McArie

I flew Swiss on 1st July, B777-300 ER, BKK-ZRH (non-stop), Economy, departure @23:30 hrs .

• Bought the ticket 4 weeks before the flight, on-line via Swiss website. When looked again, 5 days before the flight, the price actually fell for about £10. But the ticket price was good anyway: it was a one-way flight BKK to ZRH, then a transfer to another Swiss flight to a SW European country ...the total cost was £420. The ticket was "flexi" in case of flight cancellation or change (at no extra cost), but no money refund option. If I remember right, BKK-ZRH only, was about £370 (but not sure really). 
• Baggage was 23kg permitted + 8kg hand baggage (but no-one checked the hand baggage weight) + additional "small item" (such as laptop bag, etc).
• Almost no crowd in the BKK airport (late PM arrival), very sparse indeed.
• Few shops and restaurants open (but not all) before the departure check (17:00-22:00), and just 1-2 shops open at 23:00 hrs after the security check point...
• Thai immigration formalities were smooth, passport just checked after electronic record, fingerprints and finally stamped-out. Waiting time 5-10 mins tops.
• There were people from all over the world it seemed to me, many transferring to other Swiss flights. There was a Thai lady flying to Switzerland who sat in my row, she had a residence permit there... she did not mention any "bureaucracy" problems with the immigration or airline.
• The flight was delayed for about 20 mins, it was full, no particular social distancing, but almost all wore the masks (most of the time).
• I was lucky as there was an unoccupied seat next to mine (window seat, so more comfort) in a three-seat row, towards the back of the plane.
• We all had to fill-in a form given in the airplane and hand it in back to the flight attendants - the form was about the flight details and residential addresses in the next 2-3 weeks post-flight. This is in case there is a need to trace the C-19 positive contacts.
• The flight itself was smooth, service good, main meals (lunch +breakfast) were prepacked (choice of chicken, veg meal, omelette) but nothing special, plus choice of deserts & yogurt was good, drinks too (vine, beer, coke, hot beverages...) plus unlimited fruit & hot drinks during the flight...
• Arrived on-time ZRH airport looked a bit deserted up to 10am...then some activity, but way too low to the usual  airport "buzz"...

So all in all, good & would recommend Swiss.

My experience (already have written about it here) as follows:

Paid by CC early in February for a flight HHQ-KUL-HHQ AirAsia in March & HHQ-KUL in July. They cancelled those due to C19. 

• Requested refund, they've said "no cc/money refunds, only vouchers/credits to be used within 2 years".
• Chosen the credit using on-line "AVA" option from their website.
• The credits allocated to my AirAsia account ("BIG") within 2-3 weeks of the claim.

Paid by CC in May for a flight KUL-LON (via DOH) Qatar Airways in July. They cancelled it 2 weeks from the purchase (May) due to C19.

• Requested full refund to my CC, using on-line option from their website.
• They've refunded the ticket amount to my CC after 3 months of the claim. No interest paid for using my money and no services delivered.

On 7/14/2020 at 11:56 AM, american2 said:

There is no parking at Hua Hin Airport.  Taxi even to town center is not cheep a distance of 5 Kilometers.

Use the local public transport instead, if you can - the green Baht Bus, it's only 10 BHT from the airport to the HH city centre  and if you have a suitcase it's 20 BHT; after 19:00 hrs it's slightly more expensive 15BHT (fare) + 15BHT (if with a suitcase)...If you go beyond the HH city centre (i.e. the Bluport mall or Cicada Market, towards Khao Takiab) it's 20BHT (40 BHT with a suitcase)...see the maps attached for the public transport lines. Just be aware, you might need to walk a bit down the road from the airport towards the city centre (guess some 50-100m, not sure really), although not sure as they may now stop stop on the main road in line with the airport entrance. Also not aware of the any customer parking space there.

On 6/30/2020 at 12:48 AM, PingRoundTheWorld said:

I am sure airlines don't want to send in empty planes to take people out.

