CheshireTom

Julio, Only for economy pax. For those in Biz or holding Silver/Gold FF status the stopover is extremely good ......... free internet, booze, food, spacious. The new dedicated first/biz class dedicated terminal terminal will open soon which will free up a lot of space in the main terminal. There is a fair bit of construction going on to accommodate the increase in traffic expected for the Asian Games in Nov/Dec which again will enhance the current terminal whilst the new one is under construction. If possible, avoid Thu/Fri/Sat flights as that is the busiest period. Tom

alan, There should be a power outlet per seat pair in economy ......... i.e. 4 outlets per row of 8 seats Thai Airbus A340-500 In-flight Products Read in 3 columns as below: Royal Silk Class/Premium Economy/ Economy Class Configuration & Seat Total no. of Seat 60/ 42/ 113 Abreast 2-2-2/ 2-3-2/ 2-4-2 Pitch 60"/ 42"/ 36" Recline Angle (degree) 167/ 122/ 122 Leg Rest YES/ YES/ - Foot Rest YES/ YES/ YES Shell Type YES/ - / - Cabin Ambience Mood Lighting YES/ YES/ YES New Modern Lavatory YES/ STANDARD/ STANDARD Mural Painting YES/ YES/ YES In-flight Entertainment & Communication Audio Video On-Demand YES/ YES/ YES Personnel Screen (Size) 10.4"/ 8.4" 8.4" PC Power (15DC with adapter) 115AC/ 115AC/ 115AC (one outlet per seat pair) In-flight Movie Top Hits ; First Run Movies YES/ YES/ YES Current Hits ; In Theatre Movies YES/ YES/ YES All Time Favorite YES/ YES/ YES Classic YES/ YES/ YES International YES/ YES/ YES Thai Movies YES/ YES/ YES In-flight Music 12 Radio Stations YES/ YES/ YES Personnel Program Selection of 110 CDs, Multiple Language YES/ YES/ YES American/European Preferences - Classic, Jazz, Country, Interlude, Light Music, European/American Pop YES/ YES/ YES Asian Preferences - Chinese Music Channel - Korean Music Channel - Japanese Music Channel - Hindi Mix Music Channel YES/ YES YES Thai Preferences - Thai Oldies - Thai Pop - Thai Classical and Folks - Thai Choices YES/ YES YES In-flight Games 10 Nintendo Games YES/ YES/ YES 15 Single PC Games YES/ YES/ YES 15 Multiple PC Games YES/ YES/ YES Meal Service Bangkok-New York First Meal - Supper YES/ YES/ YES Second Meal - Light Hot Meal YES/ YES/ YES Third Meal - Breakfast YES/ YES/ YES New York-Bangkok First Meal - Lunch YES/ YES/ YES Second Meal - Dinner YES/ YES/ YES Third Meal - Light Hot Meal YES/ YES/ YES

alan, In premium economy: Thai's A340-500 seats 7 across in a 2-3-2 configuaration with a 42 inch seat pitch (2-4-2 and 36 in economy). EVA's 777-300 ER seats 8 across in a 2-4-2 configuration with a 38 inch seat pitch (3-3-3 and 34 in economy). EVA's 747 seats 8 across in a 2-4-2 configuration with a 38 inch seat pitch (3-4-3 and 34 in economy). Tom

The pools at the Sabai Lodge serve both hotels.

There's nothing to do in Doha, full stop!

Manchester is only probably worth the chance if you are transitting via Heathrow and arriving in Manchester at Terminal 3 (particulary on a Saturday or Sunday evening). Arriving at Terminal 1 or 2 means you have too much chance getting caught up with arrivals from the Caribbean, Middle East and Indian sub-continent.

