How much more would you pay for a different airline?

[jm21-2]

So, I had a pretty [snip]ty experience with United Airlines on this trip to Thailand. The seats were cramped as hell, the food was worse than normal, they only gave you pretzels for snacks (grrrr!!), and they totally messed up my flight back which caused a huge delay. Looking at tickets to Taipei and the cheapest fare involves the same Seattle-Tokyo UA flight I was just on. Having just done those 10 uncomfortable hours twice I'm tempted to buy some tickets from a different airline in the hopes they are marginally better. Or maybe buy economy plus tickets instead.

So, how much would you pay to avoid a flight or airline you dislike?

[robert angel]

I'm generally pretty frugal and shopping price is almost a 'sport' for me, but it takes up to 32 hours to get to Davao City. I've flown USA carriers and Asian carriers and the Asian ones I've flown, such as PAL and Singapore Air, really, really beat the USA ones hands down. Hong Kong based Cathay didn't impress me though--but I hear its more the exception among Asian carriers.  I've heard mixed reviews about China Air also and don't think I'd book them.

It surprises me on Asian Airlines, that there seems to be room in the seats, there's more staff who are nicer, the food (western or eastern--your choice) is usually better and more plentiful and many other amenities such as slippers, hot steamed towels, etc., are offered to 'cheap seats' passengers--even the blankets are bigger and the pillows nicer.

There's a big gap between $100 and $250 and with the wife, that's $500 with just us two. That $500 buys a lot of nice things and fun for all of us in the RP, so I don't think I could justify $500--maybe $300 max = $150 a seat that'd I'd be willing to pay extra for Asian quality air service. I tend to medicate myself pretty good, especially on that approx. 14 hour trip leg to flip flop my sleep pattern, but overall, it'd still be worth it.

[robert angel]

Oh--above said, I'd say that Cathay wasn't any worse--actually it was probably a tad bit better than my flights on Delta and Northwest.

 I'd expect China Air to be at least as good, but I'd also check their safety and 'on time' rate as of late. We used to joke that if you flew China Air, to bring your own parachute....

[fathertime]

Trip from Southern CA. to Barranquilla is two flights, overnight, and generally not pleasant for me.  I accept all this and always go with the most direct option that is the least expensive.  I accept that I will be uncomfortable, get little if any sleep, and generally be a little unhappy, that way I have no disappointment or surprise. 


Fathertime!

[Jeff S]

I'm the opposite as robert. I don't spend all day driving from hardware store to hardware store because I think 20 cents per sheet is waaaay too much to pay for sandpaper and eventually finding it for 19 cents after several hours (true story from my college days.) I'm all about convenience and service.

In general, I've found foreign airlines much nicer than US. Back in the 60s and 70s there may have been safety and maintenance differences, but these days, the differences are inconsequential. Today the few parts per million statistical advantage you have riding with the US carrier is by far offset by the fat, ugly, often surly flight attendants you have to put up with compared to the young, polite, attractive stewardesses, delicious food, and free booze offered by Singapore, Air China, Japan Air, China Airlines, Malaysia Airlines, ANA, Cathay Pacific, Korean Air, and a few others I've flown (Sorry never been on PAL so have no point of reference,) as compared to United, Northwest, American and in the old days TWA and Pan Am, to Asia.

[robert angel]

Jeff, regarding:

>>I'm the opposite as robert. I don't spend all day driving from hardware store to hardware store because I think 20 cents per sheet is waaaay too much to pay for sandpaper and eventually finding it for 19 cents after several hours <<

I try and shop for quality products/services at a predetermined (if possible) price point and more and more frequently, I buy things on line and get free delivery and also avoid taxes when buying in the USA.

I used to do silly things like waste a gallon of gas to drive to a gas station to save a few cents a gallon on a fill up, but after a while, I figured the math didn't add up in my favor--your sand paper analogy is great.

Time savings and convenience have real values of their own and market studies increasingly show that savvy customers stick to embracing those values, even when their discretionary income declines somewhat.

In my initial reply on this post, I noted that overall, I find Asian airlines to be far, far superior to USA carriers, which seem to only be getting worse and at the same time, more expensive. From experience, I've found that Cathay seemed to be unexceptional among Asian carriers, while from what I've heard, China Air wasn't at the top of the list for Asian Airlines, from what others have told me--but I can't imagine it being any worse overall than USA carriers.

USA airlines need to look long and hard at the likes of General Motors (Govt. Motors?) and heck--Pan Am and other airlines and once dominant US companies that have been either neutered or rendered extinct due to their inability to meet customers wants and needs.

[Jeff S]

China Air, while a bit more utilitarian than some of the others is still a good airline - very convenient, friendly, and efficient, as compared to the US carriers.

