Good fare LAX-BKK China Southern - $774 USD

[Zeus 56]

LAX - BKK $387 + $387 Tax = $774 USD for a round trip flight. That is the best I have seen from the USA/LAX in a looooong time. Most fares are $1000 or higher.

 

The arrival/departure times are good too. Getting in at 10:50 am sounds great (I am used to getting in around midnight). And the 3:30 pm departure beats a 5:30 am flight on Delta.

 

I also haven't flown in the A380 planes. The trans-pacific portion of the flight uses that plane so it should be fun. Maybe they need to cut the pricing to fill that big plane!!

 

The price comes up at $817 if you search on Travelocity, but this fare($774) came up if you go directly to their website: http://us.csair.com/ame/eng/index.shtml

 

 

 

I haven't flown them, but was wondering if there was any feedback from those thad had. I saw the thread for their flights from NZ, but there were only a couple comments.

 

I am still pondering when to go, but this looks like a good option. I hope this helps others....

 

Zeus

[teelack 9,640]

My next trip is booked using this airline. It will be my first and the Internet reviews are a bit mixed. For me its a 12 hour flight followed by 2 on the ground followed by a 3 hour flight. I really don't care as the flight is costing me less than any return flight for at least 10 years and is possibly the ;lowest ever. I will give it a try and put a comment in my next trip report.

[short 215]

Seats 17.2 inches wide with a 32" pitch for how many hours?

[jimbowx 341]

I flew them once and never again. Seats are too small I could not get my knees out of the aisle. Got hit by that F 'in drink cart.

[BigusDicus 9,878]

I have heard a few negative things about this airline. The above and the transfer city in China is problematic supposedly.

 

Might be worth it to save a thousand dollars. Not sure for only $200-300

[steamer 158]

I flew China Eastern once and it was the worst airline I've ever been on, They are even worse than Cebu Pacific or Tiger Airlines. I know they aren't the same as China Southern but it put me off Chinese airlines in general. Still, for the savings, I'd probably jump on it myself.

[teelack 9,640]

_{I admit to knowing little about airlines but this company has bought and is bringing into service now some of the latest airliners and they are supposed to be excellent so its possibly a bit of a lottery what plane your flight is booked on.}

[CheshireTom 1,377]

You should be able to identify which aircraft types you will be scheduled to travel on during the booking process, as per the OP. Obviously, any airline can substitute aircraft, but that's generally the exception rather than the rule.

[Zeus 56]

OK - after a bit of research:

 

The seat pitch(32") is a bit better than Delta (at 31-32"), with an identical width (17.2"). Data per www.seatguru.com . I have flown to BKK on Delta before in economy with no problem, so from a seat perspective I think I can expect the same.

 

As to the times, the transpacific portion of the flight is 15hr 20 min LAX-CAN. While this is a longer flight than changing in NRT (12 hr), I think I can deal with it. Try to sleep. Any flight to BKK is going to be long. Then a 3.5 hr layover - plenty to deal with delays, but not excessivly long. Then a 3 hr flight to BKK. Overall 21hr 50 min. Pretty good from the USA - most LAX- BKK flights are longer. And as I mentioned earlier, good arrival/departure times.

 

I found the following site with various reviews. The overall rating was 4 star, puting it on a level with Thai and EVA. Delta and United were 3 star, Cathay and Singapore were 5 star.

 

http://www.airlinequality.com/Forum/c_sthrn.htm

 

The individual reviews were varied, particularly considering where the reviewer was from. Lots of Australia reviews (most good). Also I think the reviews are better recently as opposed to a few years ago. Of course there are bad ones too, but every airline will have some. Also the LAX-CAN route "upgraded" from a 777 to a A380, so theres hope that the quality improved too. At the very least it should be newer.

 

Thanks for the replys,

 

Zeus

Edited September 14, 2013 by Zeus

[Nightrider 340]

The seats are far too small for fat arsed westerners like us obviously they are aimed at the asian traveler who in general are half our size.....

[whitney 10]

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.

[MM 6,562]

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.

I've been looking at trans-Pacific flights to get back to Pattaya, and those going into Narita and Inchon are all under sold. Onward flights to BKK from both cities are generally full up (biz and first class, at least).

My flight SFO to Inchon in first class has me in the first class cabin alone.

Inchon to BKK is full up.

It seems USA to Asia routes are hurting for passengers, where intra-Asia routes are quite full.

[baht_miser 9]

Its a good price. I wonder how they compare to China Airlines.

[jacko 8,815]

I've been looking at trans-Pacific flights to get back to Pattaya, and those going into Narita and Inchon are all under sold. Onward flights to BKK from both cities are generally full up (biz and first class, at least).

My flight SFO to Inchon in first class has me in the first class cabin alone.

Inchon to BKK is full up.

It seems USA to Asia routes are hurting for passengers, where intra-Asia routes are quite full.

My first class flight BKK to Dubai was full but on to Manchester was just me and 1 other passenger.

I must agree that when I looked for Premium seats to near Thailand countries I came across a lot of fully booked stuff too.

[CheshireTom 1,377]

My first class flight BKK to Dubai was full but on to Manchester was just me and 1 other passenger.

I must agree that when I looked for Premium seats to near Thailand countries I came across a lot of fully booked stuff too.

