jingjoe

These figures include all taxes and charges.

May 2008 Air Asia $AUD860 Thai $AUD710

I've seen your $710 thai air rates, and you've forgotten to add tax, which takes it up to almost $1000.

You can get cheap seats on AA-X if you plan ahead and wait for the specials. As I said earlier, and as you know Pete, around $500 return inclusive isn't out of the question if you're patient.

Also I've posted before that I'm arriving for Songkran flying AA-X in the Biz class seats, all up including the return trip from KUL to BKK has cost me $1250 (booked it early Feb).

That price for a large comfortable seat (if that matters to you) is a bargain, and can't be matched by any other carrier be they LC or not.

If you'd booked you AA-X flight a little earlier you'd have got the OOL-KUL return for almost half what you're quoting.

Learned to like Pattaya.

asking for a photocopy of my passport and credit card, plus a signed booking form.

Blimey, NEVER would I supply all that online.

Nor would the OP, it would be via Fax.

Similar thing happened to me booking a biz flight with Malev Hungarian last year through bestflights.com.au

The rate was too cheap, at about $2k under the normal rate for it (BKK-AMS-BKK) so I called them on two separate occasions and checked the validity before going ahead and buying it.

I received my paper tickets but they were economy class. Long story short, Bestflights, despite their promises to honour the ticket held out for SO long (a number of months) that I proposed to go away quietly if they'd just give me my money back. They agreed, and I flew Deluxe with Eva Air instead.

The reason I was kept guessing, was that bestflights couldn't find where to lay the blame for the error, and not being "their" error they had no intention of paying the extra. Their repeated promises (verbal and by email) to "honour" the booking, were lies.

I had to do it to book a Handspan junk cruise in Halong Bay last year. I didn't like doing it, but went with it because the company had such a good reputation. It all worked out fine in the end, but I wouldn't book a hotel room using that same process. There're just to many other options out there.

BillP has a comprehensive list here, might make a good starting point for you.

BillP's Airport Area Hotel list

Even more definitively, ALL international flights leave from Suvarnabhumi.

Assuming you're flying out of Perth, a direct flight with South Africa Airways - one way would set you back about 750 GBP.

Other options are going back through Kuala Lumpur with Malaysian, or Singapore with SA for about 550 GBP. (Air Mauritius comes in at about the same price but who'd wanna fly with them??).

Have a play around with your dates at BEST FLIGHTS and see if you can uncover a bargain.

Bangkok Air also does this route, but you're zero chance of getting a better fare on a full service airline, than that offered by Air France. (unless I'm wrong of course)

I'm totally relaxed

Do not get ya nickers in a twist.

No seats are allocated, ya get to choose from whole aircraft. Those XL seats may be diff, neva bothered.

You've never flown AA-X in other words?

Peter991, (the real pete), please explain what YOU meant by must.

I'm totally relaxed, but I would like an answer from Pete, since he's the one telling the story.

The question is simple... is Pete's reference to "must" some kind of Malay visa requirement or not?

You must allow a minimum of 3 hours in KUL

Pete, explain must please? Is it an immigration requirement, or just common sense to allow for late arrival, immigration, baggage collection etc.?

I arrive AA-X at KUL 1510, and have snaffled an AA flight onward to BKK departing 1845, is there a problem with this?

PS My AA-X flight (for Songkran) cost $1050 including 15kgs, meals and kits, seat allocation and the XL seat. It worked out $80 cheaper to book two x one way flights (one leg charged in aussie dollars, and one leg charged in Malay ringets), as opposed to a return flight (calculated wholly in Aussie Dollars).

Already covered here; http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=173222

Most lateral thinkers on TV have pooh-poohed the idea.

I for one see reason to congratulate the organisers for the rural thai "reality check" pre-amble to the main course. This enterprise stands a better chance of success than the millions of similar hob-knob daily pig-outs that go on without the charitable pre-cursor.

Good up to date info always available here. Tales of Asia - BKK to SR via Poipet

You'll make it easy.

of the 5 places i am going which is bangkok, pattaya, koh phangan and phi phi

I make that 4

“Assuming WTI prices remains above USD90/barrel, 30% of our fuel requirements are hedged for the period of January to June at an equivalent price of USD79.50/barrel.”

Peter Comment: Do most airlines hedge their fuel costs?

Too bloody right they do.

Good luck to Air Asia, I hope they go from strength to strength.

I DO wonder however if their 24 x consecutive profitable quarters will end abruptly once they fork out for their new planes? Or are they paying them off to avoid lump sum one-off payments?

Good advice above, 3 years will pass quickly. Your new obsession should be putting everything into place that needs attention over the next 3 years, so you're not delayed (including a fall back plan for if/when things don't work out).

Stop daydreaming about LOS, and get on with it or you'll be 40 and still not in a position to "have a crack".

All International flights go to Suvarnabhumi

I'd be grabbing a chalet in the mountains around Loei. (or NAN... lovely rustic little town)

The police don't want to deal with it unless they are forced to, but a lot of people want to get this guy out.

Then a lot of people need to force them to.

South Korea would be as cold as Japan wouldn't it? I enjoyed Taiwan, there's a lot to see there once you scratch the surface, and KLM has return biz class flights to there for around 13000 baht.

Would this also apply to Economy passengers

From what I've read elsewhere the answer is no. But, it seems with Q, if you don't ask you don't get... so head to their counter and try your luck.. what's the worse that can happen?

Not to contradict Dekka, but I've been researching the same thing for a Biz class flight on Q to Paris. So far indications are, (I can't find my source at this moment), that 9+ hours layover = a hotel room, but it seems the trick is you have to approach the Q counter on arrival in Doha and "ask" for it.