FarangBuddha

I am planning a trip to Munich later this year and want to try one of the middle-eastern airlines. I will be flying business and am considering Emirates, Qatar,  and Etihad. For those who fly back and forth between Swampy and Europe on these airlines, which has the best total flying experience (seats, in-flight service, and lounges). From my research and the general "buzz" regarding these airlines, they are all pretty nice...if that is the case, should I just choose based on price/schedule or are there marked differences between the three?

I am currently pricing flights for a trip later this month to San Francisco and am seeing some quotes for around B 85k from United, China, and JAL. This seems very cheap to me based on my prior experiences (usually B 110-125+ on the Asian carriers). What gives...is there anything I should know, other than that United is a crappy American carrier and that China at one time had a bad safety rap (and hence big discounts) but that was over a decade ago and has not had any "events" since that spat of "bad luck"? JAL is the Japanese flag carrier so should be a good experience (have never taken them).

Any comments on the business class service of these airlines much appreciated.

Had a chance to get up to the auto show at Muang Thong Thani yesterday and note a few impressions. The show didn't seem as big as past ones I have attended but plenty of people in attendance. The "pretties" didn't seem as pretty as in the past. Now, on to the vehicles...it's amazing to me to say it but the best looking cars at the show (that most of us could afford) were the Hyundais. They were head and shoulders above the Japanese makes is styling and amenities and very competitive in price. Both the Sonata and Elantra were beautiful, and the Tucson SUV was as well. They all were comfortable to sit in and had pleasant interiors. I will leave it to others more experienced to comment on build quality and reliability but the international press reviews have been very positive for both models. Of course, the issues of the small number of dealers and thence service support could be an issue.

As for the new bread of trucks...Ford Ranger, Mazda BT-50, Chevy, and Isuzu V-Cross, IMO the Mazda is the class winner in terms of both exterior and interior styling. It seems much more car-like on the inside and with more quality finishes than the Ford and the Ford's boxy exterior is very boring compared to the Mazda. Yes, I agree with everyone else that the Mazda looks like crap in most photos but in person (or I guess "auto") it looks very good. The Chevy/Isuzu seemed to have very cheap interiors and did not impress me that much.

Very tempted to return before the show closes and put an order in for the Mazda

When one orders a vehicle at one of the major auto shows, like the current one in Bangkok, how does it work?  Since many models are back-ordered for months, I assume one doesn't pay all in advance...does one make a deposit and then pay the balance on delivery? If so, what is the standard deposit amount (assuming an cash sale). Also, again I assume delivery is made by the nearest dealer to one's residence in Thailand. Another question, when you buy at the shows, is one buying from a dealer or the manufacturer...or are you dealing with the manufacturer and they assign one's purchase to the nearest local dealer?

Thanks in advance for any replies.

Starting Dec 7th, the price of the Wed and Sat buffet goes up from B 325 to B 350 and the Sun set menu from B 295 to 325.

By the way, tonites set menu fish is delish!