Qatar Airways to east coast usa

[luther]

I wonder if anyone has sussed this out.  The nonstop flight to Doha is 400 USD.  The Doha flight to Dulles is 800.  But if you plug this into their website you get routed through Bangkok.

 

[Mekong Bob]

Qatar's CNX flights to Doha will be launched in December.

[kalbo123]

Checked randomly a flight to Amsterdam in February 2018, price 31.000 baht, flight down, 18 hours, back, 21 hours.

 

 

[lexilis]

Does Qatar offer a Premium Economy section? If so that will be a great way to get to the US east coast.

[KhunBENQ]

Flights supposed to start on Dec 7 and are NOT daily.

Wed, Fri, Sun if I see correct.

So if you enter random dates you might still be routed through Bangkok.

And beware of ridiculous transfer times that they will offer online without a "warning".

 

Also it seems that from CNX to Dulles (Washington, IAD) there is no proper connection, just huge transfer times in DOH.

On return the connection is fine (22 hours).

 

I have tried all nine US east/central/southeast destinations and it really looks like the there is not a single outbound connection from CNX having acceptable transfer times.

Total flight times from 36 hours up to about 45 hours.

[JimGant]

Quote

I have tried all nine US east/central/southeast destinations and it really looks like the there is not a single outbound connection from CNX having acceptable transfer times.

Total flight times from 36 hours up to about 45 hours

Saw on Expedia an Emirates, with a connecting Bangkok Airways from CNX to BKK, that had a total time of around 27 hours to IAD. I've flown Qatar, Emirates, and Turkish airlines to Dulles, with no exorbitant connecting time at their hubs. But, admittedly, I started in Bangkok. However, my favorite out of CNX is Korean, with only a three hour transit time at Inchon -- and about 22 hours total travel time (as you're going with the jet stream). Don't know what the cheap seats look like, however, as I'm too old now to fly coach.

[KhunBENQ]

1 hour ago, JimGant said:

However, my favorite out of CNX is Korean, with only a three hour transit time at Inchon

Sure there are plenty of good connections westward via Korea or Japan from Bangkok.

But that was not what the thread starter was interested in.

Many might have hoped that the Qatar nonstop from CM to Doha would offer useful connections to the US.

It doesn't.

And the flight is a seasonal flight ending in March.

 

 

[JimGant]

Quote

Sure there are plenty of good connections westward via Korea or Japan from Bangkok.

---and from CNX, as I just elaborated on. Yeah, sad Qatar doesn't appear to have any decent connections to IAD from CNX. But, it's possible the OP didn't know the best way (timewise, anyway) from CNX to IAD is via KAL. Sorry to thread creep away from the Qatar, KhunBEN.

[KhunBENQ]

53 minutes ago, JimGant said:

---and from CNX, as I just elaborated on.

I stand corrected.

I was not aware about the connection to Seoul.

Of course this is a good route from Chiang Mai to the US.

[Ricardo]

On 10/10/2017 at 7:59 PM, KhunBENQ said:

And the flight is a seasonal flight ending in March.

 

 

The good news is that Qatar have now loaded flights, onto their booking-engine, from April through to next winter !

 

They plan to maintain the 4-times-weekly schedule through the summer, but with a smaller A319 instead of the winter-season direct wide-body A330-200, and for the A319 they're scheduling a tech-stop in RGN on the DOH-CNX diection, but not for CNX-DOH.

 

Flights in summer arrive at 08.50 and depart at 09.50, for the winter season they're arriving 06.00 and departing 07.10, an early-start but at-least not 0-dark-hundred !

 

The main business will IMO be inbound-tourists, but hopefully the local expat-community will also support these flights, provided they don't over-price it. 

 

The convenience of travelling to Europe (or the rest of their network) on a Skytrax 5-star airline via the Gulf, without having an extra domestic-connection down to Bangkok to re-check-in & clear Immigration there, is something which I (for one) welcome !

[CMBob]

On 9/30/2017 at 10:59 AM, KhunBENQ said:

I have tried all nine US east/central/southeast destinations and it really looks like the there is not a single outbound connection from CNX having acceptable transfer times.

Total flight times from 36 hours up to about 45 hours.

Quite acceptable times from here (CNX) to Chicago via Korean Air (21h, 25m , with about 22h, 10m,  on the turn-around).  Am not sure about flights to San Fran or Seattle (think there are long layovers going from here to US) but flights to and from Atlanta only add another half hour or so.

Edited December 16, 2017 by CMBob

[chingmai331]

"as I'm too old now to fly coach."  What, in a wheel chair, in pampers?  

