Butch

Nice one, good to hear the 3-3-3 is still being used on the LHR routes. Do you always use EVA?.

Yep you're right, hadn't considered that it's probably got a fair bit to do with it as well. Some of Thai 777's must be getting on a bit now though, looking at this...http://www.airfleets.net/flottecie/Thai%20Airways-active-b777.htm The EVA fleet is not as old, they're oldest seems to be from 2006 , but they tend to upgrade the cabin nicely when they do it. I wonder what they'll replace the 777's with when the time comes. Looking back, Thai were running knackered 747's up until the last minute a few years ago. "Phimara" is pushing 19 years old now, that was the first and only Thai 747 I ever flew on.

For the sake of 10 seats that's a lot of mucking around, but I guess if they're full every trip then that will add up in a short space of time, but I thought the A350 was more economical than the 777?. It's a shame as you say, sometimes I wish Thai would make their minds up.

As a bump to this thread, EVA are offering deals on their upgrades from Econ to Prem Econ. Depending upon your ticket class it runs at 15,000 miles from Europe to Asia (one way I think) which is 10k less tha before, but only for a limited period.

Because it's expensive doesn't make it a rip off. I know several ex pats who eat there at the Sunday brunch. Certainly better value than the Hilton equivalent.

Tight bugger. Methuselah or nothing. I've had the buffet at the Hilton a couple of times, not too bad but nothing on the Mantra equivalent. They used to do a free flow wine package for around 1300 baht pp which I thought offered good value again, especially if you can neck a fair bit of wine. I'm not sure if it is still an option though. Has anyone tried the bar on the 34th floor?.

Why not grab a handful of cards from the guesthouse, which usually have addresses in both languages on them, or get the owner to write the address down in thai, photocopy a load of them, keep in your wallet and hand it to the moto somchai then tell the girl to await your arrival?.

Cheers fiend, i'll give it a go. IE is definitely more stable, and like yourself I don't like the latest FF interface.

I think it updated the other day, since then it won't load flash for some reason, yet I've got the latest flash installed. It works fine with the forum, but other websites it becoming a pain in the arse. I running through a separate VPN as well. any ideas welcomed and virtual beer in advance (followed by a real one if we ever meet :) ) **Edit in For some reason the forum seems slow when I post a new topic as well, not sure if it is my end though. I will switch to IE for a couple of hours to see if it makes any difference.

Yep you're right, there were. I'm looking forward to the Gary Oldman Movie "darkest hour". I've always rated him as one of the best actors of his generation and he never seems to bloody age!. I might have to dig out my "Band of Brothers" Box set. Really enjoyed that series.

Right I've whittled it down to 2 , the LK Royal Wing which has better decor in it than the LK Royal Suites, which look like my aunt joans council house, and the Sabai Empress. The Empress is slightly cheaper but not much, however, the rooms have no balconies and the pool area seems small as mentioned. The RW has decent size rooms, not sure about the pool or location though. I know Buakhao has a baht bus route, but does it go past the end of the road (in both directions) that the RW sits on?. I imagine (hope) it does. Reservation: I usually arrange for a friend to put down a nights deposit and the pay in THB on arrival or the following day, Barclays give a crap rate and charge a %tage per transaction, so by doing this I often save a chunk of cash. Sabai group are fine with this, and in fact allow me to just pay on arrival but not sure if the LK group are the same. Agoda is too unreliable I've found so won't be using them.

just watched "Dunkirk" - Another film I really don't rate as being very good, somewhat over hyped and I really can't see what all the praise is about. The Military historians among us will notice some glaring errors, not least that Dunkirk itself seems to be in remarkably good shape for a town that's had the crap bombed out of it by both sides complete with modern building facades. Several scenes have the Post panamax ship to shore cranes visible in the background, they've been around since 2005 - could have easily edited them out with CGI, plus the colours on the Messerschmitt etc etc. Some factual errors as well which I feel sully the memories of those who took part in the little ships rescue. There isn't much script, it was supposed to be like that to build up tension, but it just does not work. The acting is quite good, Branagh especially, but otherwise I really didn't enjoy it.

Not a case of being right or wrong GP, I think you've raised a very valid alternative viewpoint of why Emirates are doing things and you certainly made me reconsider my thoughts on the matter, and in fact I'm coming in line with yours on many of them. It's prompted the best part of 3 pages of discussion, which is what this part of the forum is all about IMO.

That's a very good point indeed. However, for those living in Norwich I think a donkey would suffice :D

STD is geared up for mostly short haul / domestic flights , offering a base from which to accomodate them and reduce the impact on other airports traditionally used for long haul like lhr / lgw. It was never really envisioned to be a long haul global hub like LHR. What it basically is, is a smaller airport offering another long haul service by way of either an experiment / advertising or marketing ploy or whatever. In todays environment , a UK-DXB is hardly long haul anyway. 7 hours or whetever it is is a piss in the wind (It used to take me 9 - 11 hours to get from LHR to MCT on a Tristar / VC10 back in the 70's with 3 stops while passively smoking 400 bensons courtesy of the Oil workers). As you know DXB is a hub, so there will be no shortage of pax wanting to fly there. In fact, I might even give it a go in the future for our Manila trips if the price point is right, Cathay's FF program is beginning to suck big time and I'm fed up of paying for Marco Polo. Bottom line is that we shall wait and see what happens. I hope it works out, Emirates have made a shrewd move either way. I don't think Mr Emirates is short of a bob or two, so they can probably afford the financial risk!.

