Current best airline Los Angeles to Bangkok

[elgenon]

I have been flying EVA between LA and BKK. Currently no flights. EVA had decent prices, good service, good equipment, PE and about the shortest total travel time.

 

Does anyone know of an airline currently flying that route they could recommend?

[Jeffr2]

This is a pretty good search engine.

https://www.skyscanner.co.th/transport/flights/bkkt/lax/220111/220119/?adultsv2=1&cabinclass=economy&childrenv2=&inboundaltsenabled=false&outboundaltsenabled=false&preferdirects=false&priceSourceId=&priceTrace=202111111252*I*BKK*LAX*20220111*uair*UA|202111111252*I*LAX*BKK*20220119*uair*UA&qp_prevCurrency=USD&qp_prevPrice=785&qp_prevProvider=ins_month&rtn=1

 

And this one:

https://www.kayak.co.th/flights/BKK-LAX/2022-01-11-flexible-3days/2022-01-20?sort=bestflight_a

 

Best to check several different dates.  Not all airlines fly every day now.  So searching on just a specific date might miss some other options.

[ubonjoe]

Moved to the travel forum.

[sqwakvfr]

The word "best" might be difficult to narrow down.  In the last year I have flown the following airlines on the BKK-LAX-BKK route.

 

1, Korean. Very good in all aspects and transit in Incheon was fine.  More expensive than other options.

2. Singapore. No major complaints but  transit at Changi is like being in jail for 7 hours.  Transit passengers are restricted inside of the THA(Transit Holding Area).  A cordoned off part the Terminal where food and drink options are limited unless you order food delivery($20 for a cheeseburger, no thanks).  The cost was lower than Korean

3. ANA.  So far my favorite.  Great value and great cabin service.  Transit in both Narita and Haneda were fine.  It was a joy to enjoy an Asahi while waiting for connecting flight while in the terminal.  The beer was only 120 yen so I had two.  

 

In the past I have flown EVA from CNX to LAX and back.  These were the good old days when I could take an international without having to go to BKK.  I would book with EVA again but since I have to leave from BKK I will probably go with ANA again early next year. 

 

 

[Sticky Rice Balls]

Man I miss EVA.....was my go to...gonna try Singapore air next week and the prison transit--attica!

[sqwakvfr]

6 minutes ago, Sticky Rice Balls said:

Man I miss EVA.....was my go to...gonna try Singapore air next week and the prison transit--attica!

The THA is like a nice private jail.  The Changi "guards" smile and are pleasant.  When it's time to go to your gate we all had to line up and be escorted by one of the "guards".  Our group walked in a single file line.  I resented this type of experience only because of my over 20 years in Law Enforcement.  I got flashbacks when I transported prisoners to the Los Angeles County Jail.  Others might not care about the Changi THA experience.  This reason alone makes me want to pay more to fly with ANA next year.  

[Willy Wombat]

7 minutes ago, sqwakvfr said:

The THA is like a nice private jail.  The Changi "guards" smile and are pleasant.  When it's time to go to your gate we all had to line up and be escorted by one of the "guards".  Our group walked in a single file line.  I resented this type of experience only because of my over 20 years in Law Enforcement.  I got flashbacks when I transported prisoners to the Los Angeles County Jail.  Others might not care about the Changi THA experience.  This reason alone makes me want to pay more to fly with ANA next year.  

Thanks for the info re Changi.

To your knowledge . Are the Business lounges open to transit passengers? Or are they stuck in ‘Changi jail’ too ?

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

1 hour ago, elgenon said:

I have been flying EVA between LA and BKK. Currently no flights.

 

EVA has long been my go-to carrier for LAX-BKK flights.... But it's been months since I checked on them, once the government in Taiwan adapted a no-international air transit thru Taipei for non-Taiwan nationals policy.

 

Am I hearing from you guys, that policy is still in effect even now, and thus no ability still to fly BKK to LAX on EVA?

