CheshireTom

West East Travel now have an offer for the new 777ER service from LHR-BKK which commences on 15 Sep. The offer is for Premium Laurel class (61 inch seat pitch and 170 degree reclining seats) at GBP 888 incl taxes. Seating on the 777 will be in a 2-2-2 configuration. This is not a companion fare and is eligible for single travellers. Call West East on 0870 220 1001 and quote "888" for the offer and availability. Regards, Tom

Gus, I spoke to EVA in Euston Rd this morning and she reckoned that they will have the seat maps by mid-June (you can book your seat 100 days in advance with them so they need the plans to do this). The service is still planned to go live on 15 September and there will be an official "launch" and associated marketing of the new service but, as yet, the dates are unknown. FWIW the business class seats in premium laurel are the same as those used by Qatar on their A330s and are excellent. Travelmood are still doing a companion business class fare from 15 Sep for 769 quid incl tax so it may be worth advertising for a travelling companion on the board. (Do it in the Members' Area for a better response). The reason that the airlines' fares seem to be higher on their websites is because of the Brit tradition of the airlines paying agents commission to sell the seats. BA have recently broken with this system and now agents selling their seats have to add on their own margin to the price airlines sell them at. It makes a lot of sense to me and now BA's site is selling seats at competitive prices as compared to what can be found through the agents. Tom

Air Miles, in its various forms, is already the world's second biggest "currency" behind the USD. However, like many currencies, it has become too strong in the marketplace and some airlines are, in effect, devaluing that currency to bring it in line and protect their own interests. BBC/Economist Report on Air Miles Tom

Dave, You can still get Emirates for 584 quid incl tax for that period providing you travel midweek (Mon-Thu). The fare is available through www.flights4less.co.uk and www.lastminute.com (same same company). Emirates occasionally replace the A330 on the evening flight with a high-density 777 which frees up extra seats at short notice but is not something I would rely on. Regards, Tom p.s. There is weekday and weekend availabilty from Birmingham for around 50 quid less if you can handle the possibility of a long layover in Dubai.

Lemons, I've never heard that analogy but it's so very, very true. Tom

Krengchai is the attitude of taking other peoples feelings into consideration, avoiding confrontation, being tolerant of other's situations etc. Like many thai words that describe a state of mind, I'm not sure there is a direct translation into English.

Millwall, Who did you book with? I will be flying on the evening flight from MAN on Thu 10 Nov. There is plenty of free-flowing booze on the flights so there is absolutely no worries about the lack of booze in Doha. Tom

I had a look at the Nirvana on my last trip for future reference. The rooms are a very good size and well-furnished and I will certainly spend some time there on my next trip just for a change of scenery. However, to book online they wanted full payment up front and CC details e-mailed by insecure means. I won't do that but will try for a walk in. They also do a deal with Image Limo and their sister hotel on Koh Chang which may be a good side trip with a regular TG for a few days. Tom p.s. I am also looking at the Bella Villa Prima for the main part of my stay so we must have similar tastes.

I regularly fly with Qatar from Manchester - Doha is preferable to Heathrow for a layover. They are ranked on Skytrax as a 5 Star airline alongside Singapaore and Cathay but I would put them one notch below purely because of the professionalism of the FAs and the facilities at their home base. However, their prices are consistently 20-25% lower than Singapore (and Emirates) which makes them a much better value for money deal IMO. The aircraft throughout the route LHR-DOH-BKK are brand new A330-300s and have personal TV throughout with Audio/Video on demand. The seating in economy is quite spacious as compared to that on Emirates. Doha airport is similar to what Dubai was a few years ago - ciggies are around GBP 7 for 200 and JW Black or Chivas around GBP 14 for 1 litre. I tend to get their Thursday evening flight from UK which gets in BKK at 18:45 (in the winter months) on the Friday evening which is just right for a night or two in BKK to chill out before moving down to Pattaya on the Sunday when the road is quieter. Have a look at their website - it's a pretty good source of info. Qatar Airways Regards, Tom p.s. Where did you get your deal from - it sounds very good.

