Phuket Thailand

Mustang · #1 02-09-2005, 02:05

I'm booking a Thai Air flight JFK to BKK and would appreciate some advice on booking a connecting flight from either YUL(Montreal) or YOW(Ottawa)

The Thai Air flight departs from JFK to BKK at 11:30 am November 5.

I have found a flight through Orbitz,American Airlines flight 4756 YUL to JFK departing 6:00am and arriving at JFK at 7:36 am.

The return Thai Air flight BKK to JFK arrives at 6:00 am December 5.

The flight through Orbitz JFK to YUL, AA flight 4746 or 4759 departs from JFK at either 8:18 am or 11:41 am.(the 11:41am flight is probably safer?)

I went to a travel agent to see if they could offer a similar deal and I was told:Thai Air does not offer any connecting packages with other airlines from YUL to JFK/BKK.
Booking flights separately the way I'm planning is very risky since if my YUL to JFK flight is fogged in or delayed I will miss my main flight.(scare tactic or sound advice?)

So I'd appreciate it if someone could comment on my plan or offer advice on a better alternative.
Long post I know but the bottom line is ....I need an early morning flight from either YUL(Montreal) or YOW(Ottawa) on November 5, that will get me to JFK in good time for an 11:30am Thai Air flight to BKK.Thanks for any advice or help.

marc26 · #2 02-09-2005, 02:21

how long is the flight from montreal-ottowa to jfk. what about montreal-ottowa to vancouver? cathay pacific flies out of vancouver

Mustang · #3 02-09-2005, 03:30

Hi Paul.Welcome to Canada.The flight from Montreal to JFK is 1 hour 36 minutes which leaves me just under 4 hours before departure.I need to arrive at least 2 1/2 hours early(does this sound about right?) so I only have 1 1/2 hours to play with.
Does the JFK/BKK fly over the Atlantic or Pacific?(I think you flew it once?)
I have a backup option Ottawa/Chicago/Narita/Bangkok but it's a little nasty(flew it last time)I was really hoping to fly Thai Air.
I could connect through Vancouver, but I thought JFK/BKK was my most straight forward option.

stevem · #4 02-09-2005, 06:29

TG may not offer a through fare, but so long as you book through the travel agent with the legal minimum amount of connecting time there is no problem if the Thai flight is late. Talk to your travel agent or ring Thai in the States, as they are the only ones which know what the real story is.

seafox · #5 02-09-2005, 07:48

I would get to JFK as early as you can on your departure day. With the weather in November you want to get there with lots of time to spare.

On the return do the later flight and then see if American will put you on the earlier flight when you get to JFK. Lots of times they will do that if they have space.

Then just hope the weather cooperates. Not much else you can do.

marc26 · #6 02-09-2005, 08:05

it flys over the atlantic. its a great flight, but i suggest you look at cathay pacific as a second option vs tha chicago flight. and dont go by me, but in the 5 times i flew out of jfk-bkk(4 cathay, 1 thai) i have been wisked through with no problem of time.

magnusvv · #7 02-09-2005, 19:51

I think travel insurance will cover the costs if flights like these are delayed. If you want peace of mind you may want to look into that.

stevem · #8 02-09-2005, 19:57

Quote:

Originally Posted by magnusvv

I think travel insurance will cover the costs if flights like these are delayed. If you want peace of mind you may want to look into that.

Travelling to LOS without travel insurance is crazy. God forbid, if the worst happens you will find yourself with a very expensive hospital bill.

Mustang · #9 03-09-2005, 00:02

I'm back after a midnight shift and a couple of hours sleep.Thanks for the advice everyone.
stevem-I'm trying to find a different travel agent who is more flexible to work with me.Perhaps I can get some reassurance from them.

seafox-Yes,If I had to "go it alone" getting to JFK really early was what I was shooting for.I initially thought 4 hours lead time was pretty good till the paranoia kicked in.(I can book a flight with 15 hours lead time but it seemed a tad excessive.)Booking the later return flight and possibly catching the earlier one sounds like a good plan.

magnusvv-yes,I think I will buy travel insurance with my ticket this time.I have medical insurance through my company.(but they don't cover Cambodia or Vietnam?)

Paul-I did some searching of Cathay Pacific flights yesterday after your message.The JFK/BKK flight was a couple of hundred more than Thai but it does leave later in the day(14:00) which may help.I thought they had a direct flight to BKK but I only see a flight connecting through HKK.Still not bad at 21 hours but am I missing something?Connecting through Vancouver makes it a 28 Hour flight so I'm shying away from that one right now.

Thanks again everyone.Great feedback!