Well, here's what you've all been waiting for.

[WinnieTheKhwai]

(Other than another entry in this forum's perennial favorite of the non-descriptive topic title, of course. )

(And how many of yous thought it would finally be the long awaited Chiang Mai Hooters branch? )

But no: Direct flights from Chiang Mai to the Middle East!!

Which means connections to Europe (and Africa) direct from Chiang Mai, without the need for a hop to Bangkok first.

And it may mean more Middle Easterners visiting Chiang Mai. Yay.

Qatar Airways adds Krabi and Chiang Mai in major expansion
New Thai services form part of major network expansion announced at ITB Berlin

http://www.traveldailymedia.com/233715/qatar-airways-adds-krabi-and-chiang-mai-in-major-expansion/

Edited March 10, 2016 by WinnieTheKhwai

[JaseTheBass]

Let's hope the Qatar connections from CM are better to the UK (Brummie) than they are from Bangkok.

[MESmith]

Etihad please

[roo860]

Prepare the hookahs!

[StevieH]

good news. and good of qatar to announce it on their website with a photo of a well known chiang mai tourist landmark.

http://www.qatarairways.com/za/en/destinations/flights-to-chiang-mai.page

[MESmith]

good news. and good of qatar to announce it on their website with a photo of a well known chiang mai tourist landmark.

http://www.qatarairways.com/za/en/destinations/flights-to-chiang-mai.page

Hope the pilots are better informed!

[uptheos]

Let's hope the Qatar connections from CM are better to the UK (Brummie) than they are from Bangkok.

Never had a problem with them to LHR, can't imagine why dear old Brum would have a problem.

[invex]

Pls read the text, it says;

"Flights to Chiang Mai with Qatar Airways

When you book a flight to Chiang Mai with Qatar Airways you will travel on a Qatar Airways operated flight to Bangkok or Phuket and connect to Chiang Mai with our partner airlines."

[Trujillo]

So basically this thread is in error.

[uptheos]

Qatar Airways will start flying to the Thai tourist hubs of Krabi and Chiang Mai this year, as part of a major network expansion that will see it launch 14 new global destinations.

The Doha-based airline will commence four weekly flights to the resort province of Krabi and three weekly flights to the northern Thai city of Chiang Mai in December 2016. This will double the number of Thai gateways Qatar Airways serves, following its existing flights to Bangkok and Phuket.

http://www.traveldailymedia.com/233715/qatar-airways-adds-krabi-and-chiang-mai-in-major-expansion/

[stoneyboy]

If they can get through the smog and smoke to land that is.

Quoted a Qatar airlines spokesperson.

Edited March 10, 2016 by stoneyboy

[MrTee]

Prepare the hookahs!

Some where in the Middle East on a web forum in Arabic, some one just said "Prepare the hookers" ...

[JaseTheBass]

Let's hope the Qatar connections from CM are better to the UK (Brummie) than they are from Bangkok.

Never had a problem with them to LHR, can't imagine why dear old Brum would have a problem.

Because of the 8+ hour wait in the ME when connecting to BHX

[MESmith]

Pls read the text, it says;

"Flights to Chiang Mai with Qatar Airways

When you book a flight to Chiang Mai with Qatar Airways you will travel on a Qatar Airways operated flight to Bangkok or Phuket and connect to Chiang Mai with our partner airlines."

Where did you read that? The link WTK posted says 3 weekly flights to CNX. If it was with their partners, it would be daily. Qatar have 4 flights a day to BKK according to google....

Edited March 10, 2016 by MESmith

[trainman34014]

Sadly not what we are waiting for......direct flights !

[uptheos]

Let's hope the Qatar connections from CM are better to the UK (Brummie) than they are from Bangkok.

Never had a problem with them to LHR, can't imagine why dear old Brum would have a problem.

Because of the 8+ hour wait in the ME when connecting to BHX

8+ hour wait!!!!

I'd never book a flight with that length of wait over unless really desperate, I guess Brum's just not popular.

No other airlines go from Brum to Swampy, must be.......bit more expensive perhaps?

[CNXBKKMAN]

I always thought Qatar Airways would be the first middle eastern airline to Chiang Mai. They were the first into Phuket also. A good way to serve Chiang Mai would have been extending the Yangon flight onwards to CM. A bit like they do with Bangkok onto Hanoi. This would have provided a wide body flight CM Yangon. I am guessing they don't have permission to sell tickets between Burma and Thailand though.

[uptheos]

Here you go, not so bad 1 hour and 2 hour lay over. Sorry about the formatting, but you see the total times from Brum.

Price isn't bad either, well under 20,000 baht

16:20BHX

14h 20

1 stop DOH

12:40 (+1)BKK

02:05BKK

16h 15

1 stop DOH

12:20BHX

£373

Select

Details

via Skyscanner:

• 
  

live

Edited March 10, 2016 by uptheos

[JaseTheBass]

Let's hope the Qatar connections from CM are better to the UK (Brummie) than they are from Bangkok.

Never had a problem with them to LHR, can't imagine why dear old Brum would have a problem.

Because of the 8+ hour wait in the ME when connecting to BHX

8+ hour wait!!!!

I'd never book a flight with that length of wait over unless really desperate, I guess Brum's just not popular.

No other airlines go from Brum to Swampy, must be.......bit more expensive perhaps?

I booked with Emirates. The 3hr stop is perfect for me to stretch my legs and leer at the bin sacks.

[MESmith]

Here you go, not so bad 1 hour and 2 hour lay over. Sorry about the formatting, but you see the total times from Brum.

