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Old Apr 26, 2016, 3:27 am
  #241  
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Originally Posted by mre5765
I emailed the ticket office in BBB, and this was the supervisor's response:
Credit card verification is not required as already verified by system using master card secured code.
Passenger can travel without showing the card.
There was no problem checking in at AAA and boarding. However, the BPs for BKK-BBB were not issued and the check in agents at AAA hinted there might be a problem at the BKK transfer desk. She suggested the pax have a copy of the credit card and ID of the card holder. So I sent the pax those, with selfies of me holding both.

There was no problem in BKK; no request for the credit card or ID.

On a different note, the pax is a *G on United, and BBB-BKK and BKK-BBB were on Thai Smile. I'd read that non-Thai Air *G don't get lounge access, but this too turned out to be a myth on the outbound from AAA, and on the return from BKK.
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Old Apr 30, 2016, 6:38 pm
  #242  
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Originally Posted by mre5765

On a different note, the pax is a *G on United, and BBB-BKK and BKK-BBB were on Thai Smile. I'd read that non-Thai Air *G don't get lounge access, but this too turned out to be a myth on the outbound from AAA, and on the return from BKK.
Believe what you want but it's surely not a myth. Why take a potential one-off and negate all info to date?
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Old May 4, 2016, 11:00 am
  #243  
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BKK Fast Track immigration clearance time

Hi,

We are booked SYD-BKK-HKG on TG F/J. But we have to change our arrival date to HKG so we decide to just ditch the last leg BKK-HKG instead of rebooking (which would 1) incurs a few hundreds fee, 2) no more Fs available.) So now we would go to Pattaya directly from BKK for a few days then back to BKK to go to HKG (on another ticket naturally.)

We only have 21" carry-ons. I hope TG's First Class buggy meet up would take us to the immigration when we explain our situation, if this is possible. Not knowing how BKK is laid out, I have no idea if that can be done.

I know we would have Fast Track at BKK for immigration clearance. ETA is 16:20. How on time TG is on this SYD-BKK flight? Would it be possible to catch the bus to Pattaya departing from Level 1, Arrival, Gate 8, at 18:00 (boarding starting at 17:45)? Bell Travel seems to be a reputable company recommended on Trip Advisor but their last bus is at 18:00. I have emailed PT Service for a pick up but they have not replied my email despite folks on Trip Advisor vouched on this company.

Any suggestion is very appreciated.
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Old May 4, 2016, 11:21 am
  #244  
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How much time between flights did you originally have for your transfer to HKG? If there is any plausible amount of time that you could leave airside (to meet a "friend"), then the TG buggy should take you to immigration if you ask them. If that is not plausible, then you can just ignore the person holding your name on a sign and walk by yourself to immigration.

You probably have enough time to make the Bell bus leaving at 1800 hours, assuming they have room for you. I have never used them, but they do have a good repuation.

But for 2 passengers, I would probably opt for a pre-arranged taxi. The Limo Pattaya has been a reliable choice for me - http://thelimopattaya.com/

1200 baht for the trip, tolls included. Driver meets you at BKK with your name on a sign - drives directly to your hotel/destination. As opposed to Bell bus which takes you to a bus station, where you transfer to a shared mini-van for the trip to individual hotels.

For the price difference, the pre-arranged taxi makes a lot of sense. You also avoid any stress about trying to catch the last bus.
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Old May 4, 2016, 11:52 am
  #245  
 
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flying F and then taking the bus to Pattaya?
the advise of goodeats21 is well invested money to avoid all the hassle

as for the arrival, just tell the escort that you need to stay and she should bring you to the immigration. she will bring you then to the fast track and someone will care about your luggage.
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Old May 4, 2016, 1:02 pm
  #246  
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Originally Posted by BinSabai
flying F and then taking the bus to Pattaya?
the advise of goodeats21 is well invested money to avoid all the hassle

as for the arrival, just tell the escort that you need to stay and she should bring you to the immigration. she will bring you then to the fast track and someone will care about your luggage.
We dont have luggages other than carry-ons. Besides I dont understand there should be any relationship between the class of service used and the transportation at destination. Although it seems many often just think at monetary terms without any other consideration. Monetary often is just one small part of the equation especially Thai Baht is not expensive. Far more important is a bus is far safer on the Thai highway than a taxi. Individual taxi / pick up service drivers would not have gone thru the same scrutiny as a bus driver, at least that is what the regulations of other countries would be. And we hope it would be similar in Thailand.

FYI I have emailed a transfer service and have not gotten any reply from them.

We feel safer riding on a big bus than in a taxi on long distance drive when it would be dark midway in the drive. On top of that I have read some posts about using a pick up service then the driver was so drugged that they got off the car barely in it for 100 meters. The pick up service (not the one I emailed), refused to replace the driver. They ended up using a regular taxi instead.