 

[elgenon]

30 minutes ago, sqwakvfr said:

The word "best" might be difficult to narrow down.  In the last year I have flown the following airlines on the BKK-LAX-BKK route.

 

1, Korean. Very good in all aspects and transit in Incheon was fine.  More expensive than other options.

2. Singapore. No major complaints but  transit at Changi is like being in jail for 7 hours.  Transit passengers are restricted inside of the THA(Transit Holding Area).  A cordoned off part the Terminal where food and drink options are limited unless you order food delivery($20 for a cheeseburger, no thanks).  The cost was lower than Korean

3. ANA.  So far my favorite.  Great value and great cabin service.  Transit in both Narita and Haneda were fine.  It was a joy to enjoy an Asahi while waiting for connecting flight while in the terminal.  The beer was only 120 yen so I had two.  

 

In the past I have flown EVA from CNX to LAX and back.  These were the good old days when I could take an international without having to go to BKK.  I would book with EVA again but since I have to leave from BKK I will probably go with ANA again early next year. 

 

 

I have been taking EVA to Bangkok. You know they normally fly there?

 

How long are the layovers for ANA and Korean. And how long from there to BKK?

 

In the good old days the flight on Korean was a little over $500 and you got a free flight after about 4. The last time I flew them I picked up an Asian Wall Street Journal while waiting for liftoff and there was a story about the founder and his son being indicted for falsifying airplane maintenance records. They are better now.

 

I stopped flying Japanese and Korean airlines because Cathay had a 1 hour layover and less than 3 hour flight to BKK. When Cathay started falling apart I switched to EVA which was bad when I tried them before Cathay. Now they are better. IMHO. Plus I am nervous since China cracked down on Hong Kong.

[Jeffr2]

https://travelbans.org/asia/taiwan/

 

From what I've read, no transit allowed.

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

37 minutes ago, sqwakvfr said:

3. ANA.  So far my favorite.  Great value and great cabin service.  Transit in both Narita and Haneda were fine.

What model of jet is ANA typically using for the long-haul segments -- Japan-U.S.?

 

And, how's the legroom and seat characteristics for their economy seat layouts on those flights?

 

[elgenon]

1 hour ago, Jeffr2 said:

This is a pretty good search engine.

https://www.skyscanner.co.th/transport/flights/bkkt/lax/220111/220119/?adultsv2=1&cabinclass=economy&childrenv2=&inboundaltsenabled=false&outboundaltsenabled=false&preferdirects=false&priceSourceId=&priceTrace=202111111252*I*BKK*LAX*20220111*uair*UA|202111111252*I*LAX*BKK*20220119*uair*UA&qp_prevCurrency=USD&qp_prevPrice=785&qp_prevProvider=ins_month&rtn=1

 

And this one:

https://www.kayak.co.th/flights/BKK-LAX/2022-01-11-flexible-3days/2022-01-20?sort=bestflight_a

 

Best to check several different dates.  Not all airlines fly every day now.  So searching on just a specific date might miss some other options.

Thanks

[elgenon]

7 minutes ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

 

EVA has long been my go-to carrier for LAX-BKK flights.... But it's been months since I checked on them, once the government in Taiwan adapted a no-international air transit thru Taipei for non-Taiwan nationals policy.

 

Am I hearing from you guys, that policy is still in effect even now, and thus no ability still to fly BKK to LAX on EVA?

 

For a time Thailand banned anyone coming from Taiwan because of Covid so couldn't fly EVA.

 

Now I don't see EVA has any flights from LAX to BKK.

 

Remember what Asean Now said. About 80% of the international airlines' airport slots have been returned to Thailand.

I think the other Taiwanese international airline does but is not nearly as good.

[ourdon]

EVA was my go-to also.  They may ease up in the new year.  Hard to say as some new versions of the Delta variant seem to be popping up.  TPE does not allow transitioning travellers and won't until they review at year end.

