Singapore to Dulles Air

[C&Sun]

We will be departing Singapore Dec. 23 post cruise to Washington Dulles. Since we got such a great deal on the cruise with air(my first time with cruise air, I normally book my own) I am trying to work with the cruise line to get the best times and airlines for our return trip.

My biggest question is: Is it better to fly(meaning your body clock) west to east or east to west? We have been offered UAL at 7:20am on the 23rd to Tokoyo 6 1/2 hrs, 2 1/2 hr layover then non-stop to IAD, 13 hours. The other option is BA leaving @11:50pm non-stop LHR arriving 5am and then 11am flight to IAD. I have been told that they will not use a code share airline internationally because of contract with airlines which makes no sense to me. BTW, we are in coach.

Thanks for your advice.

[FlyerTalker]

It's the same time difference whether you go one way or the other. So there is no "greater" displacement in either direction.

The only consideration might (and I say might) be on the timings of meals and connections with your body clock. Think about how those timings fit relative to Singapore time (GMT +8), as that's what your body will be used to coming off the cruise.

Personally, I would think that the BA experience would be better than UA, both in coach or business.

[NHBob]

As far as body clock is concerned, I don't think it makes a lot of difference which direction you fly. Singapore is 13 hours ahead of Eastern Standard Time, so regardless of which direction you fly, your body clock will be half a day out of whack when you reach Washington.

That said, when I lived in Indonesia and traveled several times a year to New York via Singapore and Tokyo I found the Pacific route less tiring than going via Europe. This is partially because total eastbound travel is generally about 8 hours less than westbound due to prevailing winds and connectin times. Also, and I know this is nonsense, I always felt that I had gained a day when I arrived in New York two hours earlier than I had left Tokyo, the same day, because of crossing the international date line.

Another reason I prefer eastbound is that you are flying into the sun, so the night is short. That's strictly personal, as there are probably a lot of people who prefer a long night flight over a day flight. Note also that by departing early morning on UA instead of close to midnight on BA, you will arrive in Washington almost a full day earlier.

And finally, for selfish reasons, I prefer to use United and collect about 10,000 frequent flier miles. On the other hand, BA still is not authorized to award AAdvantage miles on flights between the UK and USA, just for the SIN-LHR segment.

Bob

[fbgd]

I'd go with the BA itinerary. Superior experience in all classes of travel, plus I like the longer overnight flights westbound to Europe ex-Asia. Gives you some extra nap time.

Then again jetlag considerations are on par with what colour the airport terminal carpet will be. I'm lucky enough to not be remotely affected by it.

[Keith1010]

I have a question for knowledgeable folks such as Flyertalker. When the OP says that they will not use a share code internationally does this mean that when he checks in his bags on the original flight that he will need to collect them and then recheck in for the next airline?

If that was the case then I might be concerned with the first option which is the 2 1/2 hour layover and go with the BA just in terms of the longer layover.

Just wondering.

Keith

[NHBob]

Interesting to see the differences of opinion - obviously there is no right or wrong answer to the OP's question - it comes down to personal preference.

Another reason I prefer the eastbound route is that United's 777 from SIN to NRT has a 2-5-2 configuration in economy, while BA's, LHR-IAD, have 3-3-3. The UA configuration gives me a good chance of getting the aisle seat of a pair, and often the window remains empty especially if there are lots of couples or families who want to sit together.

Although European airlines in general have better service than US, United is pretty good on their international flights.

BTW, 2-1/2 hours is plenty of time for a same-airline connection at NRT, at least it has never been a problem on 6 or 8 connections there en route from Singapore to USA.

Too bad Singapore Airlines doesn't seem to be a viable alternative for OP - they are miles ahead of UA, BA and most other carriers with respect to service, on-time performance and the youngest fleet in the industry.

Bob

[C&Sun]

Thanks for all the advice and yes my first choice of flights would have been Singapore Air to LHR, then their codeshare with Virgin Air to IAD unfortunately was told cruise line had no contract with Singapore Air.

[Globaliser]

Originally Posted by C&Sun

My biggest question is: Is it better to fly(meaning your body clock) west to east or east to west? We have been offered UAL at 7:20am on the 23rd to Tokoyo 6 1/2 hrs, 2 1/2 hr layover then non-stop to IAD, 13 hours. The other option is BA leaving @11:50pm non-stop LHR arriving 5am and then 11am flight to IAD.

As far as your body clock is concerned, there is no difference in principle whether you fly west or east. When you arrive, your body clock is going to be the same number of hours out of sync whichever way you go.

However, your body clock may have a bearing on what you'll do on the flights, and you'll have to think about which style of flying suits you better.

Personally, I'd want to try to avoid a flight that requires me to get up at oh-dark-thirty, which the UA would do. And I am always attracted by late evening departures, because it means that I can get on board and go to sleep. But the short connection at NRT would mean that overall journey time is rather shorter on the UA itinerary; the long sectors are about the same length on both but the UA short sector is shorter on top of the shorter connection.

Nevertheless, service quality, and frequent flyer and lounge access considerations may all have a part to play in this. Most people would probably agree that the difference between UA and BA is rather bigger than the difference between BA and Singapore Airlines.

[scottbee]

Originally Posted by NHBob

As far as body clock is concerned, I don't think it makes a lot of difference which direction you fly. Singapore is 13 hours ahead of Eastern Standard Time, so regardless of which direction you fly, your body clock will be half a day out of whack when you reach Washington.

That said, when I lived in Indonesia and traveled several times a year to New York via Singapore and Tokyo I found the Pacific route less tiring than going via Europe. This is partially because total eastbound travel is generally about 8 hours less than westbound due to prevailing winds and connectin times. Also, and I know this is nonsense, I always felt that I had gained a day when I arrived in New York two hours earlier than I had left Tokyo, the same day, because of crossing the international date line.

Another reason I prefer eastbound is that you are flying into the sun, so the night is short. That's strictly personal, as there are probably a lot of people who prefer a long night flight over a day flight. Note also that by departing early morning on UA instead of close to midnight on BA, you will arrive in Washington almost a full day earlier.

And finally, for selfish reasons, I prefer to use United and collect about 10,000 frequent flier miles. On the other hand, BA still is not authorized to award AAdvantage miles on flights between the UK and USA, just for the SIN-LHR segment.

Bob

Ahh, but you could award them to an AS/Alaska Account, and redeem for AA/DL/NW/BA/KL/AF/CX/QF and of course AS rewards :-)

[Dorset Cruiser]

Originally Posted by C&Sun

Thanks for all the advice and yes my first choice of flights would have been Singapore Air to LHR, then their codeshare with Virgin Air to IAD unfortunately was told cruise line had no contract with Singapore Air.

That's a shame - we had Singapore Airlines flights with our Australia/NZ Princess cruise a couple of years ago. The service was superb - so much better than BA, Virgin or AA. Saying that I don't think it was the cruise company who organised the flights but rather a travel company who put together a customised stay/cruise holiday.

[Keith1010]

Originally Posted by Keith1010

I have a question for knowledgeable folks such as Flyertalker. When the OP says that they will not use a share code internationally does this mean that when he checks in his bags on the original flight that he will need to collect them and then recheck in for the next airline?

If that was the case then I might be concerned with the first option which is the 2 1/2 hour layover and go with the BA just in terms of the longer layover.

Just wondering.

Keith

Disregard question. I had misread the OP and thought that the first option involved two different airlines rather than one airline.

Keith