Which Airlines are Best? (Heading back to America)

[JacobD]

Im hearing reports of being cancelled (though older flight reservations) but my wife told me that she's heard lately from her friends family that they were able to go back to their home (UK, Aussie, America, etc)

 

Im trying to leave on Tuesday to get a chance to leave Thailand before the door shuts (it could be any day now, but my gut feeling says we have another week so want to leave ASAP), so my question is...

 

Anyone happen to have any success on knowing which airline carriers are reliable to fly out? Much thanks

[ThaiBunny]

2 minutes ago, JacobD said:

leave Thailand before the door shuts (it could be any day now, but my gut feeling says we have another week so want to leave ASAP), so my question is...

To my knowledge no country has shut its doors to those who want to leave

[JacobD]

I know there are requirements to come to Thailand (medical insurance + Covid 19 screening certificate) but I doubt there is one for boarding a plan to leave Thailand?

[JohnTJ]

I guess the more pertinent question is whether flights are available, even though Emirates etc seem to have reliable routes available to be booked as of now even if the more common carriers (United, ANA, etc) don't.

 

My original return flight is on ANA in May, but it shows availability for flights this week if I try to change it.

 

Personally I'd much rather layover in Dubai than Tokyo so I might cancel and get a new one with Emirates or Qatar.

[alex8912]

I see already as of now or 3/24 Emirates is NOT flying from Dubai to Newark/ JFK, San Francisco and Ft Lauderdale. Cathay Pacific is pretty much done. Last flight out of Bangkok  is Thursday. They seem to be canceling almost all flights until June 1!!  They have no flights non stop to Boston as of April 4 and most other non stops are over with to USA this week. Maybe LA is ok. They told me 96% of flights are canceled. They send NO e mails telling people anything. I got through to them yesterday. JAL still has flights BKK to Boston and I’m sure other cities with a decent connections. 
Can anyone confirm if you are in Thailand and are USA citizen/ Passport can you transfer in both Dubai and Tokyo?  I believe yes. Also if you has to leave Tokyo or Dubai airport is that possible?  In Hong Kong you can not. There is mandatory 14 day quarantine. I was originally leaving April 17 on Cathay and now looking  mostly at Emirates flights to Boston ideally. It’s 21.5 hours with about 90 minutes in Dubai transit which is good. About $645 one way. I’m just worried if Thailand gets even more rules which may come tomorrow will Emirates and JAL limit flights even more or cancel all flights. I prefer to go back next week March 30 to April 4 instead of this week. 
UGG! 
https://www.emirates.com/english/help/travel-updates/

Edited March 22, 2020 by alex8912

[alex8912]

33 minutes ago, JohnTJ said:

I guess the more pertinent question is whether flights are available, even though Emirates etc seem to have reliable routes available to be booked as of now even if the more common carriers (United, ANA, etc) don't.

 

My original return flight is on ANA in May, but it shows availability for flights this week if I try to change it.

 

Personally I'd much rather layover in Dubai than Tokyo so I might cancel and get a new one with Emirates or Qatar.

See my post I forgot to quote you 

[alex8912]

I wish more Americans with info posted here but could I reach out to any mod??  This thread was moved to Thailand Travel Forum which quite frankly doesn’t seem correct regarding the Corona Virus. Could it be put back in the new Corona section please? 
 

Emirates last flight out of BKK via Dubai to Boston and anywhere is now Wednesday!!  Bangkok was added to there list today. Last flight Dubai to BKK is 23rd of March!! 

[JimLuce]

Unless you absolutely must fly now I’d wait a while if you possibly can wait. I know this sucks because I used to be a frequent flier myself 6 years ago before I retired. 

[Searat7]

Emirates is suspending all passenger flights as of Wednesday

[Darkside Gray]

The best are the ones still flying!

[Bangkok Barry]

21 hours ago, JohnTJ said:

Personally I'd much rather layover in Dubai than Tokyo so I might cancel and get a new one with Emirates or Qatar.

Personally, I'd much prefer Tokyo. Easier to get round, and cheaper. But everyone's different.

[Bangkok Barry]

56 minutes ago, Searat7 said:

Emirates is suspending all passenger flights as of Wednesday

That is not correct. What is your source? Please don't post wrong information that could cause distress and complicate things for others. Emirates website as of now states the following:

 

Emirates will temporarily suspend most passenger operations by 25 March.

Having received requests from governments and customers to support the repatriation of travellers, Emirates will continue to operate flights to the following countries until further notice, as long as borders remain open, and there is demand: the UK, Switzerland, Hong Kong, Thailand, South Korea, Malaysia, Philippines, Japan, Singapore, Australia, South Africa, USA, and Canada. 

Edited March 23, 2020 by Bangkok Barry

[wotsdermatter]

22 hours ago, ThaiBunny said:

To my knowledge no country has shut its doors to those who want to leave

While this may be true, I have posted that on Monday, last week, Canadian date, the Canadian government asked all airlines flying into Canada to assess all passengers flying to Canada to determine if they show any symptoms of the virus and if so not to board the passenger(s) thus detaining them in that country.  Some passengers have failed that assessment and they have been refused boarding in a couple of countries.

