Info required for ZED South East Asia Nov 12 - Multiple Sectors

Hello Non-Rev Net,

Firstly, I apologize for being ON and OFF the forum for the past couple of years, without actively participating. I'm just a relative of a person working in an Airline, but have NO info/System access to actually provide any first hand information, other than Trip Experiences.
A BIG Thank You to Migflanker for unlocking my account. :)

Anyways, coming to the main point, I'm looking to do a Non-Rev Trip across South-East Asia in November 2012.
Wanted to know what are the demand/chances for Non-Revving on the following sectors in Nov:
BKK-HKT-BKK
BKK-SIN-BKK
SIN-KUL
HKG-TPE-HKG

Now I know SE Asia is whole lot different with lot of Business Traffic/Widebodies and is infamous for being full of Traps, but I'm really up for taking some chances as this will be my LAST ZED trip. Also, the itinerary takes care that all these sectors are undertaken as Tue through Thursday, with a couple of exceptions being Monday or a Friday. What are the chances?

Any slightest bit of Info on the Load patterns/Festive Season Rush (and corresponding chances) would be really helpful.

Thanks in advance.
Regards

I'd probably buy a cheap rev ticket BKK/HKT--maybe even the SIN RT.
My family did buddy passes and ended up buying cheap connects online last minute--inside Thailand and to SIN. They were flying long hauls on DL back to States.
In a pinch there is night train BKK to HKT (themaninseat61.com) and it continues south if that's of interest. Not sure how far, but it could be an adventure!
Do a search for events and timing for each destination--full moon parties, Songkran, King's Bday, holidays, festivals etc--check them all carefully.
Hope that helps.
Doubt anyone here has a crystal ball regarding loads--we wish!

I'd get on tripadvisor BKK for advice about getting around on LCC as an option if zeds fail. I recently had to get credit for TG zeds and it took a long time--bear that in mind--buy each segment as one way--full refund if you don't use them.

I'm not sure which airline you can use as the agreement varies. Note that some are accepting only E ticket and some are paper ticket. Its a big confusion right now.

There is no particularly big festive season around that time. There maybe a few long weekends, i.e. Fri/Mon holiday but since you are avoiding the weekends you should be fine.
School holidays may start as early as mid Nov, so my recommended timing would be mid Oct to mid nov. Early Oct is bad as its a big Chinese holiday and 1 billion people will be trying to get out.

Here's a break down of your routes

BKK-HKT-BKK
I've not flown this but I think your only option is TG only and they have 4 flights per day so it should be fine if you start from the first flight. Most passenger on this will be tourist and since its off peak the load shouldn't be that bad

BKK-SIN-BKK
I'm not sure if your airline has agreement with SQ (you'll need to get ID and not ZED tickets for them) , because 1/2 the flights available will be on them. BKK-SIN runs will be tight if you can't take SQ. The route has heavy load of business, tourist, etc ,etc
If you can do both TG&SQ I think you'll be fine

SIN-KUL
These used to be "Shuttle" flight or thats what they call it. You can buy a firm ticket or standby ticket, you take a number and queue for the next flight which could be MH or SQ, this system allows for seats at most times. I'm not sure they still have that because budget airlines have taken a big chunk out of their business of this sector. While loads are heavy (we use to fly 1 way in the morning for meetings and back the other way in the evening/afternoon), but you should be able to squeeze 1 seat in or 2. Early morning flight (before 8am) will be mainly business/lawyers. You have a chance on that because its too early for some corporate people. 8 to 10 will be packed, after that its lighter again. and the same for 4pm-8pm stretch when people are done for the day and on their returning flight.

HKG-TPE-HKG
This is my favourite route that I call it the bus route. I can take CX/KA/CI/BR. Frequency, is almost 20-30 minutes. The only problem is that the flights depart from 2 different terminal and you have to run from 1 terminal to the other to checkin for the next available flight. Unless you don't mind taking one that is 1 hour or 2 later, you can just sit there and wait. There is limited flight that flies from Taiwan to China (political stuff). So every taiwanese needs to go to China via HKG, and since almost all taiwan factories have shifted to China, there is an abundance of flights doing this route.

Great info yeechong--where have you been when I needed advice for Asia? haha
My family used LCC but not sure who it was--Asia Air, maybe?
Our trip to Bali will be end Oct, early Nov--I'd better start looking at events, too. Thanks!

Very very informative replies, Mrs767ER and Yeechoong. Thank you. Appreciate the time you both have taken out- Mrs767ER, for the Holiday list, and Yeechoong for the elucidation about the chances on all the mentioned sectors.

