CheshireTom

Get decent Adidas bottoms for a couple of quid in Matalans .......

Reminds me of a post elsewhere entitled "If British Airways Sold Paint" except in this case it is cheaper to buy the same paint in Shannon ...... Customer: Hi. How much is your paint? Clerk: Well, sir, that all depends on quite a lot of things. Customer: Can you give me a guess? Is there an average price? Clerk: Our lowest price is £12 a litre, and we have 60 different prices up to £200 a litre. Customer: What's the difference in the paint? Clerk: Oh, there isn't any difference; it's all the same paint. Customer: Well, then I'd like some of that £12 paint. Clerk: When do you intend to use the paint? Customer: I want to paint tomorrow. It's my day off. Clerk: Sir, the paint for tomorrow is the £200 paint. Customer: When would I have to paint to get the £12 paint? Clerk: You would have to start very late at night in about 3 weeks. But you will have to agree to start painting before Friday of that week and continue painting until at least Sunday. Customer: You've got to be kidding! Clerk: I'll check and see if we have any paint available. Customer: You have shelves FULL of paint! I can see it! Clerk: But it doesn't mean that we have paint available. We sell only a certain number of litres on any given weekend. Oh, and by the way, the price per litre just went to £16. We don't have any more £12 paint. Customer: The price went up as we were talking? Clerk: Yes, sir. We change the prices and rules hundreds of times a day, and since you haven't actually walked out of the store with your paint yet, we just decided to change. I suggest you purchase your paint as soon as possible. How many litres do you want? Customer: Well, maybe five litres. Make that six, so I'll have enough. Clerk: Oh no, sir, you can't do that. If you buy paint and don't use it, there are penalties and possible confiscation of the paint you already have. Customer: WHAT? Clerk: We can sell enough paint to do your kitchen, bathroom, hall and north bedroom, but if you stop painting before you do the bedroom, you will lose your remaining litres of paint. Customer: What does it matter whether I use all the paint? I already paid you for it! Clerk: We make plans based upon the idea that all our paint is used, every drop. If you don't, it causes us all sorts of problems. Customer: This is crazy!! I suppose something terrible happens if I don't keep painting until after Saturday night! Clerk: Oh yes! Every litre you bought automatically becomes the £200 paint. Customer: But what are all these, "Paint on sale from £10 a litre" signs? Clerk: Well that's for our budget paint. It only comes in half-litres. One £5 half-litre will do half a room. The second half-litre to complete the room is £20. None of the cans have labels, some are empty and there are no refunds, even on the empty cans. Customer: To hell with this! I'll buy what I need somewhere else! Clerk: I don't think so, sir. You may be able to buy paint for your bathroom and bedrooms, and your kitchen and dining room from someone else, but you won't be able to paint your connecting hall and stairway from anyone but us. And I should point out, sir, that if you paint in only one direction, it will be £300 a litre. Customer: I thought your most expensive paint was £200! Clerk: That's if you paint around the room to the point at which you started. A hallway is different. Customer: And if I buy £200 paint for the hall, but only paint in one direction, you'll confiscate the remaining paint. Clerk: No, we'll charge you an extra use fee plus the difference on your next litre of paint. But I believe you're getting it now, sir. Customer: You're insane! Clerk: Thanks for painting with British Airways.

I stayed there in late-March - an absolute bargain for lording it for a few nights in BKK. The staff are as good as any 5 Star hotel and being directly opposite Annie's means it is a five minute walk to Nana Plaza. If you can stretch to the extra 1,000 Baht the Grande Deluxe rooms are well worth the extra. The price works out the same as the JWM on Priceline but there is no comparison between the rooms. Tom

Accor was due to open 2 hotels in Pattaya this year, The Novotel in Naklua and The Mercure in Pattaya. I'm not sure about the location on 2nd Road though ...... I was under the impression it was further out towards 3rd Road. I would be wary about guest fees as Mercure was a bit of a nightmare when it ran what is now The Cholchan. Tom

marleyboy, I believe the 888 special ended on 30 June. One less decision to make ....... Have a good trip. Tom

Travelmood is now advertising flights for the period mid-August through until the end of November. All prices in UK Pounds incl tax and surcharges. Thai - 469 Eva - 454 Etihad - 455 Qatar - 444 Eva - 639 (ED) Considering most airlines are now applying a significant fuel surcharge the prices appear to be quite reasonable. I would assume that most of the main agents will be offering similar prices over the next week or so. Tom

According to their website power is only available in biz and economy flex (full Y fare). SAS WiFi Tom