'nuf sed. 

[JacobD]

Ive 'heard' that people are able to leave (at least to America) from BKK without any documentations (as I thought it would only be for arrivals). Not a confirmation and would like to hear more on this.

 

In regards to transit in BKK, this I am not 100% sure and I don't want to assume that even with transiting in BKK that there would be a health check. THings change day to day and sometimes rules get fuzzy

[alex8912]

1 hour ago, Bangkok Barry said:

That is not correct. What is your source? Please don't post wrong information that could cause distress and complicate things for others. Emirates website as of now states the following:

 

Emirates will temporarily suspend most passenger operations by 25 March.

Having received requests from governments and customers to support the repatriation of travellers, Emirates will continue to operate flights to the following countries until further notice, as long as borders remain open, and there is demand: the UK, Switzerland, Hong Kong, Thailand, South Korea, Malaysia, Philippines, Japan, Singapore, Australia, South Africa, USA, and Canada. 

In their website yesterday it said inbound to Thailand stops today. Bkk to Dubai last flights tomorrow. Also this thread is about USA. They have canceled flights as of this weekend or already from Dubai to : Newark , JFK, Seattle , Houston , Ft Lauderdale , Orlando , Chicago, San Francisco and I think I’m missing some. I think they consider Thailand’s requests now as being able to suspend flights. My friend had his flight BKK to (somewhere in Europe ) canceled for tomorrow and he got a flight out of Phuket tonight. 
 

Emirates up until yesterday afternoon showed a LONG list of what flights were canceled or would be up until March 29. I read it about 3/4 pm YESTERDAY. 

They have changed from this very detailed list to almost nothing ! 
 

Just try and find flights on Emirates on any of the routes I mentioned starting March 29 or many already done. JFK ends March 24 many other cities are already closed to travel. This is true info. 
 

**Dont be confused with some “ code share “ flights with Thai Air to Dubai. Those will end soon ( most likely ) and they are NOT Emirate flights. They are also astronomically high prices $$$.  I am talking about Emirate flights only as everyone else  is. 
******THIS JUST IN** All flights canceled as of March 25***
https://www.emirates.com/english/help/travel-updates/

Edited March 23, 2020 by alex8912

[Mike Teavee]

2 hours ago, Searat7 said:

Emirates is suspending all passenger flights as of Wednesday

They’ve backtracked & are still providing limited number of flights 

 

“Having receiving requests from governments and customers to support the repatriation of travellers, Emirates will continue to operate passenger and cargo flights to the following countries until further notice, as long as borders remain open, and there is demand: the UK, Switzerland, Hong Kong, Thailand, Malaysia, Philippines, Japan, Singapore, Australia, South Africa, USA, and Canada,” a company statement said Sunday.

 

https://www.cnbc.com/2020/03/22/emirates-airline-to-suspend-all-passenger-operations-by-march-25.html

 

 

[Bangkok Barry]

39 minutes ago, alex8912 said:

******THIS JUST IN** All flights canceled as of March 25***
https://www.emirates.com/english/help/travel-updates/

 

Thanks for the update, posted by them one hour ago. Interesting stuff.

[Ron jeremy]

2 hours ago, wotsdermatter said:

While this may be true, I have posted that on Monday, last week, Canadian date, the Canadian government asked all airlines flying into Canada to assess all passengers flying to Canada to determine if they show any symptoms of the virus and if so not to board the passenger(s) thus detaining them in that country.  Some passengers have failed that assessment and they have been refused boarding in a couple of countries.

'nuf sed. 

I just returned to Toronto from Tokyo 

there were a few questions asked 

they did nothing to stop any person coming to Canada 

they herded the scared people onto the plane

japan had no inclination of keeping sick peoples in their country to treat and to infect  their people!

The captain of the airplane made it clear to the Japanese boarding crew to make sure the boarding passengers kept a safe distance, from each other,when he left it was a free for all, less panic at a Chinese buffet

many many on standby were left in departures 

On the plane not a single flight attendant wore a mask, maybe 30 percent of people wore masks

upon entry into canada

sgain no infrared cameras 

some border officials handing out 14 day self quarantine forms were not even wearing masks

i brought this to the supervisors attention 

Edited March 23, 2020 by Ron jeremy

[buick]

i've got a flight on march 31 BKK-ICN-SEA, first leg is korean, then delta.  i think delta is still flying ICN-LAX also.  i'm still not sure if i'll be taking the flight but it is still scheduled to fly as of now.

 

the korean flight KE660 appears to be flying every day, BKK-ICN.

[JimLuce]

If you get stuck and everything goes to hell Keep this in mind just in case society does fall apart because I’ve had a lot of survival training 20 years ago and if we’re in total survival mode, boil water at 200 degrees Fahrenheit for at least 2 minutes and if there’s no power try to use cedar when selecting your wood burning for your rolling water boil because cedar burns hotter and gets water boiling at a roiling boil within two minutes if you’re being tested lol, and have to do it fast as in a school. But for boiling water use cedar if you can to start your fire. Use a metal pot if you don’t have a cover for your water pot tree bark makes a great cover because it will not burn. There is a crisis currently so everyone keep survival remedies in mind! So we can also keep order if things do go bad.

