Good price for an airline ticket?
 

Hello,
My husband and I have just decided to go to Thailand on our honeymoon (we've been married for a year and have saved up money), but we are unsure what a good airfare is from NYC to Bangkok in October. Right now the tickets are $1100--should we just buy them, or wait for a better fare? Thanks so much! I'm new to this board but so far have found it so helpful.

Sorry--just reread my post and realized that I made an error. We're actually flying from Boston, so the NYC tickets are around $950-$1000 right now. And they are non-stop. Thanks!

Looks like UA and NW hasn't released their discount fares yet, as they should be lower than $1,100.

Thai's JFK-BKK is a fast way to get to Bangkok. But you should also inquire about their premium economy fares on this 340-500 flight. Wider seats, more legroom. I don't know how much they are, but may be worth the extra.

Don't even consider Northwest or united. Even if they are cheaper. The Thai flight will be MUCH better; you get in at the best time to avoid jet lag and the flight is MUCH shorter. Also the service makes a huge difference. Finally their economy seat has much leg room . But I would check out Thai'premium economy. If you can afford it I've heard it's terrific. The price you're quoting sounds average. You might want to wait a few weeks and see if they have any fall promotions which they start advertising in August.

those of you who travel quite a bit...do you think ORD-BKK fares will come down for September travel? Was wondering if it is worth waiting for the August fare sales gloria described
thanks

also - westravel, if you have miles with American Express, for $299 +20,000 miles you can fly Cathay direct from JFK (though the seats fill up quickly) - less so from LA....

I would find out whether or not they would refund the difference if the fare drops. If so, I'd (preferrably) book the travel at today's fares for departures Monday thru Thursday (since low fares are typically offered on those days).

Cindy, can you use that AMEX Cathay deal for BKK? I thought it was only Hong Kong...if so, it is a great deal

Is the Am Ex deal just for economy? Do they have one for business?

Jim-- there's no guarantee fares will go down. It's just that often they do in the fall. However with fuel costs so high who know? If you're flying from Chicago (which I also do) more important than the money is finding the best airline with the best flight. First -- avoid US carriers and stick to the asian ones -- they are much better. I would suggest either looking at Japan Air from ORD or consider flying to either NY or LA (if after Nov. 7) and flying Thai Air nonstop to Bangkok.

i fly to bkk from boston quite often...i have only used N/W and it is quite good all in all...the new thai flt is nice but you have to make changes in new york which is not always the best...

united is ok as other boston people use it...there are others like ana and japan which are good but not directly from boston...

you might check out northwest's world vacations...n/w quoted me $1445 for a regular ticket for may 05 and w/ nw world vacations it was $1212 with transfers and 4 nites hotel...quite a savings...be careful on hotel choices...royal river is not a good option....holiday inn is better---location is the issue...

From Chicago, Thai's JFK service would be a problem as there is only <b>ONE DAILY</b> non-stop ORD-JFK, a DL flight.

NW also isn't good for two reasons. 1) They don't fly NRT-ORD. It requires one more stop at MSP. 2) It's BKK-NRT flights leaves at 6am - meaning basically no sleep the night before, and then a long trip home. At least UA leave at 7am.

I'd think UA or JL/ANA will be better.

I'm flying from Chicago to NY 2 days before on United (my whole trip is FF miles). I always do that when I am connecting to a flight to asia -- just too many potential problems with weather in Chicago to risk missing my flight. I lived in NY for 30 years so it gives me a chance to visit with friends. Comming back I'm connecting to a United flight out of Laguardia. it takes less than an hour to get from one airport to the other and since there are hourly flights out of laguardia it's no problem. I arrive in NY at 6:30 AM and will be at ORD at 10:30. Plus the Thai return flight doesn't leave until around midnight so I get a whole full day in Thailand without having to pay for a hotel room -- the Oriental lets me keep my room until 9PM for no charge.

How do you get from one airport to the other in NY? Taxi? I realize there is a train or a bus. What would be the usual taxi fee versus bus or train?
Would really like to try the Thai direct flight rather than the Northwest which I have always done.
I would land in LaGuardia(Spirit which I have flown into NY) from Myrtle Beach so it would be necessary for me to change airports.

