I flew Korean Air last time http://www.koreanair.com The service and price I thought were both very good. I purchased a ticket in early July of 2001 for $600 round trip for a November 9th departure date out of LAX. Korean Air flew from LA to Incheon, South Korea. After a short 1 hour layover and flight change at Incheon, we departed for Bangkok.

Incheon International Airport is a brand new state of the art facility. I liked it. But here is what Stuff Magazine had to say about it. “South Korea’s Inchon International Airport is as weird-looking as it is big. It’s the world’s largest, as a matter of fact. Newly built to accommodate the scores of football fans (that’s soccer to you!) who visited the World Cup-hosting country, this ode to awful architecture also acts as giant gob of glue, effectively connecting two Korean islands whilst sitting atop fantastic amounts of landfill. Terry Farrell & Partners-the architects responsible for this, uh, thing-claim the port to be a ‘metaphorical design that celebrates the potential for the reunification of North and South Korea.’ Whatever you say, Terry—we just hope they don’t serve dog in the terminal.

Ouch. That all seems pretty harsh if you ask me. Here is the Airport Homepage: http://www.airport.or.kr/Eng/home.jsp

There were a couple of things I wanted to change about my flight should I return to Thailand again. I did not like the length. Now there is nothing that can be done about the actual length of the trip. But there are several things that can be done to make the flight go quicker or allow you to be comfortable on your journey. First, I highly recommend StrikeEagle’s Air Travel and Layover Survival Guide But even with all the great suggestions in this comprehensive guide, I still needed to change a few things. Instead of leaving LAX in the morning or afternoon and losing TWO FULL DAYS getting there, I wanted to leave late at night or early in the morning and arrive in Bangkok in the afternoon. I also wanted to upgrade my seat. I wanted something wider and more comfortable. And finally, I wanted a laptop with either an air charger or extra batteries so I could watch movies, listen to music, or play video games to kill the time. I sit in front of a computer 10-16 hours a day anyway. So sitting in front of one on an airplane would help to pass the time.

I started my airline search again in early 2002. I did not have the date I wanted to travel firmed up yet. The usual suspects at Travelocity all had the usual fares. China, Korean, Philippine, and Asiana all had fares from $550 to $700 for economy class. But the bummer was that most of these fares were not available after May or June. They showed no flights during that time. It seems for the summer months, June, July, and August they have more expensive fares, more restrictions, and less flight availability. This was somewhat discouraging as I like to order a ticket 3-4 months in advance.

Then I finally read a post on the Asia Chat board about EVA Air and their Evergreen Deluxe class. According to the poster this was almost business class but not quite. They had bigger seats, wider spaces between aisles, foot rests for the seats and each seat had its own monitor. This sounded intriguing to me so I investigated it further. Here is a picture of the seats and monitors. http://www.vietnamadventures.com/deals/evainfo.html

And another. http://www.atninter.com/

So I started going out to EVA Air’s website and checking into things. http://www.evaair.com/html/global/english/gb_en_home

I was originally planning an early to mid August trip. But after experimenting with the prices and dates, I discovered that traveling on September 1st instead of August 31st led to about a $200 decrease in price. I wanted to take advantage of the Labor Day holiday to get an extra day in Thailand. I finally decided to book in March or April and had my flight dates set. Depart LAX September 1st, return September 18th. Now here is the best part and what I was talking about earlier. The flight out of LAX on September 1st leaves at 01:20. So I arrive in Bangkok September 2nd at 11:05. That is just awesome. Instead of leaving later in the day on the 1st and getting in close to midnight on the 2nd probably even early morning on the 3rd, I get almost a full day of sanuking.

This is other way I look at it. Since it will be 01:20 in the morning, I should be fairly tired and able to sleep a little easier. Trying to sleep at 1 in the afternoon when I am not tired is difficult for me. Total price for the Evergreen Deluxe class round trip ticket from LAX to BKK was $880 US. Certainly not the least expensive ticket around, but I will gladly pay the extra $150 - $200 for those wider seats and foot rest.

