New Air Canada link from Vancouver to Bangkok an aviation first, will boost American arrivals

[alex8912]

1 hour ago, Bangkok Barry said:

I think you'll find that the US banned THAI as their maintenance doesn't meet US standards.

Oh. Never mind then. I'll take my stopover instead! 

[KhunBENQ]

3 hours ago, alex8912 said:

It's 15 hours and 55 minutes by schedule. . Someone somewhere made the 13 hour flight mistake. 
it is IMPOSSIBLE for a commercial flight to fly from Vancouver to Bangkok in 13 hours!!!

I was answering to the question about return (eastward) and that IS 13:05 by schedule.

Not sure what your excitement is.

[Photoguy21]

Hate to mention this but Canada and America are different countries.

[jacko45k]

4 hours ago, alex8912 said:

You must have to enter Canada go through customs get your bags then get to possibly another terminal , check your bags again, go through Canadian customs again and wait for flight. A lot of wasted time. 

I thought only the USA put people through that nonsense!

[Khyron]

I looked at this flight back in September for a February trip. The price was $906 from Sacramento. That is an unbelievable price from our medium size airport with only one stop.

Unfortunately work scheduling made it impractical. I am flying with EVA, been with them since 1994, and they have only gotten better.  I have a friend from work who booked it in January for $980 from Sacramento, if he likes it, then I will do this next time.

[whaleboneman]

7 hours ago, alex8912 said:

You couldn't pay me enough to fly China airlines on a long haul flight.  Also with the times you quoted I bet some of the layovers are just an hour or so. If your first flight is a little late you may not make the second flight. From the east coast Boston and NYC have similar flight times maybe about 21 hours going 19 1/2-20 going back with a layover. I did Cathay BOS to Hong Kong ( 15-151/2 hour) then Hong Kong to BKK ( 2 ish hours ) several times. There is something about just getting there that I find attractive. I always have an aisle seat to get up and walk around. Emirates going the other way was great but now they have less flights Dubai to BKK. I agree with you the international transfer when doing Seattle to Vancouver is not convenient at all. You must have to enter Canada go through customs get your bags then get to possibly another terminal , check your bags again, go through Canadian customs again and wait for flight. A lot of wasted time. 

I believe your bags would be checked through to Thailand and YVR main terminal is for all international flights-no need to change terminals.

[PDP11]

whaleboneman is correct. I fly very frequently through Vancouver. Coming from the US, your baggage checks through. You follow US to Int’l connection signage and scan your passport to get into the International departures area. No additional security either.

 

On return to the US, you follow transit signs and clear USA customs / immigration in Vancouver (and clear security again due to TSA rules). Again, bags check through. If you connect to a domestic Canadian flight, you go through a different transit hall with dedicated Canada immigration / customs separate from the main immigration / customs. MUCH faster. As for security, you bypass it depending on your origination point. Come from the US / UK / EU and you skip it. No idea on Thailand but I would guess Canada doesn’t consider Thailand “high security”. This is all determined by scanning the origination boarding pass. 
 

All this said, I live near Vancouver and won’t use this flight on my Thailand trips. I’ve had bad luck with AC on delays / cancellations, this flight (if you originate in Vancouver) carries a hefty price premium, and finally departure is near midnight with an early morning arrival in BKK. OK if you have a home to go to but a PITA if you’re going to a hotel as you can’t check in for many hours. Give me JAL through Narita: reliable, great service, cost effective, and good departure / arrival times. Of course, if you fly to Vancouver from a North American city that doesn’t itself have nonstops to other Asian cities, this makes the trip one connection vs. two. 

[JimGant]

On 12/5/2022 at 1:16 PM, Photoguy21 said:

Hate to mention this but Canada and America are different countries.

Eh?

[Captain Monday]

On 12/4/2022 at 7:31 PM, hotchilli said:

A direct flight, so why would it stop in US ?

It does not. Passengers originating from US transit YVR just as they would other West Coast hub airports. Departures to Asia  are usually timed to leave after 10:50 AM so they can even accommodate connecting passengers who come from East Coast airports.

Edited December 9, 2022 by Captain Monday

[zzaa09]

On 12/4/2022 at 2:58 PM, alex8912 said:

The flight from Vancouver to BKK is 16  to 16 1/2 hours. More bad reporting.  
There simply aren't enough people to travel this route even in high season. It will fail. The Thai air New York City to BKK and even Los Angeles to BKK flight should be started again. They were always filled and the airplanes have become more modern and light weight since these routes seized operation. I heard in the past that it's cargo that really makes the $$ on these routes but maybe the new planes can carry more now. I for one prefer a non stop 17 hour flight from New York to Bangkok. Singapore air does daily 18 hour flight NYC to Singapore with no economy seats. Just premium economy and Business. Thai air or someone else should follow this model. Singapore air prices for premium economy are excellent. 

Probably not a non-stop at all - which is rare for west coast points to BKK. 

More than likely an Asian stopover. 