You can take either a taxi or bus between airports. There is no train connecting the two. For bus and other info, look at this site:

http://www.panynj.gov/aviation/lgaconnframe1.htm

There is a bus that goes every 15 or 20 minutes between JFK and Laguardia or you can tape a taxi. The bus ride is supposed to take about 45 minutes so the cab would probably be around 30 minutes since it won't make stops. Probably cost about $35.I think the bus is $10 but not sure. If you're two people I'd take the cab. Either way it's relatively easy and seems to be well worth the pleasure of a non-stop flight. I was told I needed about 2 1/2 hours to safely go through customs, change airports and check in at laguardia. To play it safe I made it 3 1/2 hours but I'm neurotic. It also got me into ORD after rush hour so I figured it probably saved me and hour on the other end.

Actually, the bus goes every half hour ($11) and takes about 45 mins. It leaves on the hour and half hour. A taxi is about $20 between the two and takes about a half hour, but if there is bad traffic, which can and does happen often, it can take longer and cost more.

Then a cab definitely seems worth the extra money.-- especially if you're more than one person. The traffic will be at its worse during evening rush hour, on any Friday afternoon and afternoons in the summer.

cheick too see if thai offers a connecting flight using thier partner UNITED from logy.

-another decent option is taking the ACELA (SP) high speed train, LOL from BOS to NYC. Grand central and from there you may have many options.

actually the train option is not bad .. the less times you have too deal with airpott security and the whole mess the better

I have a connecting flight on United.

A cab is the better option. Make sure however, that you go to the taxi dispatch line and get a yellow metered cab. Do NOT use a driver that approaches you. These are livery cabs and it is illegal for them to pick up in the street (and that includes approaching you at an airport). They must go through a base. They will rip you off, charging much more than a metered taxi will.

Another possibility is to hire a car service to take you for a flat fee. That's the way I used to go to the airport when I lived in NY and I suspect you could do the same to go from airport to airport -- I'll be checking it out before my trip. That way you don't have to worry about the traffic in terms of money. Also the cars themselves are more comfortable. They are usually about the same amount as a cab or a teeny bit more and they can end up less if you hit traffic. There are lots of them -- most named after Israeli cities although I have yet to have an Israeli driver. Tel Aviv is one of the biggest ones. whether they are taking theh'm sure they havesu

The problem with hiring a limo service is that you must do it in advance by calling a base. There may be web sites to do this through as well, I'm not sure. But, you need to tell the base what time you want the car there and if your flight is delayed, you pay for the waiting time. This can more than double the already high price. I did this once, had a limo pick me up at JFK to bring me home. My flight was delayed and the limo ended up costing me almost $50. A yellow cab would have been about $15. The only time I use a limo is when I'm going to the airport from home since they will pick me up when I tell them to and I'm not delayed from home.

I am sorry, but I don't see the advantage of going through all that just to get on a JFK-BKK non-stop. Maybe if one can get a good deal for premium economy. But not regular Y or C.

The 3.5-hour connection between LGA and JFK some of you suggested basically negate any time saving over a ORD/NRT connection. And don't forget it means waiting for luggage and check-in again at the other airline's counter. Just more waiting and standing in line.

I'm sorry. Unless I live in NYC or have a good JFK connection, I really won't do it.

Taking the train? Acela is expensive and not running. Either way, you arrive at Penn Station and it's either hauling your stuff onto the street to get a taxi, or LIRR + AirTrain. Not TOO bad, but just think about the time and hassle. And AMTRAK is not the most reliable transportation in the world. How much time between a scheduled Penn Station arrival and the Thai flight would you give? 3.5 hours, 5 hours? Add the train ride itself, you're talking big numbers. [And Logan isn't that hard to get to these days. For most people it's not much different than going to South Station unless you're already in Downtown.]

Again, sorry, but I don't get it.

I have to agree with rkkwan. Taking the train to NY and then having to get to the airport is a major pain in the neck. They are not close. Penn is in midtown Manhattan and the airports are in Queens. And Amtrak is very unreliable. I take Amtrak to Albany (upstate NY) often and they are almost always late, sometimes several hours late. The only feasible way to get from Penn to the airports is by taxi. You will save no time with this option and unless you give yourself many hours between arriving in NY by train and your flight, you are in real danger of missing your flight.

Yup, another NYer chiming in to say don't hassle with trains/taxis/limos in NY...big pain and a high probability of traffic or other delay. Try to get a good connection directly from Boston.

Check out the Cathay Pacific Asia air pass all the flights you want for a set period, set price. we did this and went all over SE Asia.

