Most comfortable time schedule with 1 stop from europe

[Captor]

Hello,

I am planning to fly to Bangkok in October and are considering different options about what airline to chose and what time schedule. 1 stop seems to make me save about 250-300 euro so that will be the option.

I am choosing between Swiss air/Austrian and Quatar. Departure will be Copenhagen.

I am thinking about the time schedule with Quatar. The price is the cheapest but they have the 1 stop in Doha and that means 6 hours + 6 hours flight time. Has anyone tried this? I am thinking it is better to go with Swiss and have the stop in Zurich because that gives schedule 1,5 hour + 12 hour (or about). That means I can sleep (or try to) on the long haul.

When it comes to Quatar I think it will be more difficult to get some sleep because when i fell to sleep it is probably time to land already.

Do you guys have any experience or thoughts about this? Maybe I am thinking totally wrong?

 

Also of course it is important about what time we land in Bangkok and what time to departure on the way home. I like the departures that arrives the next day in the morning so that I get a full day. That means departure is about midnight from BKK and early afternoon from Copenhagen. That is perfect in my opinion.

Both means travel in night time and the next day almost in full.

 

Thanks in advance.

[KhunBENQ]

I have done the mid-east flights with Qatar a couple of times but I am not good in sleeping on planes.

I love to get out ASAP and have the chance to move.

So for ME this was a good option.

12h flights strain me to the max.

 

But of course if you want to sleep, the 10h+ long haul is better.

On the way east to Thailand I preferred to arrive in the morning and fight through the day to overcome jet lag quickly.

 

On the way back to Europe there is basically two options.

One is the late night flight arriving in the morning before noon.

And now quite often you have daytime flights leaving around noon and arrive late in the evening.

Can't tell from experience what is better, but fighting through the day when arriving in the morning is really rough in this direction.

I didn't manage and slept at ridiculous times.

[Captor]

Thank you KhunBENQ

 

Yeah I am not the big sleeper myself on planes but I use to take a light sleeping pill in order to get some sleep at least. And I would hate to wake up shortly after gone to sleep.

 

But I was thinking of this part about NOT sleep at all and coming to Bangkok (or Copenhagen) sleepy as hell. Maybe that will help to overcome the jetlag more quick? If you sleep 8-9 hours when arrive right away. But then at the other hand you wake up in totally wrong time and have to fight with the jetlag anyway, but later on.

 

About flying with Quatar they are not my favorite also because of that they treat the employees so badly. There has been some articles about that in the newspapers here in Sweden. And that is disgusting. But this time I am considering it because there is to much money many to gain.

 

Well, we will see, at the moment I still favor the swiss air haul. But it is interesting what opinion others have. Maybe there is an aspect I haven´t thought about.

[Proboscis]

Take a look at Finnair - flights direct to BKK from Helsinki and prices on business class were good.

[notmyself]

Qatar airways is offering really cheap tickets at the moment because of airspace restrictions imposed by other middle eastern countries. £419 return including the BKK-USM flights when booked direct with the airline.

 

https://www.qatarairways.com/en/homepage.html?cid=DMALL600&a_aid=287ctst&data1=102a029744a658fc52040d76092a07

[adammike]

Turkish have good prices as do Aeroflot and most of the Gulf states, they seem much the same but the timing is a mine field, the length of the stopover and the arrival time in Bangkok(mostly OK) the deal breaker for me is the arrival time back home as I use public transport. Not a problem if you can be picked up.

[dotpoom]

"1 stop seems to make me save about 250-300 euro so that will be the option".

    I was always under the impression that the least number of stops the more expensive the ticlet (2 or 3 stops the cheapest).

   PS. Googleing can give you all the informtion you require.

Edited August 29, 2017 by dotpoom

[adammike]

1 minute ago, dotpoom said:

"1 stop seems to make me save about 250-300 euro so that will be the option".

    I was always under the impression that the least number of stops the more expensive the ticlet (2 or 3 stops the cheapest).

He wants comfortable. 

[Captor]

44 minutes ago, Proboscis said:

Take a look at Finnair - flights direct to BKK from Helsinki and prices on business class were good.

Dear Probiscis

 

I will check Finnair, thanks. Business is to expensive for me but they maybe have good prices in economy as well. I will check, thanks.

[Captor]

38 minutes ago, notmyself said:

Qatar airways is offering really cheap tickets at the moment because of airspace restrictions imposed by other middle eastern countries. £419 return including the BKK-USM flights when booked direct with the airline.

 

https://www.qatarairways.com/en/homepage.html?cid=DMALL600&a_aid=287ctst&data1=102a029744a658fc52040d76092a07

Hi

 

OK, I will check them up in their own webpage. However, I am still not sure I want to travel 6 + 6 hours. Thanks.

