richard_smith237

Shocker... What did you get in the way of compensation ??? EU Law 261/2004 you should have received compensation to the amount of 75% of the total fare paid. Thus, IF I'm not mistaken and for example you paid £3500 for business class travel. return ticket.. you should have received £2625 in compensation and still flown 3 of the other legs in business class. Wife & Son, travelling from UK with Emirates (Eco) and were delayed <4 hrs &... missed their connection... had to stay in a hotel in Dubai. Received £520 each as compensation (EU law states UE600 per seat - delayed flights <4 hrs / flights ticketed to or from Europe, ticketed travel more than 3500 km) With Air-travel s#it can happen, especially when taking a connection - but some airlines handle it better than others.

You can book economy and keep waiting for the possible upgrade option (usually a day or two before the flight)... but thats a risk IF you really want to travel business, there may be no offer at all (depends on the specific ticket class off course and how full the flight is). The price also varies.... I've had upgrades from Doha to Bangkok from as little as 14,000 baht (last year)... but this year the upgrade has been over 35,000 baht (which I found not worth it and chose the numb-bum & exit row option). The Promo upgrades with QR are seat only (no lounge access etc). Thus: IF definitely want business on the DOH-HKT leg... book it at time of booking. Or, if you don't mind too much, hedge your bets and see what you are offered (given that its likely to be around 35,000 baht (based on recent experience, but could well be different). I know that with Emirates you can book 'split tier travel' (i.e. Eco for one leg, then Business for the next')... But the QR Website is not as user friendly and I'm don't think that booking a 'split tier travel' is possible. You may be able to book the split tier travel over the phone.... And if thats successful 'business class loungers' are always linked to he onward flight. (i.e. IF flying UK-DOH in Eco and onward from DOH-HKT in business, you can use the lounge in Doha). I've never once used the Lounge in Doha...its always been way too busy. Once - QR pushed my onward connection back from a 1.5 hr layover to an 8 hour layover... I only found out when trying to upgrade... rather than using the lounge I used the 'sleep n fly' pods (https://sleep-n-fly.com/airports-doh - also available in Dubai)

Very well said...

Even more so as all I asked was a question that required a one word answer! Just to remind you the question, which was not even directed at you, was; "Perfect in whose opinion?" Just to remind you - that was answered in the first sentence... And I added this example (unless you'd want to argue that My Wife's Thai is not perfect) I will ask you... Can you speak Thai ???... In your own opinion, what standard is your Thai ? Is it widely understood to such a degree that you can converse with people in Thailand with few issues or misunderstandings ???.... If so, then it's a normal expectation that when speaking Thai with Thai people that understand you, then when people don't you recognise that is usually because of them, not because if you. I hope I've explained that clearly enough for you....

There could be an element of that to it... When speaking Thai, if the other person fails to recognise that I am speaking Thai its irritating. The source of the irritation ???... - could be... I've made effort to learn and practice and you can't even understand me. - could be... I'm speaking Thai, is it that rubbish ?? - could be... I know my Thai is fine I interact with Thai's on a daily basis, how is it possible you don't know I'm speaking Thai, thats strange.

There's definitely a facet of this for some, meanwhile for others the issue comes down to the person with whom we are conversing. I've had a Thai's behind me in a queue (at a cashiers) tell the Cashier I was speaking Thai to them after the failed to grasp a simple question I had to repeat - only then could the conversation progress and it did so without further issue. I've found this situation to be more common in tourist areas where Thai's are less familiar with foreigners who can speak Thai. In tourist area's I often give up speaking Thai all together because of this 'expectation' which lends itself to an initial confusion... Wife often orders food etc in English when in a very touristy area too... This may also be because the staff there are not Thai and could be from Burma, Vietnam etc and have a better handle of English than Thai in the first place.

Not at all... its not difficult to gauge the standard of our own language skills... I know my Thai is not perfect, but know my Thai is good enough that its widely understandable for those with whom I speak Thai. I also know I'm not going to be speaking Thai with a Doctor because I lack the technical vocabulary to do so. Thus: the point Neeranam made that 'some Thai's refuse to grasp that one is speaking Thai, even if it is perfect' is fully understandable. Whose opinion, our own of course, but we usually have a solid gauge of the standards of our language skills through the degree and success of our interactions. But I'll add another example (already used), Wife is Thai, but is sometimes misjudged as not being Thai... and sometimes she is not understood because the person with whom she is trying to communicate doesn't think she is speaking Thai thus the brain switches off and automatically goes into the 'no understand mode' or they are 'listening out for English' mode etc.... You may consider that pompous, however, it remains valid that IF you have not encountered similar situations it's likely because it's not a normal expectation of yours to be completely understood when speaking Thai.