16:20BHX

14h 20

1 stop DOH

12:40 (+1)BKK

02:05BKK

16h 15

1 stop DOH

12:20BHX

£373

Select

Details

via Skyscanner:

live

Maybe improved since he last checked? 373 quid? One way, surely!

Edited March 10, 2016 by MESmith

[JaseTheBass]

Here you go, not so bad 1 hour and 2 hour lay over. Sorry about the formatting, but you see the total times from Brum.

16:20BHX

14h 20

1 stop DOH

12:40 (+1)BKK

02:05BKK

16h 15

1 stop DOH

12:20BHX

£373

Select

Details

via Skyscanner:

live

Much better than I got from their own website. Anyway, I'm booked now but will try them next time.

[uptheos]

Here you go, not so bad 1 hour and 2 hour lay over. Sorry about the formatting, but you see the total times from Brum.

16:20BHX

14h 20

1 stop DOH

12:40 (+1)BKK

02:05BKK

16h 15

1 stop DOH

12:20BHX

£373

Select

Details

via Skyscanner:

live

Much better than I got from their own website. Anyway, I'm booked now but will try them next time.

That IS linked to their own website via skyscanner, you need to search and search for the deals.

Edited March 10, 2016 by uptheos

[WinnieTheKhwai]

Pls read the text, it says;

"Flights to Chiang Mai with Qatar Airways

When you book a flight to Chiang Mai with Qatar Airways you will travel on a Qatar Airways operated flight to Bangkok or Phuket and connect to Chiang Mai with our partner airlines."

So basically this thread is in error.

Both of you get one more try.

(Hint: it has to do with the difference between an announcement and current services. )

Edited March 10, 2016 by WinnieTheKhwai

[uptheos]

Here you go, not so bad 1 hour and 2 hour lay over. Sorry about the formatting, but you see the total times from Brum.

16:20BHX

14h 20

1 stop DOH

12:40 (+1)BKK

02:05BKK

16h 15

1 stop DOH

12:20BHX

£373

Select

Details

via Skyscanner:

live

Much better than I got from their own website. Anyway, I'm booked now but will try them next time.

That IS linked to their own website via skyscanner, you need to search and search for the deals.

8 hours at Hamad in the night/morning would be like 8 hours in hell.

[JaseTheBass]

Here you go, not so bad 1 hour and 2 hour lay over. Sorry about the formatting, but you see the total times from Brum.

16:20BHX

14h 20

1 stop DOH

12:40 (+1)BKK

02:05BKK

16h 15

1 stop DOH

12:20BHX

£373

Select

Details

via Skyscanner:

live

Much better than I got from their own website. Anyway, I'm booked now but will try them next time.

That IS linked to their own website via skyscanner, you need to search and search for the deals.

I used their app. No worries as I like Emirates anyway.

[laolover88]

Off Topic However it makes no sense to go to CNX via HKT. I suspect the surcharges for the cross border Yangon -CNX leg are prohibitive. And is that somewhere you would really want to refuel or stop-over if your destination was CM? Well Phuket, neither, of course. I once had the pleasure of travelling LHR-BKK via Bucharest--very cheap. Passengers locked for 2 hours in an iron cage during transit.

And to think there used to be flights from CM to Dublin with a nice 1 hour leg stretch for a beer in Amsterdam. How much was it? About 275 quid as I recall and you could lie down in D to G.

[CNXBKKMAN]

I would disagree. With many flights to Phuket with Qatar, Emirates and Etihad it is sometimes cheaper to fly to Phuket than Bangkok. It was for me so I flew into Phuket and there was an Air Asia flight to CNX a few hours later. It's the same as you would do if you flew to Bangkok, wait around and take a connecting flight. Phuket airport is rubbish though.

If you want to fly to CNX right now with Qatar you fly to Phuket or Bangkok and then get on the QR codeshare flight which is with Bangkok Airways. Don't dismiss Phuket if it works and it's cheaper.

[steve187]

Let's hope the Qatar connections from CM are better to the UK (Brummie) than they are from Bangkok.

Never had a problem with them to LHR, can't imagine why dear old Brum would have a problem.

Because of the 8+ hour wait in the ME when connecting to BHX

a friend is travelling bhx/bkk/bhx in september with short stop overs, for low £400 ish, i just did a quick search on skyscanners with random dates and its 45minutes stop on way out and 2.25 on the way back.

[steve187]

Let's hope the Qatar connections from CM are better to the UK (Brummie) than they are from Bangkok.

Never had a problem with them to LHR, can't imagine why dear old Brum would have a problem.

Because of the 8+ hour wait in the ME when connecting to BHX

8+ hour wait!!!!

I'd never book a flight with that length of wait over unless really desperate, I guess Brum's just not popular.

No other airlines go from Brum to Swampy, must be.......bit more expensive perhaps?

emirates do bhx/bkk

[eyecatcher]

Positively hate Doha airport.

I have always been a Ehihad/Emirates/Qatar flyer.....each time it seemed to alternate as I think they had a deal between themselves as to who who be the cheapest this year or last year.

my last and definately my final trip with Qatar was last year. if you want a connecting flight God help you.

A brand new airport thats been a mess for 3 years and yet they still park the planes about 6km from the terminal building....whats all that about ?

You get off the plane and literally take a tour of Qatar in their bendibus around the perimeter fence of the airport. it takes at least 25 minutes. by the time you are herded through the rest of the security and find where you are going its an hour and there are many connecting flights of an hour or even less.

I have seen families panicking, stressing, crying on that bendibus becasue they inevitably miss a flight.

I personally didnt miss a flight but I do remember pleading with a desk to let me thorough after they closed.

Even poxy CM aiport brings the pedestrian bridge to the plane doors.

It would be nice if Emirates or Ethihad came through here though