It was always Cathay Pacific for me. They weren't always cheapest, but they had good times for leaving and arrival, plus a nice leisurely 3 hour stop in Hong Kong, which gave just enough time to amble through to the gate, sit down and have a quick Skype chat with the girlie, and tell her I was on my way. Always worked perfect. I did try one with a 45 minute stop over once, but it was too crazy! Got met off the plane by a guy with a banner, and had to follow him as he ran through the airport and pushed us through security in front of anyone else. I stuck to the 3 hours after that! A few minutes late and I would have missed the connection. One time my flight from Manila was delayed (due to too much smoke in the air from New Year's Eve!), and I misssed a connection. They put me in a hotel in hong Kong for the night free of charge. Which was pretty good I thought.
You always tend to remember an airline when they do you a favour like putting you up for the night, you got good service and you are likely to use them again.
I went to HK by Qatar airways. from edinburgh it was QA and from Doha it was Cathay pacific. So i got the joy of both the airlines.
I always went from Heathrow. It seems KLM are cheaper from Manchester. They were never cheaper from Heathrow when I looked.
KLM provides a good worldwide service from the UK regional airports via Amsterdam. I normally fly from Leeds, the connection in Schipol is generally very good, though I now avoid connection times of less than an hour. I once had a 40 minute connection to a European destination, ran like crazy, got through the Schengan immigration control, shoes and belt off for the damned x-ray machine, laptop out for the damned x-ray machine, ran like crazy again, and got there just as they were closing the gate. I made it, but the ladies told me that there were 4 other people who would miss the flight,
For my next flight via AMS, I have chosen a long connection rather than a short connection. Five hours in the KLM lounge with a self service bar. Maybe I should request special assistance to carry me to the flight!
That's the problem with Schipol, you sometimes have to be a marathon runner to catch your flight, its a huge terminal. One thing I do like about the airport is that there are lots of shops and outlets at the airport before you check in so I don't mind arriving there too early.
China Southern??? No way, Jose! KLM from Edinburgh to Manila; good arrival and departure times at both Manila and Amsterdam.
Well here is the availability from the KLM website. The required dates, fly on 7th May, fly back on 23rd (arrive on 24th May) costs £866 with KLM compared with £462 with China Southern, this thread does request "The Cheapest Flight". I have checked detail on the next screen and the £866 fare is flying with KLM as you specified, always worth checking as sometimes the KLM website offers China Southern (or other) flights. I must admit, I would take the KLM option rather than China Southern and shift the dates to fly out on the 6th, back on the 24th (arriving 25th) hence saving £200. Not forgetting to book the ticket via a Quidco referral which currently gives you £8.00 cashback.
Yes, definitely not the £866 fare, but by shifting dates slightly to the £669 fare it becomes more acceptable. Qatar has £593 for travel from 9th May to 25th May, but on the required dates it is £955. I have only considered travel from Edinburgh.
It just goes to show, if you can be flexible with your dates (which I never could) you can get yourself a reasonable deal.
KLM Royal Dutch Edinburgh Airport, UKFriday 08 May 2015 09:05 Amsterdam Schiphol , NetherlandsFriday 08 May 2015 11:35 2 Stop (s)18hr 50min Boeing 737 1278 Economy China Southern Amsterdam Schiphol , NetherlandsFriday 08 May 2015 13:30 New Baiyun Airport, ChinaSaturday 09 May 2015 06:50 Airbus A330 308 Economy China Southern New Baiyun Airport, ChinaSaturday 09 May 2015 08:35 Manila Ninoy Aquino International Airport , PhilippinesSaturday 09 May 2015 10:55 E90 3091 Economy China Southern Manila Ninoy Aquino International Airport , PhilippinesSunday 24 May 2015 19:15 New Baiyun Airport, ChinaSunday 24 May 2015 21:50 2 Stop (s)22hr 10min E90 398 Economy China Southern New Baiyun Airport, ChinaMonday 25 May 2015 00:05 Amsterdam Schiphol , NetherlandsMonday 25 May 2015 06:45 Airbus A330 307 Economy China Southern Amsterdam Schiphol , NetherlandsMonday 25 May 2015 09:55 Edinburgh Airport, UKMonday 25 May 2015 10:25 Boeing 737 KLM Royal Dutch 7630 Economy Total flight price: £423.75
That is a low price, £423.75 from Southall Travel, and they have the same fare flying out on the 7th as well, if you want the earlier date.
