East Coast to Bali

[carolina cruisin]

Has anyone flown from east coast of US to Bali?  Any info would be appreciated

[Zach1213]

People fly from the east coast to Bali every day, most likely. You'll need to be a bit more specific. What info are you looking for? When do you plan to go? Where are you leaving from, and are you only going to Bali?

 

 

[fbgd]

Yes, this last summer. 

 

IMO, Cathay Pacific offer the best all round product on the same carrier with only the one stop. They have flights from nonstop flights between HKG and JFK, ORD, IAD and YYZ. Their First and Business Class cabins are class leading, although no F offered on flights from YYZ (anymore) and IAD. HKG is a dream to connect through and of course an amazing city to visit if you fancy squeezing time in between.

 

On this most recent trip I had a few days in Hong Kong either side of my time in Bali and ended up booking Garuda for the HKG-DPS-HKG legs. Exceptionally reasonable fares on widebody A330 aircraft with fully flat bed seats which is actually better than Cathay Pacific offer.

 

Garuda are now offering non-stop flights between LHR and Denpasar thrice weekly (the return stops in Jakarta). You can probably book some kind of mixed itinerary with Delta to LHR and Garuda onwards.

Edited February 11, 2019 by fbgd

[Zach1213]

6 minutes ago, fbgd said:

Yes, this last summer. 

 

IMO, Cathay Pacific offer the best all round product on the same carrier with only the one stop. They have flights from nonstop flights between HKG and JFK, ORD, IAD and YYZ. Their First and Business Class cabins are class leading, although no F offered on flights from YYZ (anymore) and IAD.

 

On this most recent trip I had a few days in Hong Kong either side of my time in Bali and ended up booking Garuda for the HKG-DPS-HKG legs. Exceptionally reasonable fares on widebody A330 aircraft with fully flat bed seats which is actually better than Cathay Pacific offer.

 

I would argue that Singapore would be just as good of a product, and since they re-introduced EWR-SIN it would also be a one stop from the east coast. Of course, although OP's profile says South Carolina, we have no idea what they actually mean by "east coast" so NYC may not be convenient in any capacity.

[fbgd]

3 minutes ago, Zach1213 said:

 

I would argue that Singapore would be just as good of a product, and since they re-introduced EWR-SIN it would also be a one stop from the east coast. Of course, although OP's profile says South Carolina, we have no idea what they actually mean by "east coast" so NYC may not be convenient in any capacity.

 

Good points, I forgot about the EWR-SIN flights. For the OP there is only premium economy and business class on these EWR-SIN flights.

Edited February 11, 2019 by fbgd

[FlyerTalker]

And in passing, remember that "Bali" is the name of the island.  For your research, you would be flying into Denpasar (DPS).

 

Aside from the CX and SQ suggestions above, there are a number of other options.  For example, from JFK there are one-stop options on Qatar, Emirates, Eva, Korean, Phillipines, China Southern, Turkish and Air China.

 

A lot depends on your class of service and the aircraft and cabin configuration used for the flights.

[carolina cruisin]

Guess I needed to be more specific but frankly, just looking for some basic info.  Appreciate all of you taking the time to post something.  I will dig more into my particular concerns

[Zach1213]

6 minutes ago, carolina cruisin said:

Guess I needed to be more specific but frankly, just looking for some basic info.  Appreciate all of you taking the time to post something.  I will dig more into my particular concerns

 

We're all here to help, but even looking for "basic info" isn't really clear. If you come back with more specific questions, we're happy to assist. I fly to Asia very frequently and can give pros and cons of most airlines that could get you there, but we just need to know more first.

[fbgd]

2 hours ago, Zach1213 said:

 

We're all here to help, but even looking for "basic info" isn't really clear. If you come back with more specific questions, we're happy to assist. I fly to Asia very frequently and can give pros and cons of most airlines that could get you there, but we just need to know more first.

 

Indeed...a few things for the OP to consider include airports you plan to fly out of, class of service, frequent flyer allegiances, if you want to stopover somewhere enroute, etc.

 

Lots of experienced flyers on here, without a bit more direction you’ll end up with reams of information to pour over and confuse you. 

[roothy123]

Hopefully the OP won't mind me asking for some info on this thread, as I am also looking to travel from the U.S. east coast (DCA/IAD/BWI) to Bali in mid-December, and positively dreading the idea of hunting for flights.  We want business class, at least for the longest legs, but aren't tied to a particular airline.  We would probably like to break up the flight by flying first to the west coast, spending a night, and traveling onward the next day.  However, if we could find flights that aren't too grueling timewise, it wouldn't be necessary to do a stopover.  We would consider a consolidator, but are wondering if there are any pitfalls for that.  Unless we flew back to Bali to go home, we would need flights back home from Auckland in mid-January.  We have been saving Capital One rewards for an eternity and would like to use those, but I'm not entirely sure yet how they work.  I believe, however, that we just pay for flights and then get reimbursed.

