Thanks.

Don't know how it's ended up becoming an argument about fokkers, racism and sexism? I guess there's nowt good on tele.

The Lufthansa is (according to Expedia) a 767 300 - if anyone wants to bitch about it?

BMI (according to expedia) fly from Canada but could well be a flight share with Air Canada.

I know they all do the same job of flying back and it is a boring pain in the arsehole. I just wondered if anyone had anything to say about them and you guy's have done so thank you.

I have a concorde model

...or the war


(damit... i mentioned it)

Oh dear, it would seem like another self opinionated poster is going to hijack this thread and have it closed down with their egotistical comments.

Anyway here we go again!

Racist to whom? I'm not a racist, far from it, and don't you dare call me one or insinuate such a thing! I've been a victim of racial abuse but I dealt with it, got on with it, and got over it, I had to do because I'm of South Asian descent and have got a thick skin but more sensitive towards strop and clever attitudes from folk that think they're holier than thou.

And which language is it disrespectful to? With a comment like "innit" that could be construed as a racist comment to me from yourself, so be very careful how you choose your words! I take it that your a White immigrant settler in Canada who thinks your all hip and megga trendy and oh so P.C. And probably tries to patronise folk who are a different colour, race and creed to yourself because your terrified of being judged as a biggot and not fitting in with other folk who beleive they're swarve and sophisticated with their opinions. And in turn try to make out they feel sorry for and stick up for ethnic minorities like me when they don't even know me. Instead of just being relaxed and accepting us for who and what we are, and ignoring any demands from the ones who think they should have special rights given to them.

The amount of time I have met people like yourself at functions who try to patronise me with stereotypical comments in conversations like "I'm a fond lover of Asian food, what's the best way to make a Kejari?" or, "Do Muslims celebrate Christmas and beleive in Jesus?" or "Is it true that Asian women have a red dot on their forehead because their virgins and their looking for a husband?" and the best one " It was absolutley terrible about the BNP gaining seats in the elections?" What do I care if they have, for all they know I might support the BNP because I'm British (not bloody likely) if they were jokes I could laugh at them. But the people who make them are serious, because they feel they have to talk about Asian things to me because of my appearance, and because they think they're swarve and P.C. Why can't they just talk about the weather or holidays like they would with a white person.

And why Yorkistan and not Yorkshirestan... are you for real, do you really think that would happen? Get real its a play on words, a joke, a reaction, an expression of an opinion, an annecdote. An why on earth would you use the term "brown people?" To whom are you refering to with such a remark? And why on earth would these "brown people" annex Yorkshire,? what will they do invade it and shove all the multicultural population into the sea? You don't even live here so how the hell can it be offensive to you?

For those of you who MUST know. Let me tell you that I'm a Pakistani born in England and adopted into a white Irish family who moved to Yorkshire in the fifties, who I will add were my mum and dad and they were salt of the earth, but sadly they are now both dead. Where in turn I also grew up, and then moved around and about Britain and Ireland when I got older. I was brought up a Christian, and I have studied the Holy Koran later on in life after some bonding with my fellow Asian bretheren, as somebody like yourself would call them. I realised I didn't fit in with them because of my upbringing, so now we don't bother with each other, I just say hello to them, but are friends and keep in touch with some of the elders and younger ones that I have met on my travels over the years. I'm not a Muslim or a practicing Christian, I can't speak Urdhu, Punjabi, or Hindu, but some of my friends do, but I've never been interested in learning it. I do everything that a White, Black, and Asian English man does, such as... grafting hard, boozing, womanising, standing my ground, disliking bad attitudes from all races, and includes telling ethnic jokes about all Nationalities and cultures. Because after all they're only jokes and only offend folk that don't get them so don't think they're funny, or think that they're too sophisticated to laugh. And after all there's many a true word said in jest about everone from all races.

Unsuprisingly, some of the First Nations folks and American Indians that I've met on my earlier travels to Canada and the US, tend to like the joke about the young Indian brave asking his father who happens to be the Chieftan, how he got his name, amongst other ethnic jokes that they have told me. So when you speak for the whole of Canada being offended, are you including the true Canadian folk, or just the P.C. white immigrants? Whenever I fill in an application form and it asks for my ethnicity, I tick "other" then fill in Yorkshirestani if there is another box for it. And I can tell you now it has never gone against me, but then again why should it its a free country. The name has gained popularity over the years, but you wouldn't know that being over there would you? To my friends I'm known as the Yorkshirestani, I don't feel offended by it, quite the opposite infact, reminds me that I'm a proud Yorkshire lad with an Asian appearance accepted by many, instead of being rejected by many. I think its better than being called P*ki, W*g, Gh*ra, or some other biggoted name which I have been called by my own race and other races. It doesn't always offend me but it concerns me when I have been called the N word? I'm tarred with the same brush by biggots of all races, but it really annoys me when people like yourself always feel they have to be patronising and go out of their way to be P.C. and try to stick up for coloured folk like me whether I need it or not.

