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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 744027 times)

Offline Cbs

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Re: Thailand Master Thread
« Reply #580 on: January 21, 2013, 11:10:52 AM »
Tiger Kingdom - Kanchanaburi


Bamboo Rafting


Dont forget a good breakfast at Chabad BKK :)

Offline MAJ

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Re: Thailand Master Thread
« Reply #581 on: January 24, 2013, 01:04:23 PM »
Revenue is often cheap, where serviced by CX - BA miles, round trip aeroplan.
ac doesnt allow stopovers in the same :( didnt realize this. was hoping to do s/t like pek-sin-usm-hkg

Offline Drago

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Re: Thailand Master Thread
« Reply #582 on: January 25, 2013, 04:07:38 AM »
For a/o interested, I stumbled across Bangkok Airway's Discovery Airpass option.
In short, you pay a fixed price for various OW flights within Thailand, and a premium for flights out of Thailand. This includes flights on Lao.

http://goingawesomeplaces.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/DiscoveryAirpass.pdf
http://www.bangkokair.com/pages/discovery_airpass/fare-per-coupon
http://goingawesomeplaces.com/2012/11/27/bangkok-airways-discovery-airpass/

Some highlights are (OW cost):
BKK - MLE  $200
BKK - BOM $200
And others

But you would need to see how each price compares w/ other airlines, and this seems more challenging to book although the child discount is nice.

They're supposed to be a very nice airline, not just a budget one.

What do you think?


Offline Cbs

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Re: Thailand Master Thread
« Reply #583 on: January 25, 2013, 04:37:45 AM »
For a/o interested, I stumbled across Bangkok Airway's Discovery Airpass option.
In short, you pay a fixed price for various OW flights within Thailand, and a premium for flights out of Thailand. This includes flights on Lao.

http://goingawesomeplaces.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/DiscoveryAirpass.pdf
http://www.bangkokair.com/pages/discovery_airpass/fare-per-coupon
http://goingawesomeplaces.com/2012/11/27/bangkok-airways-discovery-airpass/

Some highlights are (OW cost):
BKK - MLE  $200
BKK - BOM $200
And others

But you would need to see how each price compares w/ other airlines, and this seems more challenging to book although the child discount is nice.

They're supposed to be a very nice airline, not just a budget one.

What do you think?
Cool!! $200 one way?
MLE for so cheap

Offline Drago

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Re: Thailand Master Thread
« Reply #584 on: January 25, 2013, 07:28:29 AM »
Cool!! $200 one way?
MLE for so cheap
I can't tell if you're being sarcastic, but when I did an ITA search, it was around 150 less than a comparable RT cost, which included stopovers.
Although once you're in Thailand already, then miles may be a good value for going there.
But the direct flight is the best part of it.

Offline Cbs

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Re: Thailand Master Thread
« Reply #585 on: January 25, 2013, 12:21:27 PM »
I can't tell if you're being sarcastic, but when I did an ITA search, it was around 150 less than a comparable RT cost, which included stopovers.
Although once you're in Thailand already, then miles may be a good value for going there.
But the direct flight is the best part of it.
I saw 22k baht =700 dollars as a round trip

Offline Drago

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Re: Thailand Master Thread
« Reply #586 on: January 26, 2013, 03:24:26 PM »
I saw 22k baht =700 dollars as a round trip
So 400 is great

Offline Drago

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Re: Thailand Master Thread
« Reply #587 on: January 28, 2013, 07:40:04 AM »
Another great option for traveling around the area is US Airway for 25/30/40 for the region, including MLE, DPS, India, and others.

South & Central Asia includes Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Brunei, Cambodia, Chagos, India, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Maldives, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Thailand, and Vietnam

Hopefully you can take advantage of their generous routing rules, along with a SO or OJ.

Offline zvmiester

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Re: Thailand Master Thread
« Reply #588 on: January 29, 2013, 12:50:19 PM »
i scrolled through the last 35 pages and didnt really find answers to my question so if somebody can be so kind and take time to help me out a bit i would be really great full.
My wife and i will be landing in bkk  on apr 5th friday early morning
and departing on  apr 16
should we stay in bkk for shabb or fly to phuket or one of the other places we plan to visit friday morning???

also what do guys suggest is the nicest or appropriate place/resort/island to stay for a couple of days since this trip is a honeymoon??
 