Actually they do fly into BKK empty. They have may some economic interests but also for technical reasons. Then they typically fly back from BKK to their destinations full, as there are people who want to fly out from Thailand (e.g. I've been recently on a Swiss flight BKK-ZRH, it was full)

On 7/10/2020 at 8:30 AM, steven100 said:

I will never book with Air Asia ever again.  

With the usual BS reply from their service staff ....

Good day to you! Upon checking, your refund case is still under In Progress. Due to the pandemic, our refund process will take up to 12-16 weeks or more to be done. We know that would be frustrating! Our team is working hard to process refunds as quickly as possible, due to the exceptionally high volume of requests we've received though, It's taking longer than usual. Your kind understanding and patience are much appreciated on this

Don't know about the refund (I thought they did not do refunds), but they've credited my AirAsia account ("BIG") for all the money from cancelled flights (their cancellations),  promptly & within couple of weeks (on two occasions)...

I flew Swiss on 1st July B777-300 ER BKK-ZRH (non-stop), Economy.

The flight was full, no particular social distancing, but almost all wore the masks (most of the time). Baggage 23kg permitted + 8kg hand (but no-one checked the hand baggage weigh) + additional "small item" (such as laptop bag, etc). I was lucky as there was a seat in between unoccupied (so more comfort) in a three-seat row towards the back of the plane. The price was also very good for the flight. The flight itself was smooth, service good, main meals (x2) prepacked (chicken & veg choices) but nothing special, choice of deserts & yogurt was good, drinks too (vine, beer, coke, hot beverages...) plus unlimited fruit & hot drinks during the flight... 

So all in all, good & would recommend Swiss.

Qatar Airways was my original choice (KUL-DOH-LON), but due to their fiddling with the flight availability & cost (they advertised it at a very good, competitive price and flight time at the time) - only two weeks after the purchase, they cancelled the flight and offered a more expensive and longer flight instead -  I've decided to go for a full refund (which arrived after 3 months from the original purchase, no interest paid) and chosen the Swiss (although in a generally very limited flight availability globally and from BKK). 

On 7/11/2020 at 7:32 AM, darrendsd said:

For Tetanus I would go to the Red Cross - I would say it would probably have cost you around 200 Baht

Thanks darrendsd for an useful tip.

They probably don't have a doctor to check/exam it beforehand (as they do in the HH city hospital...worth checking though) so probably it comes almost to the same in terms of the tetanus boost vacc cost (the Doc's exam 200-300 Baht, can't remember, but they specify it on the back of the bill)

I don't know if the buses go directly from the airport yet. But perhaps this might be of any help - I know that Sombattour runs buses from Bangkok to Hua Hin

https://www.sombattour.com/en/schedule/Bangkok-Hua Hin

Vibhavadi,  (get off), Mahachai Muangmai, Phetchaburi, Tha Yang, Cha-am Intersection, Hua Hin

9 hours ago, torturedsole said:

my main credit card for international travels is the Halifax Clarity credit card [MasterCard].  I carry the rest of the cards for back up, just in case.  

Same here. The Halifax Clarity cc is really good for me - no extra fees + good exchange rates. Even if I draw cash abroad (extremely rare e.g. regular funds delay, etc) so long I pay that money back on the cc say, within 1-3 days later, the interest is really negligible.

But as many mentioned here, do decline option to convert your money to THB when shown on the screen.

Make sure you select the language you understand on the ATM options menu, and do read carefully the information on the screen before proceeding and selecting "yes" button. This may sound bit silly of an advice, but we all are prone to errors, particularly when the ATM's screens are cluttered with information, badly lit, short screen time and in a busy environment...

I think the OP has actually had JD and coke, rather than JD coke, hence the quoted bill price.

If you look at the bill photo, it did say "Jake + Coke" . The menu specifies Jake Daniels shot = 180 Bht

Adding coke (as a mixer, to fill the glass) would reasonable cost 20 Bht more in a bar. So total per drink=200 Bht.

