30 am, and making a REP flight at 11:35 am - as well as having time to store luggage at BKK.

Thanks,

Kathy

[greatam]

Greatam,

That is a great idea- thank you. Where does one store luggage at HKG and BKK airports? Would we able to fly from SIN to BKK arriving around 8:30 am, and making a REP flight at 11:35 am - as well as having time to store luggage at BKK.

Thanks,

Kathy

 

http://www.bangkokairportonline.com/node/134

 

http://www.hongkongairport.com/eng/passenger/departure/all/baggage/left-baggage.html

 

You SHOULD be OK timewise, but you will have to KNOW where you are going before you get there. The new BKK airport is HUGE. Navigating the airport is NOT a problem (lots of signs and people to direct) BUT it is a LONG way from one end to another (and I have no idea which gates JetStar uses from SIN). Some airlines also use remote stands where you have to board a bus to get to/from them. You will have to clear immigration AND customs. Then go to the luggage storage. It will be tight, but it IS doable without a glitch.

 

When you book Bangkok Airways, pay attention. I don't mind flying on a prop plane, but some people do. And there ARE prop planes flying the BKK/REP route. Before you book, look carefully. IF the plane type says ATR, it is a prop plane.

[Jade13]

Anyone have any luck booking affordable and reliable multi-city airfare from the US to Asia, using travel agencies located in Chinatown areas of NYC or Boston, etc? I am cruising from Hong Kong to Singapore in Jan/Feb 2010, but I would like to spend a few days in Beiijing and Angkor Wat, before and after my cruise. ( I have a few days on either side of the cruise) Any suggestions for the sequence, considering I then want to fly back to the US, with least amount of problems/airtime.

Thanks,

Kathy

 

Kathy,

 

Try Sunshine Travel in Boston. They were recommended by a friend of a friend (who lives in Hong Kong) who is Chinese and uses them. Ask for Michelle (She speaks good English).

 

SUNSHINE TRAVEL

617-695-1989

 

Note that they get consolidator tickets on Cathay Pacific. We, however, found cheaper tickets on All Nippon for our dates but had her book them since she was helping us. Note that we could not get FFmiles points on AA with the consolidator tickets (would get them on Cathay Pacific), so went with the cheaper flights that would get points on Star Alliance (one itinerary was better going and the other shorter the other way so it evened out). We are flying into Bejing and out of Singapore. We than take Air China from Bejing to Hong Kong (where we have a problem with one bag 44 pounds each). Btw, the flights to/from Asia are not cheap. The most expensive based on distance was really the Bejing to Hong Kong, but we were not flexible. (The 3 legs are averaging out to $500.00 each). As far as Angkor, we are doing that mid cruise using Bangkok Airways. We booked those flights on our own. At the end of a cruise we like to just head home.

 

Also, if you are in NYC I think you can walk in and get your Visa for China and if in the Boston area Sunshine Travel can get the Visa for a $40.00 up-charge per person (Visa is $130.00 each) and in 10 days. We haven't done either yet because we need to get Visas for Cambodia, which I think may involve sending our passports to Washington DC.

 

I hope this helps.

[Jade13]

 

You can leave most of your luggage in HKG at the airport, fly RT Beijing on a separate ticket (this is where the Chinese travel agencies shine-they CAN get cheap tickets).

 

The Chinese agency did not shine for me here. The price I paid for Bejing to Hong Kong was identical to what I could book on my own for Air China. They did book it without charging an additional fee (since I booked the international legs). They could have saved us $50.00 if I recall to take a consolidator on Dragon Air. Besides not getting any FFmiles, the time was at least an hour later...

[Jade13]

You may also want to look into the Cathay Pacific flight from JFK to Vancouver to HKG. Fantastic flight/great service. And the JFK to Vancouver RT ticket has been VERY, VERY cheap for the last couple of years (about $500.00)

 

Do you mean $500.00 to Vancouver, or all the way to Hong Kong? This was actually the flight we looked at BUT it was much more than this ($1,400.00 consolidator) with terrible flights on the return from Singapore. Some lucky folks on our cruise were able to get this flight from/to JFK with FFmiles in business class. Our friend in right now from Hong Kong takes this flight. The Singapore leg for our dates made all the flights a lot more.

 

My best deal years ago was flying round trip to Hong Kong for $400.00.

