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Inter-Thailand Flights   Bangkok Airways (PG)

PG flights are bookable on points through JAL, CX, EY and AB.

JAL
Required Mileage: Transferable from SPG. JAL uses a distance based award chart and allows up to a maximum of 7 stopovers (8 segments). To figure out how many points you will need, add up the total amount of miles that will be flown (can do this on GCMap.com) and then find the appropriate row in the award chart (http://www.ar.jal.com/ar/en/jalmile/use/partner_air/p_jmb/jmb_mile_ar.html). If you are traveling before 3/31/2017 there is a promotion for trips up to 4,000 miles (see http://www.jal.co.jp/121campaign/pg_discount/index_en.html for reduced mileage rates). The promotion makes JAL the best award redemption option for PG flights. 

Booking the Flight: The only way to find out if there is availability on the flight that you want is to call JAL. Recommended that you do so before transferring points. JAL doesn't allow you to hold a reservation so you have to hope that the flight doesn't get booked up while you're waiting for the point transfer to go through. Once the points post to your JAL account, call JAL back to book.
+1 800-525-3663 (5:00 - 18:00 PT) press 1 - 4 - JAL membership number - # - pin - # - 0 (for human or 1 for computer search)

Traveling with Infant: Tell JAL that you are flying with a lap child. They will put the infant on the reservation, but they will also tell you that you need to call PG directly to get the infant's ticket issued and pay for any taxes etc. JAL will only charge you for the adults on the reservation. Unless you speak Thai, calling PG won't work (when you press 9 for English when calling any of the Asian offices, the message will tell you to go to their website, and the office in Germany can't issue tickets). To add the infant, send an email to reservation@bangkokair.com with your confirmation number and tell them you want to have the lap infant's ticket issued. They will email you back with the price (data point: it was ~$96USD for CNX-USM-HKG for me) and ask you to reply with your cc info split into two separate emails for security (one email with first 8 digits, exp. and name on card, second email with last 8 digits, cvv, and billing address). I believe they only take Visa or MC. You'll then get an email back with confirmation.

Baggage Allowance: Economy passengers are allowed 20kg, infants (and dolls) are allowed 10kg. Excess weight on domestic flights will incur a charge of 80thb ($2.25ish) per kilo. International overage fee chart can be found here. Join the PG FlyingBonus program to receive an additional 10kg.

Contacting PG: In general, if you have any questions, the only way to speak with them in English besides email is PG Live Chat. You can find the link if you log in to your Flyer Bonus account. Chat reps are very helpful.

IMPORTANT: MAKE SURE TO PAY (JAL AND PG) WITH A CC BELONGING TO SOMEONE THAT IS TRAVELING ON THE ITINERARY. PG WILL SOMETIMES ASK YOU TO SHOW THE CC USED TO PAY FOR THE TRIP WHEN YOU CHECK IN, AND RESERVE THE RIGHT TO DENY BOARDING IF YOU DON'T HAVE IT.

CX
Required Mileage:

EY
Required Mileage:

AB
Required Mileage:



Bangkok   BKK/DMK

Hotels                                              Activities                                          Chabad                                                                Additional Info
Viengtai Hotel (Ohr Menachem)
Davis Hotel (Beth Elisheva)
Shangr-La (Even Chen)
Sheraton Resort (Hua Hin)
Riva Surya
Kao Sahn Rd
Night Markets (near stadium)
Shopping Malls
Grand Palace
Kanchanaburi (2 hrs away)
Floating Markets
Beth Elisheva (Financial & Shopping district)
Even Chen
Ohr Menachem (Kao Sahn Rd)
ALWAYS use meter in taxis and
   try to say destination in Thai - if you
   need help with numbers as Cbs ;)
(Free) sim in airport at kiosks -(true move(h- sim), dtac
   (happy(micro) sim for iPhone)
Songkran (water fight week)- April 13th!
Kosherthailand.com
BKK Luggage Lockers - 100 baht/day/bag (~$3)
Public Transport
Domestic flights:
   Air Asia, Tiger Air, Thai, Bangkok Air
Tailor:
   Rajawongse




Phuket/Patong/Koh Phi Phi/Krabi   HKT/KBV

Hotels                                                            Activities                                                                            Additional Info
Westin
JW Marriott
Sala Resort
Sheraton Krabi
The Pavilions
Holiday Inn Koh Phi Phi
Ritz Carlton Reserve
places w/ private pools
Beaches
Monkey Show
Cable Skiing
Longtail Boats
Island Tour
Koh Phi Phi:
Diving
Fire Show (wed is biggest)
Maya Bay (full day trip)
Nice Lookouts
Kayaking (to Monkey Beach)
Thai Boxing
Beware of summer weather; monsoon season
Best weather: Jan - May
Island Tour (can be done as a day trip or overnight):
   Andaman River, Maya Bay, Similian Islands, Krabi Islands,
   Koh Lanta (Emerald Cave)