My favorite of all time is SAS, but that's only to Europe.

[robert angel]

If China Air was run by Delta, no matter HOW long the flight, each passenger would be isued ONE chop stick, although for $5, I'm sure they'd sell you a second one

[jm21-2]

Yeah, my flight on JAL so far was the best. Perhaps my judgment was influenced by the free Asahi beer though....

Was thinking I'd go in May and the flights were pretty decently priced (~$850 for a weekday flight), but turns out she has some time off in mid-June for the dragon boat festival and the flights then average about $500 more. Looks like that cheap UA flight isn't available in June so I might not have a choice.

[Capstone]

Schedule and convenience are much more important to me than price. I always go for the airline/flight which gets me to my destination in the least amount of time and with the fewest stops. In my case it is nearly always Delta since Atlanta is my gateway airport when flying to Asia but I also fly Continental to Hong Kong from time to time as well.

Delta is not the best airline in the world but I get a lot of perks with them since I have Platinum Medallion status with them - I always get upgraded to first class when flying domestically with them. Oh and by the way beer and wine are free in economy on Delta international flights once again - they reimplemented that policy at the beginning of this year. Delta also has one very redeeming feature for me and that is their SkyClub in the Narita airport. They serve some pretty nice snacks including sushi and the free self serve bar includes 2 really killer Asahi and Sapporo beer dispensing machines. But the best part of the club is the new shower/comfort rooms that they recently installed which I took advantage of on my recent layover there.

But like Jeff & Robert have already said just about all of the Asian carriers blow any domestic carrier away in terms of comfort and service. Through the years I have flown JAL, ANA, Korean Air, Cathay Pacific, DragonAir, China Air, Air China, Shanghai Airlines, Xiamen Airlines, China Eastern, China Southern and except for JAL have always had a very pleasant experience. The Chinese airlines are particularly nice because they all have very young fleets of aircraft.

[robert angel]

A few days ago, I was looking at ticket prices from the east coast USA to Manila and Asiana and Korean Air, at $799 RT came in lowest by far.

Anybody have any experience with those two carriers?

I think my all time worst flight was on a DC10 stretched model jet, flown by Continental. The plane was so noisy and vibrated and shook the whole time. In the 14 hour flight, I was seated smack dab over the wing area (window seat), with  a 350 pound+ Chinese woman on my right, who oddly enough, talked (in barely intelligible English) incessantly, giving me countless reasons why I didn't want to marry an Asian -- basically slamming her own race. She had lived in the USA for a number of years.

My body felt like a bag of chicken bones that had been run over by a steam roller at the end of that ordeal.

Regardless of airline, it seems the shorter the duration of such a trip, the more you're going to pay. Those layovers really can save money, but can be a pain in the ass, even if they improve your chances of your luggage following you to your final destination, somewhat. That said, I'd still love to on one of these trips, get a day or two layover in Hong Kong sometime, so I can explore that city for a bit.


Thanks,

Rob

[Jeff S]

KAL is usually an excellent carrier, though it's been about a dozen years or so since I was on one, and I was concerned they'd fly over Russian airspace at that time. (Remember what happened about 25 years ago...) Good service, good food, and comfortable flight. No experience with Asiana.

[thekfc]

A few days ago, I was looking at ticket prices from the east coast USA to Manila and Asiana and Korean Air, at $799 RT came in lowest by far.

I too are looking at flights.
For flights for NYC to Manila - I too got $799 RT - for dates up to April.
But for Late June/Early July when I plan on going - the lowest I found was $1400.

[thekfc]

The bestr experiences that I have had are with Asian Airlines. I had a great experience flying Cathay Pacific in January & I will use them again if the price is right.

BTW, I am also a shopper like Rob - buying quality good for a low price. I mostly do all my shopping online - free shipping & taxes (when possible).

[jm21-2]

Is there something special about June flights? I want to go in mid-June to take advantage of the Taiwanese holiday for the Dragon Boat Festival, but like KFC I've noted that the flights are far more expensive for some reason. WM thought it was because all the Taiwanese students who were studying in the US were coming home for summer vacation. Kind of frustrating situation.  She only gets 7 days a year of vacation and I want to visit at least every 3-4 months, so we want to utilize the public holidays as much as possible...but $500+ extra for the flight is kind of a PITA.

[thekfc]

Or maybe buy economy plus tickets instead.

The differences between the economy tickets have to do with flexibility, upgrade & price - not with the level of service. All the economy classes get to sit in the same area/same service. Someone can correct me if I am wrong on that.

With the Economy plus (premium) there is no cancellation fee where as for the economy classes there is a $100 cancellation fee. The same goes for date/flight changes - free of charge for plus/premium.