[Jade13]

 

When you book Bangkok Airways, pay attention. I don't mind flying on a prop plane, but some people do. And there ARE prop planes flying the BKK/REP route. Before you book, look carefully. IF the plane type says ATR, it is a prop plane.

 

Note to Kathy - You can try but our Airbus has already been changed to a prop plane from REP/BKK since we first booked.

[Jade13]

 

 

Dates and departure cities would help considerably. You MAY save a considerable amount of money booking a SEPARATE flight from the East Coast to CA (SFO or LAX), then your overeas ticket from CA.

 

Kathy, Air China has a flight from LAX that gets into Bejing at 5:30am if you went there first. We considered that flight but decided to leave earlier so we arrived in Bejing at 8:30pm the night before (ALL Nippon flight from Tokyo).

[kathy16]

Thanks for all the suggestions. Can it be cheaper to get a JFK- PEK- HKG- with PEK as stopover, and SIN- BKK- JFK with BKK as stopover. I tried booking it on Cathay website, but wouldn't let me do more than 4 cities total. Is there a way to actually speak to an agent (in English), at the the Asian airlines? Until I actually get airline reservations, I hesitate to book my hotel.

Thanks,

Kathy

[greatam]

Thanks for all the suggestions. Can it be cheaper to get a JFK- PEK- HKG- with PEK as stopover, and SIN- BKK- JFK with BKK as stopover. I tried booking it on Cathay website, but wouldn't let me do more than 4 cities total. Is there a way to actually speak to an agent (in English), at the the Asian airlines? Until I actually get airline reservations, I hesitate to book my hotel.

Thanks,

Kathy

 

 

You cannot book the routing you posted on Cathay. ALL Cathay flights go through HKG.

 

So the routing on Cathay would be JFK/HKG/PEK/HKG and SIN/HKG/BKK/HKG/JFK. A lot of extra flying and a LOT of extra expense. PLUS Cathay DOES NOT make stopovers cheap. You will be better off booking the long haul flights and the short intra Asia flights separately.

 

Cathay is currently showing a price of $1171 all in for the open jaw flight-JFK/HKG and BKK/HKG/JFK for January/February time frame. AA/JAL combo through NRT is at $1037 and All Nipon, also through NRT is priced at $912 but only for one flight (not bad flight times).

 

Cathay has offices in most major cities they fly into/out of-NYC, Chicago, Dallas and HUGE offices in Los Angeles and SFO. All speak English. Trying to put all your stops on ONE ticket will cost an arm and a leg and really gives you NO advantages.

[greatam]

Note to Kathy - You can try but our Airbus has already been changed to a prop plane from REP/BKK since we first booked.

 

Bangkok Airways is currently making a LOT of changes due to the non renewal of their Cambodian permit for flights between Siem Reap and Phnom Penh and Saigon and the new airline, which is a function of the Cambodian government and Vietnam Airlines. The new airline is called Cambodia Angkor Air. They will fly nonstop from Saigon to Siem Reap, which will be nice for tourists.

 

Once all this shakes out, you may or may not be on a prop plane, but 3 out of 5 flights have always been scheduled on prop planes from REP to BKK.

[greatam]

Do you mean $500.00 to Vancouver, or all the way to Hong Kong? This was actually the flight we looked at BUT it was much more than this ($1,400.00 consolidator) with terrible flights on the return from Singapore. Some lucky folks on our cruise were able to get this flight from/to JFK with FFmiles in business class. Our friend in right now from Hong Kong takes this flight. The Singapore leg for our dates made all the flights a lot more.

 

My best deal years ago was flying round trip to Hong Kong for $400.00.

 

The Cathay flight partners up well with the United flight that flies YVR/SFO/HKG and has been available for as low as $650.00. And trying to book the Cathay flight THROUGH YVR from the East Coast adds a lot to the cost.

 

IF you want to fly Cathay all the way through YVR and get a decent price from the East Coast, it MUST be booked as two separate tickets. Cathay has jacked the price on the JFK/YVR/HKG flight to encourage East Coasters to use their nonstop to HKG out of JFK. And that is why the JFK/YVR flight is very cheap. It really is a "unwanted" segment and will most likely be discontinued whenever traffic allows Cathay to fly two flights per day from the East Coast.

[greatam]

The Chinese agency did not shine for me here. The price I paid for Bejing to Hong Kong was identical to what I could book on my own for Air China. They did book it without charging an additional fee (since I booked the international legs). They could have saved us $50.00 if I recall to take a consolidator on Dragon Air. Besides not getting any FFmiles, the time was at least an hour later...