 

The only airline I found that works with almost direct flights (transit through Singapore) to Phuket is Singapore Air  I think you could end up ok with a flight out of SFO to phuket or Bangkok,  The flights out of the US have much less layover time than the ones out of Canada.

 

 

Edited November 13, 2021 by ourdon

[WhiteBuffaloATM]

So no American or Thai airlines even mentioned…. between BKK & LAX…. no service or just bad ?careful Korean Air doesn’t overfly Russia again ….understandably no mention of Malaysian Air…….

US airlines a potential nightmare…. passengers treated like meat….getting abused, manhandled and pulled off flights to accomodate staff !

[thaivisareader]

2 hours ago, Jeffr2 said:

This is a pretty good search engine.

https://www.skyscanner.co.th/transport/flights/bkkt/lax/220111/220119/?adultsv2=1&cabinclass=economy&childrenv2=&inboundaltsenabled=false&outboundaltsenabled=false&preferdirects=false&priceSourceId=&priceTrace=202111111252*I*BKK*LAX*20220111*uair*UA|202111111252*I*LAX*BKK*20220119*uair*UA&qp_prevCurrency=USD&qp_prevPrice=785&qp_prevProvider=ins_month&rtn=1

 

And this one:

https://www.kayak.co.th/flights/BKK-LAX/2022-01-11-flexible-3days/2022-01-20?sort=bestflight_a

 

Best to check several different dates.  Not all airlines fly every day now.  So searching on just a specific date might miss some other options.

 

[thaivisareader]

Cathay Pacific had the best departure & arrival times both ways but now only Tuesdays BKK/LAX.

Customer service says back to twice per day next year. maybe?

[grin]

EVA was always my first choice especially after they started direct flights from TPE to CNX. ANA is my second choice so I will be flying them SFO to BKK (Codeshare UAL) next week.

[sqwakvfr]

3 hours ago, Willy Wombat said:

Thanks for the info re Changi.

To your knowledge . Are the Business lounges open to transit passengers? Or are they stuck in ‘Changi jail’ too ?

Don't know about the Airline lounges but the Ambassador Lounges were closed but the transit hotel was open.

 

3 hours ago, elgenon said:

How long are the layovers for ANA and Korean. And how long from there to BKK?

 

ANA was 1.5 hours to LAX and 3 hours to BKK.  Korean was 7 hours to LAX and I don't recall on the way back.

 

3 hours ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

 

EVA has long been my go-to carrier for LAX-BKK flights.... But it's been months since I checked on them, once the government in Taiwan adapted a no-international air transit thru Taipei for non-Taiwan nationals policy.

 

Am I hearing from you guys, that policy is still in effect even now, and thus no ability still to fly BKK to LAX on EVA?

 

I checked EVA for January 2022 and no flights from BKK to LAX. Things might change?

 

3 hours ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

What model of jet is ANA typically using for the long-haul segments -- Japan-U.S.?

 

And, how's the legroom and seat characteristics for their economy seat layouts on those flights?

 

B777-300 ER

[KhunBENQ]

3 hours ago, elgenon said:

How long are the layovers for ANA and Korean.

JAL shortest total time (20:45), shortest layover 1:25.

Hopefully not too short.

 

Consider the arrival times.

JAL arriving late night (23:45).

For Singapore there is a connection 22:25 -> 11:10 with short layover of 1:30.

 

I don't know the exact timing of the RT-PCR tests on arrival (waiting time in hotel).

Check the details/reports.

Just remember reading that after 18:00 (6 PM) no more tests done.

Edited November 13, 2021 by KhunBENQ

[elgenon]

18 hours ago, ourdon said:

EVA was my go-to also.  They may ease up in the new year.  Hard to say as some new versions of the Delta variant seem to be popping up.  TPE does not allow transitioning travellers and won't until they review at year end.

