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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 749929 times)

Offline jaywhy

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Re: Thailand Master Thread
« Reply #2220 on: March 01, 2015, 08:57:39 AM »
2k is definitely a lot.
Try emailing this guy taxibangkokservice@gmail.com

Offline Marco Polo

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Re: Thailand Master Thread
« Reply #2221 on: March 01, 2015, 09:09:02 AM »
Prearranged or flagged down?
Decent English?
It was the guy i got from the airport and just decided to use him the rest of my trip. Had decent English speaking ability.

You can just go to a cab at airport and find someone who speaks English well enough for you.
Quaerite et Invenietis.

Offline Emkay

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Re: Thailand Master Thread
« Reply #2222 on: March 01, 2015, 09:36:40 AM »
anyone ever use uber there?

Offline Moishebatchy

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Re: Thailand Master Thread
« Reply #2223 on: March 01, 2015, 12:13:33 PM »
specifically want to fly TG? they are likely double the other budget airlines that operate there

If you know where to look, you can find BKK-CNX, for example, for around $50 on Thai Airways.

Offline Emkay

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Re: Thailand Master Thread
« Reply #2224 on: March 01, 2015, 12:27:59 PM »
If you know where to look, you can find BKK-CNX, for example, for around $50 on Thai Airways.
And where would that be? I paid half that for lion air

Offline jaywhy

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Re: Thailand Master Thread
« Reply #2225 on: March 01, 2015, 12:49:43 PM »
anyone ever use uber there?
Yeah works fine. But cabs are cheaper.

Offline Moishebatchy

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Re: Thailand Master Thread
« Reply #2226 on: March 01, 2015, 06:04:08 PM »
And where would that be? I paid half that for lion air

Thai's website, for starters. :D

I would still pay $50 over $25 to fly Thai over Lion.

Offline Emkay

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Re: Thailand Master Thread
« Reply #2227 on: March 02, 2015, 01:21:05 AM »


Thai's website, for starters. :D

That's the first place I look

Offline Emkay

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Re: Thailand Master Thread
« Reply #2228 on: March 02, 2015, 01:22:00 AM »



I would still pay $50 over $25 to fly Thai over Lion.
Why?  It's such a short flight, is it that bad?

Offline Emkay

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Re: Thailand Master Thread
« Reply #2229 on: March 02, 2015, 02:15:10 AM »
do i have to reserve for shabbos meals in chiang mai by chabad?

Offline Moishebatchy

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Re: Thailand Master Thread
« Reply #2230 on: March 02, 2015, 03:55:58 AM »
Why?  It's such a short flight, is it that bad?

I prefer a well-known *A airline to some budget carrier, if the difference is only 25 bucks.

Offline Moishebatchy

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Re: Thailand Master Thread
« Reply #2231 on: March 02, 2015, 03:56:13 AM »
do i have to reserve for shabbos meals in chiang mai by chabad?

No.

Offline Emkay

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Re: Thailand Master Thread
« Reply #2232 on: March 02, 2015, 04:05:02 AM »
I prefer a well-known *A airline to some budget carrier, if the difference is only 25 bucks.
I look at it as 100% more.
The difference is more than 25 and it's x2.
I understand it is a well known carrier,  but that without another reason is simply a DDFB or a DDMS comment section svorah.

Offline Marco Polo

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Re: Thailand Master Thread
« Reply #2233 on: March 02, 2015, 08:52:00 AM »
I look at it as 100% more.
The difference is more than 25 and it's x2.
I understand it is a well known carrier,  but that without another reason is simply a DDFB or a DDMS comment section svorah.
And you would rather do Uber or reserve a taxi for 2000 BHT, than pay less than half when you show up?

The airline is probably fine, but you may get better service from Thai if something goes wrong.
Quaerite et Invenietis.

Offline Emkay

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Re: Thailand Master Thread
« Reply #2234 on: March 02, 2015, 09:07:43 AM »
And you would rather do Uber or reserve a taxi for 2000 BHT, than pay less than half when you show up?

The airline is probably fine, but you may get better service from Thai if something goes wrong.
The difference is that I have roughly 7 hours to play with and getting a driver who isn't familiar with certain areas or speaks English will make it flop. 
I pretty confident that the lion air pilots know the directions and in all likeness he will have the same experience.
I have one chance to make it work,  as you see, I'm all for spending less but sometimes skimping is counter productive

Offline Marco Polo

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Re: Thailand Master Thread
« Reply #2235 on: March 02, 2015, 09:13:45 AM »
The difference is that I have roughly 7 hours to play with and getting a driver who isn't familiar with certain areas or speaks English will make it flop. 
I pretty confident that the lion air pilots know the directions and in all likeness he will have the same experience.
I have one chance to make it work,  as you see, I'm all for spending less but sometimes skimping is counter productive
Makes sense to me.
Quaerite et Invenietis.

Offline rots5

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Re: Thailand Master Thread
« Reply #2236 on: March 02, 2015, 11:25:20 AM »
Are you not sure if you can hire when when you arrive?

2000 BHT also sounds like a lot of money. IIRC, in CNX, for a full day (~10 hours), i was generous and paid around 800 BHT.
+1 800 for the day might be more like it. I wrote hw much i spent in my TR i thnk
If you have any questions please search and then ask. PM me for detailed help.

Offline Emkay

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Re: Thailand Master Thread
« Reply #2237 on: March 08, 2015, 05:17:56 AM »

Offline Emkay

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Re: Thailand Master Thread
« Reply #2238 on: March 08, 2015, 04:45:27 PM »
Is there a way to contact the Israeli tour arrangers in Chiang mai prior to my trip other than a Thai phone number?

Offline Marco Polo

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Re: Thailand Master Thread
« Reply #2239 on: March 08, 2015, 07:52:38 PM »
Is there a way to contact the Israeli tour arrangers in Chiang mai prior to my trip other than a Thai phone number?
What are you looking to do that you want to set up something in advance?
Quaerite et Invenietis.