onzestan

Your best bet is Egypt air. I believe 3 times a week to Cairo.

No alcohol on board.

cheers

onzestan

There is no Greek restaurant in Pattaya. Have always wondered why

Yes, Souvlaki, Tsatsiki, charides and an ice-cold bottle of retsina. mmmmmmmmmmmmmm

cheers

onzestan

There is no Greek restaurant in Pattaya. Have always wondered why

Yes, funny that, as other things Greek are quite popular

Have you ever flown Olympic Airways ?

cheers

onzestan

Regarding your statement in this and previous post about the so low prices at carrefour,have you ever been shopping yourself?Everybody knows that carrefour is by far the most expensive supermarket in the region.

Not correct, that dubious honor goes to Villa Market and with a large margin I might add.

And there you have to be alert too.

cheers

onzestan

Villa although more expensive do stock goods for the more discerning customer eg. western style bacon, pork swords, sauces etc therefore IMHO worth the extra

That's not the point. OP claims Carrefour is the most expensive and it's not.

BTW a Belgian Duvel Beer is 35 Baht more expensive in Villa, and to the best of my knowledge, it's exactly the same beer.

There are some things you can't find anywhere else, but that doesn't justify the higher price for all products IMHO.

Anyway I'm not trying to defend Carrefour, there are a lot of negative things to be said about it, but that doesn't mean one has to tell an outright lie just to make a point.

cheers

onzestan

Regarding your statement in this and previous post about the so low prices at carrefour,have you ever been shopping yourself?Everybody knows that carrefour is by far the most expensive supermarket in the region.

Not correct, that dubious honor goes to Villa Market and with a large margin I might add.

And there you have to be alert too.

cheers

onzestan

It's a trend that has been going on for quite some time now, and if I'm not mistaken spearheaded by the Accor group of hotels (Sofitel, Mercure, Ibis etc.), followed by other international hotel chains like Holiday Inn etc..

As for airlines I'm not so sure, it all depends on your travel agent.

cheers

onzestan

I've been shortchanged in practically every country I've been too.

The only thing that can prevent this is to be alert wherever you are.

cheers

onzestan

Sounds to me that you are pissed off because you heard about a new lay flat business seat and booked it, yet when you got on the plane you got the old version.

Dear bkkjames,

Without knowing me you assume a lot about me, one of your assumptions being that I'm NOT a seasoned traveler.

To make it clear, the OP was about following question posed by Skytrax : Do airlines offer enough product information on their websites?

To which 71 percent replied : "No"

So you're clearly one of the 29 percent that said yes. I'm in the other camp.

I don't want this to start being a pissing contest about who knows the most about airline travel, let me assure you I do know how and where to find the information that should be on the websites and isn't for whatever reason, but that's exactly the point, nothing more and nothing less.

cheers

onzestan

Ok maybe I was a bit hard on you. But looking at your airlines of choice TG and GF, I think the lack of information on their sites is reflection of how well both of them are run. What's that, stop the presses, TG Head is replaced today. As with most things here, the locals are very good at announcing things but are generally not so good at follow through - see Thailand Elite Card, Bangkok Fashion City, Hub of this and that.

The newest planes in TG's hanger are the A340-500's which they bought for the New York route which has now been cancelled. So instead of keeping the planes (yes the ones with flatbeds), they plan to sell them.

As for GF, maybe the cheapest ME carrier around but oh my, those A340's they use on the BK to Bahrain route are the ones the SQ had 16 years ago. IMO that airline is in dire straits since all governements in the region who supported its start up have now pulled out and have their own.

If you go to say Emirates, Ethihad, I think you will find that you can choose your seats on their websites without much problem but then again they are what we might describe as 'premium' carriers that actually make a profit. EK has only 777's in their long haul fleet, and airlines like BA / Qantas use only 747-400's on their routes to here and back. This doesn't change so it's pretty easy to know the seat mapping.

Cheers

Just a bit hard?

My Airlines of choice are not TG and Gulf, I only mentioned these because they were the first that sprang to mind.

As for Emirates used them once, never again. Fine example of very uncomfortable business class seats.(4 years ago)

Etihad (except ground staff) and Qatar are 2 very good airlines, and I would cite the Qatar Website as an example of how it could be.

Also maybe their financial success has something to do with access to cheap fuel?

cheers

onzestan

ANTON

Naklua road, opposite the Dice.

Evening buffet, at 195,-

Afternoon a la carte.

Concur abt Gerhard.

cheers

onzestan

Not quite the same, least not in English so maybe lost in translation.

