CheshireTom

You are incorrect. Read the thread. If you want to start a thread about Qatar v Etihad, feel free. I may take time to contribute to it, there again, I may not.

Incorrect.

What post, if any, are you referring to? Or are you just typing out loud?

It's an E190.

I don't like the layout - it's done to squeeze another two seats into the front section of a 777-200LR (26 v 24 in a standard layout). It's the reason that I choose Qatar over Etihad.

The herringbone layout favoured by some airlines (BA, Etihad) can be quite narrow and claustrophobic, but if it's flat-bed (180 degrees) as opposed to lie flat (circa 170 degrees) it makes all the difference. The big difference for me is that I can sleep through the flight and pretty much do away with jet-lag when I arrive in LOS - I also avoid too much alcohol and gorging myself on airline food. There are better seats on some airlines e.g. Qatar's flat-beds on it's 777s are slightly better and Oman Air's are an awful lot better.

Well, at least with BigD banished to the virtual sensory deprivation suite, we won't have another "Boeing on Schedule to ....." thread to contend with. What was that quote again? "On time and to budget"?

Yes, it wasn't made by a US company. (apparently)

The sign-in facility isn't yet available ...

A miracle.

Is this the same Aboulafia that was paid by Boeing to rubbish the A380. He'll say anything if you pay him enough. Anyway, conveniently as it turns out, he also made the following observations ... Politics, not airplane quality, might be the most crucial factor in the award of a $35 billion Air Force contract. Aerospace analyst Richard Aboulafia, of the TEAL group, calls the next generation air refueling tanker contract the most "politicized and partisan" he's seen. "It's very suspicious that the contract decision has been moved until just after the November election. So, I think it's pretty clear that if the democrats keep the House, then Boeing has an excellent chance and if they don't then all bets are off and EADS is back with some hope," says Aboulafia. Historically, contracts are ideally awarded based on cost-effectiveness and quality. But Aboulafia tells KIRO Radio he thinks this process has validated the notion that politics must be closely involved in military procurement. Washington's Congressional delegation of mostly democrats has lined up in support of Boeing's bid, demanding that the Pentagon take into consideration illegal subsidies granted Airbus during the development of its A-330 model that would serve as the airframe for the EADS tanker. So there we have it ... Boeing being subsidised by the US taxpayer to the tune of USD 35 bn to keep the dinosaur 767 line going.

jimmac, The way I read it was that you could do multi-sector bookings rather than through bookings e.g. I would be able to book HDY-KUL and KUL-STN on one booking but it wouldn't be a through booking as in HDY-KUL-STN - I would still have to check in separately at HDY and then KUL for the two sectors. I think it's only the booking system that's changed rather than their operational systems at the hub airports. The other good news is that AirAsiaX has completed the refurbishment of the A330/340 aircraft which should get rid of some of the complaints about the seating. A flat bed seat in their premium cabin for less than 60k Baht to STN is good news for me.

jimmac I read it at Asia Travel Tips and was amending my post at the time you replied. AirAsiaX, Air Asia, Thai Air Asia and Indonesia Air Asia are all separate entities that have different airline codes but utilise the same booking system. It would be good for me as I would be able to price and view bookings from Had Yai to Clark via KL for example.

I read that on one website but I'm not convinced how it will work as the airline is not set-up on the ground to handle through pax. Their 'Mega' deal refers to something bigger and better so I imagine that being able to view, price and book multi sectors could be considered to be a mega event.

I'm surprised England haven't offered him 10m or so to become their next manager.

100 quid. If Holland wins the final or Thongchai Jaidee comes in the top 4 at Loch Lomond, I'm OK. If not, it's khao phad gai for the next fortnight.

I'm hiding behind my original pick ..... I need the Dutch to come through to make up the cash I lost on the US failing to beat England. I'm sure Wesley Sneijder will be sharing the secrets of Inter's tactics that overcame Barcelona in the CL semi-final.

Some sad bastard has now added their vote to the poll, tipping the Dutch to win. LOL.

Q. What do you call an Englishman in the World Cup Final? A. The referee. Or so the joke went. Anyway, good to see that Howard Webb and his guys have been selected to officiate during Sunday's final. Hopefully he'll award the Dutch a couple of ghost goals to help rectify my World Cup finances. World Cup final: Howard Webb to referee Holland v Spain By Paul Garbett Published: 6:02PM BST 08 Jul 2010 Final call: Howard Webb and his team of assistants will find out tonight if they will take charge of the World Cup final Photo: ACTION IMAGES Webb from Rotherham in South Yorkshire, was overlooked for the two World Cup semi-final matches, but was part of a select group of officials retained by Fifa for the latter stages of the tournament. The Premier League referee and his English assistants Darren Cann and Michael Mullarkey were widely praised for their performance in previous matches. Fifa announced that a European referee would be appointed to oversee the final between Holland and Spain, and Webb has been selected for football's showpiece occasion.

Ballack bottles it when it comes to major competitions - various German commentators have made the point that if Ballack was playing it would be to the detriment of certain other players, most notably Schweinsteiger, and the team as a whole. FWIW, I think the Germans will target Puyol in exactly the same way they targeted Terry. Old and slow - he's the weak link in the Spanish team.

Why not?

Just another Jock in LOS. I'm surprised no-one's mentioned the Bangkok Dangerous theme track, This One by Bubble Toy ...

As you'll be aware from Dutch history, being the best team in the competition counts for nowt over one game.

For me, the two most influential players (up to now) have been Sneijder and Schweinsteiger - and their women are hot.

There's another one in Lisbon, Sam. Just be true to yourself and go for the tarts.