torrenova

Skyscanner on econ is great but on biz it doesn't offer the same functionality. Thai airways from LOS shows prices per day as per Etihad but from the UK, it only shows the one day. Which muppet devised that set up, who UAT'd it and which clown signed it off as fir for purpose ?

I think there were great a decade or two ago then they went shit but are now back to so so. However, this proposed ticked is Bkk-LHR-BKK and not LHR-BKK-LHR. As Jacko mentioned re Expedia, if you use West East, you are fooked if you need to change as they are a set of dimwits on the phone and you are phoning from 6000 miles away and they already have your money !

I might extend my next trip and if I do, then I might push back my return from BKK to LHR and buy another ticket ex BKK to "fit in the middle" so to speak. My old stalwart of Massic Travel seems to have bitten the dust and I don't have any other Pattaya or better still online resources, aside from the global aggregators or the airlines themselves. Do you know of any places with decent business class fares on good airlines ?

Forget skyscanner and use https://matrix.itasoftware.com/ You can then go to the airline, or phone them, to get on the exact planes you need and crucially, in the right class of ticket. Look also for cashback, https://www.topcashback.co.uk/homeor to a lesser extent http://quidco.com/ Use apps - Etihad has 10% off for using their app. Use an Amex discount( AMXROW) , or search the UAE voucher code websitehttp://www.vouchercodesuae.com/ Alternatively http://www.etihad.com/en-ae/promotions/vouchercodesuae/?CJPID=5474140 http://www.flynous.com/etihad-airways-promotion-code-

You should get on http://www.headforpoints.com/as the normal Points Pay conversion rate is very poor compared to using miles on free flights. Also, the amount of miles needed for redemption varies according to the cash price Etihad currently has on offer. For example, my usual business round trip runs about 280/300k miles but I got mine for a straight 200k and cheaper than the Guest ticket as when I booked, the cash price was being heavily discounted, thus pushing down the mileage required. I didn't know this until recently and was going to blow my points on a first upgrade but gi

Sorry to hear that. However, as they say, get busy living or get busy dying. Health is nearly always falling away and most reach a time when they cannot go back, so even if you are not in the best of shape, look ahead and decide whether a trip is more likely or less likely in the future and if less likely, then get busy living. Best of luck in recuperation.

I had a few visits there in a short time and every time they tried this nonsense even when I refused the repeated daily blood pressure crap. They then billed me more for "nursing charge" for not having any than for the time I did ! They also charge for nursing and doctors on the basis of what they think you can afford. Really you might say but after the birth of my child and the bill padding into the many tens of thousands, I met with all their top brass and was even told by their "owner" to (his capitals) "FUCK OFF BACK TO YOUR COUNTRY". I had crib sheets they gave me accidentally whi

Before you go and start racking up large bills, you had better ask your insurer that the chosen hospital is still, not like last year or decade, still on their approved list. You then need to ascertain whether your hospital is available for direct settlement or reimbursement. A few years ago, PIH was thrown off a few approved lists because of their bill padding, which they tried on me. Originally BHP was not approved either and Bumrungrad has also had a run in with the insurers as my friend found out when he was an inpatient.

So BigD, are you making another trip or waiting for prices to fall further ?

With gold at circa $1300 an ounce which is near enough £1000 which uses 286,000 miles and I just used a straight 200k miles and £300 for an equivalent £1800 fare then £1800-£300 = £1500, then If 286k / 200k = 1.43 x £1500 x 1.3 = $2788 per ounce of gold or about twice the market price. I like the novelty value but not at those prices. You can convert Etihad miles into a Visa card also but I don't know the conversion rate.

I got that too from Head for Points but as Raffles points out, the timing is crap and I haven't checked the ex BKK connections. As to trayvale, their website just doesn't work when you want to change a date - I am looking a TG which has availability on the outward but not at the £1700 price on the return - should be an easy date change and check but no, like TG's website, you have to go back to the beginning and try another day !

