tso310

Here's Willie Walsh's views on airline recovery.

https://www.routesonline.com/news/29/breaking-news/292820/iag-to-expand-capacity-but-says-recovery-will-take-three-years/

1 minute ago, DB58 said:

They have been charging higher than pre-covid market rates for seats on repatriation flights. Flying my partner back to Thailand cost 3- times the regular round trip fare for the repatriation flight from Cebu to Bangkok. 

I know I'm waiting to hear from them as my wife is on the Sept 20 flight. Looks like Xmas in the UK for me.

Many airlines have been scrapping their older old aircraft. Look at the number of B747s, A340-600s, B777-200s plus numerous others that have already been retired. A380s are being put out to long term storage. B77X is now delayed to 2023. 8 B787s have been grounded with structural problems. Air France even got rid of its A380s before Covid hit. Many airlines are deferring deliveries. Long haul is definitely the hardest hit. I've seen estimates for 2023 for long haul. Thailand is not a high yield, business travel, destination for long haul operators. Emirates and Qatar make money through their hubs and drive the economy market.

https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/transport/sia-plane-among-8-boeing-787-jets-affected-by-structural-issues-aircraft

On the positive front B737 Max should be back before the end of the year. EASA is concurrently conducting flight test in Vancouver. Thai Lion Air should finally be getting their B737-9 Max. The A321XLR is still on schedule for next year to finally start replacing the ageing B757s.

Germans confirm he was poisoned with Novichok.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-54002880

A pic of our elder daughter and son-in-law with Ali at T2 Heathrow flying Lufthansa to Shanghai some 13 months ago. Ali, female, is named after the Spurs striker. She flew in a cage under the seat and used the human toilet successfully. Air China also do this. 

Just now, Eindhoven said:

Likely

 

I'd be surprised if he is even appointed.

Good idea for a another poll !

Can we have a poll on how long people think he will last ?

There seems to be a lot of dissent in the government regarding the handling of the economy. I'm not keeping track but is that now 5 resignations in the last month or 2.

Decided to post these as examples of how things are operating with repats to Thailand. There are a stack of these out there. I've tried to go for more recent and good presentation. I looked for UK based ones but these are decent enough.

The last 2 are from the Thai Embassy London.

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6 minutes ago, leicesterguyuk said:

Yes, I get the same. 

 

It asks for you to upload a file for an ASQ hotel booking, which I assume would be a booking confirmation. But that's not possible until a flight is confirmed. How have others down this? 

I thought most ASQs were offering full refunds if you have to cancel but who knows. This aspect has been discussed somewhere sometime ago on TV. You may have to check with your short list of hotels directly.  Have a look at this and scroll down to cancellation https://www.booking.com/hotel/th/royal-benja.en-gb.html?aid=1338124&label=asq-hotel

1 hour ago, leicesterguyuk said:

This registration asks for an ASQ hotel booking? 

Thats the only one I know that you can register with. This was the old one https://bit.ly/3jVCJgS but it transfers you to the new one.

1 hour ago, AndrewMciver said:

 Do you have the link? Either i'm on the old website, but i can't find the link. 

Just checked still the same.

https://thaiembassy.sociallab.co.th/

29 minutes ago, leicesterguyuk said:

Looking at that link, only likely to be 3 flights LHR-BKK in October too. Shocking. 

Registration is now open.

3 minutes ago, leicesterguyuk said:

Let me get this right, the dogs were allowed in the cabin?! Or you could hear them in the cabin from the hold? 

Our elder daughter and her husband moved to Shanghai last year. Took their dog with them from LHR to PVG via FRA on Lufthansa. Small dogs are allowed in the cabin as long as they are in a portable kennel. Quite common on a number of flights between Europe and Asia.

36 minutes ago, bkkniko said:

Can't you book business class on such flights?

There are only 5 seats available. The flight has to carry 2 crews, outbound and inbound, as no one stays in the UK. They use the business class seats. The A350 has 32 business class and 289 economy class seats.

2 hours ago, AndrewMciver said:

 

Would not a waiting list with paid deposits - not be better than the luck of the draw who can press click click the fastest?

 

 

Having spent a bit of time looking at comments on their Facebook page from months ago it was obvious that the situation as you describe was and still is simply a terrible way of doing things. I've seen comments by people who have been unable to book over multiple months. A FIFO list should have been implemented. This would have been fairer. I suspect they felt this would be to time consuming to for the embassy to manage. 

I keep thinking back to how the Germans repatriated 30,000 from NZ in April. I commented about that back then on TV. Most of the Lufthansa flights used Phuket and Bangkok for refuelling.

1 hour ago, AndrewMciver said:

 

I know i am emotional here, but the Thai Embassy in London is is just horrendous beyond belief. 

Their Facebook page is busy again this morning. Over 400 posts in the 2 announcements yesterday by the embassy for Sept flights.

31 minutes ago, tribalfusion001 said:

That is the safe list, not the quarantine list.

Notification page - https://www.gov.uk/guidance/coronavirus-covid-19-travel-corridors#exemption-rules

The quarantine web page has not been updated -

3 minutes ago, tribalfusion001 said:

Nothing updated today.

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/coronavirus-covid-19-travel-corridors#countries-and-territories-with-no-self-isolation-requirement-on-arrival-in-england

Cuba and Portugal are now off the UK quarantine list. 

Rice harvest coming to a field near you in a few of months !  Thats if it has enough water to actually grow into something other than animal feed.

11 minutes ago, AndrewMciver said:

 I heard about this education flight. What's even more galling is Thai embassy in London weren't really telling people about it - despite knowing some could get on it. 

 

What type of incoherant nonsense is that?

I believe this flight is restricted to teachers only. There is a thread about it somewhere, in Thai News I think. Something about many English language teachers needing to get to Thailand. I suspect contact was done for those guys that had the appropriate visa.

6 minutes ago, Greghuntleyuk said:

Should there not be some clue for Thailand authorities that even with a quarantine the demand is huge.

 

Flights gone in a few minutes is crazy. It's just down to luck if you get a flight.

As I said on the first page "The talk in the UK community was that 3000 had registered for the July flights. There have been attempts to get more flights arranged but to no avail." 

I think it was also interesting that the main International schools organised an EVA flight to return to Taiwan via Bangkok a couple of weeks ago. Obviously not much faith in the Thai gov to organise something for the teachers waiting to return, which they now have done. Currently on its way to London.