Korean Job Discussion Forums

[sesyeux]

already thinking about my christmas plans, and going home seems like a decent idea
i flew out here on emirates and anyone i ask say they offer the best service at a reasonable price [consensus seems to be about 450ish]
here i was thinking i was being smart even thinking about booking four months in advance
and... the cheapest i can find is like 900 quid?!

[morrisonhotel]

I flew return to London with Asiana last Christmas. It cost 1.2. Try Asiana - I can't imagine their prices have increased that dramatically. If not, cheapoair is your friend - there are flights on the 24th for $920 (excluding taxes) returning on the 31st.

[b-class rambler]

OP, I feel your pain having recently flown to the UK and back for more than I've ever paid in 15 years of making that journey from East Asia. I'm afraid it's just a lot more expensive to fly at the moment and there simply aren't many good deals around on decent airlines.

Funny what you say about Emirates offering the best service at a decent price. I too had heard pretty much only very positive comments about Emirates, but, TBH, when I flew with them a couple of weeks ago for the first time, I was quite disappointed.

Their in-flight entertainment on the ICN to Dubai flight is outstandingly good and being able to recharge your phone or laptop at your seat in economy class is a big plus too.

However, I was wondering a few times if they were perhaps an airline that's now expanded so much that they have to push things to their limit and cut the odd corner with regard to customer service as I experienced quite a few niggly little things, each on their own wouldn't have been a big deal but altogether added up to a less favourable impression.

The ICN - DXB flight was full and it became apparent waiting at the gate that they'd well overbooked it, with Emirates ground staff frantically appealing for people to voluntarily postpone their trip. We then had a delay of nearly 2 hours sitting on the plane for "technical" reasons. Not sure how much that was the airline's fault, but the onboard announcements did tend to have a lot of continual repeating of "we will be leaving soon" and not much element of apology. The cabin crew were ok, but it seemed clear that there simply weren't enough of them to maintain a high level of service on a full A380 flight. They took absolutely ages to clear away meal trays and apparently weren't able to clean the toilets much either as they were getting pretty unpleasant towards the end of the flight.

And whilst the new A380s they have on the ICN - Dubai leg are certainly the most comfortable around, the planes they have for Dubai to Newcastle were extremely tired and worn. I had a broken seat that wouldn't stay upright and noticed a couple of other people with the same problem.

I dunno, Emirates weren't so bad that I wouldn't give them another chance. But I kinda see why they were amongst the cheapest I could find this time too. I'd rate any of the East Asian airlines I've used much better for customer service, with Asiana well out in front. If Asiana flew every day to the UK, and offered connections to UK regional airports to the extent that Emirates do then it'd be a total no-brainer for me between those 2 unless the price was massively different. Unfortunately, it ain't that simple

[Murakano]

really depends where you're flying into.....for me I've found KLM the cheapest for the regional airports and Emirates slightly more expensive.

For london I guess you have a wider choice of airlines that could be cheaper (especially aeroflot....fly at your own risk ).

In the last 2 or 3 years I've paid just under 1.3 for flying home at Christmas, and this was booking very late (1 or 2 weeks into December).....there was little or zero difference in price booking now as opposed to in Nov/Dec from my experience. Emirates prices seemed to be fixed at 1.45 always even 1 day before departure. KLM was about 100/150k cheaper and the price didn't fluctuate too much.

[missty]

I have had the same experience as the previous poster. Emirates is pretty fixed with its rates. I used to buy my ticket a few weeks before departure (and at Christmas time) and it was the same price as me looking up flights five months in advance now.

Which isn't too great as I was planning on buying earlier and saving, as I find Emirates to have a pretty good service for the price.

I think I wont be going with Emirates again, the prices are a little higher than I remember in the past and there are few other airways (KLM and even Virgin Atlantic on one site?) that are slightly cheaper.

[b-class rambler]

One thing I WOULD say in Emirates' favour, is that I've found, when searching on the Internet, that the fares I get quoted for their flights are a lot more trustworthy than a number of others.

I like it that on their site if the flight is going to cost 1.5 million, then that is the number that I initially get coming up on my screen, with the breakdown of that into tax, fuel surcharge just provided for my information at the end. Much less irritating that many other airlines who will quote you, say, 1.3 million on page 1 and then make you fill in quite a few details, and only a couple a pages later reveal that it's actually 1.3 + tax + airport tax + fuel surcharge making the actual amount you'd be paying something like 1.8 million

Something else that gets a bit tiring are the times when I search on Kayak and get really decent looking prices from the likes of Expedia or Opodo. You click on the link and get a message telling you that the fare you saw is no longer available and a page inviting you to book a fare about 10-20% more than the one you clicked on.

Incidentally, regarding KLM, anyone know what their planes are like now on the ICN to AMS route? I heard from someone last year that they still didn't even have personal IFE screens in economy. Is that still the case?

[Lazio]

[Murakano]

[Handsome Boy]

You can fly Aeroflot for 450 quid return (Inchon to Heathrow) direct.[/b]

[Handsome Boy]

Sorry mate, I was wrong, it's not direct, it stops off in Moscow.

Try the Opodo travel site. Don't worry about it being Aeroflot, international
flights have to conform rigidly with international standards.

Internal flights are a different matter!

Hope that helps you out.

[ttompatz]

[Handsome Boy]

Only if you leave the Airport!

[Handsome Boy]

One more thing OP, The stopover time is 14hrs in Moscow. I'll now give you a some inside info.

If you buy the ticket, go to a travel agent, show them your ticket and get the travel agent to book you a stopover hotel. Most airlines provide a free hotel if the stopover is more than 8 hours.

Hope that helps you out.

Cheers

[b-class rambler]

[Capo]

im looking at a flight 1 week in BKK 1 week in LON then back to ICN for $1297 which isn't bad. regualar 1 week return ICN>LON is around $1000 but more if u want direct.... I believe whypaymore have a good deal with Korean air for around 1.5mil