Koh Samui   USM

Hotels                                                            Activities                                                                          Additional Info
The Conrad
Sunday Resort
Sheraton
Le Meridian
The W
Le Murrya (Near Chabad)
Fx Hotel (Near Chabad)
Beaches
Diving (Koa Phangan, Koh Tao)
Ang Thong Marine Park Islands
Water Sports (at chaweng and boh phut),
Safari Island (elephants, tigers, zip line)
Scooter (around island)
Kayaking $30
Koh Tao and Koh Nangyuan Island trip w/ snorkeling
The Conrad will gladly make arrangements with
   the Chabad restaurant for Kosher food. Email them at usmks.fb@conradhotels.com




Chiang Mai   CNX

Hotels                                                            Activities                                                                            Additional Info
Le Meridien (10 min. Walk to Chabad)
Shangri La (2 min. Walk to Chabad)
Mandarin Oriental Dhara Dhevi
Sukantara Cascade Resort
Maese Elephant Show
Maetaeng Elephant Park
Patara Elephant Farm
Thai Elephant Home
Thoms Pai Elephant Camp
Bamboo Rafting
Tiger Kingdom
Monkey Shows
Snake Shows
Crocodile Shows
Zip Lining
Trekking
White Water Rafting
Longneck Tribe
Gun Shooting
Night Safari
Temples/Palaces
Chiang Mai River Boat (To Cooking School)
Extreme Sports!
Repelling
Caving,
ATVing
Bungee
Segways
Rent motorbikes (5$ day)
3D museum right down the road from Chabad
   (if you have an hour or two to kill)
Sunday Market (ratchadamonoen  Rd, old city)
Night Market (Changklan Rd, near Chabad & Le Meridien)
Sat Night Market (Wua Lai)
Tiger Kingdom is best in morning
Use ישראל 669  as travel agent for trips
   (next door to Chabad)
Recommended Zip Line: Flight of Gibbon or Flying Squirrel,
   can be reserved through Yackov (המרכז המטייל)
   for best price.
When reserving tours, ask for a discount due to
   using your own transportation
Tailors:
   CM Tailors
His and Hers- 3 minute walk from LM on the way to chabbad.




Chiang Rai   CEI/4hr drive from CNX

Hotels                                                            Activities                                                                            Additional Info
Le Meridien
Four Seasons Tent Camp Golden Triangle
Black House
Queens Residence
Night market
Day trip to Burma/Myanmar
Waterfalls
White Temple
Ruaamit elephant camp
Pai village (3 hr drive)
Hot Springs
Scooters
Golden Triangle

« Last edited by CR on July 26, 2020, 11:38:14 AM »

Author Topic: Thailand Master Thread  (Read 732562 times)

Offline aussiebochur

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Re: Thailand Master Thread
« Reply #120 on: June 16, 2011, 03:23:07 PM »
Anyone interested in a trip report?

Offline Dan

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Re: Thailand Master Thread
« Reply #121 on: June 16, 2011, 03:33:43 PM »
Anyone interested in a trip report?
Of course :D
Save your time, I don't answer PM. Post it in the forum and a dedicated DDF'er will get back to you as soon as possible.

Offline Bp

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Re: Thailand Master Thread
« Reply #122 on: June 16, 2011, 03:44:57 PM »

Offline Dovy365

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Offline AsherO

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100% of Likes will be donated to support our brothers and sisters in Eretz Yisrael

Offline aussiebochur

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Re: Thailand Master Thread
« Reply #125 on: June 17, 2011, 06:05:03 PM »
Ok. IYH coming soon, "The Rose of the North, Chiang Mia. A Trip Report".

Offline moish

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Re: Thailand Master Thread
« Reply #126 on: June 27, 2011, 05:41:04 PM »
im thinking about visiting thailand in august. anybody have experience during the rainy season? should i skip phuket and instead go to Koh Samui?

Offline ChikkyMonkey

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Re: Thailand Master Thread
« Reply #127 on: June 27, 2011, 09:27:53 PM »
im thinking about visiting thailand in august. anybody have experience during the rainy season? should i skip phuket and instead go to Koh Samui?

Yup, if you want better weather, and an ocean you can swim in definitely try samui...  there's a chabad restaurant there...