Now, if the OP ordered specifically Jack Daniels coke (NB: not Jack Daniels and Coke) that would be entirely different drink: pre-made, usually in a can, the proportions of the alcohol, cola mixture, additives,etc quite different to a shot of JD and coke (which could be Coca-Cola, Pepsi,etc-all different cost). If this was the case, a good practice would be to bring such can/bottle, open it then pour in front of the customer (but if they use a draft for such drink, which is unusual, than obviously it's not possible).

However in the OP's later posts he mentioned that he had previously the same drink at the cost of 150 Bht, which leads me to believe that they served the drink (JD coke) in a can/bottle rather than a glass. Otherwise, if they serve both drinks (i.e. JD coke and JD and coke) in a glass, nobody can be sure which is which (unless someone possesses exceptionally well differentiated taste sense)

This could have been a case of simple language misunderstanding - the waiter(ess) could've misheard "JD coke" for "JD and coke" (as in "JD'n'coke"), and knowing Thais "proficiency" with the English language this would not be unexpected (unlike with the English currency ???? ????). Unless the OP actually pointed to the menu (even so, could be a perceptual mishap: both drinks are next to each other).

Nevertheless, even if the waiter(ess) (mis)heard "JD'n'coke", how did he/she know if the customer wanted the usual mixture (i.e. in the same glass) and not JD shot and a separate can/glass of coke (which is indeed unusual)? Perhaps believing if latter, the customer would specify it clearly... 

All in all, I believe this was an honest error possibly caused by the combination of 

• the language and mind-set differences (culture),
• lack of professionalism (serving staff should always double-check the order with the customer, particularly the "tricky" orders such this) and
• the context (e.g.implicit covid-19 tensions in most people, rush-hours orders.etc).

So, I'd advise the OP to "bury the grudge" and be more "vigilant" when ordering from the native staff (unless sure of their language proficiency) next time, After all, no reason to feel necessarily duped (as mentioned this could've been an honest mistake) and not too much money lost (consider this as a reminder cost that you are in Thailand, Asia and not in the Western world). In fact, this is a reminder to all of us (the westerners) to be wary of our "western" cognitive/cultural biases/expectations...

And most important of all:

"Always look on the bright side of life..."  ????????????

...and you'll always be a winner!

On 6/17/2020 at 5:00 PM, McArie said:

Just got cancellation notice AirAsia HHQ to KUL international flight for 1st July. 

This is the second time a flight has been cancelled, same departure & destination, the first time on 6th April. All due to covid19.

No cash refund option available, only credit acct. or change of flight.

Opted for the credit acct.

 

• Applied via AVA option, on-line on 5th April to credit the first cancelled flight
• Received email on 14th April from AirAsia stating the procedure is in progress
• Received email on !6th April that account has been credited successfully
• Received email on 6th June that the validity of the credit account has been extended to 2 years.

 

• I've  applied today for this second flight credit
• Will inform here when the credit received

 

Just an update, really:

• 17th June applied on-line for credits to my AirAsia account (as per above post).
• 22nd June my account credited - validity of the credited amount=2 years (but the flights booked could be beyond 2 years)

Just got a flight cancellation notice from AirAsia for my flight HHQ-KUL which has been originally scheduled for 11:50 hrs on July 1st,2020.

No alternative flights on offer.

Seems we'll wait quite some time to start HHQ flights again... Probably not before August...

Just got cancellation notice AirAsia HHQ to KUL international flight for 1st July. 

This is the second time a flight has been cancelled, same departure & destination, the first time on 6th April. All due to covid19.

No cash refund option available, only credit acct. or change of flight.

Opted for the credit acct.

• Applied via AVA option, on-line on 5th April to credit the first cancelled flight
• Received email on 14th April from AirAsia stating the procedure is in progress
• Received email on !6th April that account has been credited successfully
• Received email on 6th June that the validity of the credit account has been extended to 2 years.