That's a good price for that time of year. They sometimes have a "flash" sale where over a weekend they reduce prices even further. EVA are certainly beating Thai with the aggressive marketing. now if only I could find a decent bloody hotel...

Hi G I always go to the stalls at Swampy located in the departures hall. They do a Tourist SIM which has several options and costs, i went for the AIS 1tocall 15 day SIM with Data and minutes for 1k baht last time, and didn't need to top up until after the first week, I was also calling the Philippines occasionally. The data never runs out, but it does slow down once you have used up the daily allowance. The girls and guys there speak pretty good English and will give you the card to suit your needs, plus they install the SIM and transfer all your contacts over, then tape your old SIM onto the box (so don't bin it). They also tell you your new number and will block all those annoying marketing texts they send out if you ask them (tell them you want this before handing over the readies). If you manage to hook up with a half decent mobile savvy Thai girl (stupid statement actually, they all know everything there is to know about mobile phones) then she will be able to work out the "package deals" you can buy for a couple of hundred baht to maximise your use.

Hi Monkeyman I have considered it, and it might be an option for my next trip. I'm finding that some of the hotels I would have considered a few years ago are out of the running now, the "Flipper" and "Eastiny" groups for example , perhaps I'm getting more discerning as I age. The Empress looks fine but again, being a fussy bugger, the rooms don't have balconies and the pool area is too small. After trawling through Agoda and Trip advisor, looking at some potentials only to read in the reviews a list of horror stories, it seems that the one place in LOS which is saturated with accomodation still hasn't come up with anything. I'll keep on looking, meanwhile if anyone has anymore suggestions, i'm all ears!.

Hi chaps and thanks for the detailed responses Teelak and Keyman. Given what you've said about D'apt Teelack, I think I'll give it a miss. It's a shame because everything else seems to be pretty spot on, however a decent pool is an absolute must and I'd never consider a hotel without one. Actually Teelack the only reason I changed from the Sabai wing last time was that the rooms are getting very tired, plus I had a big problem with ants in the room. Do you know if they've had a refurb lately?. Also, have you ever stayed in the Empress - if so any thoughts?. Keyman I'll have athink about the apt idea. I was considering a DW condo rental a couple of years back, but the price was a bit higher than I wanted to pay at the time. these days I spend a bit more on accomodation so will definitely check the website out and see what they're offering. Cheers mate, I actually had forgotten all about Dancewatcher!. Mars, Jomtien is too far out for me, I also visit my friends in Naklua and it'll be a long journey every day there and back! definitely some food for thought there guys, thankyou all.

Yep, I watched a spanking new 747-8 Cargolux land there the other year (well, longer ago than that actually lol).

August and April suites are a no go for me. I'm not keen on the location and 1800 baht a night is way overpriced for what you get. I can get a better room in an LK hotel, if I liked the decor in them (which I don't - it reminds me of my Aunt Joans council house). D apt sent me a reply within 24 hours which is always a good sign. I've read reviews on Trip Advisor and it seems to be well recommended. Teelack, what was it that you thought wasn't good about the place?. Pool area is important to me as that's where I spend a majority of my early mornings and afternoons, so somewhere clean and uncrowded with decent loungers is important.

Interesting post GP. I won't "multi quote" it, but I'd like to ask (if a bit off topic) what kind of profit margins were you expecting to see back then on a 747 full of pax and Cargo?. Was it worked out per pax or per flight?. I think Emirates have seen a bit of a trick here. Apart from the free advertising, I actually think that it'll be a success, also because Dubai is more of a holiday destination today than it was back in the 80's and 90's (I first went there in 1977, it wasn't that salubrious back then). I would have thought that STD have given them a fair bit of a deal in order to become associated with a decent airline other than that Ryan air shite. Of course it'll be passed onto the customers somehow. Maybe though, as an afterthought, a bit of a mutually beneficial deal which might be more to do with advertising exposure than actually providing a new service - I can only speculate and time will tell. My horse and cart managed to pass the MOT last month. I had to pay the bloke in piglets and wool but he was happy with the barter. We are different to those from Norfolk because our 6 fingers are not webbed! Merry Christmas to you and yours mate.

Hi Mr Bill, I did ping the August suites an email last year, i was going to stay in July but it seemed overpriced for what it actually was, they were asking 1800 baht per night iirc when I emailed them, which to be honest is taking the piss, especially as the location isn't that great. Thanks anyway, but August / April suites are a non starter for me.

Short, Sir, you are a top banana. Will drop them an email.