happytobehere2014

Will take a look at Emirates for sure, just have to overlook the fact they are Arsenal's sponsors arrgghhhh !!! Thanks for the reply.

Well I'm an Arsenal fan

But let's not go there.

Sports should unite people

Yermanee

West Ham for my troubles !!!! Have to say, being a real football fan l love to watch Arsenal, they play some lovely football. West Ham stress me out,,,,, but l never had a choice, my dad took me to my first game when l was 18 months,,,, my nan had a season ticket until she was 89 ! Definitely in the blood in our family. To be honest apart from family, West Ham are the only thing l miss about the UK.

Cheapest and quickest will most likely be KLM mate.

Not sure how much KLM are ? l have used them alot in the past, old aircraft, but fantastic service. l find Dutch people really friendly and it never ceases to amaze me how good their English is, certainly better than mine at times ! Thanks for the reply.

With KLM you can book economy then upgrade your seat....they have a premium seat offering for about £100 each way....the front row at each side has buckets of legroom.

Not biz class but very comfortable and a lot cheaper.

Thanks for the reply mate, unfortunately due to chronic back problem l have to have a seat that goes flat. How far do these seats recline ?

Hi Happytobethere,

As someone mentioned Emirates A380 flights here are the flights to look for :

BKK/DXB - Flight EK0385 - 01:35 <-> 04:40

DXB/AMS - Flight EK0147 - 08:25 <-> 13:30

AMS/DXB - Flight EK0148 - 15:30 <-> 23:59

DXB/BKK - Flight EK0384 - 03:05 <-> 12:25

If you do a ghost booking its option 14 of the proposed itineraries.

Price is abt 85.000 Baht.

Good luck

Yermanee

Will take a look at Emirates for sure, just have to overlook the fact they are Arsenal's sponsors arrgghhhh !!! Thanks for the reply.

Happytobethere.....kudos to you....you respond to all who have posted to your OP and you have done so with class. Unusual for TV. Nice to see.Look forward to your future posts. Good luck on finding a flight that fits your requirements....value for money. I think the same way!

Thanks mate, l appreciate your comments. l have been on the forum a number of years, but went to the UK a while back, forgot my password for this site and email, so had to start again ! l went on a motor forum in the UK a while back and made a comment on a post; my opinion differed from the OP and he got really upset and called me a troll and threaten me ! No need for this kind of thing, manners cost nothing and the whole ethos of forums is that people offer opinions. There is no wrong and right in some posts but people get very upset, needless really. Anything l post on a forum is a genuine opinion or something to try and help others.

Buying a business class seat does stick in my throat, but l have no choice; so all these comments have been really helpful and l totally agree,value for money all the way. Thanks, take care ........ Mark

Cheapest and quickest will most likely be KLM mate.

Not sure how much KLM are ? l have used them alot in the past, old aircraft, but fantastic service. l find Dutch people really friendly and it never ceases to amaze me how good their English is, certainly better than mine at times ! Thanks for the reply.

Finnair Hel to BKK with old A340 no flat beds (OH-LQA/LQF/LQG), they have no plans to upgrade that aircraft.

Routes with full-flat business class seat, "new" J

As of the dates below, all flights on listed routes will normally be performed by aircraft with full-flat Zodiak UK Vantage seat in business class. Routes not listed will mainly be served by the older A340s or a mix of old&new, supply allowing.

2014-04-01 - NRT, JFK

2014-05-01 - PEK, ICN

2014-06-01 - PVG, KIX, NGO and HAN (seasonal)

2014 winter - HKG (seasonal) *)

*) Original press release stated HKG full-flat from 2014-06-01. Some flights are indeed scheduled with new J, but current info on AY website says HKG full flat only during winter season.

RegNo Full flat since Remark

------ ------------ --------------

OH-LQA Never

OH-LQB 2014-03-27

OH-LQC 2014-05-29

OH-LQD 2014-04-21

OH-LQE 2014-05-16

OH-LQF Never

OH-LQG Never

Good info thanks. Although l cannot be sure one exists, Thailand could do with an Ebookers.com style website. l understand there are not the same level of flights as Europe and tours are mainly booked locally, but l think there is enough flight traffic. Special offers vary so much depending on which travel agent you use, and often airlines do not put offers on their own websites, so hard to know the best deals.

