wkbglobal

Even with older aircraft Thai could compete but they need to raise their game considerably and the supposedly "famous" service was below par. Having not flown with Thai for a long time I recently took their flight (Business) from London to Chengdu via Bangkok for convenience of transfer in Bangkok. I was quite looking forward to it but once again was disappointed. The lounge facilities at Heathrow were very poor. The customer service on the sector from London to Bangkok was very poor considering the price of the ticket (£1700 one way). I thought we may have been in luck for some full flat beds but unfortunately not yet installed. In-flight entertainment was better than previous. Run out of breakfast choice, take it or leave it - I wouldn't mind but the Business class was only half full. The flight to Chengdu was slightly better than the London one only because I found the older Business seat were much more comfortable. Not much had changed from when I made the decision to not use them previously and I felt I was more of an inconvenience to them than a paying guest. Maybe in another 5 years I will try it again, but for now my recent experiences with EVA and Etihad put them way ahead on customer service and pricing. Even my Thai girlfriend was disappointed when she flew with Thai again and previously she was very vocal in her support.

I have a Barclay Off shore in the IOM and recently received a letter requesting Passport identitiy check and bills from my place in Thailand to continue using the service or the account could be closed.

It is wise to compare too. I once flew Singapore to Bangkok round trip. It was $25 more to fly Thai Airways Business Class than it was to fly Air Asia. I gladly paid the difference and it changed the whole mood of my trip. Admittedly it was short notice, but most of my travel is. In Europe, as for Ryanair, spare me! I only travel with them if there is absolutely no alternative - complete rip off, headache during the flight with all the selling of products and nasty website. Personally I dislike all the add-on costs and I like to enjoy the experience of flying with the minimum of fuss. The airlines appear to be clamping down on the cabin baggage now with weight so most people will need to check a bag anyway. If you are traveling in Europe with Ryanair be warned, as I understand they are re-checking your carry on bag at the boarding gates before they let you on. Anything you purchase in the airport needs to go into the one bag and still meet their weigh limit and the size limit.

I have not flown on Air Asia X but the seats look very similar to a lot of other carriers and as someone mentioned previously they will have an incline. I always find I slide down which becomes uncomfortable although I am 5ft 8.

Etihad operate full flat beds and are highly recommended, they also offer free limo transfer service in certain countries and their lounge is good. Gulf Air use this same seat in their First Class. BA operate with the full flat bed. The ful flat beds usually involve a footstool that the bed folds down and connects to making the bed complete.

Try this website http://www.flatseats.com/Reviews/A-Z.htm

By the way Qatar have the best lounge I have been in and found it very easy to relax. I had a 6 hour layover. It is in a separate building and they have rooms you can sleep in if on a long stopover, very good restaurant, games rooms, jacuzzi, sauna and massage as well. You even get your own bus to the aircraft, a normal size but seats 12 people comfortably!

Perhaps the tour is not going so well and they need some publicity to announce his arrival! Nice PR maybe! Great material for a new single release and talking point for promotion.

Totally Bizarre! The Nation does like to tell a good story!

I thought Cinema was doing very well and having a resurgence over the last few years - well everywhere else in the world. Nothing quite beats the big screen, just don't make a Thai soap movie.

I think the cinemas I have been to in Pattaya are some of the best in the world and certainly have the best seats, compared to my local cinema in England and those I have been to in the US which are often very dirty with uncomfortable seats.

Free horror movies in comfortable seats and air con in Phuket, I would have thought they would volunteer to be rounded up by the Thai Police!

What TG needs to upgrade is their management class and replace it with professional business personnel as opposed to a social club engaged in crony capitalism. But you have to give them credit on the advertising front as they somehow continue to convince people to fly the over-priced skies of Thai.

I worked 30 years as a management consultant.

My take on management is that in average there are more incompetent people in higher functions than in lower levels.

I will even dare to state that MOST of top management in ANY company is clueless.

I did meet a few brilliant top manager though, I take off my hat for them, not that this did consume much of my time though.

I do respect most of the workers in a company: they make it happen, not the selfish people higher-up.

The higher you go the worse you find

Is there not a saying that goes - you are promoted to your highest level of incompetency?

In all my travels I would rather fly with an Asian carrier than European or American any day. I come across more unpleasant crews and inflexability with these operators than Asian.

The times I have flown with Thai I have found them very courteous, good service, good legroom and clean aircraft although I do agree they are not the top of the Asian list and the In flight entertainment must be upgraded to compete. Unfortunately most of the National Carriers have stayed still. The EVA service from London is very good although my Company recently sent me to Los Angeles via EVA routing through Taiwan and I would certainly have preferred the direct flight with Thai - in fact the pricing was very competitive when I checked.

As for pricing I always find the National Carrier of the country you are in is always more expensive. EG On a trip to Jordan from the UK I flew out via Charles De Gaul with Air France due to cost. In Jordan I met an associate who lived near Paris and flew out via Heathrow on BA due to the cost being cheaper than Air France. Both fares were similar but both operators were offering lower fares to get the competitions business rather than focusing on building a loyal "local" client base.

For marriage you have to go through a lot of hurdles for visa - they are muslim states and Dubai has become less tolerant with foreigners. A friend of mine who managed the bar in a hotel and his fiancee (who worked for an airline) could not live together. They both had separate rooms. Another friend who was in a shared house with some Egyptians got in trouble with his company when they reported him for bringing a lady back to the house. They found a bra behind the sofa and assumed it was him - it was in fact his boss, a local! It caused a lot of trouble and fortunately they were removed. Last year they changed a lot of visa requirement although I think mainly for residency eg homeowners. It caused chaos, a lot of people that had lived there for years (having bought a house/flat and retired) suddenly had around a month to apply for the new 3 month visa or they would be considered illegal immigrants.

If she wants to visit for a couple of months at a time it should not be a problem. My Thai girlfriend joined me for a month in the UAE whilst working in Abu Dhabi. The way we did it was for Etihad to sponsor her. I think you will find Etihad or Emirates will sponsor a passenger if you book the ticket with them. I don't remember the cost but in the grand scheme of things it was minor. YOu can also extend it when there by visiting immigration - best to use a local from your company as they go straight to the front of any lines of foreigners there may be. When she leaves you have to send a copy of her leaving stamp from passport control and then you are supposed to get some money returned. I haven't had any money returned yet but you might need to be in the UAE to claim it. The Hotels can do it but the Sheraton we stayed at was a waste of time. Airlines were the best route for Tourism visas.

I travel regularly (UK Passport) and the worst airports I have encountered for wait times at immigration are London Heathrow, Madrid, Los Angeles and Charles De Gaul. Generally at Bangkok I too have never had to wait more than 20mins. I also note 9 time out of 10 the female officers tend to process quicker than their male counterparts!

If you really love her as said then it should not matter where you live so long as you are together and the two of you are true to each other. You will get on with your life, be it in England or Thailand or where ever and make the best of the situation and work as hard as you can to provide for her and to make the life better for both of you. Love knows no boundaries and as my Mum says - should you have to part - distance also make the heart grow fonder. Being honest and hardworking has it's rewards, it is only a blimp in the road - adapt to the situation.