Asia - Flights within Myanmar

Does anyone know anything about how to get around Myanmar by air? I am looking to fly within the country and want to know what the best airline is and how to purhcase tickets.

Please continue to follow this thread in the Asia forum. Thanks for your understanding.

Jouy31
TravelBuzz co-moderator

Does anyone know anything about how to get around Myanmar by air? I am looking to fly within the country and want to know what the best airline is and how to purhcase tickets.


We created an itinerary and checked the airlines schedules. We then contacted an agent there and they purchased the tickets at a better rate than was available to us on the Internet. The agent met us at our first hotel and gave us the package of all our tickets and hotel reservations. They also looked after all the re-confirmations as the trip progressed. The agent we used was Shan Yoma
(http:/www.exploremyanmar.com/domestic-flight-fare.htm). There are several other recommended agents available.

We created an itinerary and checked the airlines schedules. We then contacted an agent there and they purchased the tickets at a better rate than was available to us on the Internet. The agent met us at our first hotel and gave us the package of all our tickets and hotel reservations. They also looked after all the re-confirmations as the trip progressed. The agent we used was Shan Yoma
(http:/www.exploremyanmar.com/domestic-flight-fare.htm). There are several other recommended agents available.

Thank you for the advice. I will contact the agent you recommended. Which airline did you end up flying on and how were the flights?

The internal airline you need and use, will depend on where you are going. Most tourist do the Yangon, Bagan then either up to Mandalay or down to the beach, so Air Bagan is alright. If you are of an inquisitive nature, check out the International fares ex Yangon. Most are to America, with odd ones to Europe Japan and Indonesia, but if First class fares for under 2K excite you, this is the place. If staying at the Strand or Gov Residence, the hotel can do them for the same prices we have found.

I have heard many stories about the poor safety records of Myanmar airlines within the country. I would prefer to fly TG from BKK into RGN, and then maybe risk my life on a flight to Bagan. But minimise your time spent flying with 'local' airlines, that would be my advice.

I have heard many stories about the poor safety records of Myanmar airlines within the country. I would prefer to fly TG from BKK into RGN, and then maybe risk my life on a flight to Bagan. But minimise your time spent flying with 'local' airlines, that would be my advice.

Mostly those stories are about domestic Myanma Airways (note, not the same as Myanmar Airways International). The other domestics, not so much of a problem, though there are always lingering questions in my mind about maintenance. But unless you have a lot of time and can put up with uncertainty and/or some discomfort, domestic flights are the realistic option for most. And for getting to some places essential, as there are certain land routes that are completely closed to foreigners--although none on the standard Yangon-Bagan-Mandalay-Inle circuit.

all of my flights last year were on Air Bagan. they were fine. Most were not that full so no advance seat assignments were made. the Myanmar domestic aviation system is stuck in the 1970s. Paper tickets. Preprinted, no barcode baggage tags. No automated baggage systems.

I never felt particularly unsafe. And there is no easy, quick way to get around other than flying. There are several airlines, all flying relatively new ATR-72's for the most part. Air Bagan also has a Fokker 100 and a couple of ATR-42s in their fleet. The other main players seemed to be Air Mandalay, Yangon Airways, Air KBZ and Asian Wings. You need to pack your patience for airports there. Things are frequently late. Boarding is announced by someone holding up a sign so you have to pay attention. I flew Yangon-Sittwe, Sittwe-Yangon (via the beach), Yangon-Bagan, Bagan-Mandalay, Mandalay-Heho and Heho-Yangon.

I flew Yangon-Sittwe, Sittwe-Yangon (via the beach), Yangon-Bagan, Bagan-Mandalay, Mandalay-Heho and Heho-Yangon.

That's a lot of flying. Were you using this deal? http://www.airmandalay.com/promotion.php#two

My flights were booked by my travel agent. It was all wrapped up in the price I paid them and not broken out as far as I can remember. I was on Air Bagan, not Air Mandalay anyway. ;)

That's a lot of flying. Were you using this deal? http://www.airmandalay.com/promotion.php#two

Of those routes, only the Bagan-Mandalay and Mandalay-Heho would be doable overland within the confines of an "average" 2-week visit. Anytime you put Sittwe on the itinerary, you've automatically got two extra flights in there. There is an arduous overland partly-unpaved road, but last I checked (admittedly a couple of years ago) it was not open to foreigners. Yangon to/from upcountry (Bagan, Heho, etc.) is not something I'd advise to most people who don't have at least 3 weeks in-country.

I am a little worried about booking last minute as I want to fly the day after I arrive in the country. Does anyone have an agency recommendation?

the local agent that handled my flights was EPG Travel www.epgtravel.com

I'm considering flying Air Manadalay. I wonder if the prices change as we get closer to the date of travel or if they are fixed. Also, does anyone have experience with this airline?

I'm considering flying Air Mandalay. I wonder if the prices change as we get closer to the date of travel or if they are fixed. Also, does anyone have experience with this airline?