@Mrs767ER: Thanks for the info on the Train. That becomes the back-up. Is there anything good down further south from HKT? Will have to be googled a bit. Swell idea nonetheless! :)

I could not understand the TG affair and the credit. My dad's carrier, AI, issues Paper ZED with individual leaflets/coupons for corresponding sectors. Wouldn't that be fine? We did not have any problems with refunds for similar tickets issues on AA. Or you mean to say if i'm planning BKK-HKT-BKK, i should be taking them as separate sectors just in case I use only one of them, and query for Refund for the unused one?

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Quote:

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Originally Posted by yeechoong

I'm not sure which airline you can use as the agreement varies. Note that some are accepting only E ticket and some are paper ticket. Its a big confusion right now.

There is no particularly big festive season around that time. There maybe a few long weekends, i.e. Fri/Mon holiday but since you are avoiding the weekends you should be fine.
School holidays may start as early as mid Nov, so my recommended timing would be mid Oct to mid nov. Early Oct is bad as its a big Chinese holiday and 1 billion people will be trying to get out.

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I'll be trying only with TG, CX and LH. What is the Ticket mode accepted on all these 3? Where could I get that info? flyzed.com? :confused:

Quote:

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Originally Posted by yeechoong

BKK-HKT-BKK
I've not flown this but I think your only option is TG only and they have 4 flights per day so it should be fine if you start from the first flight. Most passenger on this will be tourist and since its off peak the load shouldn't be that bad

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5 Flights on the day that i'm looking at. I thought Winter for Peak for S.E Asia, with lot of Tacaphedo :D Charters arriving daily..

Quote:

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Originally Posted by yeechoong

BKK-SIN-BKK
I'm not sure if your airline has agreement with SQ (you'll need to get ID and not ZED tickets for them) , because 1/2 the flights available will be on them. BKK-SIN runs will be tight if you can't take SQ. The route has heavy load of business, tourist, etc ,etc
If you can do both TG&SQ I think you'll be fine

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No agreement with SQ. But I could try with TG+CX, since CX also has a solitary flight on the route.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by yeechoong

SIN-KUL
These used to be "Shuttle" flight or thats what they call it. You can buy a firm ticket or standby ticket, you take a number and queue for the next flight which could be MH or SQ, this system allows for seats at most times. I'm not sure they still have that because budget airlines have taken a big chunk out of their business of this sector. While loads are heavy (we use to fly 1 way in the morning for meetings and back the other way in the evening/afternoon), but you should be able to squeeze 1 seat in or 2. Early morning flight (before 8am) will be mainly business/lawyers. You have a chance on that because its too early for some corporate people. 8 to 10 will be packed, after that its lighter again. and the same for 4pm-8pm stretch when people are done for the day and on their returning flight.

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Thanks again.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by yeechoong

HKG-TPE-HKG
This is my favourite route that I call it the bus route. I can take CX/KA/CI/BR. Frequency, is almost 20-30 minutes. The only problem is that the flights depart from 2 different terminal and you have to run from 1 terminal to the other to checkin for the next available flight. Unless you don't mind taking one that is 1 hour or 2 later, you can just sit there and wait. There is limited flight that flies from Taiwan to China (political stuff). So every taiwanese needs to go to China via HKG, and since almost all taiwan factories have shifted to China, there is an abundance of flights doing this route.

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I see about 5-6 flights by CX/BR/CI. I'm eligible for CX and CI. But your reply makes me look at it really very optimistically, although a Non-Rev shouldn't hold any hopes at any point in time. STILL !

Anybody had any luck using a ZED Ticket mentioning Carrier A being used on another Carrier B, where A has agreement with X, but B doesn't? I ask this, since in North America, i have had lot of success with it - The coupons go to a central clearing house (Not cheating i guess), but have really no idea how its taken in Asia.

Also, how do you two suggest on going about the Hotel Bookings? I'm looking at Air Asia Go, they are really cheap. But again, thats a good 5 months away. Wonder what the prices will be for last minute.

we are required to buy ezeds from TG, and we pay them online for our tkts. they charge currency conversion fee plus the small tkt fee from our ezed site. Read the thread about same, posted earlier.
If you have paper tkt, it's different since you buy those from AI.
Take a look at maninseat61 for a train trip from BKK all the way to KUL and SIN--there is a link for itinerary, costs, etc. It's a very impressive site--you can also go the other way to Siem Reap--just look for the link for it.
As for hotel bookings--take a look at think2travel--often you can get last minute deals off-season.
so many reasonable options in Thailand. SIN will be $$, so be prepared.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by mrs767er

