Despite the fact that I’m still patiently waiting for the rest of the documents required for the visa application, I’m fairly certain that I’ll fly to Cologne in late September this year. I should be very excited – I mean, feet-above-the-ground excited. Instead, I feel rather worried – about the paperwork, the adjustment I will have to make and even something as unimportant as choosing a flight.
I’ve been to Cologne before with my only one less than 10kg. luggage. This time, however, there would be a no return ticket and the luggage would be as big and heavy as possible. Deciding how will I get to Cologne, and which airline to choose suddenly becomes a difficult decision to make.
So, I’m doing what any science student is taught to do: compare, review, conclude and ask for a peer review!
Here are the candidates, not in any particular order:
1. AirBerlin: Bangkok – Berlin (Tegal) – Cologne/Bonn
travel time: 14hr 20min
price (tax and VAT incl.): 15,458 THB
=) ฿15,458 for a long haul flight to Europe? This is extremely cheap! cheaper than my mom’s round trip to China in summer
=) two hours transit time
=( AirBerlin is quite infamous for not in being on time
=( Arrival time is scheduled 21.05, which, frankly, I doubt that any personnel from the Institute would want to pick me up
=( poor choice of in-flight entertainment
2. Lufthansa: Bangkok – Frankfurt/M – Cologne Hauptbahnhof
travel time: 13hr 10min
price: 46,350 THB
=) leave Bangkok in the evening and arrive Cologne in the morning! – ideal!
=) no worry if there’s a delay, the train from Frankfurt/M to Cologne is practically once an hour in working days
=) miles, miles, miles & more!
=( small seat and leg area! Oh, and a high chance of getting kicked during the night from the guy in the back seat
=( is there such a thing called in-flight entertainment in Lufthansa’s Boeing plane in economy class? The screen is way smaller than the TV in my own home, and we own a normal 20ish” TV. But the music stations are okay, though.
=( dragging my 20kg++ suitcase from Air/Rail terminal to the Frankfurt/M Flughafen platform?
=( another memorable experience flying with Lufthansa?
3. Austrian Airline: Bangkok – Vienna – Cologne/Bonn
travel time: 24hr 40min
price: 36,370 THB
=) new experience flying with some other airlines!
=) explore Vienna during the transit time? wow!
=) miles, miles, miles & more!
=( leave Bangkok in Sunday late afternoon? bad idea, ever!
=( arrive Vienna in the evening, which is actually midnight to my biological clock; will I still want to spend 9hr exploring Vienna while waiting? Will I be able to? Do I have to get additional transit visa besides my student visa? complicated, complicated! ><
=( the airline is owned by Lufthansa, so should I expect something as in-flight entertainment? or good reasonable space for my feet and the neighboring European guy ‘n’ gal?
4. KLM: Bangkok – Amsterdam – Cologne/Bonn
travel time: 16hr 45min
price: 49,470 THB
=) new experience flying with some airlines other than Lufthansa or Thai airways!
=) leave Bangkok Sunday night and arrive Cologne Monday morning! ideal!
=) 4hr transit time! It’s just enough time to spend window shopping in the duty-free shop, assuming that their duty-free shopping area was like one in Bangkok Don Meuang Airport. (God, I miss that place!)
=( the price! A few bucks more, I may get a return ticket to Bangkok in other airlines
=( the price is not included the not-normal seat in economy class
5. Qatar Airways: Bangkok – Doha – Frankfurt am Main
travel time: 22hr 30min
price: 22,395 THB
=) new experience testing the claimed 5-star economy class of Qatar Airline
=) the price! It’s cheaper than any other choices except for AirBerlin
=) arrive Cologne in the late afternoon
=) There is such a thing called in-flight comfort & entertainment! I honestly never met anyone complaining about that part while traveling with Qatar
=) chance for partial miles
=( noted that I may have to drag the luggage through the terminal to get the train ticket to Cologne!
=( what should I do with 9+hr transit time? Even I cannot window shopping that long! (but =) if there’s a transit hotel at the airport available without or a little extra cost!)
=( and with this long transit time, I may need a visa even if I don’t plan to leave the airport! So, more paperwork heartburn!
6. Emirates: Bangkok – Dubai -Düsseldorf
travel time: 17hr 30min
price: 23,715 THB
=) new experience flying with 5-stair claimed in-flight entertainment
=) the price! a bit more that Qatar but a half of the time spent traveling!
=) my friend works as flight attendant for Emirates.
=) 4hr transit time! It’s just enough time to spend window shopping in the duty free shop! And maybe if my friend could sneak in and see me?
=( noted that I have to drag my luggage and buy a train ticket to Cologne! And it may not be an IC or ICE, but normal RegionalBahn that may not be pre-booked or reserve my seat and has a very little room for my luggage!
7. Thai airways/ Lufthansa: Bangkok – Munich – Cologne/Bonn
travel time: 13hr 55min
price: 59,685 THB
=) Thai airways! = Thai food, Thai people with reasonable comfort in the economic class
=) ideal time to leave Bangkok and arrive Cologne by plane!
=) transit point in Germany, so no visa or immigration concern.
=) miles, miles and more
=) contribute a bit to the national airlines that claimed to never make a huge profit!
=( the price! WTF?!! I can get a return flight from Bangkok to any European destination from other airlines, if booked more than 2 months prior!
=( the price!?
=( the price!?
So, here they are: compare & contrast.
The #4 and #7 no longer deserve to be in my consideration, for the obvious reason. Last night, #2 and #3 seemed very logical, but as of this very moment, I’m a bit biased to the #6. Partly, because the flight attendant friend just posted on my FB wall, and I sure as hell miss her!
Conclusion: still waiting for more information and some revision!
Why wanna fly all the way to Amsterdam and the southward back to Cologne? Doesn’t seem logical at all.
BTW, transit hotel @Doha airport cost $125
Obviously, because the search engine seemed to think so!
I think Amsterdam then Cologne seems more logical than London Heathrow then Cologne!
=”+ For me, I prefer Emirates due to it benefits as you said.
By the way, can’t you find any airline which fly from Düsseldorf to Cologne?
My dear Orn,
Düsseldorf and Cologne are about 34km apart according to WolframAlpha. So, either train or car!
haha. So, I suppose, you have to drag your OVER 20 KG LUGGAGE when you take a car or train naja^^.
Sis, Turkish Airlines may be your 8th option. It’s 28,161.32 BHT. The flight leaves at night, only if you can handle 6.3o hr. layover in Istanbul.
and here you are, giving me another option ><
I maybe able to handle the transit time but not the heartburn of having to apply for a transit visa.
We'll see if the extra price (from #6) is worth it. If Turkish airlines has a better review in seats than Emirates!