Lost Rider

Anything of value goes in a backpack under my seat or is in my pocket. You'd have to have huge balls to mess with that while I'm taking a grunt during the flight. I see evidence of my bag being opened all the time. Sometimes I have a note from TSA but I don't care. If they want to steal my smelly underwear, it's all theirs. I use a soft bag but it's made out of Kevlar or steel thread or something. I used to put a lock on the zippers but I've seen where they tried to cut the bag open but only ended up getting through to first two layers. Fuck it, no more valuables in the suitcase. Usually, other than a phone, tablet and cash, I don't take valuables with me on vacation.

Thanks guys. A few bucks here or there aren't going to kill my trip if it means convenience. I've printed out the address to the hotel that includes Thai. I''ll get one of the taxis on the first floor and show them the address. At 1:00 am , I'm assuming the traffic will be a little lighter. I'll make sure to ask the price before I get in any vehicle.

My buddy works for Delta. His is advise is: look like more than a backpacker, be a little early (don't try to approach them when they're being mobbed by everyone else), and ask politely. Sometimes, the person with all the power and decision making is standing right behind that counter. They may decide who gets an upgrade or even a seat. I also booked an Eva flight through a third party. I'm already premium but am having trouble viewing my booking. I had to call the airline to confirm everything. I'm kicking myself for not booking directly with Eva. The price was exactly the same.

Will they pick you up from a BKK hotel or do they specialize in the airport to Patts? I used Mr. T last time but just from swampy to my hotel in Patts. Those NASCAR drivers are pussies compared to the driver I had. I fell asleep for a second until he went over a bridge and I woke up weightless.

Thanks, very useful info.

I'm meeting someone in San Fran so I took that option. It's only 20hrs total. I don't have the long layover.

Thanks Dale. I just got on Line the other day and already got lost. They're blowing up my phone but I won't be in LOS for two more months.

I looked on the site. Last trains move around 12:30am. Meter taxi it is. I've heard you want to make sure they meter the ride or is it the other way around?

How late is the rail link open? I land at midnight and will be staying at Majestic Grand, probably. I'll only have one bag (wheels) and a backpack. What's traffic like at that hour?

Just booked Eva Premium Economy from SFO to BKK middle of November. My only problem is I land at midnight. Hope I can get to my Bangkok hotel and check in at that hour.

Korea Air not bad. You could book through Delta, fly on Korea Air and pad your sky miles if that matters. Business class may be outrageous through them however. Just my opinion - unless you're going to mainland China, I would not go through mainland China. Korea, Taiwan, Japan or Hong Kong are better bets for layover experience and connecting issues. China is still Communist and Chinese are not fluent in Customer Service. You could have a good or bad experience on any flight or at any airport but I'd play the odds and skip China.

Has anyone tried to split the trip into two different classes? L.A. to Taipei - Premium Economy, Taipei to BKK - Economy. I goofed around on Kayak and the Eva site but they were treating the different legs of the trip as separate when I tried to change the classes. The whole thing as Premium isn't bad but I was just wondering what it would do to the price.

I've done Air China and China Southern. I'd give airlines themselves maybe a 7. I'd give my fellow passengers a 2. I won't fly another Chinese (Mainland) airline. The planes were OK and the service was fine but they were pretty late, twice, and gave no explanation. And I speak pretty good Chinese. My experiences were from the West Coast and other areas close to China so I have no experience from Canada or East Coast. For a few hundred more you can score a ticket from some of the "better" airlines that seem attract a more diverse group of passengers.

I have flown out a 5:30am twice. Traffic is no problem and the airport is mostly dead.

I haven't looked at Seattle. Duhhh, Vegas, Phoenix, LA, San Fran and Portland. I use Skymiles to get to the coast. The prices from Seattle aren't much more. Premium Economy looks attractive for the price. I can't justify the extra dough for Business Class. Thanks for the suggestion. I'll look deeper into arrival and departure times. I'm I reading this right - first checked bag is free unless it weighs more than 50lbs? I'm a light packer but I do like to check a bag.