[Captor]

38 minutes ago, adammike said:

Turkish have good prices as do Aeroflot and most of the Gulf states, they seem much the same but the timing is a mine field, the length of the stopover and the arrival time in Bangkok(mostly OK) the deal breaker for me is the arrival time back home as I use public transport. Not a problem if you can be picked up.

I have very bad experience of Turkish so I will probably not use them anymore. Aeroflot... are they ok? I have hear bad about them and the airport in Moscau?

[Captor]

36 minutes ago, adammike said:

He wants comfortable. 

Correct! 2 stops is to much. Thanks.

[laocowboy2]

42 minutes ago, notmyself said:

Qatar airways is offering really cheap tickets at the moment because of airspace restrictions imposed by other middle eastern countries. £419 return including the BKK-USM flights when booked direct with the airline.

 

https://www.qatarairways.com/en/homepage.html?cid=DMALL600&a_aid=287ctst&data1=102a029744a658fc52040d76092a07

They also have a special deal that allows you to spend a night or two free in a hotel in Doha I believe. If you have the time, that would take care of the jet lag. Myself, I prefer Emirates, especially  if the plane is an A380.

[Captor]

I try to spend as little time as possible in arabic countries :-)

But I will check Emirates also. Thanks.

[Thian]

I wouldn't fly Qatar because of the ban they are in from their neighbours and so...things can change very fast overthere so i wouldn't trust my flight on it.

 

 

[notmyself]

ARN - BKK return is 3143 SEK (£305.83)

 

[richard_smith237]

The most comfortable option for Economy Class with 1 stop.

 

Without any doubt: Emirates A380

With a stop-off and over-night inside the Airport Hotel, Aerotel which is air-side so no need to exit the airport or pass Immigration etc... (baggage goes all the way though to final destination).

 

I fly BKK to Dubai in the afternoon / early evening.. Stop off for 12 hrs, get 8 hrs sleep at the Airport Hotel, grab a cup of coffee and breakfast, board your flight to the UK stress free and refreshed. The same works well in return. 

 

Been doing it for years, works well with and without kids... even better with kids though, when they sleep on a flight I don't, so I'm tired when they are alert. When then sleep at night in a hotel, so do my Wife and I... makes traveling easy, simple, worry and hassle free... 

 

 

For your purposes OP: It would be worth looking at Whether or not Qatar have an Airport hotel (airside) and if you can spend 8 hours or so there and time your flights accordingly, alternatively there is a Airside hotel in Abu Dhabi (Etihad), and, as I mentioned above, so does Dubai (Emirates).

 

The stop off may be considered by some a time waster, especially for those who simply want to 'get to their destination' howerer, I have found that it makes the journey so easy that fatigue and jet lag are greatly reduced.

Edited August 29, 2017 by richard_smith237

[Captor]

Right! And tyhat is about same with Turkish this days. I think they are vulnerable.

[Rc2702]

I like the 6+6 options if it's a great deal price wise. First 6 hours I will gorge on the entertainment. The 6+6 is great if you have a fast layover time of say 90 mins. 2nd leg just drink a few whiskies and a sleeping tablet.

 

Bon voyage

[nss70]

One thing is certain, DO NOT FLY SWISS. Although their european flights are OK the long haul to BKK is horrendous.

Extremely uncomfortable seats (the short euro flights have better seats, WT#!?), surly flight crew and inedible "food", even by airline standards. By a million miles the very worst flights I've ever had but will never have again.

Quatar are fine (current problems not included), Air France is OK, KLM are quite good as are Etihad. Haven't used Eva Air or Thai for some years but they were also OK back anon.

[GOLDBUGGY]

1 hour ago, Captor said:

Dear Probiscis

 

I will check Finnair, thanks. Business is to expensive for me but they maybe have good prices in economy as well. I will check, thanks.

Travelled once from Poland to Helsinki and after about 4 hour stop over went on to Bangkok. I recall the price was good, but the trip felt like the longest non stop trip in my life. About 17 hurs comes to mind, but I forget if this was the total flights. But I swore I would never do that again. 

[richard_smith237]

9 minutes ago, GOLDBUGGY said:

Travelled once from Poland to Helsinki and after about 4 hour stop over went on to Bangkok. I recall the price was good, but the trip felt like the longest non stop trip in my life. About 17 hurs comes to mind, but I forget if this was the total flights. But I swore I would never do that again. 

 

I have tried Finn Air... Bangkok - Helsinki - London 

 

The flight duration on the long leg... Bangkok - Helsinki was about 10 hrs (less I think)...  and about 3 hrs from Helsinki to London...  At the time there were some excellent business class promotions.

 

I recall the flights were early... meaning we had to get up early and were already knackered before the day time flights took off (both out going and return). 

 

A 40 minute lay over in Helskini kept total travel time down... 

 

 

 

[coconuthead]

30 minutes ago, nss70 said:

One thing is certain, DO NOT FLY SWISS. Although their european flights are OK the long haul to BKK is horrendous.

