whitney

I flew this route last Wednesday with China Southern 18 Sept. LAX-CAN-BKK. When I got to LAX, went to their ticket counter which opens at 7pm for check-in. Everything went fine, checked my bag thru to BKK. Boarded aircraft, an A380 very clean and departed on time. Flight was about 90% full, but I managed to grab 2 seats after doors closed. It is true that some of the flight attendants really do not speak English even at a basic level, almost non-existent, but damn they were pleasant to look at I really did like their attitudes, the flight attendants were easy going and had no attitude like the shit you find on US airlines. 1. All flight attendants had positive attitudes and service with a smile. 2. Plane interior was new and still very clean. 3. Toilets were kept clean throughout the flight. 4. Upon landing in Guangzhou, I just walked down a long terminal, went to the transfer desk where they looked at my ticket and passport. I then went up one floor on the escalator, walked down the same terminal I just arrived at,and waited for my connection to BKK. No paperwork to fill out or forms during the transfer, just showed them my passport and onward ticket, thats it. No visa needed. No recheck through security like Incheon Airport. I did this with a US passport. If you have a different country passport, check google to see if your country qualifies for this type of transit. The Chinese government has relaxed visa requirements for certain countries now, making it no hassle to transit thru certain airports, without worries of having to get a visa. 5. Warning,on board reading material and newspapers are very few. I suggest you bring a book or buy some decent newspapers if you like to read, its a long flight LAX-CAN 6. In flight entertainment is very minimal, compared to other airlines I have flown.I counted about 8 movies available, and some comedy programs. Music is also very very limited to Asian and other types of music that were not mainstream. 7. There were two meals served, beginning of flight and end. One thing I did notice is that the flight attendants never went around with trays of water or other drinks like they do about every hour like Asiana Airlines did. But it was no problem to just go to the galley and request a drink from the on duty flight attendant. 8. The seats in economy class on this A380, were rather hard, and awkward to sit in, more so than any other airline I have flown with, Overall, it was a decent flight, My bag did make it to BKK, which is a very good thing If you've flown other Asian Airlines to Asia, China Southern is not up to a standard like Singapore Airlines,Eva,Cathay Pacific etc...But I would fly them again, and their arrival time into Bangkok at 1050am is a real advantage

The best flights I've had on long haul especially, is when I had 2 to 3 seats for myself sitting in cattle class. Unfortunately, I've not been on a transpacific flight that has had empty seats next to me for about the 12 past flights. I'm going to try this flight LAX-BKK thru Guangzhou. It is 15 plus hours LAX-Guangzhou non-stop, which will be on an A380, which I hope won't be a full flight. I really don't care for any US airline long haul, and prefer the more pleasant flight attendants that are found on the vast majority of asian airlines.

Once it dropped below 30 baht to the dollar, that was when I started to watch my money a lot closer, and not spending so freely anymore. If it maintains at or above 30 baht to the dollar, I'll still visit Thailand on a regular basis, but have been going to other countries where the dollar goes further.

I notice that in Thailand , you just never know when a construction site will be active. No matter the time of day or day of the week. I know that I would not be able to stay at a hotel very long with a pile driver or insane construction noise rattling my brain

I stayed at the one near Low cost terminal for one night in Kuala Lumpur, and it was way too small for room size. Thankfully I was there for only 10 hours till my next flight out. I will never stay there again. Tune hotels are not for me. I also checked out the room sizes of the Tune Hotel in Angeles city just out of curiousity, and they were also pretty small. I prefer to stay in a full size hotel and pay for the extra room.

I stayed at Arecalodge a couple of months ago, and did see some large fields that looked like they were leveled for some future construction. I asked the front desk if they knew about any consruction that might be happening in the future, but they did not know. I am planning on booking a room again at Arecalodge, but if work gets going on these fields, I will not stay during the construction as I like peace and quiet at my hotel. Email the hotel, and ask if any construction is going on around it. Hopefully they'll respond and give you an accurate answer. I am going to email them myself before I book a room there, so that I know what is going on.

I have flown Evergreen Deluxe before, and it is worth the extra money. I also like the service on this airline. I was thinking about flying on a Chinese airline from LAX to Thailand, but with the visa crap and transit, I decided that I have many other airlines still available without the visa issues if things go bad during transit. If the visa hassles and lines get fixed for a China transit, I would be willing to give the Chinese airlines a chance.

Thanks for this information tequilareef . It sure helps to know of other options for transport, especially between Pattaya and Bangkok. Also much cheaper than a taxi or dealing with a crowded bus.

Thanks for the pics firth1974, I've been to Pattaya a few times, but never seen 3rd road. I always try to see new parts of Pattaya with each trip, but I always end up visiting the beer bars, go gos, massage parlors etc...

Thankfully, I have built some cushion into my schedule when booking a flight with Tiger Air. With the way airlines standards have lowered, I don't trust none of them when things go wrong to do the right thing.

Good, EVA is a decent airline, and just better than flying any US airline. I would rather spend my money on any Asian airline, especially when it comes to long haul flights. The service has been good on this airline when I have done long flights with them.

I have found LAX to be hit or miss as far as getting through customs and them checking all of my luggage thoroughly. Whenever I bring CDs or movies back, I make sure to remove any labels and make everything look like I brought it from home.