Direct or not???

[CheshireTom 1,377]

Emil,

 

It's the same for us except that there is no operator, apart from the odd charter, that flies from UK to BKK using the same flight. It is all either non-stop or via a hub airport along the route with a change of equipment.

 

Are you in town at the moment?

 

Tom

[Emil 0]

Tom,

 

Unfortunately not, but soon for 41 days in paradise. Departing on the 26th using UA miles for a freebie. SFO-Inchon on Singapore and Inchon-BKK on Thai.

[Big_Brian 179]

Well, this is running on a bit.

 

One thing that mattered to me is that I have to book my leave well in advance or risk not being allowed the dates I want. Once I've got the dates I can't really wait for last minute deals that may or may not materialise, I NEED to fly on those dates. So Etihad looked OK.

 

Another thing is the travel to a London airport from Cornwall - I can't fly out before 14:00 (16:00 for safety) and the return has to land before 16:00 (14:00 for safety). Outside those times it means an overnight, either in London or on a train, neither is much fun and either adds cost. That's what I've got against EVA, it lands at Heathrow at 19:10

 

 

Here's a thing, I got an email from the travel agent; "We would like to advise you that due to Immigration Laws the airline has requested that your passport details are added to your reservation.

 

We would therefore appreciate you contacting us at your earliest opportunity on 0870 050 xxxx, and selecting option 1, to supply us with the passport numbers and dates of birth of all passengers that are on the booking."

I did as requested but I don't understand the need, I'm not going TO Abu Dhabi, just changing planes. Does anyone know why this is needed?

[CheshireTom 1,377]

Tom,

 

Unfortunately not, but soon for 41 days in paradise. Departing on the 26th using UA miles for a freebie. SFO-Inchon on Singapore and Inchon-BKK on Thai.

Emil,

 

I should still be around until 8 Jul and then I will be back during the first week of Aug.

 

I'll catch up with you.

 

Regards,

 

Tom

[neil324 0]

What stopover????

 

Have flown with etihad 5 times in last year and it has always been 1-1 1/2 hour stopover going there AND coming back!!! Flying from gatwick and back to gatwick

 

In fact i have just got back to england today and the stopover was same same.

 

Liked the new fleet of aircraft lots....... and th IFE was great.

 

Guess what.....????

 

Have now just booked my next holiday over there for sept. 16th.

 

Etihad everytime!! £375 return cant be beaten in my books

 

 

erm read post of what i was repling to 7hrs stopover on return, before you start quoting about your own flight

[Eneukman 1]

Some of us have no option but to change planes. No airline flies direct from Bangkok into Edinburgh soI have to travel down to London. (Other options to European cities do exist but often with long stopovers.) Wherever I fly to first, I want a non-stop flight from there to Bangkok.

 

I don't fly EVA because their timings, especially on UK leg are no use to me. My next trip home, I'll check out other options but for me convenient timings are of prime importance. I have no wish to be stuck in Frankfurt or Paris or wherever for 7 hours. Using Glasgow is also not an option for me as I will be staying a few days in Edinburgh before going over to Fife for the rest of my stay.

 

Alan

[donny 1]

Unless you live south of Watford Gap it is the "direct flights" that are a false economy.

 

Plenty options to go through Zurich, Amsterdam, Frankfurt, Munich et al without any of the drawbacks you mention.

 

Maybe you should try Emirates service out of Glasgow before spouting total crap about usually spending hours in deserted airports in the middle of the night etc etc.

Tom, why the aggression? We are talking about airline deals, for God's sake!

 

When I talk about spending hours in deserted airports, I'm obviously not talking about Amsterdam and Frankfurt, there are regular connections to those hubs. I'm talking about the main flight between Europe and Asia being indirect.

 

Do you seriously think that someone living in Scotland hasn't thoroughly checked out the options from Glasgow? IIRC, Emirates Glasgow - BKK service is particularly bad on the return and was exactly what I was talking about when I described a huge wait at a lousy time. I wouldn't mind being stuck in Abu Dabi or whatever for 12 hours if it was in the daytime and I could get out and visit the city.

[donny 1]

Some of us have no option but to change planes. No airline flies direct from Bangkok into Edinburgh soI have to travel down to London. (Other options to European cities do exist but often with long stopovers.) Wherever I fly to first, I want a non-stop flight from there to Bangkok.

 

I don't fly EVA because their timings, especially on UK leg are no use to me. My next trip home, I'll check out other options but for me convenient timings are of prime importance. I have no wish to be stuck in Frankfurt or Paris or wherever for 7 hours. Using Glasgow is also not an option for me as I will be staying a few days in Edinburgh before going over to Fife for the rest of my stay.

Alan, I usually fly KLM Edinburgh - Amsterdam - Bangkok because they tend to standardize their fares from all UK cities, so, we in Scotland don't have to pay a surcharge. When you choose your flights, you can leave either a very short gap in Schiphol (because you've already checked in at Edinburgh) or you give yourself a few hours to head into the city. You can also book it as a multi-city trip, paying a little more to stop off in Amsterdam for a few days.