Primarily we dont like the driving behavior the Thai taxi drivers usually have. Secondary we always try to use public transportation as one of the small means we could contribute to protect the environment. YMMV.

Last edited by Happy; May 4, 2016 at 1:15 pm
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Old May 4, 2016, 1:06 pm
  #247  
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Originally Posted by goodeats21
How much time between flights did you originally have for your transfer to HKG? If there is any plausible amount of time that you could leave airside (to meet a "friend"), then the TG buggy should take you to immigration if you ask them. If that is not plausible, then you can just ignore the person holding your name on a sign and walk by yourself to immigration.

You probably have enough time to make the Bell bus leaving at 1800 hours, assuming they have room for you. I have never used them, but they do have a good repuation.

But for 2 passengers, I would probably opt for a pre-arranged taxi. The Limo Pattaya has been a reliable choice for me - http://thelimopattaya.com/

1200 baht for the trip, tolls included. Not so on their site. Driver meets you at BKK with your name on a sign - drives directly to your hotel/destination. As opposed to Bell bus which takes you to a bus station, where you transfer to a shared mini-van for the trip to individual hotels.

For the price difference, the pre-arranged taxi makes a lot of sense. You also avoid any stress about trying to catch the last bus.
Not as what they say on their site. It is 1500 for an SUV and 2000 for a Sedan. dont know when did you pay that 1200 rate, must be years ago. http://thelimopattaya.com/rates/

I check Bell's website today for 05/05/16 departures - they have all 36 seats unbooked for the 18:00 departure. 34 for the one earlier. 24 to 26 for the remaining 3 depatures between 10 and 14:00. I understand its fare is twice as the 389 bus which could explain why locals and such would go for the 389 bus instead of Bell Travel.

As for the pick up service, read my post above. If a service does not email me back on the booking inquiry I cannot trust they will show up. There are other safety concerns as well, not to mention our principles of using public transport whenever we can, all over the world. Though I will email the outfit you suggest.

Last edited by Happy; May 4, 2016 at 1:16 pm
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Old May 4, 2016, 5:29 pm
  #248  
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I think you are mis-reading their chart. I just checked again and it clearly lists BKK to Pattaya 1200 for sedan...1500 for SUV...and 1800 for van.

I used them again just last month and as always, excellent service, vehicle in good condition, and driver was wide awake and drove sensibly.

If you prefer the bus, nothing wrong with that. But as a frequent visitor to Thaialnd, I am skeptical that bus is any safer then taxi sedan. Thai news reports feature rather spectacular bus crashes almost daily. And you still have the minivan drive to deal with.

But as they say...up to you.
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Old May 4, 2016, 9:50 pm
  #249  
 
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Originally Posted by goodeats21
If you prefer the bus, nothing wrong with that. But as a frequent visitor to Thaialnd, I am skeptical that bus is any safer then taxi sedan. Thai news reports feature rather spectacular bus crashes almost daily. And you still have the minivan drive to deal with.

But as they say...up to you.
+1
sorry if the OP Happy felt offended by my post; not my intention at all.
having done several bus trips in Thailand I prefer limo, taxi, van any time. safety is questionable for both. But convenience, timing and transportation directly to your destination gives limo, taxi, van a go!
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Old May 5, 2016, 7:15 am
  #250  
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Originally Posted by BinSabai
+1
sorry if the OP Happy felt offended by my post; not my intention at all.
having done several bus trips in Thailand I prefer limo, taxi, van any time. safety is questionable for both. But convenience, timing and transportation directly to your destination gives limo, taxi, van a go!
I used Bell recently (Jan) and thought their service Bangkok-Pattaya was very good. The main bus to Pattaya was in reasonable condition, and on arrival in Pattaya North you stop at their depot and separate into smaller 10 person minivans. I was the fourth and last drop-off, and so took around 45 minutes. I was tempted to make my own way by taxi to the hotel but was under no time stress and I was interesting to see where other pax were being dropped off. On return golfing colleagues and I hired a private car (lady driver) for THB 1,500 - slightly over the going rate, but it was to 2 different drop points in Bangkok. She was very good, stopping as required for snack/coffee/restroom breaks and didn't speed.

There should easily be time on an F arrival to connect to their bus service, but always good to have a Plan B - such as having a phone that can text or email just in case you end up arriving late for some reason.

I presume the BKK-Pattaya 'run' is very set piece, and runs with low pax numbers.

Like others who either live in Thailand (or have done so), or pass through frequently, I've taken the gamut of transport options - and whilst you do what you can to minimise risk(s), there are never any guarantees...
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Old May 5, 2016, 4:05 pm
  #251  
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Originally Posted by goodeats21
I think you are mis-reading their chart. I just checked again and it clearly lists BKK to Pattaya 1200 for sedan...1500 for SUV...and 1800 for van.

I used them again just last month and as always, excellent service, vehicle in good condition, and driver was wide awake and drove sensibly.