[dluek]

On 3/22/2020 at 12:30 PM, JohnTJ said:

I guess the more pertinent question is whether flights are available, even though Emirates etc seem to have reliable routes available to be booked as of now even if the more common carriers (United, ANA, etc) don't.

 

My original return flight is on ANA in May, but it shows availability for flights this week if I try to change it.

 

Personally I'd much rather layover in Dubai than Tokyo so I might cancel and get a new one with Emirates or Qatar.

Been checking flights BKK-JFK and BKK-BOS (I'm staying in Thailand, just checking out of curiosity). Emirates was the best option by far for a while, but as of late last night their website had no more flights available for this week. Emirates announced they're grounding virtually all planes on March 25 and other airlines following suit very quickly. For these routes there aren't any great options left if you want to leave this week or anytime in April. I'm seeing stuff like Bangkok-Narita-Los Angeles-Boston via JAL / American, for upwards of 40,000 baht. EVA still flying through Taiwan (though very limited options and long layovers). Hong Kong just announced total airport closure including transit so Cathay is off the table. Korean is still an option I think. Best of luck to anyone making a break for it. 

[SiSePuede419]

On 3/21/2020 at 11:08 PM, JacobD said:

Anyone happen to have any success on knowing which airline carriers are reliable to fly out?

The ones that don't accuse you of stealing a credit card and passport with a picture that looks like yourself and then threatens to cancel your ticket unless you show them your credit card statement?

 

Buying a one way ticket that originated from Asia sets off fraud alarms at Airlines who are afraid of Visa or MasterCard denying them funds.

 

Protip: Pay for the ticket out of BKK with PayPal, which guarantees the airline gets paid, so they won't treat you like a criminal. ????

[new2here]

On 3/23/2020 at 4:52 PM, dluek said:

Been checking flights BKK-JFK and BKK-BOS (I'm staying in Thailand, just checking out of curiosity). Emirates was the best option by far for a while, but as of late last night their website had no more flights available for this week. Emirates announced they're grounding virtually all planes on March 25 and other airlines following suit very quickly. For these routes there aren't any great options left if you want to leave this week or anytime in April. I'm seeing stuff like Bangkok-Narita-Los Angeles-Boston via JAL / American, for upwards of 40,000 baht. EVA still flying through Taiwan (though very limited options and long layovers). Hong Kong just announced total airport closure including transit so Cathay is off the table. Korean is still an option I think. Best of luck to anyone making a break for it. 

I think flying anyone, China Airlines or EVA, via Taipei is going to be problematic for a short while at least, as I’ve read that Taiwan has suspended the ability to even TRANSIT via Taiwan now. 
 

https://www.cdc.gov.tw/En/Bulletin/Detail/_4X1IrBQkPHiaVGm2T2A5g?typeid=158

 

options to the US (via Pacific) appears to be slim at best. Singapores non-stops are out (most are cancelled), Taiwan is essentially closed to transit passengers so EVA and China aren’t short term options, Cathay has little service left (LA and YVR I recall), there’s a few services via China, but to me transiting through anywhere in China is or could be problematic... both Korean and Asiana have made major cuts - but Korean (who has much more US service) still is planning to run some of their US routes, albeit greatly reduced - so KE or OZ might be options (but like Taiwan, transiting through ICN might be problematic in the near term), Both ANA and JAL I think are - today - your best bets for getting out of Thailand and out of Asia to the US.

 

it’s slim pickings for anything going via the pacific as I see it right now and that’s through at least the end of April to as far as end of may.

[JacobD]

I am finally out of Thailand. I am currently in Japan heading to US and its a night and day difference on everything.

 

I had a bit of minute difficulties but they were able to be sorted very easily in Japan. EVERY airport staffer to the gatekeeper to even the actual Japanese IOs were friendly, helpful and open.

 

It wasnt the fake friendliness with some half put smile but a genuine that tried to help me out.

 

Id say the only country that can beat the US with their poor service with airport staffers, IOs is sadly Thailand.

 

I wanted to stay in Thailand but the more I read, it seems that Thai IOs are getting more aggressive and less helpful. Its too much of a risk to be placed in a country where im totally dependant on the IOs sorting through my paperwork.

 

Then there is of course that im simply a 'farang' and I sense the xenophobia has increased lately. What happens when food gets very low and the 'men pen rai' attitude loses steam?

 

America will go through its mess and I sense a police state is at the door, but ill take my chances than being some farang begging some IO in Thailand who would break down in tears if he came with that same attitude in most places in the world.

 

 

 

[JacobD]

Also to add what some others are saying..IF you want to get out..I would too suggest it ASAP like today or tomorrow.

 

Who knows, but this could be the last week to leave in a while.

[JacobD]

Forgot to add, Japan Airlines was good for me. The Japanese carriers I think are getting to LAX/DFW to connect towards the western cities