Korean Job Discussion Forums

paul · Joined: 16 Jan 2003 Location: Taiwan

Does anyone have an inside track on discount flights from Korea to Canada? I just went in today and was shocked to find out it will cost me more than 1 million won for a round-trip to Vancouver on Aug. 3. Call it naivete if you will, but I figured 800,000 at the most.

So any advice here would be GREATLY appreciated, because I am also buying a ticket for my Korean gal.

Thanks!

Harpeau · Joined: 01 Feb 2003 Location: Coquitlam, BC

Contact Top Travel accross from the YMCA at Jongro and ask about Singapore Air, Cathay Pacific and JAL. It's the high season, so you're going to be paying top dollar.

Best wishes,
Harpeau

Cedar · Posted: Mon Jul 07, 2003 2:20 am Post subject:

Wrong time of year to fly. I like Time Machine. 02-778-1887 but only the owner Mr. Choi is any good. Ignore his employees. Vietnam is a cheap airline. ANA... check it out and see if you can get attached to a group for a group rate...

Chonbuk · Joined: 28 Jan 2003 Location: Vancouver

I'm having the same problem-

I was quoted 1.6 for a flight to Toronto with a stop over in Van. leaving the same day as you-

That is an increase of 500 000 Won since the last time I flew- nearly 2 years ago. Personally I think this is absolutely insane. Especially with AC being so close to bankruptcy. The other thing that is insane, is that we will be shifted to a domestic flight from Van to Tor which will mean that our 1.6 won't even get us a cocktail on that portion- we will have to pay extra......

I can't understand the rationale of these flight companies, seems to be well since times are tough lets make things all the more tougher for the travellers.

I am actually thinking about dropping the whole plan and just spending the month in SEA but this would break my poor mother's heart. Also seems to be that the aircanadasucks.com is now a dead site.

if you find something, post again, I'll do the same.

Cheers.

Chonbuk.

waterbaby · Joined: 01 Feb 2003 Location: Baking Gord a Cheescake pie

Have a hunt around these threads for some recommended travel agents and their contact numbers...

TRAVEL / TRAVEL AGENTS
1. Vacation Advice
2. Guam / Saipan
3. Zenith Travel
4. Travel Agent Contact Info
5. Good Travel Agents
6. Travel Agents

Cheers,
wb

The Lemon · Joined: 11 Jan 2003

Look up Oriental Travel in Sokcho. Got an excellent deal on ANA last year to Singapore. ANA is often the cheapest airline going, which is surprising considering it's one of the highest rated airlines in the world. AMAZING flight attendants!!

wormholes101 · Joined: 11 Mar 2003

i think one way to find supercheap tickets is to look at korean travel internet sites. You may need a korean to help you but you should be able to get a ticket for under 1mil...

paul · Joined: 16 Jan 2003 Location: Taiwan

Yeah, it's all a little extreme right now. So far the best price I have is 1.070 Won on JAL, leaving Aug. 3, returning Sept.4, and that's with an overnight stop at Kansai, hotel included Shocked

One of the main problems right now is availability. Almost everything is booked solid, and the airlines are gouging everyone to make up for the Year of the Terrorist and the SARS scare. Can you believe Korean Air is charging 1.5 mill to Van???? YIKES!!! I hate that airline Mad

.

I've also got feelers out to Zenith, Joy Tour and Marco Polo. The cheapest one listed was Woonjon Travel, which advertised 700,000 to Van, but when I looked on their site, flyandstay.co.kr, the price was actually 900,000 with a 90,000 won tax thrown in.

If I didn't want to go home so badly, I too would pack it in and just go to PI, if in fact I could get flight Crying or Very sad

And thanks to everyone for all the response so far. I also phoned Mr. Choi over there in Mokpo but I haven't heard back yet.

What say we charter a jet? Very Happy

Flex Bulkchest · Posted: Tue Jul 08, 2003 1:55 pm Post subject:

I don't have as much experience as these guys, but I just bought my return ticket and it turned out that American Airlines was by far the cheapest. Now, there's an airline that knows how to deal with bankruptcy in style

paul · Joined: 16 Jan 2003 Location: Taiwan

Hey Bulkchest!

How much did you pay and where, o where, did you buy your ticket?

The Lemon · Joined: 11 Jan 2003

Fares are 20-30% higher this summer. Airlines deeply cut flights during the SARS thing, so supply and demand means there are fewer seats available for this peak season, thus the prices are higher.

I like tourexpress.com (though it's in Korean). Seoul-Montreal cost me 970,000w last summer. This summer it's 1,220,000 for the same flight.

They offer Seoul-Vancouver (leaving August 3rd) for 1,059,000 (JAL) - that's not great.

I'm paying 530,000w for a Seoul-Bangkok flight next month - also not great, but the best my wife and I could do. Most travel agents we spoke to told us "we can't tell you the price yet - need to wait until late July for a quote" - so nuts to that. We used tourexpress, as usual.

The SARS and terrorism stuff threw off the airlines that fly internationally. It forced many of them to practically give away flights (remember Korea-Thailand flights for 200,000w?). I wouldn't call this gouging.

paul · Joined: 16 Jan 2003 Location: Taiwan

Just to bring everyone up to date on my quest for the illusive "cheap" flight: I checked out the Northwest Airlines website that ESL4Kids supplied, and I couldn't get a ticket price, just the available time. And I also called Mr. Choi in Mokpo? and he quoted me the same price I got at Top Travel, which is around 1 million won.

I have so far checked 8 travel agencies and the price is more or less the same. Nothing cheap. However, if you compare JAL at 1.070 to Korean Air at 1.500, then I guess I have a good deal. Shocked