We see this year BKK fares from ORD in July and August are at $1,600. That's sad, because last year we purchased them on JAL for $825.


What prices are people here paying for BKK tickets from the states?

look at korean air....

Check out China Airlines. If you have any miles saved up you might use some miles to get to SFO or LAX for free and fly from there to BKK. (You did sign up for the frequent flier program when you last flew - right? Lots of miles from the US to Asia!)

When you check the airline websites check the prices a few days before and a few days after your preferred departure date. Just moving your departure up or back a few days can save you lots of money.

It is not unusual for the price of plane tickets to increase when the kids get out of school in June. The prices go back down when they return to school late August or September.

Sometimes cancellations come up and the airlines lower the price of those seats to fill them. You have to check often to grab one of those deals. Sometimes when a plane crashes some tourist groups get a little nervous and cancel or change their travel plans - those seats become available!!! Also, when you call the airline reservations office you can ask them "is there a better day to fly to get a lower price" and they will usually help you out!

Good luck.

ITA is showing the $1,600 flight as the least expensive in July/August 2010.

Because of the recent news, I would have expected Thailand would have been a "no go" zone for the trepid travelers. But, apparently that's not the situation. http://www.breakingtravelnews.com/ne...gkok-protests/

I guess we were just reaching out to others that will travel to BKK this summer to see if they will, or are willing to pay this unseasonable high airfare or just put off the trip.

Karen,

Last year most airlines reduced the amount of flights due to the expected recession. Now most flights are quite full because of the reduction in capacities and the airlines are able to charge higher fares. Don't expect the fares to come down to the same level as last year's.

I agree. Every flt I've taken to/from BKK has been full in the last 6 months or more! I'm wanting to go back in July/August but the fares are really putting me off. If I figure out a way to maintain my 1K status without this July/Aug trip's miles this year, I'll do a free biz of 1st class ticket! It just might be do-able. Gotta check it out.

Good luck!

OK, got it, thanks for your words.

I just checked flts in Oct/Nov and the price is considerably cheaper then. I will probably go back to BKK again sometime in the fall, so looks like I can maintain my 1K without paying the expensive July price!! Yippeeee! I've got over 400k FF miles, so a 'free' biz ticket (standard award, not saver) will be a drop in the bucket, more or less, at 250k miles).

Carol

We had booked an awards ticket in February to BKK, but let it go when we decided to keep the miles and hope for 1k tickets.

We did manage to hobble this incomplete AA award ticket together earlier today.

ORD - PVG (overnight) - HNK - BKK
BKK - HNK - NRT - (nothing available to ORD)

Something will turn up for somewhere.

Great! When are you going?

To round this thread out:

At the brilliant suggestion of an AA reservation agent, rather than using our AA award miles for coach we booked the wide open business class on JAL ORD/NRT/BKK and business class return CX BKK/HKG/YYZ and AA to ORD.

We had to purchase $1,150 dollar of AA air miles, but the current AA 20% discount helped a bit. Add $60 in ticketing fees and $164. in taxes the total amount came to $1,374. for two RT ORD/BKK business class tickets and of course 220,000 AA frequent flyer miles.

When booking through the AA Frequent Flyer Program, for only 12,000 miles more than the 55K need for business class, you can book JAL (or CX for that matter) First Class (67K miles) but, it seems that those eight to nine seats in the front of the plane from ORD/NRT are never available or are more likely, never offered through AA.

We tired many dates where the business award tickets were wide open and still never found an available First Class date.

Serendipity strikes again, because now, we have the opportunity to leave Thailand a bit early (the full trip is 30 days) and fly on our own dime to Hong Kong and then pick up the CX HKG/YYZ/ORD leg of the trip.

We're going to need to post a Hong Kong information thread for tips on that place, any suggestions?

The CX HGN/YYZ business class 77A seating is the "fancy new" herring bone configuration and the flight to Toronto is 15 hours long, so, without the stopover in NRT the flight back to ORD will be quicker.

There are pros and cons to the Herring bone, but you can check out a Virtual Tour of the CX 77A business class seating here:

http://www.cathaypacific.com/cpa/en_...wbusinessclass

At the bottom of the page, click on "Take a Virtual Tour of our three new cabins", then "Take a Tour", after the man/woman, select "Business Class - ON MY OWN"

I liked it, sort of cool you can move throughout the whole plane.

Thanks for your help.

Great! There is nothing like scoring some ff Biz seats!

Great you got those seats. I flew CX LHR to SYD on both the new and old Biz seats and when travelling with a companion i much prefered the old style.. but just my opinion, great to be travelling Biz class whatever the seat. Oh and be aware i booked my flights 11 months out and picked my actual seats 6 months out but that still didn't stop them changing my seats and my partner and i were not sat together for the LHR to HKG leg, I was not amused.

I meant to add i am finding prices REALLY high also. Looking for biz class from LHR to BKK in November usually fly on EVA but flights are way more than normal (although they have not reduced flights ) i am really hoping they will come down. I kind of think that once everything settles down in BKK maybe they will start doing promotions??

Looks like I have a better chance of working BKK into the schedule from about Oct 20 to Nov 3rd as opposed to going sometime in the middle of November.

The above mentioned Bangkok air tickets are ticketed - except BKK/HKG

July 26
ORD/NRT/BKK
J class

We'll book Asian Air BKK/HKG.

August 29
HKG/YYZ/ORD
F class

Total cost, Business Class (J) out and First Class (F) back is US$2,275 ($1,137/pp) + 245K AA miles.

We over paid, $101. for an award miscalculation and received 3,000 miles for free from Citi bank - 'cause we're nice people

We locked in our HKG/YYZ (Hong Kong to Toronto) seats 1A and 2A.

Seats 2A and 2K are blocked and reserved for moms with babies, but the nice man was willing to open up the seat, with the warning, if 2 babies come into first class, I would have to move (remember, another seat, 2K is also blocked for babies). I told him if two babies come into F class, all of us in the cabin are $%*@$**

**Disparaging babies remarks not intended

NOTE:
FlyerTalk.com has become our friend.

Hyatt and AA have a promo going where you will get 25K AA miles for five Separate stays before July 5th.

We booked one room each over five nights (must be separate stays, not five days in a row) ten nights total for US$790.

For that effort, we'll each get 25K AA miles, 2,500K AA Hyatt stay miles and a four free night stay at any Hyatt in the world and bumped up to Platinum Hyatt whatever members.

Using the four free Hyatt nights mentioned above, we locked in four free nights at the Grand Hyatt Hong Kong ($400/night).

So, that's a pretty darn good reward (IMO) for our efforts reading over and keeping up with the massive amount of learning material at FlyerTalk.com.

Besides, the adjoining room at the Hyatt, and the "weekend" getaway were refreshing and fun.