China Airlines is using A340 to AMS with the old business class seats.

I just used them from AMS to BKK and i don't like it.

No flat bed and very difficult to have a sleep in those seats.

But service was good with reasonable good food and for a good price.

Thanks, this is why this forum is so good, you always get great information.

You could also try Finnair. I got a great price from LHR to BKK via HEL. Not sure about prices the other way though. Their aircraft have all been upgraded.

l did a flight from the UK to Finland, then onwards to Bangkok in economy about 15 years ago, basic aircraft, but great service, was very impressed, will look at them also. Thanks for the reply.

I dunno China airlines business class (guess they don't have flat seats and how cheap?), but flying to Amsterdam I do recommend Emirates all A380 at 85.000THB, all seats have aisle access (1-2-1 config) just make sure to select A380.

That is cheap from Emirates, for some reason just presumed they would be more, thanks for the info.

lf you are Thai, then you must have at least 6 months to visit most countries in Europe. They will be worried about your passport expiring whilst in their country. if you are German you could fly back 2 days before the passport expires. Never heard of anyone having problems getting into their own country with short-dated passport, only problems are going to other countries. l have had past experience of this in past with British passport.

l have taken Tramadol for a number of years with no problems, but it can be addictive. There are a number of known side-effects ( as there are with most drugs ) but for short term use you will be fine.

l have a prescription for it here from my doctor, easy to get. Something l often wondered about, was the drug testing they do in night clubs - l know they are mainly testing for Yabba, but l wondered in drugs like Tramadol would show up on the tests as they are an opiate ?

If You don't get any joy,with china airlines, have a look at Turkish airlines they are partnered with Thai their prices are on a par if not lower than china air, we flew business class with Turkish air from Brisbane to Munich in May, full recliner and silver service as far as istambul, was brilliant ,don't remember much of the flight from turkey to munich was a little bit pissed, well chuffed with the flight and price ,looking forward to the return flight next year,

Someone else mentioned Turkish Airlines, so will have to take a look. There is such a difference between the airlines, much more than economy class l think. Few years ago got a flight back to London with Royal Jordanian in business, flight was OK, service reasonable, until we got to Amman. When l checked in at Bangkok they gave me the boarding passing for the Amman- London section. Got on the flight in Amman to find out there was someone sat in my seat. l politely asked the guy to move, which he refused; then l asked to see his boarding pass, which again was refused. Told the cabin staff, they spoke to the chap, who did not show his ticket just spoke in Arabic to them. l know a little, and could make out that he worked for the government, so they asked me to sit in economy ! l protested, got fairly upset and they told me l would be removed from the plane and arrested if l did not shut up. So sat there in agony with my back all the way to London ( 8 hours approx ) and complained when l got back to Heathrow. The airline did not offer me the difference in the cost of the tickets until l threaten them with court, and it took 6 months to get anything. Never again ............. could you imagine Singapore Airlines acting this way !

Thanks for taking the time to reply.

Just flew Business Class to San Francisco from Bangkok ....I know, not same flight but thought maybe the info on the planes I flew might help.

Bangkok to Taipei ....Airbus A330...flat angle recline

Taipei to San Francisco....Boeing 747-400....flat angle recline

GREAT Price!...

What I do with these angle recline seats is carry on a triangular type backpack (any backpack would do) and put it at the feet part of the angle recline seat (ie build up the the bottom part of the angle so NO angle) making the seat mostly flat. Am able to sleep without slipping to the bottom of the seat. Works for me great and able to sleep comfortably. Better than nothing. (came up with the idea years ago while flying EVA which used to have the angle recline seats in business). Works best with a bulk head seat!

Check out seatguru.com for more info on the seats on particular planes.

Good luck and have a nice flight!

Thanks mate, good information. Will check out seatguru.com for sure. The seat makes all the difference as l broke my back in 6 places in a parachuting accident years ago. Just want to say a big thankyou to everyone who replied, much better than talking to travel agents.

The seats on the Airbus A340 are not flat when reclined and these aircraft do not have the latest upgraded cabins.