 

Just depends on the Chinese agency. There is a Vietnamese agency in Garden Grove Ca that consistently has tickets from Shenzhen China to PEK and return for less than $250.00. Shenzhen is a $25.00 ferry ride away from HKG (or you can take the train or bus if you want to save even more.). The Vietnamese agency has NO discounted tickets for Vietnam airlines, BUT the Chinese travel agent in Oklahoma City (go figure) does.

 

There are a couple of ferries that actually go airport to airport, only accessible to airline passengers AND all security screening and luggage screening is done BEFORE you get on the ferry. I have done this quite a few times, as I prefer staying in Shenzhen at the Nan Hai hotel. I can stay in an executive room in Shenzhen with breakfast and dinner at 1/3 the price I can stay in HKG without any food.

[kathy16]

Thanks Greatam for all your info.

I would hesitate to buy consolidator tickets from the East Coast in the winter time- chance for bad weather is high- and I need to be able to work with the airlines. I am trying Kayak.com to find possibilities.

Kathy

[kathy16]

Would 2 full days in Bejiing after the international flight from east coast USA be enough time to see the most important sights there- as a precruise addition- before I fly to HKG for 3 days before I join my cruise there- or am I expecting too much?

Kathy

[greatam]

Thanks Greatam for all your info.

I would hesitate to buy consolidator tickets from the East Coast in the winter time- chance for bad weather is high- and I need to be able to work with the airlines. I am trying Kayak.com to find possibilities.

Kathy

 

I pulled the prices I posted right off the GDS system (Sabre) that goes to the airline. You can book the Cathay and AA/JAL flights right at the airline websties. These are NOT consoldator tickets. Where did you get that idea? I RARELY buy consolidator tickets and I fly to Asia/the Middle East at least 4 times per year.

[greatam]

Would 2 full days in Bejiing after the international flight from east coast USA be enough time to see the most important sights there- as a precruise addition- before I fly to HKG for 3 days before I join my cruise there- or am I expecting too much?

Kathy

 

Two days in Beijing should be enough. 3 days in HKG is too many, IMHO. Not that much to see unless you go to Macau or Shenzhen

 

I just ran the trip from JFK/PEK/HKG with a 2 day stopover in PEK, then return SIN/BKK/JFK.

 

The CHEAPEST price I could come up with was $2263 booking all as one ticket (except BKK to Siem Reap). This was using a combination of AA/JAL/Singapore Air/All Nipon-LOTS of airline changes with different weight restrictions.

 

An open jaw ticket on AA (booked on the airline website)-$1037-JFK/HKG and return from BKK. PLUS $690 full price ticket from HKG to PEK and return on many airlines (there are cheaper tickets to be had). JetStar Asia is $72.00 from SIN to BKK. EVEN paying for excess luggage and storing luggage in BKK and HKG STILL saves about $400 per ticket.

 

I used the dates of Jan 18-Feb 25.

[Jade13]

The Cathay flight partners up well with the United flight that flies YVR/SFO/HKG and has been available for as low as $650.00. And trying to book the Cathay flight THROUGH YVR from the East Coast adds a lot to the cost.

 

IF you want to fly Cathay all the way through YVR and get a decent price from the East Coast, it MUST be booked as two separate tickets. Cathay has jacked the price on the JFK/YVR/HKG flight to encourage East Coasters to use their nonstop to HKG out of JFK. And that is why the JFK/YVR flight is very cheap. It really is a "unwanted" segment and will most likely be discontinued whenever traffic allows Cathay to fly two flights per day from the East Coast.

 

I found all of this out. The consoldator ticket this agency found me was something like 5 flights to get home from Singapore. The Cathay from JFK is great if going into and out of Hong Kong. The other thing is that being stuck in coach I'm almost relieved to get out and stretch in Tokyo.

 

Kathy is running into all the same issues that I found and researched for months.

[Jade13]

Shenzhen China to PEK and return for less than $250.00. Shenzhen is a $25.00 ferry ride away from HKG (or you can take the train or bus if you want to save even more.).

 

I actually took a day tour here from Hong Kong in I think 1998. It as pretty funny but I saw a lot including the sleeping pandas in the zoo.

[Jade13]

Would 2 full days in Bejiing after the international flight from east coast USA be enough time to see the most important sights there- as a precruise addition- before I fly to HKG for 3 days before I join my cruise there- or am I expecting too much?