Flown all the airlines here, although mainly Air Bagan and Mandalay, planes are the same, leaving at the same time and with checkins they walk around the terminals with a board which says eg Manaday flightb boarding. Seems if one is full they book you on the other anyway. The fares don't alter, they are tiny 2 prop jobs

I don't know about "tiny". They are ATR-72s mostly and sometimes ATR-42s. So 70 pax or 40 pax. Small compared to a Jumbo jet I suppose. I like the ATRs I have flown around Asia. Bangkok Airways has a lot in their fleet as well.

Maybe not that tiny after all.

I rarely read back on threads, so I hadn't noticed till I did, that you have flown all over Mynamar too. You obviously have experienced it all, love how you said they run late, I had a Bangkok connection followed by a Europe connection and the flight was delayed, talk about a pack of cards falling in a heap, yet nobody cared or showed any concern. Only did it once, now I have a day in BKK before the next flight.

Our aim is to align ourselves with an airline, through their FFP, contract rates and lounges, have you proceeded to this point yet and if so which is the best

Our aim is to align ourselves with an airline, through their FFP, contract rates and lounges, have you proceeded to this point yet and if so which is the best

Not sure I quite understand the question. Do you mean in Myanmar? I have only been there for one trip. All of the flights I took were on Air Bagan. I think they do have some sort of FFP, but I didn't join it. Most of those tiny airports don't have many amenities like lounges at this point. I did access the lounge at RGN on the return to BKK because I had booked in C. It was small with a little food and drink, newspapers, etc. Better than nothing. Most of the planes are 1 class (except for the Air Bagan Fokker 100 which I believe has a small C class cabin) so no upgrades. Flights were booked via a local agent. Not sure what the benefits of their FFP are other than the odd free flight here and there.

Not sure I quite understand the question. Do you mean in Myanmar? I have only been there for one trip. All of the flights I took were on Air Bagan..

Every American and Englishperson we meet is setting up a manufacturing company here, every Indian and Arab is building an export business and the Chinese have already cornered the building sector. I incorrectly assumed you were here, all the airlines are proactive in signing up customers and I was sussing you out what deals different airlines had offered you. Most of the regulars have worked out this is the spot to buy fares, it has been incredible what is available

Looking for update on recommendations for purchasing inter Myanmar flights since the last post was in May 2012. Noticed Air Mandalay has an online booking tool, is it safe to book now for flying in March 2013 without risk of cancellation? I plan on checking in with the Air Mandalay counter upon arrival at RGN to confirm all of the flights. Thanks

Looking for update on recommendations for purchasing inter Myanmar flights since the last post was in May 2012. Noticed Air Mandalay has an online booking tool, is it safe to book now for flying in March 2013 without risk of cancellation? I plan on checking in with the Air Mandalay counter upon arrival at RGN to confirm all of the flights. Thanks

I've found Air Mandalay to be the most responsive to emails for my trip in late December (you can't book online... it sends them an email of your reservation request that they confirm or deny by return email). Air Bagan never returned any of my email requests, so I'm trying to go through a local travel agent for one leg (challenging in its own right).

Just wondering if anyone has happened to use Oway (www.oway.com.mm) for domestic Myanmar flights? They have an actual website that looks like it is in the 21st century.

Just wondering if anyone has happened to use Oway (www.oway.com.mm) for domestic Myanmar flights? They have an actual website that looks like it is in the 21st century.

My wife and I have just completed 4 domestic Myanmar flights booked through OWAY. The website may look like it's in the 21st century, but there are some substantial downsides in relying on that first impression.

Pros:
Calls to the California based 800 number are responded to promptly
Payment by credit card is available, thereby making life considerably simpler (for those not use to carrying lots of cash)
Flight tickets are delivered to your hotel upon arrival in Myanmar

Cons:
Flight purchases are not, ultimately, for the flights that you choose on the website. Of our four flights recently completed, only one was the same airline and flight number that we thought we were purchasing.
OWAY is not acting as an agent in the traditional OTA model, where the credit card charge is by the ticketing airline ---- your credit card is charged by OWAY LLC, and the charge is not recognizable as a travel expense (i.e OWAY is not registered as a travel company by Visa, Mastercard etc).
OWAY's support staff are inexperienced and sometimes extremely unhelpful. For example, we were informed definitively by OWAY that two of our flights were not operating because the Bagan airport would be closed for a 3-week period and that we needed to find alternative means of transportation. This turned out to be idiotically poor information (the airport was closed on certain afternoons for renovations).
On 3 occasions OWAY changed our airline and flight times without any advance consultation. Emails to them requesting alternatives went unanswered / unresponded to. [Fortunately the airlines themselves are extremely flexible and our travel plans were modified without OWAY's assistance].

All in all, I think that OWAY's best attribute, it's website, is also it's worst. Anyone who uses the website to carefully choose which airline and which flight time they wish to purchase will probably be extremely annoyed to find that their issued tickets are for different airlines, that nonstop flights are now multi-stop ones, that departure/arrival times are now inconvenient, and that refunds for such changes are neither offered nor forthcoming. YMMV

Just saw your reply to my original question from the start of the month. I ended up using Oway for a flight (RGN-MDL) and a hotel, and my experience generally matches your own.