• I've  applied today for this second flight credit
• Will inform here when the credit received

Brilliant, many thanks Tropicalevo and time2093 !

 These days one cannot take for granted anything travel-wise, so better to ask than regret ???? 

Have you travelled recently to Bangkok from Huahin by train? Any experience you may wish to share, such as best time (train service) to use, cost (advance vs. on-the-counter ticket), punctuality, comfort, anything really...

I am aware (could hear the noise ???? ) that the rail is operational again, but I have read some posts on TV that there is apparently ban for foreign visitors to travel domestically on the gov't run buses ????...so my concern is if this applies on the rail travel as well (presumably the train operators are state owned)...

 Are foreign visitors allowed to travel unrestricted on Thai domestic/intercity trains?  

Your recent (i.e. beginning June onwards) experiences particularly welcomed.

My question comes out of concern after reading on this forum that there is a ban on foreign visitors/nationals for travelling by gov't run buses in Thailand...

Just to add, to make sure you are also aware of it, for the teacher's licence/temp permit you'll also need to have a clearance certificate regarding cautions, warnings, reprimands and convictions (in the UK it is called ACRO or CRB/DBS certificate), which also needs to be legalised.

Generally, all documents (educational, professional, government,etc) got to be legalised from the country they originated from, by that country's official legalising body (in the UK it is the Foreign Office), followed by Thai embassy  legalisation in that country too.

Notarisation (usually by a solicitor/lawyer) is normally required before the document's issuing country official legalising body does their legalisation for most documents (particularly if copies), but in the UK for example, ACRO/DBS/CRB does not need to be notarised while ed./prof. certificates, etc do need to be notarised.

Needless to say, in the UK this process can be time consuming and costly, particularly if one has few documents to do. And best to do all this before coming to Thailand.

Now, I know my answer may not be v. helpful to the OP, but might be useful to those that have their educational/professional documents issued in the UK and want to teach in Thailand...

2 hours ago, Kalorymetr said:

I would not book a LOT flight before Poland had announced border opening.

You will have a hard time getting money back, better go with Lufthansa which owns Swiss, more options.

I've just booked a flight with SWISS on 1st July 23.20 hrs from BKK via ZRH, economy 23kg chkd baggage, 8kg cabin baggage + flexibility to change time/destination free + 50CHF added bonus voucher (but still need to double check if eligible for this bonus voucher).

As for LOT, they seemed reasonable to me, earlier experience (short-haul) has been OK, clean and professional. On their route/leg  from SIN to WAW they operate a modern Boeing 787-800. 

In relation to Polish APP restrictions, they are lifting it by 20th June (as almost all other EU countries), no quarantine for UK citizens. More info on their travel & refund policies: https://www.lot.com/pl/en/coronavirus-travel-information

I did not choose them due to the fact that I am uncertain if SIN will be open fully on 1st July, as well as KUL, since the latest data shows increase of the covid-19 infected in these countries and they are severely restricted/need quarantine for foreign citizens. They will review their policies 9th June (Malaysia), end of month Singapore. But I am more inclined to believe they will open fully for travellers by mid-July.

Personally, I found that the following might be a good choice for flights to the UK:

• Swiss (from BKK via ZHR) - If change, flexi ticket (free) or voucher. Baggage up to 23kg. Costs cca £350-£400, direct with the airline.No quarantine for UK citizens if in transit.
• Emirates (BKK or KUL via DXB) -If change, flexi ticket (free) or voucher. Change destination free and @same price within Europe. Baggage up to 30kg. Costs cca £350-£400, direct with the airline.No quarantine for UK citizens if in transit.
• LOT (BKK via SIN, via WAR 2legs) -Baggage up to 23kg. Costs cca £320-£400, direct with the airline.Problem might be transit through KUL & SIN airports, but hope they would abolish restrictions on/after !st July....
• Lufthansa (BKK via MUC or FRA)-If change, flexi ticket (free) or voucher. Baggage up to 23kg. Costs cca £320-£400, direct with the airline.No quarantine for UK citizens if in transit.NB Lufthansa tend to increase their prices.