 

The only airline I found that works with almost direct flights (transit through Singapore) to Phuket is Singapore Air  I think you could end up ok with a flight out of SFO to phuket or Bangkok,  The flights out of the US have much less layover time than the ones out of Canada.

 

 

Thanks

[elgenon]

Does anyone have experience with China Air they can share?

[elgenon]

19 hours ago, sqwakvfr said:

The THA is like a nice private jail.  The Changi "guards" smile and are pleasant.  When it's time to go to your gate we all had to line up and be escorted by one of the "guards".  Our group walked in a single file line.  I resented this type of experience only because of my over 20 years in Law Enforcement.  I got flashbacks when I transported prisoners to the Los Angeles County Jail.  Others might not care about the Changi THA experience.  This reason alone makes me want to pay more to fly with ANA next year.  

Are you saying ANA is more expensive than Singapore? Isn't Singapore rated #1 in the world? wow

[elgenon]

18 hours ago, WhiteBuffaloATM said:

So no American or Thai airlines even mentioned…. between BKK & LAX…. no service or just bad ?careful Korean Air doesn’t overfly Russia again ….understandably no mention of Malaysian Air…….

US airlines a potential nightmare…. passengers treated like meat….getting abused, manhandled and pulled off flights to accomodate staff !

Many years ago I flew an American airline. Terrible flight, terrible service. Fewer flight attendents. They only served two meals. We actually stood in line to the gallery to get a sandwich. The actual flight was like a roller coaster and many people got sick. I was near the lavatories and the stench was horrific.

[elgenon]

15 hours ago, KhunBENQ said:

JAL shortest total time (20:45), shortest layover 1:25.

Hopefully not too short.

 

Consider the arrival times.

JAL arriving late night (23:45).

For Singapore there is a connection 22:25 -> 11:10 with short layover of 1:30.

 

I don't know the exact timing of the RT-PCR tests on arrival (waiting time in hotel).

Check the details/reports.

Just remember reading that after 18:00 (6 PM) no more tests done.

Thanks. Valuable info.

[alex8912]

I saw flights from New York City to BKK from Eva on line last week starting Jan 1 ( so maybe for LA too, but someone else mentioned you can't transit through at Taipei? So not sure how that would work.  Also no one has mentioned that  EVA has great premium economy class if you don't want to fork over so many $$$. 

[Tracyb]

Consider Qatar.  The flight is a bit longer but the stopover in Doha allows time to stretch and relax.  If your flying business class, Qatar outshines them all.

[Sticky Rice Balls]

On 11/12/2021 at 10:05 PM, sqwakvfr said:

The THA is like a nice private jail.  The Changi "guards" smile and are pleasant.  When it's time to go to your gate we all had to line up and be escorted by one of the "guards".  Our group walked in a single file line.  I resented this type of experience only because of my over 20 years in Law Enforcement.  I got flashbacks when I transported prisoners to the Los Angeles County Jail.  Others might not care about the Changi THA experience.  This reason alone makes me want to pay more to fly with ANA next year.  

thanks for the warning....good cop/bad cop?    Ive been to jail b4 so i can see how it compares....and my layover is on 90 mins thank god--no time for the "yard"

[Sticky Rice Balls]

47 minutes ago, alex8912 said:

I saw flights from New York City to BKK from Eva on line last week starting Jan 1 ( so maybe for LA too, but someone else mentioned you can't transit through at Taipei? So not sure how that would work.  Also no one has mentioned that  EVA has great premium economy class if you don't want to fork over so many $$$. 

confirmed--now I really miss EVA as i always used them from LAX...layover in TPE for a nice FREE shower......but seem they are still on lockdown there..sadly

[Sticky Rice Balls]

5 hours ago, elgenon said:

For Singapore there is a connection 22:25 -> 11:10 with short layover of 1:30.

 

that would be me...anyone else going so we can secretly wing for each other going into the hunger games?  i will be a newbie on Sing..as Im usually with EVA