I'm curious about the Bagan airport -- I was told by both Oway and Air Mandalay separately that no flights were operating to Nyaung U Airport due to renovations from Jan. 10-21. I didn't pursue it further, but in order for me to go to Bagan, I ended up taking a night train and a night bus in Myanmar, which was obviously less comfortable than flights. Just curious if the information I was being given was wrong or not.

My wife and I have just completed 4 domestic Myanmar flights booked through OWAY. The website may look like it's in the 21st century, but there are some substantial downsides in relying on that first impression.

Pros:
Calls to the California based 800 number are responded to promptly
Payment by credit card is available, thereby making life considerably simpler (for those not use to carrying lots of cash)
Flight tickets are delivered to your hotel upon arrival in Myanmar

Cons:
Flight purchases are not, ultimately, for the flights that you choose on the website. Of our four flights recently completed, only one was the same airline and flight number that we thought we were purchasing.
OWAY is not acting as an agent in the traditional OTA model, where the credit card charge is by the ticketing airline ---- your credit card is charged by OWAY LLC, and the charge is not recognizable as a travel expense (i.e OWAY is not registered as a travel company by Visa, Mastercard etc).
OWAY's support staff are inexperienced and sometimes extremely unhelpful. For example, we were informed definitively by OWAY that two of our flights were not operating because the Bagan airport would be closed for a 3-week period and that we needed to find alternative means of transportation. This turned out to be idiotically poor information (the airport was closed on certain afternoons for renovations).
On 3 occasions OWAY changed our airline and flight times without any advance consultation. Emails to them requesting alternatives went unanswered / unresponded to. [Fortunately the airlines themselves are extremely flexible and our travel plans were modified without OWAY's assistance].

All in all, I think that OWAY's best attribute, it's website, is also it's worst. Anyone who uses the website to carefully choose which airline and which flight time they wish to purchase will probably be extremely annoyed to find that their issued tickets are for different airlines, that nonstop flights are now multi-stop ones, that departure/arrival times are now inconvenient, and that refunds for such changes are neither offered nor forthcoming. YMMV

I'm curious about the Bagan airport -- I was told by both Oway and Air Mandalay separately that no flights were operating to Nyaung U Airport due to renovations from Jan. 10-21. I didn't pursue it further, but in order for me to go to Bagan, I ended up taking a night train and a night bus in Myanmar, which was obviously less comfortable than flights. Just curious if the information I was being given was wrong or not.
You may have been misinformed. We flew NYU-HEH on 11 Jan, KBZ Airways.

I'm curious about the Bagan airport -- I was told by both Oway and Air Mandalay separately that no flights were operating to Nyaung U Airport due to renovations from Jan. 10-21. I didn't pursue it further, but in order for me to go to Bagan, I ended up taking a night train and a night bus in Myanmar, which was obviously less comfortable than flights. Just curious if the information I was being given was wrong or not.

The airport was only closed during some afternoons. We had no problem flying to Bagan the morning of Jan 18 and from there just before noon on Jan 21. The flight in was on Air Bagan and the flight out on the 21st was Air KBZ. I suspect that your cancelled Air Mandalay flight was an afternoon one, and that you were given the reason for the flight cancellation, not a helpful suggestion of how to work around the issue. That appears to be a common (and serious) current OWAY failing, ime.

The airport was only closed during some afternoons. We had no problem flying to Bagan the morning of Jan 18 and from there just before noon on Jan 21. The flight in was on Air Bagan and the flight out on the 21st was Air KBZ. I suspect that your cancelled Air Mandalay flight was an afternoon one, and that you were given the reason for the flight cancellation, not a helpful suggestion of how to work around the issue. That appears to be a common (and serious) current OWAY failing, ime.

Ah well. Live and learn. In any case, I suppose I ended up saving about $300 or so by doing the night train/night buses so I suppose it wasn't so bad. I had saved off booking domestic trips anyway until only a week before I left to the area because I had a R3 RGN fare that I wanted to wait on booking my domestic itinerary in case it was cancelled. I wouldn't be surprised if the flights were booked out if only the morning ones were operating.

We are grateful for the comments. Comments such as these about our services are the best way for us to learn and move forward:

1. The incidence happened when we were understaffed during the busy season. We regretted that. As a result : we have increased our staff level with better capacities now.

2. We have now created a customer happiness team that focuses solely on making sure that our customers are happy - the team is tasked with dispute resolutions and also find ways to keep the satisfaction level high.

3. Regarding flights and hotel auto-booking, we can only do auto-confirmation 95% of the time - and we cannot guarantee auto-confirmation during busy reasons at certain location (Inle, for example). Regarding flights, we will get you same day booking (+ or - 4 hours of the same day). It is unfortunate until sometimes May or June of 2013 where we will complete our systems and have more active participation from vendors. However, we are pleased to let our audience know that we can do this more than 95% of the time. In fact, we have been booking for the past 2 weeks with no amendments whatsoever as our system is getting better. We are working on it - every single day to improve.

4. This may disappoint some customers, but we want to be transparent and forthright about what we can and what we cannot at the moment. One thing we guarantee, we are constantly learning and taking your feedback extremely seriously.

Oway Team