TheFiend

Thai's A330's are 2-4-2.... Thai have gone against the norm and stuck with 3-3-3 with their 777's and should be applauded for it.... It also looks as though they have finally been given the go ahead to order some new aircraft, so they could be getting rid of their 747-400 and 777-200 and 777-300 which are getting on a bit.

Now looks like other airlines are having the "MAX" moniker removed from their aircraft that have been built and put into storage whilst the wait for the grounding to be lifted

How long has it taken so far on the R-Con sewer project.....Coming up to 6 months? If you think that's bad where I work in the UK they've been installing a 200 metre long pipe trench for an effluent line and so far it's taken them 2.5 years and they're only just now welding the stainless steel effluent pipe.... Another fairly simple project of replacing one air compressor with 2 has been going on for 18 months....

Definitely worthy of the "Funnies" section!!!

The drystone wall and street-lights in the background point to it not being in Thailand....

When we check in with TG at CNX, even though we are on separate PNR's TG wil check us in for the QR flights and issue our boarding passes all the way though to MAN.... With regards to the flight into BKK we clear immigration, pick up checked baggage and then clear customs before checking in for the domestic flight up to CNX. I don't know if Qatar will interline with TG/PG on separate PNR's. Theoretically we could clear immigration and customs at CNX since it's an international airport. Clearing customs and immigration at BKK give us the opportunity to get our AIS mobile data package sorted, currency exchanged down in the basement level FX booths and Mrs Fiend to have some som tam in the Magic Food Court... I've just done a dummy booking MAN - CNX with QR and it came back with connecting flights at BKK onto TG and PG.... but the cost booking all the way through adds quite a lot onto the MAN - BKK price. It works out a lot more expensive that doing it on separate bookings.

Not for our homeward journey we check in our bags with Thai at CNX and they interline with Qatar so bags are checked in all the way to MAN.

So you don't think Boeing Sales department pushes the economics of upseating.... more bums on seat means more money

Just booked another Thailand trip flying into BKK and then flying up to Chiang Mai.... Whilst checking out the Thai Airways flight times and fares it now appears as though 20Kg is the default allowance in economy on domestic flights, but 30Kg allowance is available on Flexi and Saver Values tickets..... Saver Value tickets are only available Monday to Thursday. And Flexi tickets are the most expensive Economy class tickets...... We arrive on a Saturday, so no Saver Value tickets available.... and wasn't keen on paying for extra baggage allowance due to there being only Flexi @ 2360 baht (30 Kg) and Saver Flexi @ 1980 (20Kg) available on the flight time we wanted..... Started looking at other options and we've gone with Bangkok Airways @ 1490 baht with 20 + 5Kg frequent flyer members allowance. We start our journey back on a Monday, and this allowed us to get a Thai Airways Saver Value ticket with 30Kg and the price for that is 165 baht cheaper than a Flexi Saver ticket with 20Kg.... So its BKK to CNX with Bangkok Airways and CNX to BKK with Thai

Yes, but Boeing actively encourage upseating. I'm glad TG have stuck with 3+3+3 on their 777's, much more comfortable than being crammed in a 3+4+3.

But Boeing seems to actively push higher density seating...... 10 abreast on 777's and 9 abreast on 787's..... How many Airbus customers opt for 9 across on the A330,, 10 across in A350 and 11 across in the A380??? With Airbus high density configs are the exception rather than the rule.

In my industry even the slightest change in coding has to go through several authorisations before it can be modified, an even then it has to be done on an off-line system (simulator) which is then tested for positive and negative paths to ensure the mod has no negative impact to the process. Only then can it be loaded on to the online system and then gets tested again.

MCAS...... it's turning out to be a real clusterfuck for Boeing..... Software outsourced so it could be written on the cheap .... most probably written badly and with the code not optimised for the hardware. MCAS hardware was specified on the cheap, so struggling to run the rewritten MCAS software....... No training on MCAS provided because the biggest MAX customer, Southwest Airlines didn't want to have to train it's pilots on the MAX MCAS system..... Boeing have put profit and share price before safety...... And things aren't getting any better for Boeing.... it's also come out that falsified QA records had been found after an Air Canada 787 was found to have a leak on the fuel system back in 2015. The leak was discovered 10 months after entering service but the cause of the leak was traced back to when the aircraft was built. The Federal prosecutors are investigating that as well now..

There are still some people that like dealing direct rather than through websites like booking.com and agoda, so website listed rates are helpful for those people. Recently I've been booking accommodation in Pattaya by clicking through a cashback site to expedia.com

Outward bound from Chiang Mai tonight.... Biometrics taken... ☹️

When we went through there was a couple of desks open just to the side of the automated stations...

I arrived on 17/5, went through the Thai channel with Mrs Fiend and no fingerprints were taken. First time I've heard of fingerprints being taken at immigration.

Glad I arrive the day after it finishes... LOL!!!

But could they identify which cables are in use and which are redundant???

It's damning that Boeing knew about the issues before the crashes....

So which one was you BigusDicus???

I've been inside a Nirun condo in the same block.... I wouldn't exactly call them spacious... There's a few bars nearby.... and the Gentleman's Clubs on Soi Bongkot are only a short walk away, so the location isn't that bad.

Prices fluctuate up and down and it's not just with TG..... After I book a flight I always keep checking the cost of the same flights, and my flights for next month with QR have fluctuated between £500 and £600 over the last couple of months..... I paid £466 when I booked it last December...

Jet Airways - another one of Etihads investments gone wrong. They also invested in Air Berlin and Alitalia, both of whom went bankrupt!!!

The main problem with the 737 is that it is basically an aircraft the was designed in the 60's. The original design utilised under-wing engines and short landing gear. Subsequent generations involving larger diameter engines required the engines being mounted ahead of the wing due to the short landing gear. On the MAX they increased the height of the nose gear slightly to fit a larger diameter engines. Boeing also added some fly-by-wire systems control systems in the MAX update. including MCAS... The MAX was Boeing's response to the Airbus A320NEO series. Boeing had been contemplating a new clean sheet design but took the MAX option instead as it was cheaper and quicker to develop.... With grandfathering rights on the 737 it also meant the 737MAX option was quicker to certify.