I have used them 3 times a year for the last 10 years and find the price from the UK very reasonable.

They had the Boeing 747-400 on the route until about 3 years ago and they did have the newer cabins, but even then the seats were not quite fully flat.

Personally I find the A340 seats adjust to a sort of "cradle" position which stops me sliding about and I can sleep reasonably well.

Hopefully the new Boeing 777s will eventually take over on the BKK-AMS route.

l understand the 777's are on the flights to China. Thanks for the info, more than l could find on the internet and the travel agent in Pattaya just nodded her head when l asked her what the cabins were like !

Here you go :

Yermanee

Thanks for the info

The seats on the Airbus A340 are not flat when reclined and these aircraft do not have the latest upgraded cabins.

I have used them 3 times a year for the last 10 years and find the price from the UK very reasonable.

They had the Boeing 747-400 on the route until about 3 years ago and they did have the newer cabins, but even then the seats were not quite fully flat.

Personally I find the A340 seats adjust to a sort of "cradle" position which stops me sliding about and I can sleep reasonably well.

Hopefully the new Boeing 777s will eventually take over on the BKK-AMS route.

l understand the 777's are on the flights to China. Thanks for the info, more than l could find on the internet and the travel agent in Pattaya just nodded her head when l asked her what the cabins were like !

Here you go :

Yermanee

The seats on the Airbus A340 are not flat when reclined and these aircraft do not have the latest upgraded cabins.

I have used them 3 times a year for the last 10 years and find the price from the UK very reasonable.

They had the Boeing 747-400 on the route until about 3 years ago and they did have the newer cabins, but even then the seats were not quite fully flat.

Personally I find the A340 seats adjust to a sort of "cradle" position which stops me sliding about and I can sleep reasonably well.

Hopefully the new Boeing 777s will eventually take over on the BKK-AMS route.

l understand the 777's are on the flights to China. Thanks for the info, more than l could find on the internet and the travel agent in Pattaya just nodded her head when l asked her what the cabins were like !

l have not paid any NI for a very long time in UK, but l use doctors and hospital when l go back. lf you are British and go to A & E they do not ask for anything other than address. Give any address you like, they do not check. If you are planning to go home and have outpatient treatment use a family member's address; l use my father's and never had a problem. l get prescriptions when l am back, with no problems. Sometimes they will do more checks if you use a hospital near Heathrow. They get the health tourists who are allowed to board flights from all over the world and fly when heavily pregnant, to use our NHS. l am not going to feel bad for not strictly sticking to the rules, as l am sure most of the ex-pats living in Thailand have contributed enough, as have l over the years.

Got a trip to the UK next month and was considering China Airlines Business, as the tickets seem reasonably cheap. The route is Bangkok - Amsterdam - London. Does anyone have recent experience of the flight ? l am told the airline has updated it's business class, but not sure if this extends to this route, or just the ones flying to China ? l am not wealthy just have a very bad back from my army days, so getting a seat that folds flat is a necessity; would be upset to pay the money and find out it's awful ! Any of your thoughts would be greatly appreciated.

l owned a diesel automatic Passat in the UK, great car. They have an push button hand brake with a feature for crawling in traffic, all you do is brake to a stop and it automatically applies the handbrake, then when you set off press the accelerator as normal and it comes off. When l worked in London it was a god- send. Many cars have this now; and l would choose an automatic over any manual unless as pointed out by others, it was a sports car. l don't think economy comes into it as the price of petrol is so cheap compared to Europe, so the trade off for an automatic is well worth it. Good luck with your purchase.

Shoei, Arai, and others in their class have Snell/DOT/ECE ratings (at least one, and possibly all three) as they need these ratings to be considered road-legal (DOT in the US and ECE in Europe, i.e,). I believe Thai helmets are required to have a TIS stamp, but has anyone ever been checked or questioned on the legality of their helmet?

Any padded motorcycle helmet is likely better than no helmet in a crash (though not always- a helmet that shatters can do more harm than good), but rated helmets have more expensive components in the shell and liner, and you won't find them in a 1000 baht helmet. I've read that some helmets by Real are rated and are in the 3000 baht range (though you won't get the features and quality construction of a nice Shoei at that price). Index helmets would probably do the job in a low speed crash where you suffered a mild impact to the head, but they're thin and brittle and will easily crack when stressed. If you can buy a helmet at Tesco, you can't expect it to be world-class...