 

 

[Celsius]

On 12/5/2022 at 9:18 AM, alex8912 said:

That amount is insane for economy!  
I'd rather take much longer fly Turkish Air Vancouver to Istanbul to Bkk and do a night or two in a hotel in Istanbul ( cheap and way more comfortable than Business class ) and do the same the way back. See an incredible city each way or just sleep a lot. Probably $1500 ish including Istanbul hotel. $2580!!! Come on! I'm sure Cathay with one connection in Hong  Kong was much cheaper than that but they might not be running yet. 

I just took Cathay from Toronto. It cost me $2500 USD 1 way business class. The most important thing....it was on time.

 

Yes. I'd avoid air Canada too and wouldn't even pay half of the quoted price for their direct cattle class flight.

[LomSak27]

On 12/6/2022 at 11:25 AM, PDP11 said:

All this said, I live near Vancouver and won’t use this flight on my Thailand trips. I’ve had bad luck with AC on delays / cancellations, this flight (if you originate in Vancouver) carries a hefty price premium, and finally departure is near midnight with an early morning arrival in BKK. OK if you have a home to go to but a PITA if you’re going to a hotel as you can’t check in for many hours. Give me JAL through Narita: reliable, great service, cost effective, and good departure / arrival times. Of course, if you fly to Vancouver from a North American city that doesn’t itself have nonstops to other Asian cities, this makes the trip one connection vs. two. 

Air Canada is like Qantas, I like both, except when I have to fly them. Still if going via Vancouver, why not fly Cathay Pacific?! CP is expensive but less than half of the new AC direct flight. Hopefully with the pandemic restrictions all dropped they will keep improving the Amtrack Cascade local link. Makes Vancouver an easier option for northwest flyers.

[alex8912]

2 hours ago, Celsius said:

I just took Cathay from Toronto. It cost me $2500 USD 1 way business class. The most important thing....it was on time.

 

Yes. I'd avoid air Canada too and wouldn't even pay half of the quoted price for their direct cattle class flight.

My last trip before corona I flew Boston to BKK round trip via a free stopover to Hong Kong in Premium economy for $1380USD on Cathay. 

Edited December 10, 2022 by alex8912

[zzaa09]

I might remind the good patrons of this forum that within the airline industry the long time jargon will be defined as:

 

Non-Stop. Just what it implies.....no stops.

Direct. One or two stops [transfers] before one's final destination.

[scorecard]

On 12/5/2022 at 9:04 AM, alex8912 said:

You couldn't pay me enough to fly China airlines on a long haul flight.  Also with the times you quoted I bet some of the layovers are just an hour or so. If your first flight is a little late you may not make the second flight. From the east coast Boston and NYC have similar flight times maybe about 21 hours going 19 1/2-20 going back with a layover. I did Cathay BOS to Hong Kong ( 15-151/2 hour) then Hong Kong to BKK ( 2 ish hours ) several times. There is something about just getting there that I find attractive. I always have an aisle seat to get up and walk around. Emirates going the other way was great but now they have less flights Dubai to BKK. I agree with you the international transfer when doing Seattle to Vancouver is not convenient at all. You must have to enter Canada go through customs get your bags then get to possibly another terminal , check your bags again, go through Canadian customs again and wait for flight. A lot of wasted time. 

Transfer times are nowadays sometimes quite short.

 

I did a special Covid- 19 flight Sydney to S'pore, trsfr at Changi then S'pore to Bkk. (Full service AUD620-)

 

Scheduled transit time at Changi was 25 minutes. 

 

Team of ground staff at Changi waiting when the a/c door opened. All very well organized.

 

Before landing several announcements and a printed handout that duty free shopping was not permitted on this transit and any purchases would not be allowed into the next cabin. 

 

Before landing purser checking all documents for the next leg of the flight.

 

Cabin crew moving very quickly to get everything from o'head lockers and from seatback pockets, all ready to move quickly. Where needed a cabin crew member carried any loose items to the outside of the a/c and then, with passenger alongside them did hand over of cabin bag stuff and the passenger to a ground staff then quickly start moving to next gate.  

 

Three bigger size golf carts waiting, ground team quickly/politely getting older folks onto the golf carts and making them comfortable and quickly departing for next boarding gate.

 

Other ground team members helping the rest of the passengers with cabin bags etc., quickly moving to next gate. Document check done smoothly as passengers were getting seated on next aircraft.

 

Team of 2 waiting for me at a/c door on arrival with a wheelchair. All pllanned, I was in the w/chair within 15 seconds and started moving to next gate. As we were moving the 2nd ground staff was showing me my cabin bags and asking 'Is this everything?' On the next a/c within 5 minutes.

 

Before door closed on second a/c a ground staff supvr came on board and politely announced he had done a check and confirmed that all check-in bags has been transferred and confirmed there had been a check of every seat/seatback pocket to ensure nothing left on the first a/c. 

 

A/c moved away just less than the 25 minutes scheduled time. 

 

Typical of S'pore airlines, all well planned and well executed. Full marks.

 

 

[alex8912]

4 hours ago, zzaa09 said:

I might remind the good patrons of this forum that within the airline industry the long time jargon will be defined as:

 

Non-Stop. Just what it implies.....no stops.

Direct. One or two stops [transfers] before one's final destination.