Offline AJK

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Re: Thailand Master Thread
« Reply #589 on: January 29, 2013, 01:30:24 PM »
i scrolled through the last 35 pages and didnt really find answers to my question so if somebody can be so kind and take time to help me out a bit i would be really great full.
My wife and i will be landing in bkk  on apr 5th friday early morning
and departing on  apr 16
should we stay in bkk for shabb or fly to phuket or one of the other places we plan to visit friday morning???
 

If I were you I'd want to be in a place where there is a nice shabbas with Chabad -- BKK and CNX (IIRC).
2015: 116K bkd | 1.6M brnd | F: OZ,NH,AA,EK | J: UA,CA,TK,DL,TN,AF,VA | LIH,NRT,ROR,PEK,CNS,BOB,MEL,TLV & Pacific Hopper

Offline mmermss

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Re: Thailand Master Thread
« Reply #590 on: January 29, 2013, 01:31:54 PM »
Any one wana wiki this thread?  :D
It's not about the quantity of your posts.  It's about the quality.

Offline Drago

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Re: Thailand Master Thread
« Reply #591 on: January 29, 2013, 03:30:25 PM »

Offline daganster

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Re: Thailand Master Thread
« Reply #592 on: January 30, 2013, 11:06:32 PM »
I'm planning a trip to Thailand this August and after reading through 40 page it seems that CNX is a must, so as of now this is my itinerary looks like:
Stay in CNX for 4 days from Aug 1st - Augst 5th at LM.
I'm planning on returning home approximately 08/11 - 08/13 which means that I have an entire week to spend somewhere, so should I head down to USM? Or should I visit some other Asian country e.g. Vietnam, Laos etc?
Do I need to apply for a visa before traveling to Thailand? Does anyone know if The Conrad in Koh Samui is near the Chabad house? All/any info is appreciated.
I'm quite flexible so anything that may sense is an option.

Offline Drago

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Re: Thailand Master Thread
« Reply #593 on: January 30, 2013, 11:26:53 PM »
I'm planning a trip to Thailand this August and after reading through 40 page it seems that CNX is a must, so as of now this is my itinerary looks like:
Stay in CNX for 4 days from Aug 1st - Augst 5th at LM.
I'm planning on returning home approximately 08/11 - 08/13 which means that I have an entire week to spend somewhere, so should I head down to USM? Or should I visit some other Asian country e.g. Vietnam, Laos etc?
Do I need to apply for a visa before traveling to Thailand? Does anyone know if The Conrad in Koh Samui is near the Chabad house? All/any info is appreciated.
I'm quite flexible so anything that may sense is an option.
If you add in Chiang Rai, you can have a driver take you on day trips to Laos and Burma, and you can tour the Golden Triangle.
And they have a nice LM property.
And I have been told to skip the Conrad if you're going w/ kids.

Offline daganster

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Re: Thailand Master Thread
« Reply #594 on: January 30, 2013, 11:28:00 PM »
If you add in Chiang Rai, you can have a driver take you on day trips to Laos and Burma, and you can tour the Golden Triangle.
And they have a nice LM property.
And I have been told to skip the Conrad if you're going w/ kids.
How many days do I need for Laos and Burma? Whats the Golden Triangle? I won't be traveling with kids.I'll take them when they grow up  :)

Offline daganster

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Re: Thailand Master Thread
« Reply #595 on: January 31, 2013, 12:26:12 AM »
Where do I search for cheap intra-Thailand tickets.

Offline Dan

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Re: Thailand Master Thread
« Reply #596 on: January 31, 2013, 12:30:29 AM »
AirAsia.com
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.

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Re: Thailand Master Thread
« Reply #597 on: January 31, 2013, 12:52:46 AM »
AirAsia.com
They don't have any flight to USM? Is there another airport in the area that I'm missing?

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Re: Thailand Master Thread
« Reply #598 on: January 31, 2013, 12:56:25 AM »
They're pretty cheap they have tickets from CEI/CNX - BKK for $36!

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Re: Thailand Master Thread
« Reply #599 on: January 31, 2013, 12:58:22 AM »
They don't have any flight to USM? Is there another airport in the area that I'm missing?
Nope, but good for CEI/CNX/HKT
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.