griz326 Posted May 29, 2014 Report Share Posted May 29, 2014 My wife is spooked that her mom is close to the end & dad told her he is lonely, so she's heading back to China at the end of June for a visit. Airfare Kalispell to Nanning around $2500+/-... ...but what troubled me were the lay-overs with some flights being 40+hours. Would I be better off booking her to Beijing, Shanghai, or Guangzhou and have the wife catch a flight from there rather than do the layovers? Suggestions of best prices, also appreciated. TIA Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
griz326 Posted May 29, 2014 Author Report Share Posted May 29, 2014 ...that's total flight time w/layover 40+ hours... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Randy W Posted May 29, 2014 Report Share Posted May 29, 2014 I checked with Travelocity - flights were 25 to 30 hours for the most part, but $2730 and up (round-trip Billings to Nanning June 30 to July 30). For Seattle to Nanning, the price dropped to around $1784 with about the same 25 to 30 hour flight time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dnoblett Posted May 29, 2014 Report Share Posted May 29, 2014 Yes sometimes you need to Brel it down first see what RT is from POE to POE and then figure the flights or travel to the POE.Shanghai or Beijing tend to be the primary POE in China,My wife I over there and we mangled $1400 or so RT Rochester to Guilin which is Guangxi province. I can find RT from SEA to NNG June 26 with return July 29 for $1648 When I change it to BIL to NNG the price jumps to $2038 and Spokane (GEG) to NNG is $1923 or Missoula (MSO) is $1930 Missoula to Nanning has decent layovers stops is San Francisco and Shanghai, using Delta and China Eastern I have been using Google Flights to get the figures. https://www.google.com/flights/#search;f=MSO;t=NNG;d=2014-06-26;r=2014-07-29 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Allon Posted May 30, 2014 Report Share Posted May 30, 2014 We have obtained some good low rates from local agencies believe it or not. Ask any of your wife's friends. They always know. Seek the local ones in Seattle or SF, even LA. All the internet agencies (Orbitz, Travelocity, etc) have been beaten by those kinds of agencies. Check them out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danb Posted May 30, 2014 Report Share Posted May 30, 2014 Hello, looks like you are paying summer time(high) prices. I took a quick look at flights from Seattle to Nanning and depending on when you travel in late June , or late September, October, or December the price can vary over 1200 dollars. For me flying Delta US- Beijing- Nanning the flight times can vary for 27-41 hours . The wait times can vary a lot. Do you have any local Chinese/Asian travel agents nearby? Maybe they will know the routes and tricks better. Good Luck. Danb Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dnoblett Posted May 30, 2014 Report Share Posted May 30, 2014 Unfortunately for Griz the nearest Chinatown and travel agent probably is in Seattle WA, they live just over 500 miles from there way out in the sticks of Montana. It's all online or telephone to book tickets for them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dennis143 Posted May 30, 2014 Report Share Posted May 30, 2014 Unfortunately for Griz the nearest Chinatown and travel agent probably is in Seattle WA, they live just over 500 miles from there way out in the sticks of Montana. It's all online or telephone to book tickets for them.Not really. They can contact and make arrangements through our local Chinese agent: Travel Depot 421 Mooney Dr, Monterey Park, CA 91755(626) 280-2198 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Allon Posted May 30, 2014 Report Share Posted May 30, 2014 Dennis got it right. There are a number of agents in LA and likely Seattle where you can book online and they send you the confirmation numbers. We even found one here in my town. PHX-LA-BEIJING-SHENYANG. $1471 THis agency is Chinese run so there's a comfort line there. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dennis143 Posted May 30, 2014 Report Share Posted May 30, 2014 Dennis got it right. There are a number of agents in LA and likely Seattle where you can book online and they send you the confirmation numbers. We even found one here in my town. PHX-LA-BEIJING-SHENYANG. $1471 THis agency is Chinese run so there's a comfort line there.Yes, they will email your itinerary and track and notify you of any changes. These Chinese agents buy blocks of tickets at discounts from the China airlines and can often beat the big on-line ticket agents. We often shop several agents and play one price against another's to get a bidding war going. It doesn't hurt to get a few quotes and do the same with these independent agents. It's worth a try. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yuehan123 Posted May 31, 2014 Report Share Posted May 31, 2014 Would I be better off booking her to Beijing, Shanghai, or Guangzhou and have the wife catch a flight from there rather than do the layovers? My wife usually books US to Shanghai (PVG) or Beijing (PEK) because in our experience Guanzhou (CAN) and Hong Kong (HKG) are usually more expensive. My wife is always better off booking her own flights to Nanning. Better off, for her, means cheaper, not less travel time. For her, money trumps time. On the other hand, she has her own inside China credit card and someone who can receive the required Airline "purchase code" on a local cell phone. It is darn difficult to get to Nanning from USA without layovers. For what it's worth, Alaska Airlines will 'give' you 25,000 miles on Credit Card approval. Alaska code shares with either American or Delta and right now a one way trip to PEK or PVG is 35,000 miles plus $18. No good this June, may be useful next time. I've heard all the arguments- high fees and or 1% or 1.5% cash back is better. Tell you right now- to each their own. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
griz326 Posted June 1, 2014 Author Report Share Posted June 1, 2014 (edited) I found a reasonable fare and timetable by flying into Beijing.Thanks for all of the suggestions. The wife knows how to get around China and will probably carry her official tour guide book and neck thingy I didn't believe her until she showed me her little red book on it, after all, all of the girls are tour guides don't you know Edited June 1, 2014 by griz326 (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yuehan123 Posted June 1, 2014 Report Share Posted June 1, 2014 (edited) Here is an example of the Alaska flight availability and miles reddemed (=Dollars spent plus Bonus and actual flown miles). edited: flights are available in June for 35,000 miles plus $18. Well, it started as a nice chart. Sadly, it did not paste as a nice chart. you can find it at Alaska Air. Edited June 1, 2014 by yuehan123 (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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