Same here ! The outward from BKK is more expensive through this "offer" than the corresponding return leg when looking at a LHR-BKK booking. Must be good for other dates then ?

Wouldn't be surprised to see it bought by the Swedish / Nordic pensioners and opened as a retiree place for them only.

If you think back to your own towns, you don't see run down small to medium sized shopping malls in prime business or tourist districts simply because the demographic and primarily the land prices don't warrant it. It is far more profitable to use the land for something else. I concur with Jacko that it was a great place to escape the sun, grab something to take home and do a little shopping in days when Tops and Friendship were the only places in the middle of town. I even had some good times upstairs bowling. You wouldn't think a new mall was needed but if there is a waiting list for

Don't quote me on this but I seem to recall that joining their free membership programme did increase limits a bit. Since I got status at the airline, it hasn't mattered but it once did, from recollection. Qatar have been running great promotions, often discussed on http://www.headforpoints.com/amongst other places.

Code PROMO30 for 30% off from BKK but might work from others too. Code PROMO10 for 10% off from UK Code PROMO20 - might work from some places

Hilton is currently running a matched status promotion so if you have another hotel status they will credit you with the same level equivalent in their programme through March 2018. https://hhonormystatus.hiltonapps.com/ Evidence needs to be in JPG only, no PDFs for some daft reason. I stayed there the other year and it was fine. Getting on a bit now and somewhat in need of refurbishment but what it does it does well and all in the party were well catered for. I got a better deal emailing the manager / room boss or whatever his title is and pitching a counter offer to his origi

I beg to differ. If on the A380 then the walk to the terminal is a fairly long one but no more than 10 minutes and it is all very easy. No scrum at all really. You can take water through security. I often have a large 1.5L and a smaller one from the plane and they have never once questioned it or asked me to open my backpack where it is stored. I find the layover fairly easy, though if longer than an hour or so then you will appreciate the lounge if you have access. That said, £360 for a flight to LOS is surely impossible to beat on a quality airline. Well found OP.

Best pool in Pattaya by a country mile, all rooms refurbished in the last 24 months, breakfast still very good, room service 24/7 is on a par with anything else in town, fantastic location which blots out all noise from both Beach Road and 2nd Road, strong, fast, free and unlimited internet, easy late check out, pre pay and post pay member discounts bringing it well down in price, mall next door, low redemption points required. It wouldn't knock the top Marriotts of their perch I agree but you can't get them for group 5 redemptions or for £100 a night or less including breakfast.

Better to have 70% occupancy at Bt7000 upwards than drop to Bt3500 and get 100% occupancy. Plus, ironically, the more your room costs, the more you can charge for other hotel items, particularly the food and beverages and if you can afford Bt10,000 for a room, the likelihood is that you can afford a decent dinner, perhaps a spa, some drinks etc. whereas a cheaper price would attract guests who can only just afford the room rate and go to eat in the street carts outside.

And back in the day post 97 crash and spectacularly after the dot com boom, you could live in the JW on Soi 2 Bangkok for around $40 a day. I did for quite a while.

Abu Dhabi not bad these days, with me doing 4 transits in the last couple of months. Moderate walk to security but then a breeze through transfer and lounge at gate 35 and the plane going from gate 33 (both ways) so lounge to plane is no more than a couple of minutes. Had a shower last week in the lounge, had to wait 15 minutes but nice to refresh. Food pretty good to be honest and free flow everything from the bar or table service.

Was an up and coming place a decade or more ago but I've heard precious little in near a decade and with the plethora of mid range modern hotels available in Bangkok these days, I doubt it has any USP anymore.

I don't know about Emirates limos but I get 4 from Etihad and the surcharge to Pattaya due to excess distance is Bt2000. It was a nice merc coming from Bangkok the other week.

Waiting for them to fly into a mountain or similar. I wouldn't allow anyone I liked to fly with them.