The fares in June (or summer) are higher as more people are taking vacation & tend to travel more.
I am actively checking the prices. The fares that are posted on Monday/Tuesday are lower than the rest of the week - so it is best to buy on a Monday.

While checking the fares, I notice that even the flights with a longer layover are the same price (or more expensive) as the ones with a shorter layover. I am keeping my eyes open.

I am not booking my flight yet (about 3 1/2 months to go) - I will wait to see what happens with the fares & what direction that they are going. But if something close to what I paid in January comes along - I will grab it.
 

[Capstone]

A few days ago, I was looking at ticket prices from the east coast USA to Manila and Asiana and Korean Air, at $799 RT came in lowest by far.

Anybody have any experience with those two carriers?

Rob, I have flown Korean Air and had a pretty pleasant experience - the flight attendants were very attentive and the food not half bad. Although I have not flown on Asiana Air myself I know others who have and they say that it is a great airline which actually gives you a bit more legroom in economy than most other airlines. I assume that both the KAL & Asiana flights that you are looking at transit through Seoul?? If so the Inchon airport ranks right up there with the HK airport in my opinion.

Is there something special about June flights? I want to go in mid-June to take advantage of the Taiwanese holiday for the Dragon Boat Festival, but like KFC I've noted that the flights are far more expensive for some reason.

JM - The prices always seem to go up June-Aug for whatever reason. I usually end up paying more for airfare during those months than in others but if you start checking the prices once or twice every day you may be able to find a good deal. I flew to HK last June and the prices hovered around $1300 from Atlanta during that time for a while but in the end I wound up finding a fare for about $950.

[jm21-2]

KFC,

RE: economy plus. Maybe I am using the wrong name. United had a feature called economy something (I thought plus) where they give you a bit of extra legroom and it seemed slightly better service. Sort of between economy and business classes. I do not know if other airlines are offering a similar feature. It was not much more expensive than normal economy and the UA normal economy was extremely cramped for the 10 hour flight to Japan.

RE: june flights, I am pulling fares for $850-950 for may and July pretty easily which is acceptable to me, but june is all close to $1,300. I'd actually rather go in May, but seems a shame not to utilize that state holiday on June 16...but $350+ extra for the flight kinda sucks...Taiwanese Labor Day is on May 1st, but sounds like since it falls on the weekend she's not going to get a holiday for it which is a pretty raw deal...

[thekfc]

jm, yes it is economy plus for United airlines - with extra leg room.

I always pre-book your seats, I check to see which of the seats are available & choose one of my liking.

I am only 5'6" & I had nothing stored under the seat like other people did & the seats were wide enough so on Cathay, I didn't need the extra legroom. I was comfortable - the first leg of my flight from NYC to HK was almost 16 hours.

Here is a chart with legroom & seat width for a few airlines - it will come in useful in the future.
http://www.smarttravelasia.com/economy.htm

Also did you have to buy snacks on United? Someone told me that the last time they flew United to Europe they had to buy snacks.

[thekfc]

I flew to HK last June and the prices hovered around $1300 from Atlanta during that time for a while but in the end I wound up finding a fare for about $950.

I am actively keeping my eyes open because I know that something like that will happen. I even place an "email alert" for when fare to Manila drop a certain amount.

[jm21-2]

KFC,

That chart is extremely useful. I am 6' with fairly long legs and I really noticed the couple inches less leg space on United. I did not have to buy any snacks, but all they gave you were cheap pretzels. They also wouldn't give you a bottle of water, just a small glass. I drink a lot of water and don't like pop/soda so that was pretty annoying too. Overall a pretty bad experience even without my return flight being delayed. I think you could only choose your seats within 24 hours of departure and due to my schedule I didn't have the time to book seats on any of the flights.

[thekfc]

KFC,

That chart is extremely useful. I am 6' with fairly long legs and I really noticed the couple inches less leg space on United.

I am glad that the chart is useful.

I did not have to buy any snacks, but all they gave you were cheap pretzels. They also wouldn't give you a bottle of water, just a small glass. I drink a lot of water and don't like pop/soda so that was pretty annoying too. Overall a pretty bad experience even without my return flight being delayed.

Just pretzels!!!! That sucks. They gave us a meal, plus snack and we were offered wine, juice & coffee (espresso/latte). There were also an option for "special meals" which you had to reserve at least 24 hrs before your schedule flight.

I think you could only choose your seats within 24 hours of departure and due to my schedule I didn't have the time to book seats on any of the flights.

On Cathay Pacific I booked my seat the same time I booked my flight (which was a little over 21 days) -there was an option there to choose your seat at the time of booking your tickets. Maybe different airlines have different policies.