CheshireTom

Val, Thanks for the info but I thought you could fly international to/from SIN. Tom

Crackpot, It is only 3 hours extra overall travelling time to fly MH or SQ from MAN to BKK as compared to going via LHR on bmi/TG. Hardly losing a day is it? Both SQ and MH are flying 80%+ load factors from MAN so I don't see where the 40% comes from. The airline would cut the service rather than increase it as they have both done over the last six months. If anything, I would much prefer to fly MH at 40% capacity with loads of stewardesses fretting over me than with TG at 80%. If you get any deals with EVA or China though (or anyone else for that matter) let us know and I'm sure some boardies will put business your way. Tom

Crackpot, Your comments about changing flights with SQ or MS are based on the assumption that everybody lives south of Watford. If you are travelling from one of the regionals then a change of plane is necessary no matter which route you take. Your comparisons are therefore only valid for Thai v EVA v BA/Qantas non-stop from LHR. The actual travelling time from MAN to BKK can be less going via KL/SIN/Dubai/Doha rather than via LHR - the same can be said for the other regionals going via Amsterdam/Frankfurt etc. I don't think it is true that the guys on this site only look for the cheapest flights - the number of posts re Evergreen Deluxe and China Airlines Premium Economy would seem to indicate otherwise. If you can get us some great deals on these two carriers, I'll be the first to buy you a pint in Bangkok! (I'll phone ahead from Emirates economy to let you know what time I'll get in!). Most of the UK broadsheets (as well as the travel trade magazines) have annual travel awards and it is many years since Thai picked up any award of note. Having just travelled back from BKK yesterday in business class on one of their 747-400 non-sleeper aircraft it is not surprising. Entry to the lounge in Bangkok refused because it was full, food no better than EVA Deluxe, no personal TV (even in business class) and seats no better than those in EVA Deluxe and inferior to those in China Airlines Premium Economy. Add to that lot that you can't pre-allocate your seat (something you can do with both China and EVA) and a FF programme that is the pits so, apart from flying non-stop daily from LHR, I honestly can't see what the airline has going for it. It can't be the price because each time they do an offer EVA tends to respond in kind. Regards, Tom

Crackpot, I think you need to make clear if you are expressing personal or professional opinions. If your posts above are your personal opinions then fair enough but as far as Thai v Singapore/Malaysian goes it really is a no-brainer and I'm surprised you suggest otherwise. As for BA being the pits - they suit some people's needs but, of course, pay agents crap commission etc. Regards, Tom

I think direct flights from continental US to BKK are sure to be limited to Thai and US carriers ....... not sure if that is a particularly good thing or not, or would those guys choose to go through the existing HK, Narita, Taipei hubs or KL/SIN which would also open up to direct flights. Tom

moby69, Well done! Sounds like a good deal. The agent will have put your seat preference "on request". You can confirm it direct with the airline 90 days before the date of travel on 0207 436 9001. Their reservations folk are really very helpful and a pleasure to deal with - some of their more illustrious competitors could take note. Regards, Tom

It used to be called the Grand Pacific. It was refurbished and rebranded as Westin at the end of last/beginning of this year. Tom

eltib, Has EVA formally cancelled the orders for the Boeing 777s? They denied it a couple of months ago - probably trying to get a bit of leverage to renegotiate the finance by making it known they were open to offers from Airbus. Don't know about a Airbus-only Thai fleet. They have just purchased 9 x 747s (7 from UA (I hope they didn't come with the crew!) and 2 new). As you know, with Thai, things have a habit of being cancelled when some new guy along the line wants his cut of the deal. Regards, Tom

eltib, What's the bet then, mate? They have 15 Boeing 777 (200LR and 300ER) on order for you guys from the far side of the Pacific. It will be a few years before the 747 fleet needs replacing. Unless you stop off in Japan, HK or the PI en-route you are unlikely to use the Airbus. Tom