Great info yeechong--where have you been when I needed advice for Asia? haha

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LOL, PM me next time or something as I'm too busy at times to check the forum. I do very frequent HKG-KUL runs as my family is based in KUL and my office is in HKG. My clients are mainly China based. So south east asia and china/hk/taiwan side I'm quite familar

Quote:

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Originally Posted by rutv1j

I could not understand the TG affair and the credit. My dad's carrier, AI, issues Paper ZED with individual leaflets/coupons for corresponding sectors. Wouldn't that be fine? We did not have any problems with refunds for similar tickets issues on AA. Or you mean to say if i'm planning BKK-HKT-BKK, i should be taking them as separate sectors just in case I use only one of them, and query for Refund for the unused one?

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It really depends on how your refund policy is. Mine will let me use 1 coupon and refund the other. I've experienced some inexprience ground staff who won't let you use the coupon out of sequence. But my airline will gladly refund any unused sector. Its best you check with your ticketing office what the other airline will accept from you

Quote:

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Originally Posted by rutv1j

I'll be trying only with TG, CX and LH. What is the Ticket mode accepted on all these 3? Where could I get that info? flyzed.com? :confused:

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TG and CX will take my paper I'm not sure about LH

Quote:

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Originally Posted by rutv1j

No agreement with SQ. But I could try with TG+CX, since CX also has a solitary flight on the route.

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I think you should try the CX because its an odd route for them, most Thais and Singaporeans would probably take TG/SQ or budget airlines since its such a short flight

Quote:

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Originally Posted by rutv1j

I see about 5-6 flights by CX/BR/CI. I'm eligible for CX and CI. But your reply makes me look at it really very optimistically, although a Non-Rev shouldn't hold any hopes at any point in time. STILL !

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If you can use CX, you most likely can use KA because they are sister airline under the same group. I could be wrong. I never bother to check load for this route, I just go and wait early. don't go late in the evening thou as I got caught once during a big chinese holiday and all the taiwanese were rushing back home last minute. And I learnt that even full fare passangers have multiple sets of different airline tickets because they fly this sector so often.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by rutv1j

Anybody had any luck using a ZED Ticket mentioning Carrier A being used on another Carrier B, where A has agreement with X, but B doesn't? I ask this, since in North America, i have had lot of success with it - The coupons go to a central clearing house (Not cheating i guess), but have really no idea how its taken in Asia.

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No it doesn't work that way here. My airline has a list of what which airline takes what. Take UA for example, they are a ZED member, but they won't take my ZED coupon because my airline has an ID arrangement with them so I have to get a ID ticket specifically for them. Which is why I ask you to get the list from your carrier. Just check with them on TG,CX,MH,CI. I doubt you will be using the rest of the airlines. check on BR and KA in case as well

one more thing, if you take the train option, be prepared to spend 2 days. And its not some nice luxury train unless you do this
Eastern and Oriental Express - Luxury Train travel through South East Asia, Thailand and Singapore. and pay a bomb

you could consider flying airasia from HKT to KUL and down to SIN. I'm not sure about the loads of HKT-KUL on MH but I can ask around if you want.

And for KUL-SIN leg, if you want to save a few pennys, you could do KUL-JHB and bus over to SIN or the other way round. As usual, KUL-JHB is a "corporate route" people fly in the morning for meetings and out in the evening. So try only noon flights. I'm not sure if you can save on ZED for KUL-JHB but ID for me is cheaper than my bus fare home from the airport. The airasia does a reasonable rate for this route too

FYI: The OE Train yeechong mentioned is on "sale" right now:

Eastern & Oriental Express in Luxury Train - Tour Package Deals | Luxury Link

This is on my bucket list, even tho I am still surprised you have to pay for adult beverages, considering the price

Thank you Yeechoong.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by mrs767er

FYI: The OE Train yeechong mentioned is on "sale" right now:

Eastern & Oriental Express in Luxury Train - Tour Package Deals | Luxury Link

This is on my bucket list, even tho I am still surprised you have to pay for adult beverages, considering the price

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One of the best way to explore a country is to undertake a journey like this - traversing through tropical countrysides, taking in the sights and smells. Unfortunately, thats too costly for me at the moment. I'll stick to the no frills budget option or a cheaper Train option, if TG is chock-a-bloc.

Well, now that most of my Q's have been answered, and raised a hope that the Trip can be undertaken Non-Rev, with a tad less worrying factor, I can now concentrate on the Exam at hand for the next 20 days. Cheers to everyone who replied. If there is anything I could help out with on tours to India, feel free to PM me.