direct or indirect flight

[Guest]

which do you prefer ?

contemplating booking a flight and was wondering if i should fork out an extra 100 quid ,for the direct flight with thai air.

the indirect is with emirites which i find to be a great airline with good service and really cute hostesses .

i have never taken a direct flight to bangers from the uk
the last time i found the stop over a pain in the ass but a 100 quid is 5 long times.

is it worth it?

[Guest]

Depends if you are talking about a biz or economy ticket.

Presumably as you seem to have an issue with cost, then it's economy therefore, I would go for a stop over just to get my arse out of that cramped cabin for a couple of hours.

In business class non stop is essential so that one may enjoy seven hours uninterupted sleep following champagne, dinner and brandy

[daveduke007]

I dont have a choice as I fly from Manchester and there are "No" Direct flights to Bangkok at the moment (dunno know why)

I have flown to Bangkok via London, Amsterdam, Kuala Lumper, Dubai, Doha and Abu Dhabi

The KLM flight was the "quickest" but was an old Jumbo747, same as with Thai and BA/Qantas via London

The Malaysian flight is a bit long as it would be if I flew with Singapore Airlines

Unless the aircraft have changed from the 747's I wouldn't personally pay an extra £100 for a "direct flight" as the "comfort" and "entertainment" factor that the Airlines such as Etihad, Emirates and Qatar "cater" for with their 777 aircraft makes up for a 1-2 hour wait I have between changing flights "plus" the "Duty Free"  seems a lot cheaper in the U.A.E. and pays for my flight

[mardhi]

Personally I go non stop wherever possible - I know how unreliable transfers are and tend to stick with direct wherever possible. Infact cant remember ever changing an aircraft to go between BKK and LON (which is technically home for me). But as Pentire says, if I cant go business, I dont go. Also helps for me at least that "home" is always somewhere near to Heathrow - either staying in central London or the home counties 20 mins from Heathrow.

if I were visiting somewhere like Birmingham, Manchester, etc - I would avoid Heathrow like the plague - the airport is totally falling apart at the seams.

PS if you do fly thai and it does 'go tech' - they pick up the TOTAL hotel bill including any drinks you had in the bar - I wish I knew that BEFORE I checked out when they went tech once before. As it was I had 2 beers and went to sleep. had I known they were picking up my entire room account, I may have a few more drinks
Cheers
Mardhi

[Guest]

thanks lads, i'll be going emirates again i'd say,


so Dave what do ya get in the duty free? might not be a bad idea to pick up some wine

[69billy]

Give me non stop any time..I did it once with I think it was Qatar Air...Its pain in the arse..To me 5-6 Hrs. is 5-6 hrs. wasting shaging time...

[BAM]

The more flights you take the more landings and take-offs you€™re doing€¦ and the more your odds go up of being in a crash€¦. Think of it this way€¦.. Any Aviation expert will tell you this€¦ the safest way to fly is direct.

Take-off€™s are the most risky part of any flight€¦ this is because the aircraft is fully fueled and that not only makes it the most dangerous it€™s the heaviest too because of the fuel at that time. Take-off phase also puts the aircraft under the most dynamic stress.

[Guest]

This depends on many things such as:

1. What type of aircraft/configuration is it? Many airlines have different seat sizes and configurations and this may mean it is more difficult to spend large  amounts of time in the seat
2. Are you in economy or business or equivalent? Of course if you are in business class it is a lot easier to fly long haul flights
3. How long is the stop over? I find to short a stoppver is not worth it and too long is a waste of time, about 1-2 hours seems to be about right for me
4. Is the connection with the same airline? If it is not and your initial flight is delayed then they are not likely to wait for you. Then depending on the terms and conditions of your ticket you may even have to fork out for another one
5. How long is the flight? Of course the shorter the flight the easier it is to travel without a stopover
6. Cost? What is the difference in price between a direct flight and one with a stopover

So it is up to you to prioritise these and work out what is important to you.

[daveduke007]

(orgasmaddict @ Dec. 18 2007,19:58)
thanks lads, i'll be going emirates again i'd say,


so Dave what do ya get in the duty free? might not be a bad idea to pick up some wine

If you fly with Emirates I "doubt" very much you will be "disappointed" with the "Duty Free goods" on offer in Dubai Airport

[TiaoLang]

I also fly from Manchester so tend for the option with Emirates.

If the business class seat is too expensive then I have to opt for economy.

However, as I subscribed to there loyalty scheme along time ago - SkyWards - I have cashed in points on numerous occasions for a free upgrade to Business.

Also with Emirates, when booking directly on there site you have the choice of choosing your seat. Therefore in some economy seats you get extra leg and armroom. Try the seats at the back of the plane where the window aisles change from 3 seats to 2. This certainly makes an economy seat with a stopover more acceptable. Plus I get a cigarette break half way to my destination.

[daveduke007]

(TiaoLang @ Dec. 19 2007,01:31) I also fly from Manchester so tend for the option with Emirates.

If the business class seat is too expensive then I have to opt for economy.

However, as I subscribed to there loyalty scheme along time ago - SkyWards - I have cashed in points on numerous occasions for a free upgrade to Business.

Also with Emirates, when booking directly on there site you have the choice of choosing your seat. Therefore in some economy seats you get extra leg and armroom. Try the seats at the back of the plane where the window aisles change from 3 seats to 2. This certainly makes an economy seat with a stopover more acceptable. Plus I get a cigarette break half way to my destination.

"Same same" with Etihad and being now a Silver Member I get a 30kg baggage allowance too

[kevin4252]

I'm from the east coast of , first two times flew business class on EVA, 2-2/12 hour layover in Seattle, and then same same for Taipei, absolutely killed me, get to hotel and have tough time even pronouncing my own name, so have tried a few variations, I blame it all on age, last trip, my home to LA, motel for one night,and then a fantastic price from LAX to Bkk, but routed thru Taipei again, grr, best way for me so far has been my home airport to London, arrive in morning, get a room, sleep in, then fly out same night, direct flight, a few options too, EVA and Quantas, so, even though not a direct flight for me, this route certainly breaks it up , a few bucks more, but at my age, not a deal breaker, back in april