Flights from the US West Coast to Chiang Mai recommendations

[connda]

I have family planning to fly to Chiang Mai in November from both Los Angles, CA and Seattle, WA.  They are asking me for flight and carrier recommendations.  Considering I have not made that transit in 10 years, I don't have a lot of information to offer them.  So with that said, can anyone make recommendation for flying from the US West Coast into Chiang Mai in either economy or economy plus.

[sfokevin]

Check out EvaAir... They make one stop at Taipei (Which is their hub) which is a nice 1/2 way stop where they usually give you enough time to pop into a VIP lounge to take a shower... There website is great and allows you to book premium economy seats that are very good...

[pgrahmm]

To & from CNX-SFO we've found China Southern has some convenient schedules with about a 3 hour layover in each direction....As we were waiting to board SFO - CNX there was another flight boarding for LAX....

We've used them for South Korea - Paris - and 2x to US....We've found favorable scheduling, new equipment, good service, on time record/schedules, fair leeway for baggage weights, & ok in flight food....

My wife was surprised we pushed back 10 minutes late....

[OneEyedPie]

EVA are a good airline, no doubt.  I've travelled in economy, premium economy and business many times.

 

My only caveat is the pricing difference between economy and premium economy (which can surely be attributed to many airlines with both classes).  There's obviously quite a markup on premium economy for not a lot of difference.  You'll receive the exact same catering as cattle class so essentially you're paying for a larger seat in a smaller cabin.  I was going to say quieter too, but you never know until you're on board (think screaming baby, for example).

[OneEyedPie]

47 minutes ago, sfokevin said:

Check out EvaAir... They make one stop at Taipei (Which is their hub) which is a nice 1/2 way stop where they usually give you enough time to pop into a VIP lounge to take a shower... 

I've never been to TPE on EVA but, just out of interest, do they allow premium economy passengers to use the showers in the EVA lounge at TPE?  Surely not economy class passengers as there'd be quite a long queue.  

[utalkin2me]

Eva is good, but there are 500 dollar rt flights right now. Not on eva. Those will be 1000. 

 

I do not find the better airlines nearly worth it. Sometimes the better airlines have sales though. BUt going with a cheaper chinese airline you lose maybe 5% but it is half the price.

 

My general feeling is cheap flights the seat and leg room are the same. On the better flights the food and service is a little better but that means very little to me. 

Edited May 10, 2019 by utalkin2me

[jmd8800]

Cathay Pacific also flies CNX to the West Coast USA. I flew them once a few years ago and the planes were nice, and service was good. A 5 star airline. The only issue I had was going through a security lane was painfully slow with one lane of 3 open. If my next flight had not of been delayed I would have missed it. I had an hour plus layover if I remember correctly.

[Bill97]

KAL


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[elektrified]

Korean Air 100%. Complete comfort, planes are new, service among the best I have seen. Very competitive fares.

[Dante99]

7 minutes ago, elektrified said:

Korean Air 100%. Complete comfort, planes are new, service among the best I have seen. Very competitive fares.

Yes now that they finally got the "Nut Lady" back in her cage.

[KhunBENQ]

EVA, Korean and Cathay are also connecting from Seattle (among others).

 

 

[Puchaiyank]

I had a different experience with China Southern...rude disgusting behavior from Chinese passengers...

 

Worst episode...Chinese man next to me took his warm face wash cloth...dropped his pants to his ankles and proceeded to clean his genitalia with the face cloth...

 

Not good for family consumption... 

[sqwakvfr]

I am flying on Singapore Airlines to LAX from CNX. 

This will be the second time on this route.  This time I paid $1450 USD. 

 

1. CNX to SIN on Silk Air(departs at 1130. 5 hour layover in SIN)

2. SIN To LAX(non stop) SQ 38 on the A350-900ULR-Premium Economy

 

On the return just the reverse.   Probably the most expensive but for the money the most enjoyable way to fly 15 hrs nonstop.  I have done the same route with Cathay Pacific and Eva.  Eva was the lowest price and overall the service was good($800).  Cathay Pacific costs more but the service was not great($1200).

 

KAL does not fly everyday from CNX(check their website and the flight to ICN departs right before midnight).  I prefer to stay away from mainland Chinese Airlines.  

Edited May 11, 2019 by sqwakvfr
Spelling

[gamb00ler]

Since I'm also interested in flying to CNX from US I checked flight durations from LAX and SFO.  The best connections have durations of 19h 35M from either LAX or SFO using EVA.  From SEATAC the shortest duration is an hour less with a longer stop in Taipei, also on EVA.

[OneEyedPie]

12 hours ago, Puchaiyank said:

I had a different experience with China Southern...rude disgusting behavior from Chinese passengers...

I search price comparison sites daily looking for the best deals from London to Bangkok and Air China et al regularly come in at extremely competitive prices but I just can't risk what might be in store regardless of savings.  That also includes any Indian, Sri Lankan or Russian airlines [Russian primarily due to the higher potential of nose-diving into the ground].

 

Our minimum requirement of a basic level of common courtesy and respect for fellow passengers will never align.  

[holy cow cm]

Cathay Dragon CNX - Hong Kong Cathay Pacific - SFO or LAX. 

Korea air CNX - Seoul - LAX.

Eva Air is a good Airline. Depending on what route Cathay can slip on food which makes the whole journey tolerable. My last flight SFO -Ho g King had the best food I would consider restaurant star quality. But the Hong Kong - SFO was barfable and my daughter did I fact do that on landing. 

 

China Eastern is actually ok too. No complaints 

 

[lannarebirth]

On 5/10/2019 at 5:34 AM, elektrified said:

Korean Air 100%. Complete comfort, planes are new, service among the best I have seen. Very competitive fares.

Does KAL still have the 10 hour layover in Incheon?

 

I won't fly a Chinese airline but Eva being Taiwanese is quite good. I actually like the 2 hour layover in Taipei. It breaks up the trip and give you time to stretch your legs.

[lipflipper]

EVA for their safety record, service and prices. I payed $838 for my flight from CNX to SFO but I booked six months in advance. I have flown with EVA since 1988 and never had any type of issue, i.e. Lost luggage, cancelation, bad service

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[PBR STREETGANG]

To and from CNX, I use Hong Kong as my hub for flying.  There are layovers, but there are more carriers and better deals to be had.