Turkish Airlines also offer good flights, as well as few other companies, but not sure how reliable they are.. also some have very long flightime, multileg, so more complicated...wouldn't risk...

I check my options & prices via Skyscanner.net then chose directly the airline to buy (less inclined to go via agents, even if price lower, as changing/cancelled flights generally complicated to deal with)

Here is about QA safety and Covid-19 case:

JEDDAH 4th June 2020: Greece on Tuesday suspended flights to and from Qatar after 12 passengers on a plane from Doha tested positive for the coronavirus.

https://www.arabnews.com/node/1683826/world

On the basis of my flight booking experience, I would not recommend booking a flight with Qatar Airways.

1. They advertise multiple flight departure times for a destination with apparently good prices. Once you purchase such flight booking, they simply cancel that flight and offer you alternative flights which are invariably more expensive and/or much longer in duration. The "110% voucher" offered is well below what you need to pay more for that alternative flight. So they actually make money on you, when you could have chosen different airline company at the first place instead of falling into their trap of "a good price and flight time choice"
2. If you opt for a full refund (as I did) the process is unreliable, can be costly, and very uncertain if you'd ever get your money back. If you try to call them for the refund, its next to impossible to get them through, when you get the line there is long wait to actually talk to someone, and even then long time in checking your details...All this will cost you a lot of money for the call, as you'd need for most issues to call the customer team in Qatar, (e.g. I am in Thailand, the flight booked originated from Malaysia, and I am a UK citizen...)
3. If you use a web-based refund request (as I did) their online system is so lousy, you do not get immediate confirmation that, once you fill in necessary refund request details and press enter/send button, this has been received by their system. Just a blank screen (not even "your request has been sent" or "thank you"). This prompts most people to repeat the whole procedure (with the same outcome). But you get the email 15mins or more later, confirming that you have submitted your online refund request. Thus you end up with multiple refund requests for the same flight since they mentioned nowhere in the refund request procedure that the confirmation of the online request will be received via email!
4. Then it takes a long time to confirm that your refund request will be honoured, and at least additional 8 weeks to actually refund the money on your bank/cc account. All this time (since you paid it to them) they keep your money and without interest paid for it (even if they did not delivered the service you paid for!)

The facts for my cancelled flight:

• Booked and paid on 25th April 2020, via QatarAirways online, a QA flight for 1st July 2020 KUL-LHR (via DOH).
• QA informed me on 11th May 2020, via email, that the flight was cancelled.
• The next available flight was the following day - £120 more expensive, and 8 hrs longer. All their other flights were the same i.e. more expensive, and/or longer in duration.
• On 12th May I applied online for full refund. Refund request acknowledged the same day, but without specifying if it has been approved and when the money will be returned.
• On 26th May they sent another email informing me that my request is likely to be approved, and that they will pay back my money in 8 weeks time (sometime close to 20th July 2020). So 3 months of interest-free money for them.
• As of today (4rd June) no refund received yet.

So my advice: keep away from Qatar Airways, chose another,  more professional, honest and effective airline...(seems very few these days...)

I was under impression that the "4 or more Thais employed" rule is only in case the business owner is a foreigner. If the business owner is a Thai national, then this restriction does not apply. However, for those who teach, all usual rules for a teaching permission apply (incl. for foreigners teaching English). The only issue may be to establish a credibility of a teaching English business entity (e.g. school) in the sense it fulfils the prescribed norms for such business (if any), so that their request for a work-permit (in case of a foreign teacher) is granted.

N.B.: this is just my impression, "a vague recollection", of an information I've read somewhere a long time ago... got to be checked, as may be outdated.