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[folium]

Need to get to Mandalay, Burma.

seems I have 2 options, possibly 3

1. Fly CNX-YGN and then on to Mandalay on Air Bagan (and yes, I am aware that the owner is best mate of Than Shwe, before anyone launches into that, and I need a half decent airline)

2. Fly to BKK the on to Mandalay via Yangon (flying 2 legs on AA)

3. This is the potentially interesting one. Is it possible to cross the border at Mae Sai and then fly from Tachilek to Mandalay? Both Air Bagan and Myanma Airways fly this route (have no intention of flying the latter having flown it in Burma Airways days, probably the scariest flights of my life). So while it seems possible, what is the score of crossing over at Mae Sai/Tachilek? I am on a multiple-entry visa but am unsure as to whether or not I can get a Burmese visa good for Mandalay at the border.

Can anyone enlighten me on this?

Also is the airport at Tachilek functioning post the earthquake?

[folium]

If anyone else is looking to follow a similar route, I have just been informed that there is a 4th option of getting from CNX to Mandalay, if a little convoluted.

China Eastern fly CNX to Kunming and from there the same airline has flights to Mandalay.

[el jefe]

If anyone else is looking to follow a similar route, I have just been informed that there is a 4th option of getting from CNX to Mandalay, if a little convoluted.

China Eastern fly CNX to Kunming and from there the same airline has flights to Mandalay.

Did you find out if the 3rd option is possible with a Burmese visa obtained in advance?

If you decide to fly via Kunming, you should check if you need a Chinese visa or if they will let you pass through "in transit".

[vagabond48]

If anyone else is looking to follow a similar route, I have just been informed that there is a 4th option of getting from CNX to Mandalay, if a little convoluted.

China Eastern fly CNX to Kunming and from there the same airline has flights to Mandalay.

Did you find out if the 3rd option is possible with a Burmese visa obtained in advance?

If you decide to fly via Kunming, you should check if you need a Chinese visa or if they will let you pass through "in transit".

If you do need a Chinese tourist visa and have a US passport, you can tack on another 4600B to the cost.

[folium]

Looks like option 3 is sadly a non-starter. Feedback from the Chiang Rai forum:

"It is not possible to enter from Tachilek and travel through the country to Mandalay.

Visa's are required to enter Burma( Myanmar) via Rangoon(Yangon). Entering via Tachilek , passports are

kept at the Tachilek border immigration office and only allow up to 14 days admittance and not exceeding

300km inland. This information was passed to me last year but maybe things have changed . Best to check

with the Embassy as to the requirements as of now."

The Kunming (CNX-KMG-MDL) option would require an overnight stay and still unclear if transit visa available.

Looks like Option 1 CNX-YGN-MDL, or Option 2 CNX-BKK-YGN-MDL are the only feasible options, unless anyone else has a better idea.

[el jefe]

Looks like option 3 is sadly a non-starter. Feedback from the Chiang Rai forum:

"It is not possible to enter from Tachilek and travel through the country to Mandalay.

Visa's are required to enter Burma( Myanmar) via Rangoon(Yangon). Entering via Tachilek , passports are

kept at the Tachilek border immigration office and only allow up to 14 days admittance and not exceeding

300km inland. This information was passed to me last year but maybe things have changed . Best to check

with the Embassy as to the requirements as of now."

The Kunming (CNX-KMG-MDL) option would require an overnight stay and still unclear if transit visa available.

Looks like Option 1 CNX-YGN-MDL, or Option 2 CNX-BKK-YGN-MDL are the only feasible options, unless anyone else has a better idea.

That's certainly correct if you enter Tachilek without a pre-arranged visa. I was curious if you could get a 30 day Myanmar visa in Bangkok (or elsewhere) and enter via Tachilek to take that flight.

The info above isn't totally correct as there are other entry points into Myanmar besides Yangon (or at least there were 3-4 years ago) but all require a visa in advance and none are convenient to CM.

I guess the advice to check with the Embassy is spot on since the requirements change so frequently.