Offline world2see

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Re: Thailand Master Thread
« Reply #128 on: June 28, 2011, 12:34:31 AM »
was in phuket last summer,lucked out with the weather,although all the locals were surprised that it didn't rain! sounds like your best bet is koh samuai although everything cheaper in phuket,although its a risk!

Offline damaxer91

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Re: Thailand Master Thread
« Reply #129 on: June 28, 2011, 03:35:01 AM »
im thinking about visiting thailand in august. anybody have experience during the rainy season? should i skip phuket and instead go to Koh Samui?

I found Koh Samui rather dirty and unattractive

Offline aussiebochur

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Re: Thailand Master Thread
« Reply #130 on: June 28, 2011, 06:56:20 AM »
Part 1
Started writing and got a little carried away so ill post the first part.
Dan wrote extensively about his trip and the ins and outs of what to do etc. Here is my experience:

Planning:

From when I was young, I was always amazed at the pictures people came back with after visiting Thailand. It was a place that I would just have to get to!
My time had come. Until just a few days ago, Aeroplan's North America-South Pacific Business award for 100k miles was one of the best award redemption available.
What makes it even more lucrative, is the ability to route via Asia and since a stopover is permitted, to stop there too.

So came about my trip to Thailand. I would fly from Australia to Thailand and then onto the US.
Originally, it was only going to be visiting Bangkok. But after reading here from Chikky and Dan about Chiang Mai, that was going to be the place.
Now, although Aeroplan is gracious enough to allow a stopover on an award, officially it has to be in the same direction of travel, no backtracking. This would be an issue with CNX (Chiang Mai), being that I'd have to transit BKK to get there and then again to continue on to the US.

There are a number of Asian low cost airlines that fly the BKK-CNX route which are great for those needing short flights. But that would mean paying for the tickets, no interlining bags, lower service, basically getting what you pay for (who does that ;) ) So figured (with Damaxer’s encoragement), its worth a shot at trying to get Aeroplan to add the segments on Thai, the airline I was flying from Australia. If it would work, I would get the seats in business class, as well. A no brainer!
Called Aeroplan and was told that its not allowed. Following the famous rule of "hang up and call back" after 4 times, I got a lovely gentleman to ticket it for me.
I was all set!

The Trip:

Arriving at the airport 1 and a half hours before the flight the lines were longish. But with the dedicated business class line I was second on line.
With my bags checked all the way to CNX and both my boarding passes, I was on my way.
Airport lounges are the best way (and if you're reading this, hopefully the only way) to kill the extra time in the airport.
Thai Business passengers are given access to the Air New Zealand lounge.
It is quite large and very well appointed. There is a big buffet of food (skipped that) and tons of self serve drinks. Water, soda taps, beer, wine, spirits, cocktail mixes, they've got plenty for all ages.
There are work stations with PC's and internet, even connected to a color printer. Only realized that after I printed some reading material from the net for the plane and everything was in full color, Oops...
Then there are various sitting areas with couches and TV's.
Even when its fairly full, it doesn't feel cramped. A relaxing way to begin a trip.

Boarding was announced and most of the people began to pack up and leave.
Using the designated business class lane to board, it wasn't a few minutes until I was aboard.
We were flying on a 777 with only two classes of service. Business class seats are in a 2-3-2 format with 5 rows in the forward section. My seat was on the aisle of the 3 seats. But being that it was a pretty empty flight nobody was sitting in my row so I moved over to the middle, now having a seat on either side to dump all my "stuff" on.

From the moment you get on the plane, the flight attendants are offering their help with everything. Water, Orange Juice and Champagne are offered and hot towels are given out.
The amenity kit together with the noise cancelling headphones are already on the seat.
Having power outlets onboard is a major plus, especially on long flights, allowing your electronics to be fully powered when you arrive. I had three seats so could charge everything at the same time. Just dont leave your charger on the plane...
Soon enough we were up and away on our 9 hour flight to Thailand.

The purser came over to me and let me know that my kosher meal had not been loaded, the whole while apologizing profusely, offering whatever she could.
It was a late night flight and I had some of my own food so really wasn't a big deal. Besides, not such a fan of airplane food...

The entertainment system selections are extensive but I opted to get as much sleep as possible before the big day ahead.
The seats aren't quite lie-flat but plenty  comfortable enough to sleep.
I awoke nicely rested with a couple of hours to BKK.

Immigration forms were given out shortly followed with hot towels. Seems they give hot towels with everything...
As they were serving breakfast, they kept coming over apologizing and again offering if they could get me anything.
As the sun was rising we gently landed in BKK. I had a couple hours until my connecting flight but with bags checked through and boarding passes in had, there was plenty of time.