 

I have the impression that Schiphol Airport is a lot better run and less of a hassle for me than the London airports. For my next trip, however, I wanted the convenience of a one-way ticket and KLM's prices for that were mad, so, I'll be flying

 

BMI EDI-LHR 18:25-19:55

 

EVA LHR-BKK 21:35-14:35

 

... which I think are pretty ideal times.

 

As someone who lives there, do you tend to buy your return tickets in LOS? Part of my reason for getting a one-way this time is so that I can flip over to buying all my tickets in LOS, do you reckon that's a good idea?

[Eneukman 1]

Alan, I usually fly KLM Edinburgh - Amsterdam - Bangkok because they tend to standardize their fares from all UK cities, so, we in Scotland don't have to pay a surcharge. When you choose your flights, you can leave either a very short gap in Schiphol (because you've already checked in at Edinburgh) or you give yourself a few hours to head into the city. You can also book it as a multi-city trip, paying a little more to stop off in Amsterdam for a few days.

 

I have the impression that Schiphol Airport is a lot better run and less of a hassle for me than the London airports. For my next trip, however, I wanted the convenience of a one-way ticket and KLM's prices for that were mad, so, I'll be flying

 

BMI EDI-LHR 18:25-19:55

 

EVA LHR-BKK 21:35-14:35

 

... which I think are pretty ideal times.

 

As someone who lives there, do you tend to buy your return tickets in LOS? Part of my reason for getting a one-way this time is so that I can flip over to buying all my tickets in LOS, do you reckon that's a good idea?

Donny,

 

Timings for the outward journey are OK so long as the outward journey to Amsterdam is on time. If that's delayed, there could be a long wait until I could get another flight. I would need to check the timings from Bangkok to Amsterdam and onward to Edinburgh though.

 

When I came out for the 2nd time last year, I found that a one way ticket was more expensive than a restricted date return ticket so that's what I bought. I simply didn't turn up for the return flight. The downside with that type of fare is that there was a £200 charge if I wanted to change the date of my return trip.

 

I've yet to come back to the UK for a visit since I came back here in August of last year but think I will be buying a return ticket as they do tend to be cheaper than 2 one way tickets.

 

One point with a one-way ticket, the airline may refuse to allow you on board unless you have a visa for Thailand. When I came back from Vietnam, I was asked at check-in if I had a ticket out of Thailand. I just pointed out that I didn't need one as I had a visa.

 

Alan

[donny 1]

Timings for the outward journey are OK so long as the outward journey to Amsterdam is on time. If that's delayed, there could be a long wait until I could get another flight. I would need to check the timings from Bangkok to Amsterdam and onward to Edinburgh though.

One thing I've noticed flying out from Edinburgh to various destinations over the last 5 years is that most of the delays you hear over the tannoys are flights to the London airports. I guess that Edinburgh Airport itself is less congested and, therefore, generates less of the delays itself, but still has to rely upon the other airports. My impression is that flights to other well-run airports such as Schiphol tend to go like clockwork. Not that the London airports are not well-run but, frankly, they don't have enough capacity. By taking London out of the equation, you can risk running your times closer together.

 

When I came out for the 2nd time last year, I found that a one way ticket was more expensive than a restricted date return ticket so that's what I bought. I simply didn't turn up for the return flight. The downside with that type of fare is that there was a £200 charge if I wanted to change the date of my return trip.

Yeah, I quite often come across posts online by guys who are horrified to discover that their changeable ticket needs a fee to actually get changed; it's all there in the small-print when they book but a lot of people seem to trip up on that.

 

I should have mentioned that the BMI and EVA one-way came to £362, not exactly cheap but really not that bad compared to return tickets that were flexible enough to suit my needs. I spent quite a while researching the different options and, by the time you rule out tickets that simply cannot be changed, tot up the fees for those that can and factor in the possibility that the airline you've tied yourself to may not even have seats available in your class for the dates you want to change to, I realized that the ultimate flexibility would be to simply get over there one-way and, when some problem pops up in the UK that I have to return for, buy the cheapest return ticket I can find at that time.

 

I've yet to come back to the UK for a visit since I came back here in August of last year but think I will be buying a return ticket as they do tend to be cheaper than 2 one way tickets.

I guess the real advantage of buying the tickets in BKK, at least for those of us who want to spend more time in LOS than the UK, is that they can be the cheapo 1-month returns.

 

One point with a one-way ticket, the airline may refuse to allow you on board unless you have a visa for Thailand.

Yes, good point, I'm applying for a Multiple Entry visa on Monday, will hopefully get it back before the end of the week.

 

Thanks for the advice Alan.

[CheshireTom 1,377]

Tom, why the aggression? We are talking about airline deals, for God's sake!

 

When I talk about spending hours in deserted airports, I'm obviously not talking about Amsterdam and Frankfurt, there are regular connections to those hubs. I'm talking about the main flight between Europe and Asia being indirect.