I'm also going to be looking for a good airfare from ORD to BKK in Sept. I am hoping prices come down just a tad, because I pay a bit more to get my upgradeable seat and use miles to get upstairs in business class on UA. Always have flown UA to BKK from ORD and probably always will. Just my own personal preference. I fly Thai Air all the time in Thailand and from Hong Kong or Taipei to BKK, and think they are a very nice airline. I wish Thai would offer a non-stop from ORD to BKK that would avoid NRT. Then I'd change from UA. Otherwise, NO. Give me my upper deck seat in business class and I'm perfectly happy.
Carol

From ORD, I MUCH prefer Japanj Air to United. They clean the bathrooms every hour; never run out of anything and are pleasant and give you water constantly. United seems to run out of water, the bathrooms are filthy and smelly within 3 hours and only get worse. It might be better in business but I hope I never have to find out.

I've flown United several times recently. The bathrooms were reasonably clean and the pleasant FAs come around regularly with bottled water and cups.

I've just noticed the water in the last year or so. It is in addition to the beverage service; just an FA walking down the aisle with a bottle in one had and a stack of cups in the other and they seem to be doing it on a schedule. No big thing.

If price are the same and FF miles don't matter, then I'd suggest JL over UA, if flying coach. JL has personal video screen on all seats, and several of their 744 configurations have coach seats in the upperdeck, which should be a little more comfortable. And it should have better service, food and amenities than UA.

Or one can also consider flying AA ORD-NRT and connect to JL NRT-BKK.

But price aren't always equal, and cheap JL fares only earn 70% AAdvantage miles. Those are other factors that matter.

As posted by rkkwan

<i>But price aren't always equal, and cheap JL fares only earn 70% AAdvantage miles. Those are other factors that matter.</i>

One can always purchase AA codeshare op by JL and get full mileage as per AAdvantage rules..

I have flown that route few times and I could attest that AA has a very nice service, clean bathrooms, etc. on the ORD-NRT route. The JL NRT-BKK flight has very nice service, clean bathrooms but extremely tight seating in economy. It's a good thing it's only a 6 hour flight. I can't imagine sitting in Y on JL across the Pacific.

I also don't understand why anybody would want to fly to NY from ORD, wasting hour(s) collecting, schlepping around and rechecking luggage, ride around in taxi/busses just to catch a non-stop to BKK. They are not saving any time.
It may be worth it to mileage runners, but to a regular one time flyer in economy? NO. Take the shortest route. US-Asia flights are long enough, you don't need to make it any longer.

Im so confused now... I think two diffrent posts have become one.

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AAFF, you would go that way if you had a Star Alliance award and refused to fly on United internationally.

Maybe my standards for bathroom cleanliness are lower than others, I don't know, but ideally I would take UA to NRT (on the 777 with personal video) and connect to UA, Thai, or ANA to Bangkok. Return on Thai to KIX, spend a couple of days in Kyoto (or thereabouts) and then UA back to ORD from there.

United Economy Plus seating is available to anyone on a Q fare or higher. It doesn't have to be full fare.

No orgy, it is four posts: 1) fares for BOS-BKK, 2) fares for ORD-BKK, 3) transferring between LGA and JFK, and 4) service and routing ORD-BKK. Did I miss anything? I guess that's what happens to a post with a rather vague title.

and I think the one question never answered was the one origianlly aksed. :-)

I think you are correct, gloralf.

I forgot:
5) air vs ground transport options between Boston and JFK

Actually, I think the original question was whether yo buy the JFK-BKK tickets for about $1000 or wait for a better price. (I think the price is fair). Saying they were originally coming from Boston was an afterthought. I don't believe the original poster ever even asked the best way to get from Boston to JFK. I think we all just got carried away.

I think you're right. :-)

Think I was the one that got off the subject also asking about the way to get from one NY airport to the other. I do appreciate the website Laurieco posted. I was the one that I might take the flight from JFK to Bangkok rather than flying Northwest. I have flown them 3 times to Bangkok,but coming from Myrtle Beach I have to go through Charlotte, Detroit, Narita and then to Bangkok. If I did not have a daughter I spend the night with near Charlotte (after a 4 hour drive the day before )the early flight the next day would even be longer. That is why I might be interested in the JFK one. By taxi getting to JFK from La Guardia does not sound that difficult to me if you can make the connections flight wise. Sorry I am off the original subject again,but that happens quite often here doesn't it?