If you prefer the bus, nothing wrong with that. But as a frequent visitor to Thaialnd, I am skeptical that bus is any safer then taxi sedan. Thai news reports feature rather spectacular bus crashes almost daily. And you still have the minivan drive to deal with.

But as they say...up to you.
OK, I see what you mean - the rates are not listed on the same line with the destination description which is displayed in a BLOCK style. So the Sedan price is shown above the destination description.

I will email them and see if they would reply me.

Originally Posted by Thai-Kiwi
I used Bell recently (Jan) and thought their service Bangkok-Pattaya was very good. The main bus to Pattaya was in reasonable condition, and on arrival in Pattaya North you stop at their depot and separate into smaller 10 person minivans. I was the fourth and last drop-off, and so took around 45 minutes. I was tempted to make my own way by taxi to the hotel but was under no time stress and I was interesting to see where other pax were being dropped off. On return golfing colleagues and I hired a private car (lady driver) for THB 1,500 - slightly over the going rate, but it was to 2 different drop points in Bangkok. She was very good, stopping as required for snack/coffee/restroom breaks and didn't speed.

There should easily be time on an F arrival to connect to their bus service, but always good to have a Plan B - such as having a phone that can text or email just in case you end up arriving late for some reason.

I presume the BKK-Pattaya 'run' is very set piece, and runs with low pax numbers.

Like others who either live in Thailand (or have done so), or pass through frequently, I've taken the gamut of transport options - and whilst you do what you can to minimise risk(s), there are never any guarantees...
Yes, minimizing the risks is our primary goal. Hence the bus service is preferred. We are hoping we can use BT. Once we are in BKK terminal we should know if we can make it or not. Can check the seat availability online if BKK has wifi.

Our hotel is Hilton Pattaya so hopefully we would be among the pax that get off on first stops once we are in the mini van transfer.

Last edited by Happy; May 5, 2016 at 4:15 pm
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Old May 5, 2016, 8:06 pm
  #252  
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Originally Posted by Happy
OK, I see what you mean - the rates are not listed on the same line with the destination description which is displayed in a BLOCK style. So the Sedan price is shown above the destination description.

I will email them and see if they would reply me.



Yes, minimizing the risks is our primary goal. Hence the bus service is preferred. We are hoping we can use BT. Once we are in BKK terminal we should know if we can make it or not. Can check the seat availability online if BKK has wifi.

Our hotel is Hilton Pattaya so hopefully we would be among the pax that get off on first stops once we are in the mini van transfer.
I think this will be unlikely - I stayed near the Hilton and was last.

I think it depends entirely of where pax are going and how Bell decides to most efficiently drop pax off - this won't consider the star-class of the hotel! We dropped off backpackers to hostels, other guests to apartments, and also to hotels.


I have a thai sim and data plan, so can't verify this but the following might be helpful.
http://suvarnabhumiairport.com/en/37...-for-free-wifi

http://help.mobiletopup.com/knowledg...ngkok-airport/
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Old May 10, 2016, 6:33 pm
  #253  
 
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Is the Royal Orchard Chart for Star Alliance Awards based on one way or round trip? I have 35,000 miles that are about to expire next month and am trying to make use of them somehow.
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Old May 10, 2016, 7:14 pm
  #254  
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Roundtrip.

My fee is a 2 night hotel redemption voucher. PM me for the necessary details - thanks!


Star Alliance Awards are applicable for Award travel on one Star Alliance airline, excluding THAI, or on two or more Star Alliance airlines, which may include THAI.
Award travel is valid on Star Alliance operated flights only.
Awards are for round-trip travel on the most direct route possible, and must return to the country of origin.
One enroute stopover in each direction is permitted per Award journey. One open jaw at point of turnaround or origin is also permitted per Award journey.
No stopover is permitted in the country of origin.
No stopover is permitted on pure domestic travel.
Backtracking is only permitted as required by the Star Alliance network. Stopovers are not permitted when backtracking.
Mixing classes of service for Award travel is not permitted.
First Class Award travel may not be available on all sectors due to aircraft operations. However, First Class Award redemption will be applied to the entire Award journey.
All taxes associated with Award travel are the responsibility of the member, and may be collected at the Award ticket issue location, or during the Award journey.
Change of carrier not permitted after ticket issue.
After ticketing a fee of THB 2,850 / USD $95.00 is applied for reservation changes.
Star Alliance Award ticket validity and conditions are subject to Royal Orchid Plus Award rules
http://www.thaiairways.com/en_TH/rop...rAlliance.page
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Old May 11, 2016, 9:27 am
  #255  
 
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I am Arriving BKK from LHR in first class with connection to Phuket (in business as first class is not sold for that flight) 3 hours later. Does immigration and custom clearance happen at BKK or Phuket, and will I have access to the first class lounge on arrival so that I can take a shower before moving on?
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