I have however since traced my biological parents back to Karachi in Pakistan but unfortunately, they are dead. They came to Bradford back in the sixties where I was given up for adoption at birth by my parents when I was about 6 months old, when they left the country. They were cut off from their family in Pakistan and disowned due to a cultural marriage arrangement that neither of them wanted, and so they both came over to England. After some time in England they were tracked down and a death threat was issued to them by their own families. So sadly, they passed me on for adoption for my own safety. They probably realised it was too risky having me with them at such a potentially dangerous time. They fled firstly to Canada, then to South Africa, and finally to Kashmir, where they both died in a car accident almost 40 years ago, I just wish that I could have met them to tell them that I understood their actions. I am still trying to find out what actually happened in the accident, and whether or not there was foul play involved, but I have to be careful how I obtain this information as there is still bad blood between my parents families, but that's another story.

As for my signature all I can say I will remove it, I have been requested to do so by the Administrator who also seems to think its offensive. But sorry, the location name stays.

Can you really not see the irony in this comment? Let it go now please, I don't want to see any more comments from you or anybody else unless they are actually related to the topic and answering the OP's question.

Thanks.

Yes we flew from England to Germany on a Fokker, then we flew from Germany to Canada on an Airbus which I thought was a Fokker, but I have checked my old itinerary and it was definately an Airbus. Because when Fokker merged with Smiths back in the 90s the Airbus model, was rumoured that it was going to bare the Fokker decal. But because I left before the Airbus project was finished. So I didn't know what had been decided and finalised, and thus Fokker stuck in my mind for the said plane.

And I thought it resembled a 747 because it had 4 of those big engine thingies, and it was big like an elephant, and went whooosh through the sky like a big bird carrying people across the sea. And there was this man called a captain who drove it right good, so it didn't crash. And he drove it across the sea to never never land and we almost lived happily ever after.

ANY WAY _ never flown Lufthansa, but flown BMI to Europe - never seemed a problem .

I have flown on Lufthansa (I actually worked for them for 10 years) and on BA and on AC... never on BMI though. I don't see a lot of difference between the big airlines and never had an outstandingly bad flight with any of them...
The charter airlines like Thomas Cook and such are a different story, since they squeeze more passengers in the same type of plane.

I agree but the idea of having to fly to Germany then connect to the UK seems really a waste of time and effort. So in that sense I wouldn't recommend them.

Yes thats just the downside of flying with a non UK based airline that starts the main long haul flight destination from their own countries. Its the same with KLM, you have to fly to Holland to fly over the Atlantic. Mind you on a flight to South Africa some years ago, the plane had to make an unscheduled landing due to extremely bad weather, we landed in Warsaw? It was the only airport that didn't have snow and could accommodate the plane at that time.

I would rather invite a raccoon to nibble on my giblets than fly with Thomas Cook.

Let
Us
Fokker
The
Hostess
As
No
Steward
Available
you spoke to soon

It will be. BMI haven't operated any transatlantic routes since they shut down the Manchester-Chicago service a few years back.

What Expedia is giving you is a bmi-ticketed fare (the e-ticket number will start 236) which will be operated by a Star Alliance partner (in this case, AC).

IME, for economy class, on AC is the most consistent product. Their pricing recently hasn't been great so far this year (IMO at least) but sounds like the expedia/bmi ticketing could be coming up cheaper.

The only thing I'll say in Thomas Cook's defence is that if you value legroom, the 35" seat pitch on their 757s is great. If you're travelling as a party of 3 and score a row of your own, and take your own media player with you (no seatback TV, its old-style portable telly in the aisle) this ain't a problem and (IMO) a decent tradeoff if the price is right (sometimes there have been some great Canadian Affair deals making it a no-brainer in terms of price).

If you're looking at biz class, Air Canada do lie-flat pods which are fully flat, great for sleeping on the eastbound night flights (and the LHR arrivals lounge is top for a shower and bacon sarnie!) although I'd argue from Toronto and points east, you won't be getting the most out of the lie-flat bed in terms of sleep time.

I thought Lufthansa was fine in biz class - not 100% lie-flat, but the service and experience was not to be sniffed at. Not tried them in economy on long-haul, but if your final destination is a regional airport, they could be a feasible option over some competitors.

One other thing: Dusseldorf is tiny compared to Frankfurt, and so much simpler for transfers.

(one last tip: check out the bmi credit card if you're still UK-based, use this plus opening a family account and buying extra miles to suit - and then cash and miles redemptions can effectively give you a biz class fare for little more than an economy class ticket. Check the bmi flyertalk subforum where there's some great FAQS - worth the learning curve if you're serious, but it takes a fair bit of prep and determination... worth it, though )