I'll use Qatar as an example (I believe emirates are the same i.e. 1.25 of miles flown for silver membership and 40k miles each way for return journey upgrade). One return journey MAN-BKK earns approx 16.5k miles or 20% of the miles req'd (80k) for a roundtrip upgrade. The difference in price between economy and biz class is approx UKP 1k, therefore each flight on Emirates is worth two hundred quid in miles compared to the 100 quid price difference between the two airlines. Even if you choose the silly option and obtained a return economy ticket at 80k miles you would still earn 20% of the miles required but retain the extra baggage allowance, preferred check-in. lounge access etc that you wouldn't get with Etihad. Clear as mud? Tom

They only managed to get their shit sorted around April this year when they received their new aircraft for the LGW and BKK routes ....... prior to that, it was pretty much hit and miss with them. That said, they do seem to be getting better reviews than they were 6 months ago. For guys, such as yourself, who are regular flyers with them, the lack of a FF club must be a major issue........or on the flip side of the coin, if you had done a similar number of journeys with Qatar or Emirates they would be bending over backwards for you by now; and you would have saved a few quid along the way.

The four main carriers (Gulf, Emirates, Qatar and Etihad) all serve booze. Kuwait and Saudia do not, although I believe on Kuwait you can bring your own.

If you are booking some of the cheapest deals on either Qatar or Emirates be sure to confirm with the airline that the class of travel attracts FF mileage. I'm not sure about Emirates but Qatar works on a calender year and it is easy to lose your FF status if you don't accrue the miles on time. Once you attain silver/gold membership the bonus miles become a significant factor to take into account viz a viz tickets which, on the face of it, are great value. It may be a false economy if you ain't getting the miles you expected.

And a soon to open hotel on Soi 14 unashamedly touting its 4m x 4m shoeboxes as double, open-plan, suite accommodations.

stevoman, I remember his long, rambling post. Basically, Thai Air Asia doesn't fly BKK-Clark, nor does it advertise that it does. However, Sullo decided that the two flights BKK-KUL and KUL-Clark amounted to a connecting flight and was pissed off when he, quite predictably, missed his so-called connection. The only thing that surprised me was that he wasn't looking for investors in a travel agency ......... or maybe he was.

Thanks for the report Chivas ...... it is appreciated. brown1950, As Etihad do not have to make a profit then we as passengers should enjoy the lower fares ! They most certainly do need to make a profit, as do Emirates and Qatar, although they obviously have access to cheap capital to fund their expansion. As an aside .......... their 777s are in a 3-3-3 configuration rather than the 3-4-3 configuration favoured by Emirates. It's a no-brainer which is the most comfortable service of the two. Tom

Had a look at the place yesterday. No guest fee ...... they just hammer you with the double occupancy rate. Amounts to the same thing.

donny, I can recollect seeing a DXB stopover deal recently where the hotel was included. They are building enough of the things at the moment! I'm in LOS at the moment but I'll see if I can look it up. Emirates prices Sep-Nov incl should flatten out to be generally available around the 440-480 quid mark incl taxes. Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Doha airports all operate on a hub system ...... i.e. loads of flights come in and then the pax are all transferred to their connecting flights, generally within a 3-4 hour window. It generally works on an east to west connection and then a west to east connection to take account of the time differences. I believe Royal Jordanian are the middle east airline with poor connection times and a bit of a reputation for poor time-keeping anyway. Tom

Donny, Obviously you haven't checked the schedules enough ............. the stopover in DXB is between 1:30 and 3:20. Hardly a huge wait at a lousy time and certainly nowhere near the 12 hours you seem intent on quoting to reinforce your point. If you want to spend 12 hours visiting the city (it's worth the effort) Emirates allow stopovers with the only extra charge being an additional airport departure tax at DXB. Flight Departure Arrival Stopover Aircraft-Classes Flight Duration Days EK 385 0125 Bangkok 0430 Dubai - 773-JY 17:15 Mo Tu We Th Fr Sa Su EK 025 0750 Dubai 1240 Glasgow - 77W-JY Schedule valid From 1-Jun-2006 To 28-Oct-2006 EK 419 0230 Bangkok 0535 Dubai - 77W-FJY 16:10 Mo Tu We Th Fr Sa Su EK 025 0750 Dubai 1240 Glasgow - 77W-JY Schedule valid From 1-Jun-2006 To 1-Oct-2006 EK 387 0315 Bangkok 0620 Dubai - 332-JY 15:25 Mo We Sa EK 025 0750 Dubai 1240 Glasgow - 77W-JY Schedule valid From 1-Jun-2006 To 30-Sep-2006 Tom