 

Not too old, only now have more disposable money, coz there is little time left to spend it, and why deplane in USA all tired and cramped.  I'd go First Class too, but i'm younger. 

[Ricardo]

Cathay Pacific can also be quite convenient heading Eastwards from CNX, my son's flights connect in HKG to Vancouver, with only a 1-hour stopover.  Pity they're a bit pricy !

[canthai55]

One I always fly - for another option - 

EVA Air - Depart BKK 1620 TPE layover 2:40 Arrive YVR 1920 Premium Economy $1900 Cdn return

Total time - 18 hours

 

Edited December 16, 2017 by canthai55

[JimGant]

Quote

Not too old, only now have more disposable money, coz there is little time left to spend it, and why deplane in USA all tired and cramped.  I'd go First Class too, but i'm younger. 

Indeed. All those years we "oversaved" to be on the safe side. Now in our 70's, we're a little peeved at our conservatism -- and all those extras we gave up to insure a solid retirement. No kids, no expenses over our monthly retirement checks. And medical expenses mostly covered by Tricare. No, our overly large nest egg will outlive us -- and our 'never show' nieces and nephews are currently slated to inherit. Now trying to figure out how Charley, our yellow Lab, can get most of it. Meanwhile, we'll continue to pamper ourselves.

 

[Note: Flew first class on United for many years -- for free -- as the wife had 32 years seniority as a stewardess. Always (mostly) got up front -- until a few years back, when United (wisely) decided to give priority to frequent revenue fliers. But, the first class experience ain't that much more, and even less, when compared to our Emirates flight in business on their upper deck A380.]

[Mark1066]

16 hours ago, Ricardo said:

 

The good news is that Qatar have now loaded flights, onto their booking-engine, from April through to next winter !

 

They plan to maintain the 4-times-weekly schedule through the summer, but with a smaller A319 instead of the winter-season direct wide-body A330-200, and for the A319 they're scheduling a tech-stop in RGN on the DOH-CNX diection, but not for CNX-DOH.

 

Flights in summer arrive at 08.50 and depart at 09.50, for the winter season they're arriving 06.00 and departing 07.10, an early-start but at-least not 0-dark-hundred !

 

The main business will IMO be inbound-tourists, but hopefully the local expat-community will also support these flights, provided they don't over-price it. 

 

The convenience of travelling to Europe (or the rest of their network) on a Skytrax 5-star airline via the Gulf, without having an extra domestic-connection down to Bangkok to re-check-in & clear Immigration there, is something which I (for one) welcome !

I can't see how it helps really. It takes longer to fly with Qatar Airways and stop at Doha on the way to Heathrow, for example, than it does to fly to BKK and then take a direct flight with British Airways to Heathrow.

[Ricardo]

4 hours ago, Mark1066 said:

I can't see how it helps really. It takes longer to fly with Qatar Airways and stop at Doha on the way to Heathrow, for example, than it does to fly to BKK and then take a direct flight with British Airways to Heathrow.

 

1. Cost      Qatar are often cheaper

2. Quality  Qatar are very-definitely better than BA, where I fly in Economy, at-least.  BA are 4-star/5-out-of-10 on Skytrax, Qatar are 5-star/8-out-of-10.

3. Choice  Qatar connect in the Gulf direct to a wide range of European-destinations

4.  Avoiding re-checking-in in BKK, which now adds (for me) 4-hours+, compared to being on an international-flight immediately one takes off from CNX.  OK you can buy a single-ticket, at a higher-price, I don't.

 

If you're flying out of CNX heading East (to the USA) then you have CathayPacific & Korean, plus the various Chinese airlines (with dubious connections).  But if you're flying West, then nothing, until now.

 

If we're ever going to have improved-connections Westwards, that means via the Gulf, and this is our big chance.

Edited December 17, 2017 by Ricardo

[Ricardo]

14 hours ago, Ricardo said:

Cathay Pacific can also be quite convenient heading Eastwards from CNX, my son's flights connect in HKG to Vancouver, with only a 1-hour stopover.  Pity they're a bit pricy !

 

Just spotted a report that Cathay will start direct non-stop to IAD/Dulles from HKG in 2018  ...

 

http://onemileatatime.boardingarea.com/2017/12/13/cathay-pacific-washington-dulles/

 

Hope it may help the OP or others ?

[chingmai331]

This thread is (meant) to be all about getting to East Coast USA, not western canada so plz omit those cheap flights to yvr, etc. Who on earth wants to go to vancouver in the winter, from Thailand?

[Ricardo]

14 minutes ago, chingmai331 said:

This thread is (meant) to be all about getting to East Coast USA, not western canada so plz omit those cheap flights to yvr, etc. Who on earth wants to go to vancouver in the winter, from Thailand?

