Jump to content

An Idea For Long Haul International Flights to Smalltown, U.S.A.


diane.in.ny
 Share

Recommended Posts

Next year we are doing a SE Asia land tour and need to fly home from Bangkok.

 

I typically use Kayak.com to search airline itineraries and prices. The majority of the options to get home to our small town were on U.S. based airlines, with terrible prices and/or itineraries. All required a min of two plane changes, the first one typically at somewhere in Asia, such a Hong Kong, Shanghai, Tokyo or Seoul.

 

A very long story (which you can read in my blog if you would like ... link below) but the thought crossed my mind suppose we flew BKK to some major hub in the U.S., and then flew home from that hub, even if it meant staying overnight.

 

And that's what we ended up with. We are flying BKK to HKG to Newark, staying overnight at Newark and flying home the next day on United, just a one hour flight. The big advantage as I see it is that we are flying premium economy on Cathay Pacific instead of a U.S. domestic airline. And the total $$ cost is LESS than anything I found going direct.

 

I'm not sure I'd do this outbound what with a ship to catch but see no issues with doing it on the way home.

 

Would love to hear what other ideas people have come up with to improve the long-haul flying experience.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have one small town airport, three major airports within 2.5 hours, and 2 major hubs within 5 hours. I just drive to whatever hub is cheapest and skip the small town airport. Most airports have a cheaper parking lot for long trips. It is cheaper than flying out of small town and the connections are so much easier and better.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

We have done this route for four of the last five winters and will be doing it again this January.

 

We avoid United/ANA. We preferred our Delta experience.. Also did Air Canada direct to Narita and ANA to Bangkok. It was fine. We have made changes while in Thailand. Delta was easy, United/ANA was an absolute nightmare.

 

This year We are on Delta routed to SEA, then Seoul followed by Korean Air to BKK

 

As far as airports go, we prefer Hong Kong to Narita. The transfer gates at Narita always seem crowded and dark to us compared to HK.

 

We would like to try Cathay (HK) or EVA (Taipei) We have heard good reports on both. For us going is usually 22-24 hours. Return is usually 18-20 hours. It is usually a trader off between price. We have gone one way and open jaw a few times. This year is one way to Bangkok.

 

We use itmatric, sky scanner and to a lesser extent kayak. Our best airfares have been from booking 10 days out and 45 days out. We did points this time so we had to book early.

Edited by iancal
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have one small town airport, three major airports within 2.5 hours, and 2 major hubs within 5 hours. I just drive to whatever hub is cheapest and skip the small town airport. Most airports have a cheaper parking lot for long trips. It is cheaper than flying out of small town and the connections are so much easier and better.

 

You are very fortunate to be so close to larger airports. We are 7 to 10 hours away from major airports/hubs. And we also have winter. The idea of driving in February to catch a flight is something I prefer not to think about lol

Link to comment
Share on other sites

 

We would like to try Cathay (HK) or EVA (Taipei) We have heard good reports on both. For us going is usually 22-24 hours. Return is usually 18-20 hours. It is usually a trader off between price. We have gone one way and open jaw a few times. This year is one way to Bangkok.

 

We use itmatric, sky scanner and to a lesser extent kayak. Our best airfares have been from booking 10 days out and 45 days out. We did points this time so we had to book early.

 

I have flown Cathay Pacific once before, on miles, business class. It was a great experience and I've only continued to read good things about the airline so happy that's what we got.

 

I'm familiar with itamatrix but find kayak easier to use. Just personal preferences I guess.

 

I find very interesting your statement about finding the best fares 10 days to 45 days out. Everything I have read says the best time to book international is 6 mos out. I'm going to have to make a point of checking again at those 45/10 day points, just for my own information.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

You are very fortunate to be so close to larger airports. We are 7 to 10 hours away from major airports/hubs.

 

 

You know, actually telling us where your "smalltown airport" is would be a help in providing assistance.

 

 

I find very interesting your statement about finding the best fares 10 days to 45 days out. Everything I have read says the best time to book international is 6 mos out. I'm going to have to make a point of checking again at those 45/10 day points, just for my own information.

 

Let me throw some cold water on this. No matter what article you read that trys to say that the "best time" is XX days out, it is likely based upon huge averages that have little to no relevance for YOUR particular flight dates and city pair. Plus, simply is no one "best time" -- think about it...if there was a "best time", everyone would wait for that and purchase then. And would an airline (or any business), price their product in a way to ensure the least amount of revenue?

 

The "best time" for any particular flight can only be known once the door has closed and the flight is pushing back.

 

Start your research early. Get to know what traditional/historic pricing is like - what the demand pattern is like - what kind of range prices tend to run. Is this the easy simple "wait til it's XX days out" answer most folks seem to want? Nope. It's actual work and research - and it's up to each individual to determine how much effort they want to expend in learning their market.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm familiar with itamatrix but find kayak easier to use. Just personal preferences I guess.
No, it's not just preference. ITA is harder to use. But that's the price of a search engine that's much more powerful than either Kayak or Google Flights. The more "user-friendly" and easy-to-use, the more it's been dumbed down; the more it's been dumbed down, the less good it is.