[folium]

Looks like Option 4 is viable and there is no Chinese visa expense. See the attached from feedback on LP's Thorn Tree forum:

"you don't need a Chinese visa for this at all, not even a transit visa. The time frame of 22:00 - 08:55 falls within the 24 hour allowable limit. Have your MU tickets for both segments purchased and confirmed. MU should be able to assure you this is all OK. Most Chinese airlines are up-to-speed on the regulations.

Upon arrival in KMG, you'll go to immigration and get that special stamp which allows Transit Without Visa (TWOV) privilege. It will not cost you anything. This is not a "transit visa" so don't get confused. You can get a hotel overnight outside the airport---I'm not aware of any transit/sleeping rooms at KMG and they may even flush everybody out of the terminal in the wee hours, or corral you into a certain area. See if sleepinginairports.com has any insight.

You need to get that Myanmar visa in advance. The MU check-in staff in CNX as well as Chinese immigration in Kunming will almost certainly be looking for it. "

So looks like CNX-KMG on MU is doable, taking the evening flight to KMG, staying the night (there are 2 hotels right opposite the airport, one the wonderfully named Airport Sightseeing Hotel) and then either the morning or midday flights to MDL, both within this 24 hour stipulation.

[bangkok blue]

When I last looked at flying CM - KMG with China Eastern Air it was about 12,000Bht!!!

[WinnieTheKhwai]

When I last looked at flying CM - KMG with China Eastern Air it was about 12,000Bht!!!

LOL.. They might as well give their customers the finger. Same same.

Clearly this is not a serious airline.

[folium]

No, it's known as running a business for profit.

No other airline flies that route so they will charge whatever the market can bear (similar to Bangkok Airways on the BKK-REP route).

If you want to get to KMG from CM, there's this flight or the overland route. Good old capitalism 101.

[WinnieTheKhwai]

No, it's known as running a business for profit.

No other airline flies that route so they will charge whatever the market can bear (similar to Bangkok Airways on the BKK-REP route).

If you want to get to KMG from CM, there's this flight or the overland route. Good old capitalism 101.

And then there is Air Asia, who are the only airline who fly to KL, or fly from Phuket to Chiang Mai, for a reasonable price.

[folium]

No competition= high cost

Lots of competition= low cost

Wish AA would start up CNX-KMG flights to bring down the price, but that's life.

If you don't like the price don't fly the route. If no one flies the route China Eastern has a simple choice (and one that AA does on many routes that do not generate sufficient revenue), either drop the route or drop the price.

Anyway, as ever a post seems to be degenerating into a banal squabble. Either contribute to the conversation or don't. If there's nothing more to add let the post slip into the archives to help other people who might have a similar question in the future.

[vagabond48]

When I last looked at flying CM - KMG with China Eastern Air it was about 12,000Bht!!!

It would be nice if you provided more specifics.

I booked a flight for my GF this past February leaving CM 2 days later. The price was 7600B.

I am in China right now and just booked a flight back to CM 2 months in advance for 1100Y or about 5060B (4.6B to 1Y). Not AA dirt cheap but reasonable.

[el jefe]

No, it's known as running a business for profit.

No other airline flies that route so they will charge whatever the market can bear (similar to Bangkok Airways on the BKK-REP route).

If you want to get to KMG from CM, there's this flight or the overland route. Good old capitalism 101.

And then there is Air Asia, who are the only airline who fly to KL, or fly from Phuket to Chiang Mai, for a reasonable price.

If only the business world was that simple, Winnie.

I'm a big fan of Air Asia but the reason for their relatively cheap flight to Phuket is that if they raised their price, customers would find another way to get there. Bangkok Air will get you there with a short stop in Bangkok, for example. The purpose of Air Asia's CNX-KUL flight is to get passengers to their hub in KL. For all I know they might even fly that route as a loss leader.

China Eastern can, and should, charge as much as they can to get you to KMG. Do you have an alternative way of getting there without quadrupling the travel time?