Kathy

 

Kathy,

 

Try

 

http://www.itasoftware.com/

 

Better than kayak.

 

I had the same exact issues as you and also flying in Bejing and than to Hong Kong. Look at both Cathay Pacific and ALL Nippon. All Nippon combo with United was cheaper on our dates vs Cathay Pacific and got us into Bejing at 8:30pm so we have one full day...With Cathay we had to go through Hong Kong as mentioned

[greatam]

I found all of this out. The consoldator ticket this agency found me was something like 5 flights to get home from Singapore. The Cathay from JFK is great if going into and out of Hong Kong. The other thing is that being stuck in coach I'm almost relieved to get out and stretch in Tokyo.

 

Cathy is running into all the same issues that I found and researched for months.

 

Obviously, the consolidator agency didn't have very good connections with Cathay. There are at least 3 nonstops per day on Cathay from SIN/HKG and 2 flights from HKG to JFK that marry up well to the Cathay flights from SIN. So why they would put you on 5 flights is beyond me (price possibly and they had NO availability for the SIN/HKG/JFK leg).

 

Cathy's problem is going BACK to BKK for Angkor. And the only problem there is luggage weight. LOTS of flights from SIN to BKK on all kinds of carriers. The competition is pretty stiff.

 

There are FEW ways to fly INTO PEK, then on to HKG and actually stay in PEK for a few days without it costing you a fortune. I have always found that flights on AA/JAL/Cathay into HKG or BKK (with their massive hub structures) and separately booked tickets into China, Vietnam, Cambodia on the LCC's (or whatever you can get into China) provide the best bang for the buck.

 

It seems like the MINUTE you add in a stopover or an extra stop intra Asia, the price jumps considerably. I just checked again-AA/JAL from JFK/NRT/HKG, then return BKK/NRT/JFK is pricing out very competitively at about $1050. Through in that stopover in PEK and try to get from SIN to BKK with a stopover, then on to JFK adds well over $1300 to the ticket. Same thing in South America. Intra South America tickets are best NOT booked as part of a USA/SA/USA ticket.

 

One reason this spring I was flying all those Middle Eastern airlines (although they are VERY, VERY good) was it was sooo much cheaper to fly from the Middle East THROUGH BKK to get to HKG, SGN, PNP rather than fly direct. I made the trip through BKK 17 times back and forth and never could find a cheaper routing to/through Asia.

[Jade13]

 

 

There are FEW ways to fly INTO PEK, then on to HKG and actually stay in PEK for a few days without it costing you a fortune. I have always found that flights on AA/JAL/Cathay into HKG or BKK (with their massive hub structures) and separately booked tickets into China, Vietnam, Cambodia on the LCC's (or whatever you can get into China) provide the best bang for the buck.

 

.

 

Where were you when I spent weeks trying to figure out my air fare :)

 

Seriously, our open jaw to Bejing and from Singapore was $1000.00 each for exact dates we wanted and I hadn't seen (and/or missed) anything cheaper looking for months. I needed to mitigate our chances of missing the All Nippon flight out from DC in the winter by having non consolidator flights and with United. I checked with them and the booking codes before making the purchase and if there are any delays on United there are hourly flights to DC on the US Airways shuttle.

 

But the Bejing to Hong Kong is killing me as far as the luggage. This is going to be one expensive day in Hong Kong including costs for our Visa's. That Wall and the Forbidden City better be worth it :) I think the plan is to attempt one 44 pound bag each checked, but there is no way I'll make the in cabin baggage with the stuff that can't be checked (but I guess it has to be checked). Might have to look for a lighter 21 or 22" roller. We have camera equipment (several lenses) and my Netbook. If I had been Gold in Star Alliance I would be allowed extra weight (not sure if its the same with you and AA on Cathay?) I looked at business class but for a 3 hour flight it was over $800.00 each so no go (Cathay, Air China and Dragon Air all have flights at about 8:00am out of Bejing to Hong Kong). As far as your bang for the buck we have limited time so going to Hong Kong and than PEK and back to Hong would have eaten up more time.

 

I'll be looking for one (or two, but we've been able to travel with 3 bags between us) 27" rollers to purchase in Hong Kong as at that point I'm getting on a cruise ship and two 50 pound bags each on the way home from Singapore.

 

Fortunately our ship is scheduled to dock in Cambodia and I've received permission from Azamara/RCCL to leave so we can fly to REP for the night and with little luggage.