CNX to East Coast US....on American Air & Partners

[KhonKaenKowboy]

I've done the Delta (KE) and UAL (Air China) trips here, but I would like to use some AA miles to get home for Christmas.  Unfortunately AA Computer system sucks and you really can't book tough trips online, and the dingalings at reservations do not have a clue and were actually kind of rude...I was able to reduce it from 65 hours to about 30, and can go on Cathay Pacific....but a 9 hour layover at LAX???  BTW, Dragon Air is their partner, and will get you to Hong Kong....I am willing to start in BKK, if it will make life a lot easier...and I would also like to avoid AA itself...why would anyone fly a two star airline instead of a 4 or 5..for the same money.  Japan Airlines comes to mind.  Any help would be appreciated.  Oh, and would 90 minutes be OK to connect in HKG?

[luther]

I bought a ticket at the Cathay office last year.  CNX to JFK.  I thought the Hong Kong NY portion was nonstop both ways.  It wasn't until I looked at the fine print, that I saw that the outbound leg stopped in Vancouver for 90 minutes.

[KhonKaenKowboy]

Were you allowed off the plane in Vancouver?

[luther]

yes 90 minutes in a little lounge area, free sandwiches in the middle of the night, uhg!

[sqwakvfr]

How about going west instead of west.  Qatar Airways is suppose to start service to CNX sometime this year.  I have done the Dubai to BKK route many times when I was working in the Middle East.  It is between 5 to 6 hours from ME to BKK and around 12 to 14 hours from ME to the east coast of the USA.  If you time it just right then your layover in Doha or Dubai can be short.  Also, Dubai airport is not a bad place for an extended layover or Dubai is a fun place just to spend the night.

[CNXBKKMAN]

Qatar Airways is One World so that could be an option out of CM but it's probably less miles from BKK. Qatar Airways always add a premium onto destinations not served by other major airlines so I am not expecting any bargains out CM until Emirates or Etihad start services if ever.

[jerojero]

Go Qatar if possible. Excellent airline. One of few 5-star rated.

[KhonKaenKowboy]

Yes, I would much rather go west than east to IAD.  Does Qatar fly out of CNX?  I noticed Etihad was a partner as well as Air Jordania...but it is annoying as shitte to speak with AA, as they aren't suggesting any partners.  Next time I will say..basically, I just want to avoid your horrible airline, and would trust the people in the ME more to provide me a working seat and beverages.

[heybruce]

I took Qatar from the the east coast to Chiang Mai at the end of January.  The 14 hour flight from Miami to Doha was in the 777 with the new ten across seating in economy class, adding an extra measure of agony.  The five hour flight to Bangkok was also in a 777 but with nine across in economy.  Unpleasant, but not nearly as bad as ten across. 

 

I also picked up some kind of bug during the flight and was laid up for a week with fever and other symptoms.  I can't prove it, but it seemed the air on the Qatar Air flights was worse (not as well filtered) than on the Korean Air flights I've taken.

 

You can probably check and see what aircraft you'll be flying and maybe what kind of seating configuration it has before committing to a flight.  I intend to do this on all future flights, and to avoid ten across 777's.

 

A couple of links on the subject:

 

http://www.airlinereporter.com/2016/01/777-9-vs-10-abreast-in-economy/

 

http://onemileatatime.boardingarea.com/2015/08/22/qatar-airways-777-economy-going-10-abreast/

Edited March 11, 2017 by heybruce

[KhonKaenKowboy]

8 hours ago, luther said:

 

[jobin]

Korean Air best to USA, esp East Coast.  Gotta luv the 'bi bim bap', short layovers in a fab Incheon lounge, cute but thin trolley dolleys,  near midnight departs from CNX and  arrive ATL next morning 10am.  From ATL good connects to all East Coast ports.

And did i mention the unlimited and free MAX beer both on the plane and in the lounge?

[KhonKaenKowboy]

Yes, but as posted, this isn't about KE, which is a Delta partner...I need to use my American Airlines miles....I think if I start in CNX, they will insist on the Dragon air to HKG, which will either take me to Dallas or LAX..and it is a few hours extra flying.  If I go to BKK on my own...then JAL to Tokyo, then AA (flying 787) to ORD (hate it), then on to Charlottesville.  About 24 hours for that one...Have lounge passes for ORD, too.

[Pepe1]

For my US visits I buy the absolute cheapest BKK to LAX business class, then remain overnight in an LAX airport hotel.  Then the next day to my destination.  You can use those AA miles for the last leg.  My last BKK TPE LAX and return was $2730 business class (lie down flat seats), China Airlines.

[KhonKaenKowboy]

that's about what I paid for 13 round trips...

[Pepe1]

I never heard of much less than $1000 economy class, RT LOS to USA

[heybruce]

30 minutes ago, Pepe1 said:

For my US visits I buy the absolute cheapest BKK to LAX business class, then remain overnight in an LAX airport hotel.  Then the next day to my destination.  You can use those AA miles for the last leg.  My last BKK TPE LAX and return was $2730 business class (lie down flat seats), China Airlines.