Perfect in whose opinion? Many of us when honest with ourselves know our level of Thai... While my Thai is far from perfect I can easily hold simple conversations with people, but sometimes miss a key word etc... I understand far more Thai than I speak. I know my standard of Thai and know when I am pronouncing something correctly.... I know when I am in a 'its not me, it's them' type of scenario... If you don't understand this 'scottiejohn' it's because your Thai is not at a sufficient standard to have ever encountered the issue.

You may or may not get another ‘you’ve been selected’ email for a promo upgrade for the other leg depending on how busy the flight is etc. That is Odd…. Glitch in the matrix !

Clearly trolling. My Wife also faces the same issues on occasion… She’s Thai but some assume she’s from another Asian nation (Japan or Korea etc) & she gets the blank stare !!! Sometimes it’s because staff are also not Thai etc… or simply because they’re not paying attention. Again, well done to the pump attendant (anyone else) learning English & also and those foreigners here who try to learn Thai etc.. As you pointed out, it’s a very real experience that some Thai’s fail to identify that we are speaking to them in Thai even when it’s spoken well.

The simple fact that the Thai people who try to show you respect by overcoming their inherent shyness to speak English to you leaves you annoyed, Really? I wonder how they feel when they struggle to understand your obviously perfectly fluent Thai. There are some very sad individuals living in Thailand, Why do you live here when it appears that your main contribution is to insult the locals and those who post good events they experience. You should be ashamed of yourself. Some hyperbolic response to Neeranam’s comment !! Firstly, props to anyone learning & practicing a foreign language. That said, I have encountered many many situations whereby I drew an utter blank when speaking Thai… I’ve even had other Thai’s speak up and tell the person I’m speaking with (Shop cashier etc) that they should listen, I’m speaking Thai to them ! I think we’ve all encountered the ‘eyes don’t believe the ears’ scenario.

Good points.. - All Bkk legs have been lie flat (180 deg) in my experience. - Some routes may use older cabins, but I’ve not seen the ‘reclined’ Emirates business class for a long time. Qatar Q-Suites top the lot, but they are not available on every route. - As you wrote, lie flat seats are a little short fir a tall person. I’m 182cm, head & toes touching, I’d have to sleep on my side with legs bent. - & also as you commented, lots of announcements. I think Emirate make more announcements than any other airline! - A direct route is always a better option in Business Class… (especially on lie flat beds), but then the price is another level higher.

It could be some adjustment somewhere….. Q-Points / Q-Miles / AVIOS etc all gets a bit confusing (perhaps it was a move from Q-Points to AVIOS that I read). Depends on layout I guess - the ‘smaller’ Eco cabin is usually comes at a higher ‘seat selection cost’ depending on fare class & of course frequent flyer status. Its always ‘hit n miss’ anyway can get lucky with a quieter flight, could have a family a spilt kids behind you. Last flight was amusing…. I. Repeatedly telling her kids to behave ‘mum’ was more disruptive to the cabin than the children who were no angels & ultimately ended up knocking ‘mums’ wine all over her !!! not a group if want to be near… We were few rows away, son & I chilling playing FIFA on the switch. On boarding (full flight) another family wanted to sit in our seats which would have separated my Wife, Son & I. They wouldn’t move, we had to get the flight attendants involves to regain our booked seats to sit together as a family. Eco - the only option is to chill & accept its just shi#ier with more ppl who just don’t know how to travel !!!

Indeed… I used to travel back to Bkk from Qatar having been up since 4am. 2am flight. Paid for an upgrade. Got in the flight… told the FA’s wake me as late as possible with a cup of coffee, no meals. Bed flat & slept as soon as seatbelt sign went off…. Managed about 5 hours sleep (with the aid of a sleeping tablet ????).., last year the upgrades were reasonable… often less than 20,000 baht. This year they are over 35,000 baht & somewhat unjustifiable, so I took exit row (legroom) & numb bum option!

A) - upstairs cabin is often quieter with more frequent flyers who know how to behave in a flight. B) Qatar website is somewhat awkward regarding upgrades. Depending on your ticketing class, AVIOS & Cash upgrades may be available a few days before the flight, sometimes less than 24 hrs. You’ll need to keep checking the App (or website to see what pops up). Upgrading with Emirates is a far simpler process. Additionally, to complicate matters I read somewhere that Qatar are moving away from AVIOS (or did I imagine that?). I just moved all my AVIOS to British airways to pay for a flight three of (within Europe at Christmas) & excess baggage - moving miles to a partner is also an option sometimes. Equivalent EasyJet travel was about £600…. Cost of BA + Miles was £135.

All Emirates business class seats on the long haul routes (DXB-BKK) are 180 degree flat beds & also with a thin 1” mattress which goes on top of the seat to add a little more comfort. Price & promos etc vary day by day.

Having a 1 night DXB layover resolves a lot of that issue… especially if in no particular rush and makes sitting in Eco more tolerable. In the summer DXB hotels near the airport are about THB 3000. Hot tip… decent sleeping pills… I swear by em when on business class flat bed seats… (only issue then is the Middle East to Bangkok legs are too short for a full nights sleep !!!).