Bill, Thai are expected in Manchester sometime in 2006 or early 2007. They, themselves confirmed that they are planning Manchester as a new destination in their Investors Presentation made in May of this year. That's the only facts as they are publicly known at the moment. The unanswered question everyone is asking is whether the flights will be non-stop or direct via a third country. There are various rumours which really won't be answered until fifth-freedom rights (the right to pick up pax from a third country) are cleared through the CAA. There have been various mutterings that the route will be via Moscow but I would have to worry about the sense in that considering that you have better timings, and good prices, available with Swiss, KLM/China Airlines, Emirates, Qatar, Malaysia, Singapore etc etc. Whatever transpires it will take a lot to move me from Qatar who look after me very well and their product suits my preferences and my pocket. If I was to revert to travelling economy again then the timings, service, and facilities offered by Singapore on their 777 service takes some beating. That said, Thai are due to commence taking delivery of their own 772ER next year so we may strike lucky if they push one in our direction. The aircraft has the ideal pax capacity and range to make a non-stop service a viable proposition. I'm sorry if most of it appears to be conjecture and rumour but unfortunately that's how things stand at the moment. If I hear anything definite I'll post it here. Tom

papalazarou, A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush! Many offers, especially at short notice, are restricted to certain flights and/or certain days of the week i.e. midweek. Personally, if I was offered what you have I would go for it without any hesitation. However, I would check the booking class as Thai stop awarding miles in H and W class after 1 July. Tom

IslandHopper, In the northern hemisphere you will normally have a tailwind eastabout and a headwind westabout. The Thai BKK-JFK sevice effectively flies around the globe, albeit at a far northerly latitude for a significant part of the trip. Tom

marleyboy, I agree that TG business class was absolute shit. The premium laurel deal seems great and I would use it if I lived down around LHR. The biggest problem with flying in decent business class is going back to economy afterwards. Tom

Eltib, Thanks a lot, mate. I think it will put the cat among the pigeons on the LHR-BKK non-stop route. Tom

Hub, Thanks for that. I was only aware of the Connexion product and was hoping that Qatar would get it because I still have a shed-load of miles with them to use. It seems to be pretty cool ............. just tell the bosses I'm working online while doing the trip out and save a day's holiday. Tom

RearWindow, I am aware that many carriers have laptop power, however, Connexion allows either WiFi or ethernet broadband speed connections for your laptop on aircraft that have it fitted. Obviously, to take advantage of this on a 10+ hour flight you need either a few batteries or the laptop power that is installed concurrently with Connexion. A great system that will incorporate live TV from next year. This is the link/overview from the Connexion site: Connexion Internet Access Connexion by Boeing Overview Connexion by Boeing is a mobile information services provider delivering real-time, high-speed connectivity to airline passengers, affording them personalized access to the Internet, to their personal and business email accounts (including attachments) and to entertainment content – just as they might have in a modern home or office. It allows travelers to use their own laptop or hand-held devices to connect either wirelessly or through a standard Ethernet connection.

I know that currently Lufthansa, Singapore and SAS have been fitted with WiFi/laptop power on their BKK/SIN flights and that Austrian and Etihad are due to have it fitted. Anybody got any ideas if there are any other airlines that have got it or are due to get it?

echster, Thanks for that. Tom

marleyboy, The new 777s will be fitted for 42 Business Class, 63 Evergreen Deluxe and 211 Economy. I understand the first of the new aircraft is due off the production line in the next couple of weeks for testing etc prior to delivery to EVA so hopefully some pics and more details of the new cabins will appear shortly afterwards. Tom

It starts on 13th August - the actual fixtures are announced next Thursday. Funnily enough, the info came up in the first entry when Googling "Premier League". Barclays Premier League

Denny, As I've said before, If you have a problem with what I've written on this or any other thread there is a report function to be used. Use it; that's what it is there for. As for Ollie, I'm sure won't mind being labelled a drunken murderer but he'd probably draw the line at being called a Brit. Tom

Denny, What's the problem then? You think it is good value for money and I don't. They are only opinions and, like arseholes, everybody has one. Some folk happen to dislike the Sabai Inn, whereas I don't. Same, same with the Nana in BKK; some guys swear by the place but for me it would rate as one of the last places I would stay in the Sukhumvit area. I am quite sure that you don't have a financial interest in the Skytop and I acknowledged that. I happen to agree with your views on the Marriott Pattaya and Pattaya Park so I don't post opposing views on them. However, that is not the case with the Skytop. As the famous philosopher, Mr Loaf, said "Two out of three ain't bad!" Tom

Denny, You know more than me if you know when I'll be in town next. It could be as little as four weeks or as much as four months depending on how quickly my house move goes but I'll make sure I let you know either way. You seem to be a more than a little upset that I don't agree with your assessment of the Skytop. It's not as if you have an interest in the place or anything, is it? Tom

monkeyman, Will you let us know what the premium laurel is like and, if you can lower yourself to mix with the peasants, what the new ED is like. Cheers, Tom

Jack, Herr Doctor? You really do need to brush up on your German, mate. I appreciate you obviously like the place. The fact of the matter is that I don't rate it at all. So why all the personal shit simply because I don't agree with you? As for location, why don't you just say it's a one mile round-trip to the supermarket? I will concede that the bars next door were quite smart although I'm not sure I would want the sound of their competing sound systems outside my window. The only problem was they were also empty and last time I noticed at least one of the front ones had been converted into a rather posh garage. Tom

Jack, Fire away mate ......... I take it that you don't disagree then. It's nice to see though that you have lighlighted yet another of the high-quality folks that hang around Skytop. Murderers and mad German doctors ......... it takes all sorts, I suppose. Thanks. Tom