I think British use direct a lot but they mean non stop?  It's very confusing. Even direct to me means you make a stop but then continued on the SAME airplane. But non stop is really correct for " no stopping " seems pretty easy. For most people  if it's one stop or two stops it means a transfer. Not the same plane. 

Edited December 10, 2022 by alex8912

[Blumpie]

On 12/5/2022 at 9:25 PM, PDP11 said:

whaleboneman is correct. I fly very frequently through Vancouver. Coming from the US, your baggage checks through. You follow US to Int’l connection signage and scan your passport to get into the International departures area. No additional security either.

 

On return to the US, you follow transit signs and clear USA customs / immigration in Vancouver (and clear security again due to TSA rules). Again, bags check through. If you connect to a domestic Canadian flight, you go through a different transit hall with dedicated Canada immigration / customs separate from the main immigration / customs. MUCH faster. As for security, you bypass it depending on your origination point. Come from the US / UK / EU and you skip it. No idea on Thailand but I would guess Canada doesn’t consider Thailand “high security”. This is all determined by scanning the origination boarding pass. 
 

All this said, I live near Vancouver and won’t use this flight on my Thailand trips. I’ve had bad luck with AC on delays / cancellations, this flight (if you originate in Vancouver) carries a hefty price premium, and finally departure is near midnight with an early morning arrival in BKK. OK if you have a home to go to but a PITA if you’re going to a hotel as you can’t check in for many hours. Give me JAL through Narita: reliable, great service, cost effective, and good departure / arrival times. Of course, if you fly to Vancouver from a North American city that doesn’t itself have nonstops to other Asian cities, this makes the trip one connection vs. two. 

Yep you sound like a seasoned flyer like me.

I prefer ANA, JAL, and even Korean Airlines over Air Canada.  They are pretty grim and they arrival times / departure times are something that all travellers should consider.  

Arriving in Thailand at noon in the heat, confusion, and stench is not ideal.

And of course going back, well, we all know the effects of jet lag all too well.

[alex8912]

3 hours ago, Blumpie said:

Yep you sound like a seasoned flyer like me.

I prefer ANA, JAL, and even Korean Airlines over Air Canada.  They are pretty grim and they arrival times / departure times are something that all travellers should consider.  

Arriving in Thailand at noon in the heat, confusion, and stench is not ideal.

And of course going back, well, we all know the effects of jet lag all too well.

I don't get it. Do you walk from Suvarnabhumi to central Bangkok? Most take an air conditioned meter taxi. They have good A/C and they don't smell. Confusion? I don't get that either. How is it any different at 10am or 4 pm or 8 pm etc? 

[Blumpie]

2 hours ago, alex8912 said:

I don't get it. Do you walk from Suvarnabhumi to central Bangkok? Most take an air conditioned meter taxi. They have good A/C and they don't smell. Confusion? I don't get that either. How is it any different at 10am or 4 pm or 8 pm etc? 

Because you cannot check in that's why.  

[spidermike007]

While any direct flight from North America is good progress, not sure how many Americans will avail themselves of this. I fly from LA. Vancouver, or Taipei for a connection, is about the same for me. Perhaps even a longer flight through Vancouver.  LA To Bangkok would be a whole different thing. But, with Thai Air, it would be overpriced. Would need other airlines to offer it. I know they tried it before, and there was not enough demand. That would likely be the case now, perhaps to more of an extent. 

[GypsyT]

How about non-stop SFO to Saigon by Vietnam Airlines?

Only about $ 1100

Air Asia etc have cheap BKK to SGN flights.

 

https://www.vietnamairlines.com/en-us/flights-from-san-francisco-to-ho-chi-minh-city

[tai4de2]

This might be compelling for Canadians but I doubt there’s really enough demand from Canadians to sustain this route even seasonally…
 

…Because I don’t think this will be particularly compelling for Americans. There’s still a flight connection so going via YVR doesn’t offer a sufficient time savings.
 

Plus there’s strong competition. EVA, China Airlines, JAL, ANA, Korean, Asiana, Cathay Pacific (well, whatever’s left of them), Malaysia, Singapore, others like Philippine Airlines, and some airlines going via Middle East or Europe, all with one-stops to BKK from numerous USA airports, all similar total flight times to going via YVR. (Well OK Singapore and Malaysia are a few hours longer.)

 

So actually the AC flight enters what looks like quite a crowded field, contrary to the warm and fuzzies in the article. 

Edited December 13, 2022 by tai4de2

[Hanuman2547]

Good for Air Canada for trying to make this work.  We'll see how it goes.  Right now from the US west coast there is a lot of competition from many different airlines.  EVA, China, Korean, Asiana, JAL, Singapore, etc. seem to have it pretty well locked up. Don't think a lot of Americans will be heading north of the border if they live on the west coast.  Maybe some east coast people might make a go of it.  Personally, I prefer EVA.  An after midnight departure followed by a 13.5 hour flight during which I sleep a big chunk of it.  Two hour layover in Taipei and then a 3.5 flight to BKK arriving around 10:30 or 11:30am.  I'm going straight to my house so don't have the hotel check in issue that some people have.