 

I find very interesting your statement about finding the best fares 10 days to 45 days out. Everything I have read says the best time to book international is 6 mos out. I'm going to have to make a point of checking again at those 45/10 day points, just for my own information.
There is no single "best time". What you have read is rubbish; similarly any advice that the "best time" is definitely 45 days or 10 days out. (For most of my flights, if I were to book 10 days out, I'd probably be paying 5 to 10 times what I do actually pay.) Just think about the consequences if it were true: Why would anyone book at any other time? And indeed, why would any airline tolerate that for any length of time before putting the prices up on the day that everyone wants to book?
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I live in western New York, along the southern edge of Lake Ontario. Closest airport is ROC and next is BUF. After that, Toronto. But we are of an age where long distance driving is not something we are fond of, esp in the winter.

 

I find all the takes on `best time to buy` very interesting.

 

And it looks like I had better spend some time learning itamatrix if we are going to do more international flying :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I live in western New York, along the southern edge of Lake Ontario. Closest airport is ROC and next is BUF. After that, Toronto. But we are of an age where long distance driving is not something we are fond of, esp in the winter.

 

I find all the takes on `best time to buy` very interesting.

 

And it looks like I had better spend some time learning itamatrix if we are going to do more international flying :)

 

To date, our very favorite flight was on Cathay Pacific in F for a 15+ hour flight. Amazing!

And, yes, using awards. NO way would we have paid $$ for that.

We save our awards for long-haul premium, and it makes all the difference, at our age. When we were young, economy was fine, and we never gave anything else a second thought.

 

But... what is it you find difficult about the matrix website for finding flights?

We depend upon it a great deal, and don't even use the bells and whistles (though we should start exploring those).

 

GC

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I am not in any way suggesting that the best time to buy is eithe 45 days out or ten days out. I mentioned it because some people insist that buying 3-6 months out gets the best price.

 

This has not been our experience in either buying SE Asia or Europe which we buy every year. Our experience is that we gain an understanding of the pricing, understand what a good price is, then hit the buy button immediately when our price hits. Then we stop looking. We do exactly the same for all travel products.

Edited by iancal
Link to comment
Share on other sites

 

But... what is it you find difficult about the matrix website for finding flights?

We depend upon it a great deal, and don't even use the bells and whistles (though we should start exploring those).

 

GC

 

I think I just need to spend some time learning the best way to use the site.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I am not in any way suggesting that the best time to buy is eithe 45 days out or ten days out. I mentioned it because some people insist that buying 3-6 months out gets the best price.

 

This has not been our experience in either buying SE Asia or Europe which we buy every year. Our experience is that we gain an understanding of the pricing, understand what a good price is, then hit the buy button immediately when our price hits. Then we stop looking. We do exactly the same for all travel products.

 

 

I can certainly understand where your experience traveling several times to Europe and southeast Asia can help you determine when the price is right. For us this southeast Asia trip is new. I do plan on continuing to watch pricing for future reference. Who knows if we might ever get back there again.

 

But the experience getting flights with timing and price that I felt was acceptable was certainly an experience. Fortunately I had a bag of chocolates next to me to help me get through the stress. :D:D

Link to comment
Share on other sites

This has not been our experience in either buying SE Asia or Europe which we buy every year. Our experience is that we gain an understanding of the pricing, understand what a good price is, then hit the buy button immediately when our price hits. Then we stop looking.
And this, if I may say so, is solidly good advice - thank you!
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I live in western New York, along the southern edge of Lake Ontario. Closest airport is ROC and next is BUF. After that, Toronto. But we are of an age where long distance driving is not something we are fond of, esp in the winter.

 

I find all the takes on `best time to buy` very interesting.

 

And it looks like I had better spend some time learning itamatrix if we are going to do more international flying :)

 

You could try the Air Canada web site out of ROC. It is not uncommon for it to be the same price or cheaper that Toronto.

 

That said Detroit is a major hub for Delta with direct flights into Asia where you should have no shortage of connecting opportunities.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Don't know your travel destinations or dates, but a quick check on ITA shows that full business class fares out of Toronto in late winter (round trip to Bangkok, which might not work for you) are anywhere from 40% to 50% cheaper than out of New York for the same days. It's often the case that business class flights to Asia from Canada are considerably cheaper than out of the US, due to supply/demand characteristics.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I did check the Air Canada site and that was originally what I was going to book. It was a great 22 hr overall with only two stops.

 

The problem is that a couple of days after I checked this out, the whole itinerary disappeared. Or kind of. The two stops became 4 and the overall time went to over 30 hrs.

 

Yes, Air Canada out of Toronto is typically a very good option. There are even puddle jumper flights from ROC or BUF which means we don't have to make the drive. We've done that and that is one of my 'go to' options when checking for flights.

