CheshireTom

The largest room at the Skytop is made up of two standard 4mx4m townhouse units. The supporting beam at the 4m point runs down the centre of the room. The actual floor area was nearer to 29 sq m.

You seem fascinated by this "sacked" word. First of all your 5 CEOs nonsense and now this. No employees have been, or are being, sacked. Some factories are being sold to third parties as business entities and any sackings in the interim would contravene Euro-wide employment legislation, as would any negative impact on their current T&Cs of employment.

The Nova (Nipa) Lodge was Pattaya's first purpose built hotel .................. it was put up in the early 60s prior to the Vietnam War and provided pretty much the only proper hotel accommodation in Pattaya during the whole of the 60s. The rooms are pretty small and the hotel visibly suffers from a lack of recent investment. It sits in an absolute prime location though, particularly when you consider some of the recent beachfront construction and that which is planned or currently underway, so I would assume that its days are pretty much numbered.

It seems that, contrary to Scally and Fruitcase's opinions (surprise, surprise) EADS restructuring is coming along pretty well Airbus maker buoyed by profit jump PARIS (AP) -- EADS, the parent company of planemaker Airbus, said Wednesday that net profit increased 46 percent in the second quarter after a "remarkable order intake" and cost savings. EADS's profit has surged on the back of orders for its new A380 superjumbo. European Aeronautic Defense & Space said net profit for the three months to June rose to euro118 million (US$185.32 million) compared with euro81 million a year earlier. Revenue advanced 5 percent to euro9.89 billion (US$15.53 billion). EADS did not change its guidance for revenue and earnings this year, and shares fell in early trading Wednesday. At midmorning, the stock was down 3.2 percent or at euro12.27 ($19.27). Airbus' underlying earnings looked "very good," Societe Generale analyst Zafar Khan said, raising the question of why the company hadn't raised its earnings guidance. "A target of euro1.8 billion ($2.83 billion) for the year suggests only euro600 million ($942 million) in the second half, or half the first half level," Khan said. EADS did raise its expectation for aircraft orders this year, saying it expects Airbus to capture more than 850 orders in 2008, 150 more than it predicted in May. "Our order book is at a record level," EADS CEO Louis Gallois said in a statement. At the end of June, EADS' order book was worth a record euro354.2 billion (US$556.27 billion). The results do not include orders booked at the Farnborough International Airshow earlier this month, where Airbus emerged as the clear winner with orders for 247 planes worth US$38.7 billion (euroUS24.64 billion) at catalog prices. U.S. competitor Boeing Co. claimed a show tally of 197 planes worth $US23.1 billion (euro14.71 billion), although many of the deals were already on its books. Without them, the Chicago-based plane maker's deals at the world's biggest air show drop to just US$5.6 billion. EADS' results contrast with those of Boeing, which reported a 19-percent decline in second-quarter profit to $US852 million (euro542.5 million) because of late delivery of military aircraft and rising costs from the postponed introduction of its 787 jetliner. EADS said it booked a charge of euro715 million (US$1.1 billion) to cover compensation for late delivery of its A380 superjumbo. The changes to the delivery schedule were announced in May, but at that stage the financial impact was not calculated. The scale of the hit isn't surprising, Khan said. "EADS doesn't do things in half measures," Khan said, "We knew there would be a charge, just didn't have an idea of how big." Analysts also expect EADS to take a charge for delays to its new military transport plane the A400M. "I expect this will probably be made in the second half," Khan said. The quarterly results take EADS' first-half net profit to euro403 million (US$632.91 million), a 332 percent increase from the same period of 2007, when Airbus was burdened by heavy restructuring provisions and launch charges for its A350 medium capacity jet. Revenue in the first six months advanced 8 percent to euro19.74 billion ($31 billion). EADS said the dollar's slide against the euro knocked euro700 million ($1.09 billion) off profits in the first half. Unlike its U.S. rival, many of Airbus' costs are in euros, though it sells its planes in dollars. EADS claims every 10 cent drop in the dollar cuts euro1 billion ($US1.57 billion) from earnings. "To maintain competitiveness, EADS has to tackle the ongoing US dollar weakness," Gallois said in the statement. To compensate, he confirmed that EADS is seeking an additional euro1 billion (US$1.57 billion) in savings in 2011 and 2012. That is on top of its restructuring program, dubbed Power-8, which aims to shed 10,000 jobs and reduce annual spending by euro2.1 billion ($US3.3 billion) by 2010. The extra measures will be presented to workers in the autumn, EADS said. Gallois' hopes to move more of EADS costs into the dollar zone suffered a setback when a $US35 billion (euro22.29 billion) competition it won to supply the U.S. airforce with fueling tankers was reopened.

