Flights from US to Asia: Which airline to book?
 

We are planning a trip to Vietnam in November. Our travel agent is recommending either China Southern Airlines or Eva Air. The China Southern Air flights are cheaper and they both are way cheaper than Cathay Airlines. Has anyone had any experience on either of these airlines?

Flew Eva but it was biz class for a biz trip. The whole experience was good. Have no insight into (my usual) cattle class for that one.

Well what do you need or want? The price differences are there for a reason and that is Cathay is rated one of the best in the world, Eva is rated well and China Southern is mediocre. You get what you pay for. If cost isa big factor then go with CS. If you can afford Cathay go for that or pop for something in the middle like Eva.

jacketwatch and BigRuss Thanks for your responses. We are going Business Class on which ever airline we choose. There is a $1300 difference between Southern China Air and Eva. My travel agent is convincing me to save the $1300 per ticket. What am I giving up by going with either one of these vs. Cathay? Safety is my biggest concern obviously!!

Skytrax has EVA air as a 5* carrier or the same rating as Cathay so for that much less it seems like a no brainer to take EVA. You can look at the ratings for yourself below. If you can get business class on EVA for $1300.00 less than Cathay then I would go for that in heartbeat.
http://www.airlinequality.com/

If safety is your main consideration, then you can google around and see the ratings for the three airlines. Another important aspect for me is whether the seats lie flat for sleeping. Cathay certainly has flat seats in business class, but I am not sure about the other two airlines.

I have flown Cathay business class several times, and I find it to be wonderful. You basically get your own cubicle with a comfy duvet, and the service is impeccable. It is truly my favorite airline, so I am of the opinion that if you can afford it, you should go for it.

Another alternative would be to fly one of the lower priced airlines for the outbound, and Cathay for the return. That way, you can enjoy the free restaurant in the lounge with made to order dim sum and ramen, and you can try the atrium-like showers. OK, I admit it, I like when my flight gets delayed so I can spend more time in the lounge, lol.

I agree about getting a lie flat seats. The website link I provided can provide that information to you.

If it were me - and it isn't - I'd opt for EVA Air. I think it is worth saving some money over Cathay Pacific, even if Cathay is more renowned for their service. If you want comfort and service, I'd avoid China Southern and the other China Airlines.

jacketwatch and Kathie and CliforniaLady Thanks. I have been told that on both China Southern and EVA they both have fold down beds in business class. I think I mis- communicated that EVA is $1300 more than China Southern. Cathay is like $4000 more than EVA and $5300 more than China Southern.

Hmmm. The latest reviews on the link above for China Southern are really good. Its rated a 4* carrier and I read the first three pages or about 30 reviews. All but one rated it 8-10/10 with only one at 4. A few say it has improved quite bit. Knowing that then to save $1300.00 per person is quite tempting. I would probably do it. Good luck.
Larry. :).

So it's 4k more for Cathay versus EVA? That would have to be some awfully good dim sum in the lounge to justify that.

Now that I know the differential, I would opt to either of the other two--but I would, as I said earlier, google around for safety records. There are charts that show the number of incidents per year, as well as on time statistics.

Another consideration is the schedules. Which carrier has a better connection in HKG to wherever you are going in Vietnam? The transit line is a mess in HKG--you have to go through security when you are transiting, even though you are not leaving the airport. The time I went from HKG to Hanoi, the line was snaking for about an hour, and I barely made my flight.

Oh silly me, I just realized the other two carriers may not be transiting through HKG on your way to Vietnam. Well, look at the flight schedules anyway. Some people like to leave at night, some people early in the morning--so that may be a deciding factor.

Look at Japan Airlines through Tokyo. That's what I am flying next Feb. to and from Hanoi. We are in business class, but it is award tickets. I don't know wha the cost into buy

Also look into ANA, the other Japanese airline. They may fly to Vietnam also from Tokyo.

use flyertalk.com to see what travelers say about the airlines.

Well, I slept perfectly well on EVA and the service was exactly what I expected - attentive, pleasant, efficient.

I would bet JAL and particularly ANA would be closer to the Cathay price. I luv ANA and they are rated a 5* star carrier and deservedly so. I don't think you will get a bargain price on them either.