Thai Air Econ Or Eva Evergreen Deluxe For Lax-bkk?

[kburn]

hi! first post here but i've been reading for quite a while. lots of great info here.

it's only about $40 more for Eva Evergreen Deluxe from L.A. to Bangkok then Thai Air and it seems like the way to go. the Eva flight has the bigger seat and everything but stops in Taipei taking about 8 hours longer. Thai Airs flight's nonstop and i can get the miles with Star Alliance which is nice.

my question is has anyone here taken these two different flights for comparison and is the better class seat on Eva worth the longer non-direct flight with no frequent flyer miles? also who's got the best service, food, entertainment, etc. i've read that Evergreen Deluxe is great with a 38" seat pitch but i've also read that Thai Airs A340-500 is pretty roomy in economy with a 36" seat pitch.

any input is appreciated.

thanks

[cdnvic]

hi! first post here but i've been reading for quite a while. lots of great info here.

it's only about $40 more for Eva Evergreen Deluxe from L.A. to Bangkok then Thai Air and it seems like the way to go. the Eva flight has the bigger seat and everything but stops in Taipei taking about 8 hours longer. Thai Airs flight's nonstop and i can get the miles with Star Alliance which is nice.

my question is has anyone here taken these two different flights for comparison and is the better class seat on Eva worth the longer non-direct flight with no frequent flyer miles? also who's got the best service, food, entertainment, etc. i've read that Evergreen Deluxe is great with a 38" seat pitch but i've also read that Thai Airs A340-500 is pretty roomy in economy with a 36" seat pitch.

any input is appreciated.

thanks

The past reviews of EVA on this website have almost unanimously been favourable. However, the new A340-500 is probably one of the most comfortable and quiet aircraft you will find. Also, you get a direct flight with no intermediate airport as the 345 has the range to make the trip without refuelling.

cv

[britmaveric]

8hr lay over would put me off. I'd go with TG, if all things were equal then I wouldnt hesitate with to go with EVA.

[jdinasia]

80 hours more for a $40 difference in price?

I have flown EVA and Thai ... not that route

I enjoyed EVA more ... but for 8 hours less I'd be right in the Thai seat with no issue

[Carmine6]

Are you booking directly on the Eva Air website? I've seen that long a layover with Expedia, but not directly with Eva in an LAX-BKK itinerary, but maybe I fly different days of the week than you're lookiing at.

I'm pondering the same decision myself, although with only an hour layover on Evergreen Deluxe. The Airbus A340-500 is a double aisle with 2-4-2 seating in economy. I think I can deal with that for a 2 hour savings in flight time both ways. Plus the flights land earlier in BKK and leave later, so it almost adds a day.

I have flown Evergreen Deluxe on that route and it's pretty pleasant. The seats are like a domestic business class seat and the service level is a notch up. They are wide and recline enough that you can actually sleep pretty well. I like the service on Eva Air better (economy vs. economy), but really the seat is the big difference.

If you have long legs or otherwise really need the larger seat, then go with Eva. Otherwise, get the mileage and bear with Thai economy. By the way, if you travel to Asia enough, Eva is generally much cheaper and it's easy to earn status with just a few trips.

[jdinasia]

ooops my above post should say "8 hours more"

[daradara]

Eh.

[aughie]

Four trips on a Star Alliance carrier LAX to BKK should earn you a free ticket LAX to BKK. I'd fly Thai Air.

Edited April 17, 2006 by aughie