 

Any suggestions?  

 

[FlyerTalker]

2 hours ago, roothy123 said:

We have been saving Capital One rewards for an eternity and would like to use those, but I'm not entirely sure yet how they work.  I believe, however, that we just pay for flights and then get reimbursed.

 

For the longest time, CapOne points got you a penny a point to offset travel-related charges on your account.  However, they recently announced that you would also be able to transfer CapOne points to airline miles in a dozen or so programs.  But it's important to realize that some transfer partners are better than others.  And, using miles means that there needs to be award inventory, while the penny offset is good on any revenue ticket.  Here's one blog post about CapOne transfers - lots more out there, but this can get you started on your thinking.

 

https://millionmilesecrets.com/guides/capital-one-transfer-partners/

 

Also, thoughts to consider about your flight plans.  First off, you're about halfway around the world from Bali, either way you fly.  So going to the "west coast" may seem the way to go from a flat map, but you could also go by way of Europe/MidEast.

 

Also, about breaking up the flight.  For international itineraries, a "connection" is when the time between flights is 24 hours or less at a connection point.  If the time is greater than 24 hours, it is a "stopover".  The two terms have very different meanings in the world of airlines.  Connections are part of through fares from start to end point.  Stopovers generally "break" the fare into two parts, where you pay the combination of both segments added together, rather than a through fare.  (And yes, there are exceptions to the 24 hour rule, but it's good enough for this discussion).

 

Some airlines will allow you a free "stopover" on a through fare, generally at their primary hub.   Here is one article about this perk that most folks aren't aware of:

 

https://www.godsavethepoints.com/2018/07/05/airline-free-stopovers-hotels-amazing-cities/

 

Lots of things to consider...please feel free to post specific questions, and if you want/need any coaching or assist to help your thinking, let us know.

[FlyerTalker]

One more thought....you might want to look at the Great Circle Mapper.  It calculates the great-circle route/mileage between various points and displays a map and route distances.  For example, it says that flying IAD-DXB-DPS on Emirates is 11,722 miles, while IAD-LAX-HKG-DPS is 11,684.  Fun and informative.

 

http://www.gcmap.com

 

 

[fbgd]

QR have just announced they’re withdrawing the free hotel perk.

 

IAD has some rather good options. QR have one stop flights via DOH, Cathay Pacific via HKG too. 

 

CX at least have a consistent business class product across their long haul fleet with excellent reverse herringbone seating. QR have too many options ranging from paired seats that were MOTR in the early 2000s to world class QSuites. Get a schedule switcheroo and you’re toast 

 

Between HKG being a great airport to connect through, consistency of CX product and Hong Kong being one of my favourite cities it’s a no brainer for me to choose CX in your shoes. Fortunately I’ve only ever flown CX in F and it never disappoints 

[Zach1213]

9 hours ago, fbgd said:

QR have just announced they’re withdrawing the free hotel perk.

 

IAD has some rather good options. QR have one stop flights via DOH, Cathay Pacific via HKG too. 

 

CX at least have a consistent business class product across their long haul fleet with excellent reverse herringbone seating. QR have too many options ranging from paired seats that were MOTR in the early 2000s to world class QSuites. Get a schedule switcheroo and you’re toast 

 

Between HKG being a great airport to connect through, consistency of CX product and Hong Kong being one of my favourite cities it’s a no brainer for me to choose CX in your shoes. Fortunately I’ve only ever flown CX in F and it never disappoints 

I've flown Cathay many times in all four classes and enjoyed each of them. They're an across-the-board solid airline.

[PaulMCO]

You could also consider the non-stop IAD-NRT flight on UA then connect to the *Alliance NH partner.

[Gardyloo]

If you need to purchase a fare (likely for those routes in the peak travel season) then look at using points to get to Toronto or Vancouver, and purchase your long-haul business class tickets with Canadian start/finish points.  You can potentially save thousands over comparable tickets starting and ending in the US.

 

Also check from time to time on this board on Flyertalk - https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/premium-fare-deals-740/ where good deals in premium cabins turn up all the time.  Even if you had to fly someplace off your main itinerary and purchase separate tickets to/from DPS or AKL, you might still save a ton.  