The rule of thumb is 90 days in any 180 as the max on a tourist visa unless, as Joe said, the hospital can swing it. The days of of repeating 60+30 on tourist visas/visa exemption stamps are long gone.

No need to make a correction. Folk of a certain age are often confused between relatives. Anyway, back to the present, or should it be future ........ Emirates, the fast-expanding Gulf airline, announced Monday, July 28 it was ordering another 60 Airbus jets as it picked up its first A380 jumbo jet from the Airbus factory in Hamburg. The newly ordered planes, A350 and A330-300 models, are smaller than the two-deck A380, the world's biggest passenger plane. At official list prices, the value of the 60-plane order is some $13 billion (8.25 billion euros). The colorful handover ceremony Monday was the first from a new A380 delivery centre set up by Airbus in Hamburg to accommodate airlines during the weeks of testing before the money is handed over and a jet is flown away. The only other A380s yet in service are five with Singapore Airlines. They were picked up from the Airbus fuselage factory in Toulouse, France, which divides up the tasks of manufacture with the Hamburg factory. The chief of the United Arab Emirates airline, Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed al-Maktoum, said the airline had ordered 30 of the A350 model and 30 of the A330-300 jets. It had already ordered 58 of the biggest in Airbus' range, the A380. "The future has arrived," he said of the jumbo's start of service, adding to hundreds of Airbus staff: "Thank you. You have made history."

Tell us the 5 CEOs that you reckon have gone then ........... Sure.

No, BigD ......... you were quite specific that 5 CEOs had been sacked in the last 2 years. The article doesn't say that at all, does it? Some, or none, may have moved sideways to Eurocopter or the defence arm or been promoted to more senior positions in EADS ........... you, quite simply, have no idea. How's the relocation plans coming along?

Why? The comment "Only 5 CEO have been sacked in the last 2 years" was made by you, not the writer of the preceding article. Are you saying that you can't corroborate what you claimed?

The journo was right when the story was originally published. It's just that BigD didn't realise that he was posting crap from back in April.

When the bars are supplying the girls and the short-time rooms on the premises isn't brothel a pretty accurate description ............

Funny that you referred to the same review several months ago ........ to quote you then ...... "At the end of April 2008, Airbus CEO Thomas Enders stated that the company would be reviewing the production plans. “This is a very steep ramp up and this is something one always needs to be concerned about,” Enders said. It's a sad day when you can't even remember your own posts ........ the quoted share price should have told you that the "news" was months out of date. As for your 5 CEOs nonsense ........ Airbus had joint CEOs, Louis Gallois and Tom Enders. Enders is still CEO (and Gallios took over at EADS) so perhaps you can identify the five mystery CEOs who have been sacked?

LOL. I knew you would pick up that report BigD. Now go away and try to figure out how long ago since the report first appeared. One day? One week? One month? Three months? Let us know what you come up with. I'll give you a couple of clues ...... it was over 150 posts prior to this one and you, yourself, made the post.

You get the person in UK to call you.