Quite correct, my son flies from YVR to CNX, to visit over Christmas.  But then has to fly back again.

 

The point surely is that it benefits us, here in Chiang Mai, if we have better flight-options East or West, and don't have to fly down to Bangkok first.  And many of us have visitors in winter, don't we ?

 

This became more of an issue, at least for me, when they stopped being friendly about letting us interline in BKK and clearing Immigration up here.

 

 

[canthai55]

31 minutes ago, chingmai331 said:

This thread is (meant) to be all about getting to East Coast USA, not western canada so plz omit those cheap flights to yvr, etc. Who on earth wants to go to vancouver in the winter, from Thailand?

Another option - don' t want - don' t go

[sirineou]

Last September me and my wife  flew with Turkish airlines from NYC  to  Istanbul  from Istanbul to Athens, spend a week in Greece then flew back to Istanbul caught a connecting flight to BKK , Pend Three weeks in Thailand and then we returned to NYC with a connection in  Istanbul again. All for $1042 each, Comfortable planes good service

. Wife came back to Thailand a couple of weeks ago with AVA   had to wait 4 hrs in Taipei but she liked that itinerary because the flight arrives in BKK 10 am and she can easily catch a flight    to BKK where all the other airlines arrived in the evening and she would have to spend the night in BK before continuing to Khon Kaen

[canthai55]

What I like about EVA. Arrives BKK 1130. On to CNX easy

[bubba]

On 16/12/2017 at 6:25 PM, JimGant said:

Indeed. All those years we "oversaved" to be on the safe side. Now in our 70's, we're a little peeved at our conservatism -- and all those extras we gave up to insure a solid retirement. No kids, no expenses over our monthly retirement checks. And medical expenses mostly covered by Tricare. No, our overly large nest egg will outlive us -- and our 'never show' nieces and nephews are currently slated to inherit. Now trying to figure out how Charley, our yellow Lab, can get most of it. Meanwhile, we'll continue to pamper ourselves.

 

[Note: Flew first class on United for many years -- for free -- as the wife had 32 years seniority as a stewardess. Always (mostly) got up front -- until a few years back, when United (wisely) decided to give priority to frequent revenue fliers. But, the first class experience ain't that much more, and even less, when compared to our Emirates flight in business on their upper deck A380.]

UA are in the process of a total upgrade to their business class, which they call Polaris. From the looks of it, they will definitely give Emirates a run for their money.

 

http://view.ceros.com/united/polaris-business-class/p/1

 

I have not flown on Polaris, but I did visit their Polaris lounge at ORD as I was connecting through on an ANA business class fare and that qualified for Polaris lounge. I have to say it was the best business class lounge I have visited, and that includes Emirates, Singapore, and a lot of others. Not only is there a high quality buffet, but they have waiter service with menus at tables. For beverages, there were six red wines and six white wines available, craft beer and top shelf spirits. Shower rooms were nice and they even have private toilets. There are also private cubicles with a lounger and strangely enough - a white noise generator!

[WinnieTheKhwai]

On 12/17/2017 at 6:56 AM, Ricardo said:

 

Just spotted a report that Cathay will start direct non-stop to IAD/Dulles from HKG in 2018  ...

 

http://onemileatatime.boardingarea.com/2017/12/13/cathay-pacific-washington-dulles/

 

Hope it may help the OP or others ?

 

I saw that too, but the flight gets in at 10:20pm.  That makes it extremely difficult to get a connection anywhere else, or even to drive places after renting a car.   So will have to keep flying into JFK, where you can arrive in the morning.

 

(There are a few things I avoid at all costs on US trips and one of those is spending a night at a hotel near major airports.  The other thing is cross country domestic flights.)

 

1 hour ago, bubba said:

UA are in the process of a total upgrade to their business class, which they call Polaris. From the looks of it, they will definitely give Emirates a run for their money.

 

Will they change all their staff too?   Because that's an even bigger challenge they have, and the main impediment to an enjoyable trip.

Edited December 22, 2017 by WinnieTheKhwai

[Ricardo]

7 minutes ago, WinnieTheKhwai said:

I saw that too, but the flight gets in at 10:20pm.  That makes it extremely difficult to get a connection anywhere else, or even to drive places after renting a car.   So will have to keep flying into JFK, where you can arrive in the morning.

 

(There are a few things I avoid at all costs on US trips and one of those is spending a night at a hotel near JFK or IAD..  The other thing is cross country domestic flights)

 

That makes eminent sense to me too, although at least the CNX-end has convenient mid-morning or mid-afternoon flights, depending upon which day of the week one flies ?

 

 

Edited December 22, 2017 by Ricardo