 

How much did you pay first class BKK-MAN rtn, or were you on a miles upgrade?

[Fatboyfat 361]

Same-same on the Glasgow - BKk routes 1st Class. I see that I am the only passenger booked for my next 2 trips too, although business travellers would not normally book so far in advance. They seem not to upgrade people either. Emirates are considering getting rid of 1st Class altogether, and I suppose this situation sort of backs it up, as the fares are/were extremely competetive. (￡3100 for the forthcoming February trip, November's was a bit more).

[LasRobos 270]

I've been looking at trans-Pacific flights to get back to Pattaya, and those going into Narita and Inchon are all under sold. Onward flights to BKK from both cities are generally full up (biz and first class, at least).

My flight SFO to Inchon in first class has me in the first class cabin alone.

Inchon to BKK is full up.

It seems USA to Asia routes are hurting for passengers, where intra-Asia routes are quite full.

It really depends upon the time of year. I flew Korean Air from Las Vegas to Inchon then to Bangkok in early July on Business Class. It was pretty full to Inchon and fairly empty to Bangkok. On the way back in the middle of August I was the only one in 1st class from Bangkok to Inchon but then it was full from Inchon to Las Vegas. I was unable to book Business Class from Inchon to Las Vegas in the middle of August.

[teelack 9,640]

Same-same on the Glasgow - BKk routes 1st Class. I see that I am the only passenger booked for my next 2 trips too, although business travellers would not normally book so far in advance. They seem not to upgrade people either. Emirates are considering getting rid of 1st Class altogether, and I suppose this situation sort of backs it up, as the fares are/were extremely competetive. (￡3100 for the forthcoming February trip, November's was a bit more).

 

 

I admit to being a bit jealous but my next return flight to Pattaya will be 530 Pounds approx. and with the help of free red wine and 2 sleeping pills at 30 baht bought in Pattaya I will manage.

[whitney 10]

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

[Zeus 56]

Thanks Whitney. It is always great to get up to date info from first hand experience. If you don't mind I have a few questions:

 

1) How were the BKK immigration lines at that arrival time (10:50am). Long wait or did it go smoothly?

 

2) How was the food that you did get? I don't have high expectations, but would be interested in your impressions. Sounds like a good flight to carry some of your own munchies on.

 

3) It was good to hear about the "no hassle" transfer in CAN for USA passport holders. Do you have any other impressions about the CAN airport? Cleanliness, restrooms, food, services etc.

 

Thanks again for the reply,

 

Zeus

[teelack 9,640]

Me too Whitney. Thanks for the review. Seems I am on the same flight as you and get into BK at 10.50--a great time and better than getting into Pattaya t midnight. Looking forward to any more comments that you might have.

Thanks Whitney. It is always great to get up to date info from first hand experience. If you don't mind I have a few questions:

 

1) How were the BKK immigration lines at that arrival time (10:50am). Long wait or did it go smoothly?

 

2) How was the food that you did get? I don't have high expectations, but would be interested in your impressions. Sounds like a good flight to carry some of your own munchies on.

 

3) It was good to hear about the "no hassle" transfer in CAN for USA passport holders. Do you have any other impressions about the CAN airport? Cleanliness, restrooms, food, services etc.

 

Thanks again for the reply,

 

Zeus

[whitney 10]

Thanks Whitney. It is always great to get up to date info from first hand experience. If you don't mind I have a few questions:

 

1) How were the BKK immigration lines at that arrival time (10:50am). Long wait or did it go smoothly?

 

2) How was the food that you did get? I don't have high expectations, but would be interested in your impressions. Sounds like a good flight to carry some of your own munchies on.

 

3) It was good to hear about the "no hassle" transfer in CAN for USA passport holders. Do you have any other impressions about the CAN airport? Cleanliness, restrooms, food, services etc.

 

Thanks again for the reply,

 

Zeus

 

1. Immigration lines at BKK were long, approx. half full in the rope lines arrival (10:50am), but I waited about 15 minutes, which was pretty quick considering they had quite a few booths open and things ran smoothly.

 

I have done a few midnight arrivals at Suvarnabhumi, and I found the lines to be much worse, and slower processing. But maybe they have a wave of international arrivals coming in at this time, I'm not sure.

 

2. The food and drink was the most basic I have ever experienced on a long haul to Asia, or Europe. Compared to Korean Air,Eva,Asiana etc... the service was a dinner tray with 2 choices. They gave you your choice, you got your drink from another cart. Done. One pass. 2 meal services No extras,refills offered,snacks, etc... between meals.

 

Not a problem though, you just had to get use to going to the galley to get a drink, and they would give it to you with a smile, otherwise, you would not have a drink for about 11 hours between meal services I strongly advise you to bring your own snacks, and reading material.

 

3. CAN airport was kind of dark, and looked somewhat rough for wear (grade D), especially the restrooms. I did not wander around too far though, just up and down the terminal I was in.

 

I did check out the coffee shop prices, holy shit, Approx. $6.00 US for a medium cup. I passed, I know airports are experts at ripping people off, but this was an occasion like many at an airport I chose I could live without their crap for sale.

 

Food and services do come up short at the terminal, but fortunately its only a 3 hour transit, and I was more than happy to get on the plane to BKK.