 

But this time it didn't work out.

 

As for Delta ... checked that. More expensive.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I did check the Air Canada site and that was originally what I was going to book. It was a great 22 hr overall with only two stops.

 

The problem is that a couple of days after I checked this out, the whole itinerary disappeared. Or kind of. The two stops became 4 and the overall time went to over 30 hrs.

 

Yes, Air Canada out of Toronto is typically a very good option. There are even puddle jumper flights from ROC or BUF which means we don't have to make the drive. We've done that and that is one of my 'go to' options when checking for flights.

 

But this time it didn't work out.

 

As for Delta ... checked that. More expensive.

 

On the Air Canada front, I would try to phone them and ask them for a quote. You may find they can force the system to provide a certain route that you can't on the website.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

We had a challenge getting an Air Canada itinerary at the price shown on matrixit.

 

The flights/routing/price showed up on matixit for $1050. I immediately called AC. Gave the dates, flight #'s, plus the fare code. The AC agent had the routing but it was not $1050. He quoted $1500. So we checked immediately on expedia and one other. Not luck. On one the routing did not show up. On another it did but at $1500. Finally tried Oribitz. The right flights, dates, fare codes showed up at the right price (adjusted for USD). We booked immediately.

 

 

This week we booked two trips. One on Jetstar from Sydney to Honolulu and another on Scoot from Thailand to Australia. We booked both on the respective sites for less than we quoted on matrixit/google air. About 10-15 percent less. Go figure.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

We had a challenge getting an Air Canada itinerary at the price shown on matrixit.

 

The flights/routing/price showed up on matixit for $1050. I immediately called AC. Gave the dates, flight #'s, plus the fare code. The AC agent had the routing but it was not $1050. He quoted $1500. So we checked immediately on expedia and one other. Not luck. On one the routing did not show up. On another it did but at $1500. Finally tried Oribitz. The right flights, dates, fare codes showed up at the right price (adjusted for USD). We booked immediately.

 

 

This week we booked two trips. One on Jetstar from Sydney to Honolulu and another on Scoot from Thailand to Australia. We booked both on the respective sites for less than we quoted on matrixit/google air. About 10-15 percent less. Go figure.

 

Interesting. It's really a challenge, isn't it?

 

Will have to try and remember these other options for next time if the $ don't match. But in this case, the whole itinerary disappeared. :(

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The flights/routing/price showed up on matixit for $1050. I immediately called AC. Gave the dates, flight #'s, plus the fare code. The AC agent had the routing but it was not $1050. He quoted $1500. So we checked immediately on expedia and one other. Not luck. On one the routing did not show up. On another it did but at $1500. Finally tried Oribitz. The right flights, dates, fare codes showed up at the right price (adjusted for USD). We booked immediately.

 

This week we booked two trips. One on Jetstar from Sydney to Honolulu and another on Scoot from Thailand to Australia. We booked both on the respective sites for less than we quoted on matrixit/google air. About 10-15 percent less. Go figure.

My first guess in both cases would be POS issues - a very common and straightforward cause of things like these.

 

But in this case, the whole itinerary disappeared.
What about each individual flight in the original itinerary? That would be my first step in trying to debug a problem.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

We have a flight from Honolulu to North America on fare watch with Kayak. I like this feature. The current one way ticket pricing for a late March flight seems high to us so we will sit back and watch the numbers. Could hit a sale or a price decrease over the next few months or in early Jan if bookings are weak. We have a price in mind. If it hits, we buy. We certainly do not expect to snag the lowest fare on the flight....just one that is lower than those currently offered!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yup ... tried that too.

 

The nonstop from BKK to HKG went to a one stop. The one stop from HKG to YZZ went to 2 stops.

Then that showed that the change in itinerary was due to schedule changes rather than problems with fares or availability or booking engine inadequacies. The original itinerary no longer existed.

 

And in that case, I would be thankful that it happened before I'd booked, rather than afterwards.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The nonstop from BKK to HKG went to a one stop. The one stop from HKG to YZZ went to 2 stops.

 

You know...since the actual cities and dates that you are researching have been a big secret, it's tough for us to give you some specific recommendations.

 

When you talk about flights disappearing, becoming ones with more stops and the rest, and other options being "more expensive" -- we are in the dark as to knowing just what you're talking about.

 

Indefinite questions yield indefinite answers.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Please sign in to comment

You will be able to leave a comment after signing in



Sign In Now
 Share

  • Forum Jump
    • Categories
      • Welcome to Cruise Critic
      • New Cruisers
      • Cruise Lines “A – O”
      • Cruise Lines “P – Z”
      • River Cruising
      • ROLL CALLS
      • Digital Photography & Cruise Technology
      • Special Interest Cruising
      • Cruise Discussion Topics
      • UK Cruising
      • Australia & New Zealand Cruisers
      • Canadian Cruisers
      • North American Homeports
      • Ports of Call
      • Cruise Conversations
×
×
  • Create New...