 

Or, if you have plans for more travel during the following year, consider flying to Japan and starting a round-the-world ticket in business class from there, where prices might be cheaper than a simple open-jaw ticket from home to Bali and back from NZ.  In this case you'd fly to Japan (possibly on points - easier than farther south/warmer) and head to Bali, then from New Zealand back to North America.  Go back to work or whatever, maybe use the ticket to bounce around the US, Mexico, Canada or the Caribbean, then before a year's passed (the tickets are good for 12 months) cross the Atlantic to Europe, maybe do a summer cruise there, or head to the Middle East, but regardless end up back in Japan before 12 months is up.  If longhaul travel in premium cabins is your thing, this is a terrific money-saving option.  More info - https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g1-i10702-k7409073-About_round_the_world_RTW_tickets-Air_Travel.html

 

 

Edited February 13, 2019 by Gardyloo

[carolina cruisin]

To be more specific - am booked on Bali to Shanghai cruise in 2020.  Will be departing from Charlotte, NC.  Have opted for air deviation program but would like to know the "typical" routing that Regent provides for this booking

[CruiserBruce]

20 minutes ago, carolina cruisin said:

To be more specific - am booked on Bali to Shanghai cruise in 2020.  Will be departing from Charlotte, NC.  Have opted for air deviation program but would like to know the "typical" routing that Regent provides for this booking

 

Don't know that there is a "typical routing" as there are several ways to get there...Regent would book the one they can get a deal on. This a bit of an unusual sailing route, so probably not a high likelihood that people notice a "typical routing".

[FlyerTalker]

22 minutes ago, carolina cruisin said:

To be more specific - am booked on Bali to Shanghai cruise in 2020.  Will be departing from Charlotte, NC.  Have opted for air deviation program but would like to know the "typical" routing that Regent provides for this booking

 

Sorry, but there is no "typical" routing.  If you are buying cruiseline air, you are at the mercy of the corporate contracts currently in place between Regent and the various airlines.  Also, the specifics of the "deviation program" are critical - will you just go from one set of bulk tickets to another, or will you be buying published fare tickets with Regent as the agent?  No one can answer with certainty.

[FlyerTalker]

3 minutes ago, CruiserBruce said:

Don't know that there is a "typical routing"

 

Just now, FlyerTalker said:

Sorry, but there is no "typical" routing.

 

Great minds think alike?  And post at almost the same time?

[fbgd]

Cruise Air from Charlotte, NC to Bali....God, help you...

[carolina cruisin]

Tks to all for your comments

[terry&mike]

You can pay a small fee to customize your air with Regent, this will allow you to have some say over the routing. Worth every penny. You have to be 330 days or less out.

[FlyerTalker]

2 hours ago, terry&mike said:

You can pay a small fee to customize your air with Regent, this will allow you to have some say over the routing. Worth every penny. You have to be 330 days or less out.

 

Note the word "some".  Meaning you may have some options other than "take it" offering from the cruiseline.  Also meaning that set of options is likely limited to their contracted fares.

 

TANSTAAFL

[roothy123]

I'm back with some questions.  Hopefully the answers might help carolinacruisin as well as me.  As a reminder, I was asking about going from Wash DC area (or possibly Newark, Canada, or wherever!!) to Bali.  We don't have enough Cap One points for both of us to fly business class, but I'm still looking at options, and did query what looked best from DC.  I guess some questions at this (early) stage are these: 

 

In general, is there any advantage to waiting until a little closer (but not a lot closer?) to my flight date of mid-December, or should I just book once I decide on something decent?

 

Is there any advantage (costwise or otherwise) to booking a three stopper ticket (DC to Bali, return from Auckland to DC) versus booking separate segments?  I don't think the airlines have posted their schedules for mid to late Jan., which is when I would return from Auckland. 

 

Just how much difference is there in comfort, meals, service, etc. offered by a codeshare airline versus the airline that's operating the flight?  I know the Asian long-haul companies have a great reputation, but if I find something operated by, say, United or Delta, will I notice a lot of difference, especially in comfort?  Also, why are codeshares often so much more expensive for the same flight as purchasing the flight from the "operated by" airline?  Is it because of U.S. taxes/fees?  Korean Air flights (are they OK?!) through Doha are cheaper than the same flights operated by Delta.  AA flights operated by Cathay are lots more expensive than purchasing the Cathay flights.   

 

Singapore connection time for the flight from Newark to Singapore to Bali is only 50 minutes.  Is that reasonable?    Would it be a mistake to book that flight?  I guess at least with business class, we wouldn't  have to wait 20 minutes while everyone in front of us gets off the plane, but still, it sounds very shaky to me.

 

Is there any risk involved in purchasing from a consolidator?

Edited February 17, 2019 by roothy123
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