Not having enough information suggests there is room to add features to make a site more user friendly. Withholding vital information does come across as a little paranoid. Don't know what information you think is being withheld but I imagine there is some information regarding pricing, seating availability etc. that an airline wouldn't want to make public because doing so would also benefit their opposition.

What exactly is the vital information you think is missing from a customer viewpoint on airline websites? If you explain that, then it might be possible to frame a better answer to your question.

I was looking at some domestic airline websites from another country recently and suddenly some Thai based airline websites didn't look so bad I've also found that like some banking sites, some airline websites are best viewed with Internet Explorer.

Well since I fly mostly business class, and since seating comfort is paramount to me, I find it nearly impossible to find out on which flights airlines provide flatbed seats and on which not. Seatguru helps a bit and also skytrax, but I do believe that this info should be provided i.o. to make a decision on which company gets my business. I have been to many times disappointed on flights where the business class seats weren't much better than economy and arrived exhausted at my destination having paid a hefty price.

Flatbed seats have been announced on Thai for some years now with much Poohah I might add, but as far as I know not on the aircraft that fly the destinations I'm interested in. This to give you only one example.

Recently Gulf Air (abt 3 months ago) changed their frequent flyer program and the website provides a link to the membership manual, it's a dead link.

I agree that most information can be found on the internet in forums like flyertalk etc. but my point is, the info should be available on their website and in many cases it is not.

Enough said, I don't think I'm paranoid, but in my book, information not provided is information withheld, for whatever reason.

Cheers

onzestan

onzestan

The poll in your posting is not exactly the same as what you are stating. If I read it correctly, the question in the poll asks "Do airlines put enough info on their websites?" It's a bit different than a question that asks "Do you think airlines purposely withhold information on their websites?"

There is big difference so I would say that you stating that 71% of travellers agree with you is wrong. I would guess of that 71% only 25% are conspiracy driven or paranoid.

Most probably my English isn't up to posting on Thai Visa.

I thought that not putting enough info on their website, is the same as withholding info.

Oh well since I'm paranoid, I'll refrain from further comments lest you start pursuing me

cheers

onzestan

Ok guys and girls besides the sick water buffalo and the ever popular "I have a headache" What is the best excuse you have heard.

My husband doesn't like it.

cheers

onzestan

I recommend Burda too.

Have been using his services for quite a few years now.

However, one word of advice. If Wanchai himself is not available (which often occurs), say you'll come back later or maybe make an appointment, and as mentioned insist on quality.

cheers

onzestan

Interesting Poll on Skytrax today.

http://www.airlinequality.com/main/quickpoll.htm

I have mentioned before on an earlier topic that I'm convinced that airlines purposely withhold vital information from their websites.

That time I received a lot of flack over this assertion.

Good to see I'm not the only one, 71 % of travelers agree with me.

cheers

onzestan

I went there about 2 months ago with my wife and son (Thai)

I think the price was around 250 Baht and there was definitely no dual pricing, which I noted with pleasure. They post the prices there and everyone pays the same, so I don't know what happened to you Stan?

After you enter you get a ride to see the wooden structure, and it is very interesting with beautiful, ornate wooden carvings.

When you have finished there, you walk round to the lake and sit in a lakeside restaurant, or on the terrace and are treated to a dolphin show.

Then there is a classical dancing display followed by a martial arts display on the open area in the restaurant.

It is all on a huge piece of land and you can spend time wandering around.

The food and drink prices in the restaurant are very reasonable, but you don't have to order anything to sit there and watch the shows.

I found the staff amongst the most polite and friendly as anywhere in Thailand, and they all spoke good English and were very knowledgable. They really went out of their way to make visitors happy, which is quite unusual these days, in and around Pattaya..

Not as grand as Nong Nooch, but IMHO , much better value for money, and not far from central Pattaya.

Worth a visit.

Well Mobi my initial response, came from a visit dated 3 to 4 years ago. Maybe they have seen the error of their ways, after all it is the sanctuary of truth, and I couldn't understand at that time why the truth is cheaper for Thais than for us , seeing that they use it so sparingly (the truth that is).

Thanks for putting the record straight.

BTW when I first came to live in Pattaya (nearly 20 years ago) they were all ready busy on the construction, and one could access strolling from Wong Amat beach. A 50 Baht note to the foreman of the construction was all it took to have a close look.

cheers

onzestan.

Has anyone been to the Sanctuary of Truth yet and what was your opinion and thoughts. We are going to see the temple very soon. Thanks for any input. Is there a fee?