There are several places to buy a good helmet in Thailand these days, and prices have been getting better the last couple of years- Panda Rider, The Paddock, Kamix Shop, Rider Outlet (check FB for the last two), and others. Mail-order from the US or Europe is also possible, but there's shipping and import taxes to deal with.

Good advice from this guy. lve been a biker in the UK and here in Thailand for over 10 years, and the advice is the same - you get what you pay for. 1000 baht buys you very little protection, go the extra 15,000 baht and get a Shoei or Arai. l hope you never have a serious accident, but if you do then 15,000 baht will save your life, literally !

Look on the news, see how many people die from head injuries in motorcycle accidents, it's a no-brainer

Read some of my posts.....don't even try....I had the same attitude as you - there's a reason you cannot find agents to help you.....the one that I had had the contacts - where with all - offices with experienced staffing and was honest on every level - sympathetic & easy to work with - english speaking - everything in place....cost me 720,000B over the year that I fought for it + a vehicle I'd spent 5-6 years building and truly loved.......

All the good agents have been burned in the processes - no matter how much you research - complete paperwork - get the proper approvals prior.....I didn't believe it before - I believe now.....

It's purely up to them what they will or not let in - there was absolutely NO written mandate that my vehicle couldn't come in....made no difference - once you start to question them or hold them accountable it only escalates and gets worse - not to mention the emotional investment of the fight.....

Us guys from the US are not use to losing.....during that time I spoke to everyone connected in every possible way - not one had known of a success story.....

This guy is spot-on with this post - l know 3 people who have tried this and only 1 was successful. Customs make up the rules as they see fit; the rules can change every time you speak with them. It will cost you a fortune with very little chance of success,,,,,, l hope you do not waste your money mate, but l wish you the best of luck if you do proceed.

As for other replacement car models, we are currently working on the new Toyota Vios (not sure about the release date though).

Also other updates on the way for Toyota Hilux (minor change), Toyota Camry (minor change), Toyota Corolla (New Model, 2014, but no one really cares it seems )

There are talks about a new Toyota Eco-Car it seems. We haven't gotten the English manual yet, but it seem Daihatsu and Toyota Japan are talking about this.

Our head office in Japan told me that it might be based on the Daihatsu Bo-on, but that's just gossip for now.

Have you heard anything about up-dating the Fortuner ? l am looking at buying one now.

Very sad,, may she rest in peace. Heard of case in Pattaya a few years ago where a shower was installed at this English guys house; spent 10 million plus, so you would expect decent standards of work. His wife was first to use it and was electrocuted, died instantly. They guy died of an illness 2 years later and 2 little girls were left as orphans. Time for some tough legislation l think.

Volkswagen only seem to have two models in their line-up ...... Sirocco and Golf GTI, which is a shame because l owned a Passat in the UK, it was the diesel with the DSG gearbox, cracking motor. l keep hearing Volkswagen are to build a factory in Thailand so maybe they will produce that nice looking pick-up, the Amarok. l lived in Bangkok about 10 years ago and l know there was some sort of Golf club, not sure if it's still going.

l have not heard of any courses specifically aimed at bike safety. The problem with riding over here is you can have Valentino Rossi's ability on a bike, but you cannot account for what other people do.

Number of years ago was out on 2nd Pattaya with a pal ( both seasoned bikers from UK ) riding along at approx 20 mph, when a fight broke out in a bar at the side of the road, spooked the stay dogs present and they ran into the road bringing my mate off. His collarbone came through the skin and he was a right mess, plus a rental CBR600 to pay for !

l think the best advice l could give : expect the unexpected, always ride with your headlight on ( not full beam ) even during the day, always check over your shoulder when turning into a side road, because people will come down the outside of you regardless of wether you indicate, always have your hands on, or close to the brake and my biggest bug bear - look out for &lt;deleted&gt; coming the wrong way up the road.

You bring up an interesting topic and l bet we could a further 100 tips to this,,,,,,, but for sure riding in Thailand is a dangerous activity.