I also joined their frequent flyer program and you earn actual miles X 125%. Purchasing the ticket online from EVA AIR was a simple and painless process. Online booking is paperless with them. When you check in you have to provide the credit card used to purchase the ticket online and the ticket number they provide you upon purchasing. They don’t mail you out tickets to present.

The other thing I did was to take a look at various laptops. I am pretty much a computer geek yet I didn’t have a laptop yet. I had always wanted one and finally bit the bullet. I looked at the usual suspects, Dell, Gateway, Compaq, or even having one built to my specifications. I eventually decided on a Gateway 450X. http://www.gateway.com/home/prod/hm_450x_ProdDetail.shtml

I wanted a 15 inch monitor but I wanted it to be fairly thin and light. I wanted a large hard drive to store mp3’s, avi’s and mpg movies. I also wanted a fast processor with a decent video card so I could play all of my favorite video games like Max Payne, Grand Theft Auto III, Galactic Battlegrounds, Train Simulator, Medal of Honor, and Jedi Outcast.

I upgraded the memory to 384 megs and the hard drive to 40 GB. I was hoping to get only a 1” thick laptop but the only 1”ers I could find had a 14 inch monitor or smaller. At the time I bought it they had $100 off and 7 months same as cash so I bit and took it. I also bought an extra battery. I wanted to get an airplane charger as well but it does not appear as if they are available yet for this model. So I may just get another two batteries. We’ll see.

The only regret I have was not getting the integrated 802.11b wireless networking card. Shortly after I bought the laptop I installed a wireless network in my home and it would have been nice to have that network card integrated instead of an external PC Card. The last thing it has is a modular combo CD-RW/DVD so I will be able to watch the Matrix a few more times on my way there.

So by the end of June I had completed everything I wanted to change about my flight from the last time around and I had my laptop. I had a early morning flight out so I would arrive in the early afternoon in Bangkok and not lose two full days getting out there, I had an upgraded seat that was not insanely expensive, I had a wider seat with more comfort and room available, and I had purchased a laptop to give me something to do on the way out there.

With the laptop in possession, I would also be able to better organize my thoughts for my trip report. Perhaps I could write a little something each morning after I woke up and then post it that day. I could also upload the pictures of the girls so as not to keep them stored on memory in the digital camera. There are also various other gadgets that I will be purchasing in the coming days. But that will be another section. The airline booking is always the first step for me after deciding on the days. I had now finalized the days and gotten the ticket.

(Xen)

Xen,

Thanks for posting about your trip preparation. Now, maybe people won't think that I'm the only one who is 'AR' about planning for a trip to Asia. (lol) Thanks for the support and recommendation of the 'Travel Guide'. This treatise is a valuable addition to that collection of information.

I am totally with you about departing for BKK in the evening. IMHO the more you can increase your ability to sleep during the Trans-Pacific flight, the better off you will be when you arrive in Asia. As it is I don't think that many of us will get much sleep while in the LoS, so any little bit of 'extra' sleep that can be 'stolen' will put the Hombre in Action ahead for of the game.

In regards to the extra $150-$200 for Evergreen Deluxe service on EVA, let me put it this way. That money is about equal to one 'full day' staying in the LoS. (By 'full day' I mean room, food, drink entertainment and expenses) Given this concept, if I don't loose a day while in the LoS trying to recover from on trying/uncomfortable flight, I've at the very least, broken even on the financial proposition. I'd MUCH rather spend the extra $$$ and be comfortable on the flight over and feel ready to go upon landing in BKK, than to feel wiped in a hotel room in the LoS as I try to recover from jet lag.

To address the subject of on-board power outlets for laptops, here are a couple of web links:

Power to the Passenger is an article on the subject of in flight power options and availability.