Yes there is a fee, and a steep one at that, and off course a price difference for farang and Thai.

Except that, it really is a work of art, well worth seeing.

cheers

onzestan

Onzestan,

You don't perhaps have breakfast at the Oriental cafe in the emporium every morning by any chance?

No that would be CarlBkk lurking on grumpy old men.

cheers

onzestan

Where did the empty beer bottle come from I wonder.

onzestan

Amazing how some posters react to a simple observation. I just made a price comparison for taxi's in 2 countries.

I was going to add the difference in price for a coke in the cafetaria but thank god I didn't, because I would have to deal with remarks about wages, unions, quality of water, cleanliness, environmental issues, religion etc.etc.etc.

I'm also not going to mention the friendliness (or rudeness), the weather, the long distances etc.

Good incentive to stop posting useful information on this board, for you'll never know how much flack you're going to receive.

cheers

onzestan

Bangkok Airport/Pattaya approx. 130 Km : Baht 1.300,- including 50 Baht tax.

Frankfurt Airport/Hotel 12 Km : Euro 28,- = Baht 1.450,- not including tip.

However, in Frankfurt, you'd probably be taking the train into Hbf and then only a short hop to your hotel by taxi. What would that cost? I don't know Frankfurt prices. In Berlin it would be € 2.10 for the train, then maybe € 6 for the taxi depending on where the hotel is. So €10, 500 baht, let's say.

Excuse me for being a total idiot for preferring the comfort of a taxi over dragging my suitcases around the train station.

I'm 68 BTW and I think I have earned the right to prefer my creature comforts over cheapness.

cheers

onzestan

Bangkok Airport/Pattaya approx. 130 Km : Baht 1.300,- including 50 Baht tax.

On a metered taxi this will cost between 750-800 Baht!

Contrary to many others I don't go looking on the 4th floor for a taxi that might take me to Pattaya in the middle of the night.

Not even in daytime as a matter of fact. The rules are 2nd floor official taxi stand and that's what I do. This I do as well in Germany, France, The Netherlands or any other country that I visit. I don't care that the price might be cheaper (could be very costly), and BTW I just made a simple price comparison without ANY comment, no need to get all excited about it. And one more BTW, I've been living in Thailand long enough to know that regulations regarding insurance and registration are different here from those in Germany, and just maybe the rules being different is one of the reasons that I live in Thailand and not in Europe.

No malice intended

cheers

onzestan

Just a short comparison:

Bangkok Airport/Pattaya approx. 130 Km : Baht 1.300,- including 50 Baht tax.

Frankfurt Airport/Hotel 12 Km : Euro 28,- = Baht 1.450,- not including tip.

cheers

onzestan

Hiya,anybody can help me.I am flying business class on Qatar Airlines too Doha,upon asking Qatar office in Bangkok,they did not know where the Business Lounge was in Swampy.Anyboy can enlighten me please??.

Thanks

Qatar uses Thai lounges. Location depends on which berth the plane is allocated. Usually the closest lounge to that, but I guess you can use any Thai lounge.

cheers

onzestan

Got a little catching up to do. (And so, I suggest, have most of you.) :-)

Last Sunday night, my wife and I enjoyed meeting with a fellow Darksider and his mom for dinner at 'Swiss Paradise'. The company was great, and the food was the usual solid quality. I had one of my favorite items there, the (unbreaded) pork fillets. There's nothing new and exciting to report on 'Swiss Paradise'. Nothing changes more; and that's OK with me. The ambiance, service, and quality of food is, as I said earlier, consistently solid.

Yesterday, I stopped in to 'Chonlada' to try one of Pook's new dishes, Chicken Pasta Salad, which she learned at the Bangkok cooking school she's attending. I liked it very much, and would recommend it to anyone. A week ago, I had tried the pasta carbonera that she has also added to her repetoire. Again, it was very tasty. Neither of these items is on the menu yet. She'll be adding things slowly, as she gains confidence in the ability of her cooks to prepare them.

Later in the day, I went to 'Chester's' for a replay of thier excellent Fish & Chips. I met the English owner, David, for the first time; having previously been hosted only by his wife, Ja. David cautioned me with a claim that Ja does a better job than he on the F&C; but, after I'd finished, I told him that he did just fine, "for a substitute cook". Seriously, it was very good, and very filling.

Now, what have you guys been up to? Are you all on starvation diets?

Thanks for the update.

I'm in Belgium now enjoying the local food (and drinks) to the fullest, very very expensive though.

However it's so cold here now that I can't wait to get back next week.

cheers

onzestan