Being that BKK-CNX was departing from the domestic side of the terminal, I had to work across the airport. Probably just over a km (.6 of a mile), it was about a 15 min walk at a leisurely pace.
After sitting for so long, its nice to get the blood moving again.

Passport control was totally deserted except the 4 guys behind the counters. After a quick security check, it was on to the lounge.
Royal Silk domestic lounge is nice but nothing special. There is WiFi and computers with internet for those that don't have their own devices...
And the printer is color as well.

One nice thing is the "garden area". It's not actually outdoors. You walk through the lounge and there is a large area of the terminal partitioned off with trees and outdoor furniture. It does look out over a nice garden.
It was totally empty and I was thinking perhaps people didn't know about it, being that the lounge was quite full.
Just the right place to hang out before my continuing flight.
As marked with signs everywhere, they don't announce flights. I'm not sure which domestic lounges do that there would be a requirement for so many signs.

With 30 min to the flight I headed to the gate lounge. There are no jet bridges, all passengers take the bus to the plane.
As I got my boarding pass scanned the agent kindly informed me that we would be flying a 747 and that I had been upgraded to first class, seat 1A.
I found it ironic that my 9 hour flight from Australia and the 16 hour flight to the US were both on a two class plane, while the 55 min. flight to CNX was on a 3 class 747.
It's pretty cool driving in the bus between all the massive planes. When youre right next to them you get a feeling of their sheer size.

After a 5 min drive we pulled up next to our plane. Instead of the usual stairs, there is a stairwell up to a jet bridge.
It wasn't the new TG first class but it was very nice, big and comfy. It's kind of cool setting in the nose of the plane, great view!
The flight ended as quickly as it had begun and we touched down in CNX.

To be continued...

Offline andrew

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Re: Thailand Master Thread
« Reply #131 on: June 28, 2011, 07:35:19 AM »
so your going australia - bkk- chiang mai - bkk - usa?

Offline aussiebochur

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Re: Thailand Master Thread
« Reply #132 on: June 28, 2011, 07:35:52 AM »
so your going australia - bkk- chiang mai - bkk - usa?
Yep.

Offline andrew

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Re: Thailand Master Thread
« Reply #133 on: June 28, 2011, 07:45:11 AM »
when you tried to call up 4 times was this after you already booked your ticket and wanted to add on those legs or before you booked, if it was before you booked did you have to go thru your itinarary from the start each time or was the main parts somehow on hold.

Offline aussiebochur

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Re: Thailand Master Thread
« Reply #134 on: June 28, 2011, 07:49:17 AM »
when you tried to call up 4 times was this after you already booked your ticket and wanted to add on those legs or before you booked, if it was before you booked did you have to go thru your itinarary from the start each time or was the main parts somehow on hold.
It was after.
Aeroplan doesnt hold reservations so if you need to hang up and retry youll have to redo the entire itinerary.
But feed the flights and it really doesnt take too long.

Offline moish

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Re: Thailand Master Thread
« Reply #135 on: June 28, 2011, 08:28:51 AM »
aussie, was this your first time in business?

Offline aussiebochur

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Re: Thailand Master Thread
« Reply #136 on: June 28, 2011, 08:33:04 AM »
aussie, was this your first time in business?
No.

Offline andrew

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Re: Thailand Master Thread
« Reply #137 on: June 28, 2011, 09:21:17 AM »
It was after.
Aeroplan doesnt hold reservations so if you need to hang up and retry youll have to redo the entire itinerary.
But feed the flights and it really doesnt take too long.
were you able to avoid the 90 dollar change fee or did u have to pay it

Offline aussiebochur

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Re: Thailand Master Thread
« Reply #138 on: June 28, 2011, 09:25:24 AM »
were you able to avoid the 90 dollar change fee or did u have to pay it
Paid it.
Turned out cheaper then Air Asia, better times and business class (which then became first) so well worth it IMHO.

Offline ChikkyMonkey

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Re: Thailand Master Thread
« Reply #139 on: June 28, 2011, 09:47:35 AM »
I found Koh Samui rather dirty and unattractive

Depending on how long you have and how flexible you are, I would recommend staying on Ko Tao.. a very small island 2 hours away from Ko Samui (Lompraya operates two trips daily..) great clear water, really relaxed island, depends what you are looking for.

Another great choice is taking a day trip from Ko Samui to the Ang Thong Marine National Park.. this time of year you can't find such beautiful islands and clear water as you will there.. (just google pics for both these places, you'll see what I'm talking about.)  Ko Samui itself has many different beaches with various options, I would recommend doing lots of research before booking..