This explanation is taken from the Pattaya Expats site and is a pretty good summary of what's on offer ..... Pressing + or 001 will get you through to the high quality service offered by CAT. The sound quality is clear, making it suitable for business calls to over 230 countries across the world. The minimum call duration is one minute, and any remaining part minute is billed in six-second blocks. For instance, a call to the USA will cost Bt9 per minute and Bt0.9 for each additional six-second block. Pressing 007 will get you through to the high quality service offered by TOT. The sound quality is clear, making it suitable for business calls to over 210 countries across the world. The minimum call duration is 1 minute, and remaining periods of less than 30 seconds duration are billed per half minute. Remaining part-minutes in excess of 30 seconds are rounded up to one minute. Call charge is currently 9 baht/min. Pressing 008 will get you through to the economy service offered by TOT, which uses voice over internet protocol (VoIP) to help you save money on international calls to over 150 countries across the world. The minimum call duration is 1 minute, and remaining time is billed per six-second block. For instance, a call to the USA is charged at Bt5 per minute, with each remaining six-second block charged at 50 satang. (January 2008 - from Thai mobile to UK landline was 7.5 baht/min.) Pressing 009 or eFONE will get you through to the economy service offered by CAT, which uses Voice over internet protocol (VoIP) to help you save money on international calls to over 150 countries across the world. The minimum call duration is 1 minute, and remaining time is billed per six-second block. For instance, a call to the USA is charged at Bt5 per minute, with each remaining six-second block charged at 50 satang. A 'Phone Net' card obtainable from CAT (and many small mini-marts) cost 300 or 500 baht. These allow International calls to various destinations for as low as 4 baht-min (when you use the 009 prefix). Prices vary for different destinations. A survey at our Sunday meeting found 4 people who used it & loved it, and 1 had no success at all. Cards are valid for 1-year from initial use. Prices can be found in English at: http://web1.cattelecom.co.th/ An addition to 'cheap' international access FROM Thailand is DeeDial. This is both a 'direct call' system (cheap), and a call-back' system (cheaper). You have to pre-charge your account (no expiry date), then call using one of the systems above. Examples: from a Thai landline - to a UK landline, using 'callback', is 1.5 baht/min. From a Thai mobile - to a UK landline, using callback, is 7 baht/min. Account is very easy to set up. If you use the 'call direct' method you have to add the Thai charges for your phone use. (http://www.deedial.com)

They missed a bit out ............ This assessment is based the Conklin & de Decker Aviation Information study, conducted earlier this year and funded by Boeing, ...

No ......... it doesn't have any aircraft.

Great news. I'm in BKK at the moment and lower Sukhumvit is crawling with freelancers. They're even doing "Buy One Get One Free" deals outside Robinsons.

jacko, have u managed to get them to explain how they can offer a 2/3/4mb service on a line that currently shows up as only capable of 512 kb/1 mb? the tt&t deal looks good value and is being heavily marketed where I live but they seem to be a bit iffy when it comes down to explaining how they're going to achieve the service.

I think the problem for the US politicos is that they used the correct criteria.

It's their policy to announce them on a monthly basis, same as Airbus, so that you have gross and net orders. So far this year they've accounted for just one.

Err, no. They have already announced over 350 orders from "unidentified" customers that are included in their annual orders. They may also get round to announcing some cancellations ........ or are they waiting on the customers to OK that?

Entirely predictable though given the xenophobic diatribe in the run-up to the award of the contract and that has continued since. Posted by: CheshireTom Feb 1 2008, 11:36 AM Heh, Obviously, I'd like to see EADS get the order but I think the best they can hope for would be a split order. I just can't envisage that the award of such a large defense order to an overseas player, particularly when they are making such a big noise about EADS being French (it is not), would be politically acceptable in the States . Hub, I'll be the first one to hold up my hands and admit that I called that wrong. All credit to the procurement people for staying focussed on choosing the best bit of kit for the job and ignoring the xenophobic furore that went beforehand and has intensified since. That said, given the comments since the award of the contract we're still someway away from the order being seen as being politically acceptable ......... which was the point of the post.

The place looks extremely good value for money considering the much-touted Skytop charges double for its largest rooms.