Wow, this is so petty. I've flown two dozen airlines in my life and never heard of such a thing. Gold with Qatar - flown them a lot. Never once heard of this before - calling rubbish on that info !!! Silver with Emirates (down graded from gold). Eco on the 380’s is good on both Emirates & Qatar - better than other airlines & other Aircraft. Business on Emirates is generally better unless seated in Qatar Q-suites (only 1 in 4 daily flights DOH-BKK are Q-suites or were at last QR flight 2 months ago). Emirates have the mini-mattress which adds a little extra comfort. I last Flew Emirates last week - nearly always get the Promo upgrade email. Prices vary throughout the year & from year to year and also on the original Eco ticketing class. Last Month the upgrade offer was: - THB 26812 (£591) BKK-DXB - THB 31281 (£690 ) DXB-BHX Last week the upgrade offer was: - £473 (THB 21424) BHX-DXB - £589 (THB 26636) DXB-BKK Eco flex ticket was THB 40,000 (return) making a business return trip from upgrades a total off THB 146,000 whereas a ticket Buiness class journey is THB 150,00 perks included (lounge access & chauffeur to & from). I’ve read that check-in upgrade is often cheaper than online, but have found the opposite. When traveling with family I have found flying Eco in the day time & doing a <24hr layover at a hotel near the airport breaks up the journey nicely… we can be in a hotel pool within an hour of touching town (check In baggage straight through).

Asoke & Sukhumvit rd in general is not a highway, it’s the center of a vast city… I lived in Soi 16 for a couple of years, I didn’t find issue with the pollution, but the gridlock in the evenings was horrific. With more & more big condos central Bkk traffic seems worse. It may well be better a live slightly away from the gridlock.

Bob’s c%<£ ???? ??? ????????????

This is exactly where Thailands defamation laws should be dissolved... Naming & Shaming on Social Media is the perfect way to deal with these ayholes and send out the message to others that their toxic behavior is not to be tolerated.

Agreed..... lots of people downplaying the quality of the Woman's football and while some of it is clearly not up to the standards of the mens game (at the same WC level) the football is still very enjoyable with plenty of quality - I thoroughly enjoyed the game and completely agree that this game in particular was an excellent advertisement for women's football. I think the French advert for the Women Football World Cup spells things out very nicely. https://www.independent.co.uk/tv/sport/football-women-world-cup-france-advertisement-b2377089.html

So, it seems you think for 3k premium a year your insurance would pay for the repair of any luxury car. Really? I know it's not your fault. But with the premiums in Thailand the insurance companies won't be able to pay damages of expensive cars. I have a motorcycle and car... I think I only have the basic level of cover on my motorcycle (Por-ror-bor), so assume that IF at fault my insurance covers me up to xxx amount (I'm not sure how much) and the 'other parties' insurance covers the remainder, its then up to them IF the insurance of the 'other party' wants to come after me. As you indicated earlier, it could get messy and it would be nice to know exactly where we stand legally. I had an expensive car in the past, when a taxi driver reversed into me in a car-park he didn't have insurance, I was in a good mood and told him to scarper and just claimed on my own insurance (I think the damages were about 300,000 baht - my premiums went up by about 30,000 baht so I was a out of pocket for something that was 100% not my fault. Now... IF my car was a 25 million Bentley or Rolls.... and someone else damaged the vehicle I wouldn't be too please if my premiums went up by a few 100,000 baht... (and yes, for an expensive car the premiums are very expensive - a Thai friend with a 10 year old Ferarri pays about 400,000 baht per year for 1st Class insurance). IF a drunk in a pickup rode into the back of his vehicle... his insurance can pay for the damage, but why should his premium go up to 500,000 baht the following year ?

I see two issues at play here. Firstly - as Trans mentioned, everyone on the road 'should' be insured and if they aren't its their own fault if the incur costs. That said, this issue isn't as black and white as some of us want to make out. Extremely expensive cars are extremely expensive to fix - Should 'our insurance' premiums be higher because a someone else wants to drive extremely expensive cars and there is a risk that we could be at fault in an accident with such an expensive vehicle ?? So... I think there is a 'line' here... not an emotional line where we argue if John can afford a Rolls Royce he can afford to pay for it himself... but one where insurance picks up the 'additional' cost beyond what may be considered on road normal costs - that 'normal' line is perhaps already set. Then of course, if driving a roller or range rover etc and I've been careful, why should my premiums go up because someone else was careless ???? This line exists to a lesser degree for the rest of us too... Why should we be out of pocket at all if someone idiot on his uninsured motorcycle or uninsured pickup drive into the back of us ??? If some tool rides into my car - I need to rent another while my existing car is being fixed... Why should I pay anything for someone else's fault ??

Oh ! YOU Silly Chap....... There’s an element of genius to this… … just so long as the owner doesn’t get a new howling hound with the realisation that he could be on to an earner.