Emil, I should still be around until 8 Jul and then I will be back during the first week of Aug. I'll catch up with you. Regards, Tom

Emil, It's the same for us except that there is no operator, apart from the odd charter, that flies from UK to BKK using the same flight. It is all either non-stop or via a hub airport along the route with a change of equipment. Are you in town at the moment? Tom

Unless you live south of Watford Gap it is the "direct flights" that are a false economy. Plenty options to go through Zurich, Amsterdam, Frankfurt, Munich et al without any of the drawbacks you mention. Maybe you should try Emirates service out of Glasgow before spouting total crap about usually spending hours in deserted airports in the middle of the night etc etc.

Both Qatar and Emirates FF programmes make them cheaper than Etihad in the long term. Not such a big deal for the guys flying once a year bet for the more regular travellers the mileage is a big deal. That said, Etihad's new 777's are getting excellent reviews and their biz class is the best deal by far for a true flat-bed product.

I think all that is happening is that fares ex US are finding the level they should have been at for a good few years. For the Brits, the middle east airlines will ensure that prices stay relatively flat for a good few years particularly since they are continually taking delivery of the most fuel-efficient aircraft the market has to offer. Also, the price of oil is usually traded in US dollars and the exchange rates over the last 9 months or so have favoured the Europeans and, comparitively speaking, dampened the impact of the higher (dollar) costs of fuel.

makavelli, CI's business class specials allow for changes within the vailidity of the original ticket. If you make the change prior to your outbound journey there is a fee to pay (in this case 80 quid per ticket ....... there will also probably be an "admin" fee charged by the agent) and you would need to return the tickets to have the changes endorsed. Alternatively, you can wait until you are in LOS, i.e. after the date of outbound travel, and give CI in BKK a call and change your return date (normally free of charge for a C/D class ticket). The problem is likely to be getting a connection on KLM (I presume) within the same ticket class that was originally issued for their leg of the flights, rather than CI. Best to speak to CI in London (0207 436 9001) rather than your agent and ask them for your options. Tom

Nightclubs on Soi 4 - it always seemd a bit of a sleepy Soi to me? Must be Pattaya's best kept secret. All I can recall down the Beach Road end is Suzies, the U-Hotel and the German Fisherman's restaurant place and the 2nd Rd end is taken up by the hospital and PIC restaurant. Anybody got any idea where on Soi 4 this hotel and the nightclubs are?

I understand that Etihad have all but completed the changeover on both the LGW and BKK routes to the new 777. The reviews on Airline Quality since the introduction of the aircraft appear to be quite positive .......... Etihad Airways - by Sandy Mellis 20 April 2006 LGW to BKK via Abu Dhabi and return to LHR. The first leg via the new 777 was excellent, from check in to landing at Abu Dhabi. Great IFE, excellent food and staff very attentive. Unfortunately the second leg from Abu Dhabi to Bangkok via the Airbus was not so great - IFE did not operate efficiently and the staff were not so courteous. I would fly with Etihad again, because the price compared to other operators far outways any problems. Etihad Airways - by Owen Barnes 18 April 2006 777 Gatwick to Abu Dhabi, despite being full was comfortable (maybe the seats are a little firm but this is a matter of personal preference). The staff polite attentive and professional, IFE excellent, and one on the best meals on an aircraft. Return flight equally good - especially as nearly empty !! At check-in we were offered a row each without my asking - so we were able to sleep the whole way back. Fantastic value too. Etihad Airways - by Dennis Laycock 8 April 2006 LGW-AUH-BKK return. I felt all four flights were excellent, with helpful staff both ground and cabin crews, also modern aircraft and an excellent choice of meals and onboard entertainment. My criticism would be that the seats could be a little roomier with slightly more legroom. Etihad are offering a very competitive prices. I would have no hesitation using this airline again.

The Conrad, Marriot, Sheraton, Westin, Landmark, Majestic Grande etc don't charge joiner fees. It would be interesting to know which high-end hotels do charge.