CNX to a major east coast hub costs about half that on Korean Air and takes a little over 20 hours.  Many of us will endure econo class and pocket the savings.  Though, as previously mentioned, I will make an effort to avoid Boeing 777's with the ten across seating.  Fortunately the last few times I flew Korean Air it was on Airbus planes.

[WinnieTheKhwai]

On 3/11/2017 at 6:37 AM, luther said:

I bought a ticket at the Cathay office last year.  CNX to JFK.  I thought the Hong Kong NY portion was nonstop both ways.  It wasn't until I looked at the fine print, that I saw that the outbound leg stopped in Vancouver for 90 minutes.

 

Some Cathay flights are via Vancouver, others are direct to JFK.

 

And there are many ways to get to HKG direct from Chiang Mai of course, not just Dragon Air.  (Although when booked as part of a trip to the USA it may be reasonably priced.)

[moe666]

Why do you not just look up who AA flying partners are thisinfo is avaliable on line

[KhonKaenKowboy]

On 3/11/2017 at 5:17 PM, luther said:

Thanks forbyour valuable input, I hope you didn't waste insulin coming up with that contribution.  However, we know who the partners are, but which ones even flying to BKK, let alone CNX is a different matter, and then going on a route to east coast US and obtaining a ticket with frequent flyer miles even more obscure.

[luther]

Figuring out how to get from CNX to NYC, DC, or ATLANTA is tricky.

Almost all flights have a great timetable one way and a horrible one the other direction.

 

If Qatar comes through with CNX – DOHA, there are direct flights on from Doha to the east coast, but I doubt the connections will get you there in less than 36 hours.

 

Flying to the west coast and spending the night is an option, but if you are continuing on from a big east coast city the trip becomes a nightmare.

[KhonKaenKowboy]

And from BKK the flights leave at about 8pm , so that kind of sucks...a three hour layover then on to IAD....but as Bruce said...it  the 777.... not nearly as good for long haul...3,4,3.....sardines.

[CNXBKKMAN]

British Airways and AA work closely together on transatlantic flights so BA BKK to LHR and then BA or AA to IAD.  BA even fly to Baltimore. Any connection less than 24 hours is not classed as a stopover so a long stop in London is a possibility for shopping or whatever. The pound is historically low against the dollar. BA are in the process of squeezing more seats into their aircraft though but if the price/miles is right?

[KhonKaenKowboy]

9 minutes ago, CNXBKKMAN said:

British Airways and AA work closely together on transatlantic flights so BA BKK to LHR and then BA or AA to IAD.  BA even fly to Baltimore. Any connection less than 24 hours is not classed as a stopover so a long stop in London is a possibility for shopping or whatever. The pound is historically low against the dollar. BA are in the process of squeezing more seats into their aircraft though but if the price/miles is right?

A reasonable suggestion...but the flight that connect to Bright Airways from Heathrow to IAD, come from KL, HKG, and The shortest Doha...strange, that I don't see a BA from BKK to Heathrow....KL would be a beast....13:45 to London, then another 8 to IAD.

[BarnicaleBob]

I normally fly Korean Air from CNX to Atlanta, they also have LAX, JFK, and a few other options all with a layover and plane change at Inchon, Korea.   This year I booked a flight through Expedia CNX on Korean Air to Inchon and American Airlines Inchon to Houston and on to Orlando on AA for $1,005.00 round trip cattle class.  If you need to get your AA miles, just let the AA people know at the boarding gate before you board and they will make sure you get your miles. 

[KhonKaenKowboy]

AA is not a KE partner.  I can go online and get a ticket from Charlottesville, VA to CNX for 20 USD...with UAL a tad less if I go through HKG.....but dealing with American is a hassle...so far a 36 hour trip, through LAX, and that is to IAD, which is two hours driving to Negroe Run.

Edited March 14, 2017 by KhonKaenKowboy

[heybruce]

38 minutes ago, KhonKaenKowboy said:

AA is not a KE partner.

Unfortunate for the OP.  KE has the fastest, least miserable economy class to the east coast that I've found.

[KhonKaenKowboy]

I would tend to agree...but IAD-PEK-CNX might just be a little bit faster...but not as nice...the 1 USD beers at PEK are cool, especially if you have have just done that long leg on UAL to PEK, with 6 USD beers....PEK is lower taxes, too.  But there was another Delta alternative that went to Shenzen or somewhere around there...but the taxes were 200 USD for one way.  I think I paid about 63 one way on KAL...and 20 of that is departure tax for Thailand.

[Pepe1]

8 hours ago, KhonKaenKowboy said:

AA is not a KE partner.  I can go online and get a ticket from Charlottesville, VA to CNX for 20 USD...with UAL a tad less if I go through HKG.....but dealing with American is a hassle...so far a 36 hour trip, through LAX, and that is to IAD, which is two hours driving to Negroe Run.

The name Negro Run in the Shenandoah Valley has been changed to Tims River effective Feb of this year.

[KhonKaenKowboy]

1 hour ago, Pepe1 said:

The name Negro Run in the Shenandoah Valley has been changed to Tims River effective Feb of this year.

Not the one in Orange County.  Formerly, Negro Head Run....The Brits decapitated a rapist there.