Extremely uncomfortable seats (the short euro flights have better seats, WT#!?), surly flight crew and inedible "food", even by airline standards. By a million miles the very worst flights I've ever had but will never have again.

Quatar are fine (current problems not included), Air France is OK, KLM are quite good as are Etihad. Haven't used Eva Air or Thai for some years but they were also OK back anon.

 

I bet China Southern would give swiss a run for their money on the most uncomfortable seats.......terrible!.........worse than airasia. 

[NanLaew]

5 hours ago, Captor said:

But I was thinking of this part about NOT sleep at all and coming to Bangkok (or Copenhagen) sleepy as hell. Maybe that will help to overcome the jetlag more quick? If you sleep 8-9 hours when arrive right away. But then at the other hand you wake up in totally wrong time and have to fight with the jetlag anyway, but later on.

I typically can't sleep well even on long haul flights unless I am totally wiped out. Apart from a brief experiment with melatonin, I have never taken pharmaceuticals and gave up flying 'p!ssed class' a while ago. When I was regularly flying direct from the southern US to Europe and on to the mid-east, there was no option except for long first sectors. I would typically have real long day on my last day in the US, sometimes staying up all night so that I was pretty much dozing off at push back from the gate. I never remembered the take-off. I made a point of telling the cabin crew to NOT wake me up for feeding as there was always the second meal, usually breakfast on a trans-Atlantic flight. Oh yes, getting a window seat was handy too since being over 6' in an aisle seat meant getting up for the smaller-bladdered fellow traveler. Pretty much the same applies for non-stops from Bangkok to Europe and back.

 

I haven't tried any of the mid-east carriers to/from Europe yet but the 6+6 does have an appeal as long as the stopover isn't a rush job or much longer than a couple of hours. With regard to jet-lag, the east-to-west is always easier to get over and no matter what I try and do headed west-to-east, the jetlag speed bump is harder.

[NanLaew]

41 minutes ago, Rc2702 said:

I like the 6+6 options if it's a great deal price wise. First 6 hours I will gorge on the entertainment. The 6+6 is great if you have a fast layover time of say 90 mins. 2nd leg just drink a few whiskies and a sleeping tablet.

 

Bon voyage

Imminently sensible. That's the way I would fly (and snooze) it but make it double-scotches and no meds for me.

[Rc2702]

Just now, NanLaew said:

Imminently sensible. That's the way I would fly (and snooze) it but make it double-scotches and no meds for me.

I love flying with the Arab airlines who employ non Arabs.  Drink sir? Whisky please. ON THE LOCK?

 

 

[NanLaew]

41 minutes ago, nss70 said:

Quatar are fine (current problems not included), Air France is OK, KLM are quite good as are Etihad. Haven't used Eva Air or Thai for some years but they were also OK back anon.

Friend of mine swears by Qatar for his twice-yearly pilgrimage to Reading. Air France means dealing with the abortion known as CDG... no thanks. KLM used to be my favorite but their 777's aren't as comfy since they shoehorned more seats in. However, AMS is a much nicer stopover. EVA seems to have a real good rep to Europe and some buddies have started using them from Houston and say it's the best yet. Mind you, United and ANA isn't too hard to beat! Never had a bad flight with THAI... never had an outstanding one either except possibly one of their last, virtually empty, non-stop A340's to LAX where the warm/fuzzy was somewhat diminished dealing with immigration and customs at that dump.

[BuaBS]

6 hours ago, Captor said:

I have very bad experience of Turkish so I will probably not use them anymore. Aeroflot... are they ok? I have hear bad about them and the airport in Moscau?

Aeroflot is good and cheap, Moscow airport much improved and sexy stewardesses . Arriving in the morning in BKK , going back at around 12 midday. Depending on when you fly and seated in the back , there can be many empty seats . Food not good for vegetarians.

Oh and happy to give my money to the Ruskies. They do fly over Afganistan....

Edited August 29, 2017 by BuaBS

[notmyself]

19 minutes ago, coconuthead said:

 

I bet China Southern would give swiss a run for their money on the most uncomfortable seats.......terrible!.........worse than airasia. 

 

Monarch airways! Seats or rather seating are like those minibuses that do the Bangkok to x same day visa runs 7 days a week and they are always full. 

[NanLaew]

1 hour ago, Captor said:

I have very bad experience of Turkish so I will probably not use them anymore. Aeroflot... are they ok? I have hear bad about them and the airport in Moscau?

Aeroflot are not too bad by most accounts and they use Sheremetyevo (SVO) which is undeniably better than the other main airport at Domodedovo (DME). Mind you, transits through either can be a bit stressful during holidays and peak times where SVO can become manic whereas DME is manic nearly all the time. I haven't experienced the third airport at Vnukovo (VKO) yet which seems to be UTAir's hub but it seems to be gaining popularity?