Tab, Best of luck, mate. I'm being entirely selfish wanting teams from the north-west in the top flight and it would be nice to see a Preston v Wigan Premiership derby! Tom

Surely you mean Preston .............................

I just checked out the window and as far as I can see we are still driving on the LEFT in England .........

Gus, The short answer is yes - you get the miles for the class booked, not the class that you actually travel in. FWIW, I would hold onto whatever miles I had in the bank until the new aircraft start on the LHR route (15 Sep or thereabouts I think). I have no idea what the Evergreen Deluxe will be like but the new biz class on the new aircraft (premium laurel) is way better than the product they currently offer on the 747s. Tom p.s. When you do upgrade, have a drink for me!

I think you may be able to rent leather equipment in Pattaya. Leather Specialists

Taffy, You should just be able to open both the word document and the new post window, resize them both so they are side by side, highlight the text in the word document that you want to move and simply drag it into the text area of the new post window. Tom

Except for, apart for anything else, "he" is a she and AFAIK is on extended maternity leave for the foreseeable future. Tom

Bill, Thai only has one more A340-500 due for delivery this year (the fourth aircraft is due in 2007/2008). This will give Thai a maximum of 3 additional flights per week to continental US. Contrary to what BigD says, there has been no announcement by Thai as to where these additional flights will be scheduled. There are various rumours re LAX/ORD flights and JFK going daily but, at the moment, that is all they are. Much will depend on Thai's review of the JFK route after 3 months operation. Tom

Feileacan, Sorry; it was presumtive of me to assume that you flew from Dublin. I do agree with you re getting the through ticket rather than two separately ticketed flights to UK and then on to BKK. Prices should come down for the period mid/late August through until mid-December but many airlines, if not most, won't have settled on their winter schedule just yet. Generally speaking, offers should start to appear after the late-May Bank Holiday for the above period. I am sure having said that the Sunday Times will be full of offers this weekend! FWIW, it appears that Airline Network has some reasonably priced deals (with availability) at the moment via Heathrow and Bahrain with Bmi/Gulf Air (circa GBP 510) for travel in October. Regards, Tom

Swiss often has direct deals on its website from Dublin (and UK) to BKK e.g. for outbound travel up to the end of June - EUR 570 or GBP 395 incl taxes (ex MAN GBP 414 incl taxes). A good airline with brand new aircraft on the BKK route and Zurich is an easy transit point compared to the likes of LHR. Swiss Offers ex Dublin Deals for travel in October should appear in early September. Tom

Their own website is quite good (if a bit amatuerish) and has their e-mail addy to enquire about lower rates than those published. I'll definitely have a look at it on my next trip. Chaba Hut Resort Another place worth considering in the same area is the LK Metropole ...... LK Metropole Tom

floyd, I also found the time limits on upgrading with Thai prohibitive so elected just to convert my Thai miles to hotel vouchers which were then valid for another year. I used them to stay at the Sheraton on Sukhumvit so that may be a good option particularly with the Sheraton Pattaya opening at the beginning of July. Tom

I would echo steveo's thoughts on the Nova Park (not to be confused with the Nova Lodge). I stayed there at Xmas and New Year (just as Jamesons and the New Wing were being completed) and found it great value for money - far enough away from the action to be quiet but only a 5-10 min walk to Soi 6 or a 5-10 min bike ride to most other popular haunts around town. Tom

BigD, Yep, I can find plenty speculation of what will happen with the third A340-500 when it arrives in the autumn but no announcement from Thai. I did read that Thai expects to lose big bucks on the New York route over the first three years and that they were going to re-assess the route after three months ........ a Thai scenario familiar to many Europeans over the years. Tom

BigD, Sorry, I can't seem to find it - the latest press release I get up was in April for the official announcement of the JFK service. I'm interested to try and work out what European destinations may get the A340-600 to see if it is worth routing from Manchester on a codeshare e.g. through Zurich. It would be worth knowing if the non-stop flights to LAX are replacing, or are in addition to, the current schedule. If you have the URL of the announcement it would be helpful. Tom

GBP 769 for Biz Class with EVA's new 777s from 15 Sep through Travelmood. Only downside is that it is a companion fare so two pax have to travel together. Tom