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Flying to Asia eastward from the West Coast

Flying to Asia eastward from the West Coast

Old Aug 16th, 2011, 04:29 PM
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Flying to Asia eastward from the West Coast

Howdy folks,

Planning a kind of impromptu volunteering trip to work with Ponheary and Lori for mid January -- totally off-the-cuff, but given the kind of year its been I figured a little fly by the seat action ain't such a bad thing.

Have a question about potential flights. Can use my miles to get there but would require a bit of an unconventional routing getting there (coming home isn't as bad.)

Would have to go LAX to London (a few hours layover), then London to Frankfurt (short hop with another short layover) then Frankfurt to Singapore. I think it's about 28 hours of total flying time which definitely beats my previous record (24 hrs from LAX to Bali last year.) It's not the flying time that bothers me so much as the question of jet lag. I'm so used to flying to SE Asia going west every time and always have maybe a half day of adjustment once I get there before I feel "normal" again. Given that going East is always the big nightmare (where I find myself out of commission for upwards of 2 weeks sometimes) I wonder if traveling that far East (and through so many times zones) is going to have any of that effect on me. Logic would certainly dictate not: since I'm not really adjusting to any time zone...just passing through them.

I fully expect to be somewhat zonked, but hoping someone who has taken a similar routing could describe their experiences going East. Know a lot of regulars here usually go East from the East Coast, but never seen anyone attempt this from the West Coast.
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Old Aug 16th, 2011, 04:33 PM
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I've never done anything like what you're suggesting, but it seems to me it isn't the actual direction you're flying but rather the starting point and ending point that matter. So although you're FLYING eastward, you're ending up in the same location as if you'd flown westward. Isn't that what makes the difference? The number of time zones between your starting point and ending point? I don't know, but it seems logical (kind of) to me.
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Old Aug 16th, 2011, 04:39 PM
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The things that make a difference in jetlag are
1. the time difference between your home zone and your destination zone
2. your in-transit time

#1 is the most important, and obviously that doesn't vary depending on whether you fly east or west What does vary is your time in transit.

So I expect you will be more exhausted when you arrive in SEA, but that shouldn't last much longer than your usual flying west exhaustion. If that's the way you can get can get flights with mile, I'd say go for it!
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Old Aug 16th, 2011, 05:15 PM
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Don't worry about it Billy, just go for it. You'll recover from the time difference in no time.
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Old Aug 16th, 2011, 05:19 PM
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I'm usually coming from the Eastcoast, not the West, but I often fly to SE Asia using the Frankfurt/Singapore route and I don't notice major jetlag on arrival. A little sleepy on Day 2, but that's it.

No discernable difference between going east or west, except that transiting -- as Kathie notes -- is what wears you down. If you can get a non-stop LAX to Frankfurt you'd feel it less.

It's easier to adjust, I think, if you're on a flight that arrives in the late afternoon/evening rather than trying to stay awake for a full day on arrival, but this may not work if you want to Cambodia on the same day.

I also think that the adrenalin of being on vacation or a working trip in a new place and an exotic culture is a primary factor in adjusting to jetlag. You do because you have to. Back home you face the post-trip let down, the pressure of catching up with what you've left undone and this makes adjustment tougher.
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Old Aug 16th, 2011, 06:07 PM
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Thanks all for the advice so far. Flight would depart LAX on a Sunday night arrive in Singapore on a Tuesday afternoon. Definitely won't be heading to Cambodia immediately after 28 hrs of traveling! Will probably take a day or two to get my bearings before heading up to Cambodia.

For some reason it seems so much longer going East, but if I play my cards right this will all be in biz class so at least it'll be a comfy 30 hrs.
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Old Aug 16th, 2011, 07:44 PM
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take a look at finn air....quite cheap just now.... now sure if they fly from la....?

we are flying with them from nyc.... night flights both flights going...
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Old Aug 16th, 2011, 07:44 PM
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they are an american AA partner
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Old Aug 17th, 2011, 02:29 PM
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>>>...if I play my cards right this will all be in biz class so at least it'll be a comfy 30 hrs...
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Old Aug 19th, 2011, 09:24 PM
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Sounds like a Star Alliance itinerary. What airline are the miles with?
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Old Aug 20th, 2011, 07:18 AM
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we find the europe route to be good as most flights are evening flights, so your clock runs better..

i have a discount site for sin intercontinental if you want it.. good central location..
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Old Aug 20th, 2011, 09:41 AM
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UPDATE: was not able to grab the Singapore-routed reward tickets in time so will be routing into and out of Bangkok only now.

Bob, I hear you have some good rates for the Renaissance and it's one of the hotels on my list for the 2 Bangkok stints I'll have on this trip. Any info would be appreciated!
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Old Aug 20th, 2011, 04:57 PM
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billy, i think it ended 8/31, or will end then..

i will forward intercontinental to you
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Old Aug 25th, 2011, 02:23 PM
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>>>UPDATE: was not able to grab the Singapore-routed reward tickets in time so will be routing into and out of Bangkok only now.
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