 

Do you seriously think that someone living in Scotland hasn't thoroughly checked out the options from Glasgow? IIRC, Emirates Glasgow - BKK service is particularly bad on the return and was exactly what I was talking about when I described a huge wait at a lousy time. I wouldn't mind being stuck in Abu Dabi or whatever for 12 hours if it was in the daytime and I could get out and visit the city.

Donny,

 

Obviously you haven't checked the schedules enough ............. the stopover in DXB is between 1:30 and 3:20. Hardly a huge wait at a lousy time and certainly nowhere near the 12 hours you seem intent on quoting to reinforce your point. If you want to spend 12 hours visiting the city (it's worth the effort) Emirates allow stopovers with the only extra charge being an additional airport departure tax at DXB.

 

Flight Departure Arrival Stopover Aircraft-Classes Flight Duration Days

EK 385 0125 Bangkok 0430 Dubai - 773-JY 17:15 Mo Tu We Th Fr Sa Su

EK 025 0750 Dubai 1240 Glasgow - 77W-JY

Schedule valid From 1-Jun-2006 To 28-Oct-2006

 

EK 419 0230 Bangkok 0535 Dubai - 77W-FJY 16:10 Mo Tu We Th Fr Sa Su

EK 025 0750 Dubai 1240 Glasgow - 77W-JY

Schedule valid From 1-Jun-2006 To 1-Oct-2006

 

EK 387 0315 Bangkok 0620 Dubai - 332-JY 15:25 Mo We Sa

EK 025 0750 Dubai 1240 Glasgow - 77W-JY

Schedule valid From 1-Jun-2006 To 30-Sep-2006

 

Tom

[donny 1]

Tom, you're right that wait times for Emirates aren't more that a few hours, it must have been the prices flying out from Glasgow that put me off in that case; at the moment, economy return tickets for a month hence are hitting almost £800.

 

There are, however, some seriously mismatched schedules out there; all I'm saying is that, sometimes, before rushing to buy the cheapest ticket, it pays to think about the convenience of your departure and arrival times and, also, check to make sure you don't have a nightmare stopover in the middle.

 

One stopover stretch I was looking at at one stage actually had me looking to see if DBX had a reasonably-priced hotel like the one in Singapore Airport (they don't).

Edited June 19, 2006 by donny

[CheshireTom 1,377]

Tom, you're right that wait times for Emirates aren't more that a few hours, it must have been the prices flying out from Glasgow that put me off in that case; at the moment, economy return tickets for a month hence are hitting almost £800.

 

There are, however, some seriously mismatched schedules out there; all I'm saying is that, sometimes, before rushing to buy the cheapest ticket, it pays to think about the convenience of your departure and arrival times and, also, check to make sure you don't have a nightmare stopover in the middle.

 

One stopover stretch I was looking at at one stage actually had me looking to see if DBX had a reasonably-priced hotel like the one in Singapore Airport (they don't).

donny,

 

I can recollect seeing a DXB stopover deal recently where the hotel was included. They are building enough of the things at the moment!

 

I'm in LOS at the moment but I'll see if I can look it up.

 

Emirates prices Sep-Nov incl should flatten out to be generally available around the 440-480 quid mark incl taxes.

 

Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Doha airports all operate on a hub system ...... i.e. loads of flights come in and then the pax are all transferred to their connecting flights, generally within a 3-4 hour window. It generally works on an east to west connection and then a west to east connection to take account of the time differences.

 

I believe Royal Jordanian are the middle east airline with poor connection times and a bit of a reputation for poor time-keeping anyway.

 

Tom

[aldo262 0]

Tom

I am looking to fly from Glasgow with Emirates in october.When do you expect the cheaper fares (£440-480) to become available?

cheers, Allan

[bigmofo 0]

Tom

I am looking to fly from Glasgow with Emirates in october.When do you expect the cheaper fares (£440-480) to become available?

cheers, Allan

Just done a quick search on airlinenetwork available at 496 all in check other sites but just done a quick search on here as the search engine is quick.Iam not sure of all schedules but going out on certain days there is a nine hour wait in dubai on outbound leg, but flying out on a sunday it is less than 3 hours stopover.

Flight Availability

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Choose your flight Flight No. Depart Time Arrival Time Aircraft En-route stops

 

Glasgow (GLA) to Dubai (DXB) EK 26 14:20

08-Oct-06 00:40

09-Oct-06 77W 0

Dubai (DXB) to Bangkok (BKK) EK 384 03:15

09-Oct-06 12:25

09-Oct-06 773 0

 

 

 

Choose your flight Flight No. Depart Time Arrival Time Aircraft En-route stops

 

Bangkok (BKK) to Dubai (DXB) EK 385 01:30

10-Nov-06 05:00

10-Nov-06 773 0

Dubai (DXB) to Glasgow (GLA) EK 25 07:50

10-Nov-06 11:35

10-Nov-06 77W 0