Turbo, As far as I can work out you can't book a through ticket via either Manchester or Birmingham. You can book through via LHR on BA and the fare is circa £665 incl tax. You could book Emirates MAN - BKK rtn at £548 incl tax and do your own connections with bmi baby BFS-Man at £29-£44 incl tax. Really a choice between cost v convenience. You would have to collect your bags at MAN and check in again but at LHR you need to hire a sherpa to get between terminals. All the above prices were from Airline Network based on travel dates of 5-21 Sep. Simon, Lastminute.com does not have some preferred access to "cancellations". All its flights are handled by Travel Select which is now fully owned by Lastminute.com. All Lastminute does is shunt you through cyberspace to Travel Select. Gus, It is ebookers.com that has the booking office in Delhi. ebookers also owns Travelbag and Bridge The World. Tom

;D China Airlines with a 50 minute connection time! ;D Got to give you credit for your optimism! That said, their service onboard now is rapidly catching up with the main Asian airlines. Tom

Derek, In previous years there has been a load of offers roundabout late July/early August for travel Sep through to the Xmas high season. You could look at doing separate tickets using bmi baby or BE from BFS to either Birmingham or Manchester. The trouble is that you start accumulating more taxes the more stopovers you have and it negates the apparent savings of avoiding the extra costs of connecting to a direct flight through LHR. The best I can see at the moment is getting to MAN on bmi baby (£29-£44 incl tax depending on day of travel) to connect with the Emirates flights (out at 2035, back in at 1220). Downside is that you could have 3 hours in MAN (you could set up stall and flog a few Man U copy footie shirts!) but the Emirates check-in is 3 hours so it evens out a bit. Emirates is currently showing at £530 incl tax with e-bookers on the flights providing decent connections in both MAN and DXB. I will check to see if it is possible to get a through ticket with the bmi baby/Emirates combination and let you know. It would save the hassle of having to re-check your bags and might reduce the taxes a bit. Or you could go via Honolulu. ;D Hope this is of some help. Tom

yinzer, The Sheraton Grande should be OK since it is home to one of the better pick-up joints in town (Riva's). I think the Westin used to be the (Pan?) Pacific. For value for money I think the Landmark is the best 4/5 star in the area - can be got through UK agents for £44 (3,000 Baht) per night incl upgrade to a suite and it is guest friendly, assuming you book a double room. Best location for the skytrain and midway between Nana and Soi 7 Biergarten. Anyone who has got spare Thai FF miles, both the JW Marriott and Sheraton Grande are on the list of participating hotels for redeeming miles ( round about 12,000 miles for one night, 22,000 for two) Regards, Tom

EVA regulars will have noticed that they have given the aircraft paintjobs and and the trolley dolly smart new uniforms over the last year or so. It now seem that they are setting about sorting out the bit that matters most - the cabins. Scroll the link down past the Chinese text which probably will display as squares. http://www.evaair.com/html/global/chinese/...content,00.html I spoke to EVA Sales to see if the current fleet would be getting upgraded and, if so, when the upgraded cabins may start appearing on the London route. The answer was a bit non-commital. Basically, Vienna would be the first European route to have upgraded cabins - "in a few months". London would follow at some point in the months after that possibly coinciding with the introduction of full pax 747 on the route. Not a lot to get too excited about then except that given the straight choice between Thai and EVA it would make sense for regular travellers to accumulate their mileage with EVA since their FF programme at least allows you a realistic opportunity to upgrade at the time of booking rather than Thai's 21 days before travel rule. With EVA's upgraded economy finally offering PTV in every seat, plus decent leg room it will make the direct choice between Thai and EVA from London a bit of a no-brainer as well as hitting the Qantas/BA market. Anyone who gets any more info on this, it would be appreciated if you can post as and when. Regards, Tom

winner, Yes, I have looked at their website. My point is that the board contains a section called Links - funnily enough, it is not a list of Scottish golf courses. If I want to see other related websites then I go to the Links section; that is what it's for. The forum is for exchanging individual views, news and information. I still believe that the majority of kenandlats posts are no more than spam. Only my (very humble) opinion, as was pointed out - it's Pete's site to run as he sees fit. Regards, Tom

Doc Duei is correct. There is a section on the board for Links. Their is also the facility within your profile to dish out your e-mail and website details. If all that fails then I am sure a banner ad could be negotiated. The continual posts in the forum by kenandlat plugging their own site amounts to no more than spam messages. Tom

EVA's seating plan for MD11: http://www.evaair.com/image/global/chinese...t/MD-11-275.jpg