As you know, you’re responsible for purchasing your own airline tickets from the US to Bangkok and back. I say the US because I know some of you will probably go home after classes end and will go straight to Thailand from somewhere other than Salt Lake City. 

So, here’s what you need to consider when booking your flights:

• You need to be in Bangkok by Monday evening, May 19th. If you depart Salt Lake City (or the West Coast) early morning on May 18th, you should be able to get to Bangkok by the 19th. Remember, you cross the International Date Line, so you actually lose a day when you travel. DO NOT BOOK A FLIGHT TO ANY OTHER THAI CITY! It has to be Bangkok (BKK).
• The trip officially ends on Sunday, June 15. You can book a flight that departs BKK on that day if you want to leave immediately after the trip. You are of course welcome to book a flight on a later date, but please do not book a flight before Sunday, June 15th. Keep in mind that assuming you arrive in Bangkok on May 19th, you will be in Thailand for 30 days on June 18. I mention this because your 30-day stay expires on that day, and you will either need a visa to say in Thailand longer or you need to leave for another country before that date. I will have more information on visas and staying longer on a later email.
• Most flights from Salt Lake City (SLC) to Bangkok (BKK) will require at least two layovers, one on the West Coast, usually Los Angeles (LAX), San Francisco (SFO), or  Seattle-Tacoma (SEA), and one in East Asia, usually Incheon (ICN), South Korea, Haneda (HND) or Narita (NRT) in Tokyo, Japan, Hong Kong (HKG), Taoyuan (TPE), Taipei, Taiwan, or Changi (SIN), Singapore. There is a Thai Air flight nonstop from LAX to BKK, but that is a LONG flight and is typically more expensive. Delta has announced a new nonstop flight from SLC to ICN, but that won’t start until June, so some of you may be able to book a return flight with one layover in Incheon, and take a nonstop directly to Salt Lake City, which is kinda nice. Where your layovers are depends mostly on the airlines flown. Delta will almost always layover in SEA and ICN, while China Air will always layover in LAX or SFO, and TPE.
• Keep in mind that some airlines are considered premium (like Singapore Airlines, Cathay Pacific, and Thai Air) and are priced accordingly. But sometimes they do have cheap fares, and if so, it can be more of a pleasant experience.
• You CAN go the other direction (fly east over Europe), but it’s typically longer with more layovers. We’ve had one student do that, but it is the longer way around. I strongly suggest flying west.
• If you are planning on using frequent flyer miles, I suggest you book your flight sooner rather than later. Start looking right now, as booking windows for frequent flyer miles can be more limited.
• Make sure you have sufficient time during your layovers. Some of these airports are massive, and it may take a while to get to you connecting gates. This is especially important if you have a layover on the West Coast (LAX, SFO, or SEA), because you usually have to move from the domestic terminal to the international terminal, which means you have to go through security again. And connecting flights are much less likely to wait for you in US airports.  I get really nervous when my LAX or SFO layover is less than 2 hours.
• If you have a short layover in an Asian airport and you’re on the same airline, they’re more likely to hold a connecting flight if the previous flight is late, but don’t count on it. If the flight is delayed and your connecting flight is tight, talk to the flight attendants.
• If you’re not looking to fly any specific airline, and simply trying to get the cheapest flight, I would start searching on Google Flights (https://www.google.com/travel/flights). Other larger search sites such as Expedia, Kayak, Priceline, and Skyscanner also work, but Google Flights also searches many of these sites as well, so it’s usually my go-to for cheap flights. 
• Keep in mind that customer service when using one of these services can be hit or miss. Booking directly through the actual airlines typically gets you better customer support if you need it. If you’re really nervous, you can always use an old-fashioned travel agency, of which there are plenty of local ones that can also help you and provide good customer support.
• Before you book the flight, MAKE SURE all the information on the booking is correct! Triple and quadruple check that the dates are correct, that your name is EXACTLY as it appears on your passport (first, middle, last), passport number is correct, and everything else is exactly as it should be before you click on the purchase button! We’ve had folks who couldn’t go because their names were misspelled on the ticket and didn’t match the passport, SO PLEASE MAKE SURE!!!
• Furthermore, if you need to change your dates or need a refund, it can get expensive. So again, make sure you double check everything before you purchase.
• Finally, if you want to be on the same flight as Kellie and I, we will send you the flight information that we booked as soon as we book it, so you can book the same flight if you’d like. 

If you have any other questions, please let us know!