The Platypus Computing In Flight Laptop Services Page gives up to date info on the availability of on board power for many major airlines. They also have a good selection of info about services and accessories for the traveling computer user. (NOTE: I have NO affiliation with this site, but simply find their info useful and well documented.)

I took note that EVA is not listed on the Platypus page, so I called EVA to find out about the availability of power outlets. According to the very helpful CSR I spoke with, there is no current availability of power outlets in any class of service on EVA. However, they are taking delivery of some new planes in the next year, and there will be some availability of power in the new planes. The details of this service were not known by the agent I spoke with, but more info should be posted to the web site as the service becomes available, as MANY passengers are asking for the service. (Gee, with a Taiwan based airline that's almost shocking! LOL)

I did notice, Xen, that you are planning on traveling with only an 'electronic ticket'. DO NOT DO THIS!!! International travels without a paper ticket is a significant risk, IMHO. If you get to the airport for your return trip, and the agent tells you that there is no record of your reservation, you may be SOL. (At the very least, you'll be in for an argument with the ticketing agent, and in Thailand, that can be a challenge.) Or, even worse, imagine being stranded in Taipei because the gate agent can't find the reservation for your connecting flight from TPE to BKK! ( I've met a guy who had this happen to him.)

My suggestion is to get a paper ticket issued at the airport when you check in for your outbound flight. Check in, confirm your connecting flight to BKK and your return flight reservation, and ask the agent to issue a paper ticket for the remainder of your flights.

Keep the posts coming, and have a Great Time!!!

Chok Dee


StrikeEagle

Hey StrikeEagle,

Thanks for the suggestion on the ticket. I didn't know I had a choice in the matter. It said on their website that all internet orders were electronic tickets. When I get to LAX and check-in I guess I will inquire about this further.

Thanks for the heads up.

Many airlines now make an extra charge for issuing a paper ticket but I agree it's very good to have on an international flight. Probably printing out the email confirmation from the airline would be OK... I had no problem going to Canada but that's not *really* international :-)

Hell, isn't Canada that Northern Territory that broke away from the US because they couldn't figure out how to fight the 'Red Coats'?

More to your point, I've never had trouble getting a paper ticket issued at check-in. Nor have I ever had to pay for the 'print job'.

When I talk about getting a paper 'ticket' perhaps I need to be clearer. I'm speaking as much about getting my itinerary printed on the airline's paper than actually getting the formal ticket printed. IME it has the same effect if there are any problems with bookings or flight confirmation. (Been there, done that)

Printing your on-line booking is okay, but in countries when counterfeiting is a national sport, it may not be worth as much as an airline printout.

Just my $.02

StrikeEagle

The airline will not issue an electronic ticket for an international flight if there is more than one airline involved. The additional fee for the paper ticket is usually the shipping fee (UPS. FED EX) to get the paper ticket into your hands.

Always get the old fashioned cardboard ticket when traveling international!! When things go wrong such as computer failure, WAR (USA vs. IRAQ?), Al Quaida bombings or other things, having a paper ticket that any backward third world person can recognize is better than a computer printout.

Are the girls at the INCHEON airport cute?

I already have my electronic tickets from EVA, is there a fee I can pay to upgrade to paper tickets or did I already screw the pooch?

I checked with EVA via telephone and they advise that I cannot get a paper ticket from my Electronic ticket I have purchased. They said I would have to cancel and rebook.

Xen, how did you finally resolve this for your trip? Did you go electronic? I did last time with EVA with no worries, but we didn't go to war while I was away. And Decemember might be pretty close to that happening.

StrikeEagle, if you have any suggestions I would really appreciate it.

Thanks, Rasta.

I went electronic the entire time and had no trouble. They did issue a confirmation number along with the reservation though. I would suggest writing that down on a piece of paper along with printing a copy of the itinerary from their website.

They issued paper tickets for the entire trip (LAX to Taipei, Taipei to BKK) when I checked in at LAX. So you don't have to worry about getting stuck at the halfway point without a ticket.

Great, thanks Xen.