As an American who travels to Thailand multiple times per year, who used to live there (and would like to do so again), a nonstop flight to Thailand is my white whale. The lack of direct service between the countries is especially frustrating because it existed until 2012—i.e. two years after my first trip to the Land of Smiles.
Unfortunately, restarting flights will be complex, presuming any airline actually wants to do so. It isn’t actually clean that any do.
But more on that in a minute. The topic of the elusive direct flight from USA to Thailand is nuanced enough that I’ve actually decided to write an entire post about it!
Why United’s “Direct” Flights to Bangkok Are Misleading
If you’ve been on social media at all in mid-2025, you might falsely believe that nonstop flights to Bangkok have returned, thanks to clever (and, I would argue, misleading) marketing on the part of United Airlines. Unfortunately, as is the case with their “new service” to cities like Ulanbaatar and Kaohsiung, United doesn’t actually serve Bangkok nonstop from the United States. Rather, they’ve restored one-stop flights via Hong Kong, i.e. a service that existed in the 90s.
The thing is, the flight is “direct” in the old-school sense of the word, which used to mean being able to take the same airline or plane the entire way—the same 787-9 will fly from Los Angeles to Hong Kong, and then onward to Bangkok. The problem is that in recent years, US airlines have started using “direct” the way the rest of the Anglosphere has always used it: to mean nonstop. United is deliberately using this ambiguity to mislead people into believing its “direct” flight is nonstop.
5 Reasons Why Direct Flights to Bangkok Remain Elusive
Past routes weren’t profitable
Although there is a certain amount of premium business travel between the US and Thailand, most passengers are leisure-oriented, and few are willing to pay any sort of premium. This meant that previous nonstop services (BKK-JFK and BKK-LAX, which Thai Airways served until 2012) were unprofitable. Of course, given that United now offers two daily nonstops to Manila (which is even less premium than Bangkok), I’m not sure that this should still be a valid reason.
United is facing delivery delays
Unfortunately, Thai Airways announced in early 2025 that it had no intention of resuming nonstop flight from USA to Bangkok, in spite of the remaining legal barrier to doing so (Thailand’s persistently low safety rating) being lifted. As a result, is nonstop US-Bangkok flights resume anytime soon, they’ll be on a US carrier, probably United. Sadly, United has put all its long haul chips on the Boeing 787 Dreamliner, deliveries of which are simply not proceeding expeditiously.
Thai Airways is a hot mess
Now, Thai’s decision not to resume direct flights from LAX to BKK is not simply for the reasons it state, i.e. Trump’s ridiculous tariffs and the airline’s own lack of aircraft. Rather, Thai Airways has long been a model of mismanagement, with bloated budgets, rampant corruption and an inability to turn a profit or operate efficiently, in spite of seemingly never-ending cashflow from the state. This is to say nothing of the inconsistent product and service onboard.
Demand is lacking, relatively speaking
As I mentioned earlier, most traffic between the US and Thailand is what people in the airline industry call low-yield, or low net revenue and profit per passenger. However, this isn’t the only issue. Thailand is far from the US, and many Americans prefer to vacation closer to home. While this has improved slightly in recent years (call it the “White Lotus” effect), there simply isn’t the demand from the US to Thailand that there is to other destinations in Asia.
There are abundant one-stop options
As much as I condemn United for its misleading marketing, the reality is that there isn’t a huge case for them to launch real nonstop flights, apart from the prestige it might impart. The reality is that whether you route via Asia (or Southeast Asia, i.e. Singapore), or via Europe or the Middle East, dozens of one-stop flights can take you from the US to Thailand, usually for a fair price and without much time on the ground. This further decreases the urgency of resuming nonstop flights.
There is One Direct Flight from North America to Thailand
United might be lying to the public about its “direct” flight from Los Angeles to Bangkok, but there actually is nonstop service from North America: Air Canada flight 65, a 787-9 service from Vancouver to Bangkok. It’s been operating for several winters now, and will become a daily, year-round service in 2026. I’d like to start by giving kudos to Air Canada for being bold enough to launch this service, and competent enough to keep it going.
Unfortunately for non-Canadians seeking direct flights to Bangkok, it’s still a bit inconvenient. First, many US cities don’t have nonstop flights to Vancouver, which decreases the utility of the Air Canada flight right off the bat. Secondly, transiting in Canada from the US requires you to complete immigration and customs formalities, which is actually less convenient that transiting in most Asia countries.
Other FAQ About Flights Between USA and Thailand
Can you fly direct to Bangkok from the US?
As of October 2025, you cannot fly direct to Bangkok from the US, at least if you take “direct” to mean nonstop. You can, however, fly many airlines one-stop via their hubs in Asia, including JAL and ANA via Tokyo, Korean Air and Asiana via Seoul and Starlux, EVA Air and China Airlines via Taipei. You can also fly two airlines via Hong Kong: Cathay Pacific and United, which has falsely claimed that its new “direct” flight is nonstop.
What is the fastest flight from the USA to Thailand?
In general, the fastest way to travel from the US to Thailand is beginning your journey in Los Angeles (LAX) and traveling via Hong Kong (HKG) or Taipei (TPE). This ends up comprising a total journey time of around 18-20 hours one-way, depending on the length of your layover, which is not much longer than a nonstop flight would be.
Does Bangkok have direct flights to the US?
As of October 2025, Bangkok does not have direct flights to the US, at least not if you use the word “direct” to mean nonstop. You can fly one-stop from Bangkok to the US via other destinations in East Asia, Europe and the Middle East, often on the same airline and rarely on the same plane. But nonstop flights between the US and Thailand remain elusive.
The Bottom Line
Contrary to what United Airlines says (at least as of late 2025), there is not currently any direct flight from USA to Thailand. You have to stop and change planes somewhere, be that in Tokyo, Seoul, Taipei, Hong Kong—or, if you live in a US city that has a flight there, in Vancouver. While I remain hopeful that some airline will eventually re-connect Thailand the the US with nonstop service, I am not optimistic that this will occur in the short-term. Until it does, frankly, I’d suggest avoiding United’s fake “direct” service, and taking a superior Asian airline via one its hubs. Need personalized help planning your trip to Thailand? Commission a custom Thailand itinerary today!
