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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 732395 times)

Offline Mocha

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Re: Thailand Master Thread
« Reply #2160 on: January 15, 2015, 11:07:23 AM »
Le Meridian in Chiang Mia has maximum occupancy of 3 in executive suite. Should I be worried booking it and bringing 2 toddlers with me?

Offline moish

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Re: Thailand Master Thread
« Reply #2161 on: January 15, 2015, 05:08:02 PM »
Le Meridian in Chiang Mia has maximum occupancy of 3 in executive suite. Should I be worried booking it and bringing 2 toddlers with me?
no

Offline Emkay

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Re: Thailand Master Thread
« Reply #2162 on: January 21, 2015, 08:07:25 AM »
Where else other than Phuket or Koh Samui can I find a nice villa with a private pool?
Access to kosher food is a plus as well.
http://www.starwoodhotels.com/preferredguest/property/overview/index.html?propertyID=3989

Offline jaywhy

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Re: Thailand Master Thread
« Reply #2163 on: January 21, 2015, 08:48:09 AM »
http://www.starwoodhotels.com/preferredguest/property/overview/index.html?propertyID=3989
That's where I ended up staying.
I wouldn't recommend it though. The property is really dated and the beaches are mediocre.

Offline Emkay

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Re: Thailand Master Thread
« Reply #2164 on: January 21, 2015, 09:16:53 AM »
That's where I ended up staying.
I wouldn't recommend it though. The property is really dated and the beaches are mediocre.
Which room did you get? How much?

Offline jaywhy

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Re: Thailand Master Thread
« Reply #2165 on: January 21, 2015, 09:27:45 AM »
Which room did you get? How much?
Got upgraded to duplex villa. Paid about $150 a night and got a bunch of credits after SPG brg.

Offline Emkay

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Re: Thailand Master Thread
« Reply #2166 on: January 21, 2015, 09:44:22 AM »
Got upgraded to duplex villa. Paid about $150 a night and got a bunch of credits after SPG brg.
Platinum?

Offline jaywhy

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Re: Thailand Master Thread
« Reply #2167 on: January 21, 2015, 09:48:47 AM »

Offline Emkay

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Re: Thailand Master Thread
« Reply #2168 on: February 05, 2015, 07:27:58 AM »
for flights within Thailand should i go with
1) Thai Lion Air
2)Air Asia
is one better than the other?
« Last Edit: February 05, 2015, 08:01:40 AM by Emkay »

Offline Drago

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Re: Thailand Master Thread
« Reply #2169 on: February 05, 2015, 07:56:49 AM »
for flights within Thailand should i go with
1) Thai Lion Air
2)Air Asia
3)Nok Air
is one better than the other?
We flew Nok, was good, but leaves from the secondary BKK airport. So if you're connecting from/to an international flight, then make sure to chk which airport works for you.

Offline Emkay

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Re: Thailand Master Thread
« Reply #2170 on: February 05, 2015, 08:01:25 AM »
We flew Nok, was good, but leaves from the secondary BKK airport. So if you're connecting from/to an international flight, then make sure to chk which airport works for you.
i would anyways take an extended cab ride through bangkok as the flights are less than a quarter the price from there (i found a flight for under $10) and that way i get to actually check out the city a little. i just realized that Nok is out of the question anyway.

Offline @Yehuda

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Re: Thailand Master Thread
« Reply #2171 on: February 05, 2015, 08:02:26 AM »
What's secondary about BKK?

Offline Emkay

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Re: Thailand Master Thread
« Reply #2172 on: February 05, 2015, 08:04:05 AM »
What's secondary about BKK?
They leave from DMK which is the smaller airport there

Offline @Yehuda

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Re: Thailand Master Thread
« Reply #2173 on: February 05, 2015, 08:05:16 AM »
They leave from DMK which is the smaller airport there
I thought BKK is an airport?
And I just realized that by BKK you were referring to the country. Nok leaves from the secondary airport in the country.

Offline Emkay

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Re: Thailand Master Thread
« Reply #2174 on: February 05, 2015, 08:06:11 AM »
I though BKK is an airport?
It is. But it's easier to write BKK than Bangkok

Offline @Yehuda

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Re: Thailand Master Thread
« Reply #2175 on: February 05, 2015, 08:07:07 AM »
See my eta.

Offline Drago

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Re: Thailand Master Thread
« Reply #2176 on: February 05, 2015, 08:09:19 AM »
i would anyways take an extended cab ride through bangkok as the flights are less than a quarter the price from there (i found a flight for under $10) and that way i get to actually check out the city a little. i just realized that Nok is out of the question anyway.
Yea, but give yourself enought time. Traffic can be a pain.
Also, don't forget the sale to use JAL miles to fly Bangkok Airlines, which has a good rep.

Offline Emkay

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Re: Thailand Master Thread
« Reply #2177 on: February 05, 2015, 08:10:21 AM »
Yea, but give yourself enought time. Traffic can be a pain.
Also, don't forget the sale to use JAL miles to fly Bangkok Airlines, which has a good rep.
I plan on giving myself 6 hours.
What sale?

Offline Marco Polo

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Re: Thailand Master Thread
« Reply #2178 on: February 05, 2015, 09:12:01 AM »
for flights within Thailand should i go with
1) Thai Lion Air
2)Air Asia
is one better than the other?
I used PG for my flights. Was very happy with them.
Quaerite et Invenietis.

Offline Emkay

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Re: Thailand Master Thread
« Reply #2179 on: February 05, 2015, 09:14:16 AM »
I used PG for my flights. Was very happy with them.
What's PG?