Budget Travel - Intra-Thailand Airfares

hey all,

I'll be in Thailand in about 3 weeks, arriving in BKK mid-morning Friday from KLIA and returning in the evening the following Monday. We're looking to go to either Ko Samui or perhaps Phuket and I'm wondering about cheap airfare within Thailand. I did a regular fare search like I would in the US and the cheapest I could find to USM (Ko Samui) was about $168 and about $141 to HKT (Phuket). Somewhere I heard there was domestic airfare on the order of $20-30. Is this no longer in existence, or if it is, does anyone know how to find this?

Thanks a bunch! I know we could take the trains/buses, but I imagine they would eat up a lot of our very short stay in Thailand, so I'd like to maximize my time by flying, if reasonably affordable.

(Considering i'm getting to thailand for $419 total, I'd rather not blow almost half of that again on domestic airfare if it can be had cheaper)

Thanks!

Had a HKT/BKK flight on Bangkok Air in Novemebr for $68.
Purchased approx. a month in advance.

Try the Bangkok Airways website - I reserved and paid online.

Flight check-in was easy and quick. ^ ^

Airasia has some routes in Thailand. For instance, I'll be flying from BKK to Chiang Rai.....and, it's really inexpensive.

Check with http://www.airasia.com/site/en/home.jsp

You can book online. Prices vary depending on the date and time of flight, but should total about $75 for RT, Bangkok to Phuket. I don't know about flights to Ko Samui.

Samui could be tough.... kind of a monopoly
on that route last time I looked.

Phuket should be easier... As a previous poster
said, AirAsia flies it (airasia.com). Also check
out Nok Air (nokair.com).

Sometimes TG even has packages available,
if you are looking for a flight plus hotel.

Thanks for all the replies. I've checked Bangkok Air and they want about 4800 baht right now to Phuket. Roughly the same to Samui. Air Asia and something called Thai Orient want about $78 RT. That seems reasonable enough...

Although I could swear that very recently some LCC routinely had around $30 RT to Phuket for example. Perhaps my imagination? :) Thanks.

I can't help with the $30 trip.... I haven't run across that one.

I notice you are flying in from KL, so I am thinking that you might
be doing the AirAsia flight into BKK. In that case, you probably
know their boarding policy (kind of a free-for-all, no assigned
seating). Having said that, I have flown AirAsia a bunch of
times, and it has always worked out OK for me.

You also mention Orient Thai (OX). I have flown Orient Thai
on international trips (to/from HKG). On that route, they have
flown a very old 747 (they even refer to it as a "747 Classic").
I did the trip and I am still here to talk about it, but I don't
know that it would be my first choice. Domestically, they
operate something called "1-2-Go" I believe... some 757s, maybe
a 747. I seem to remember that tickets could only be purchased
through travel agents, and they sometimes had "day of departure"
sales when the airplane wasn't full for that day.

Given the choice, I would lean toward AirAsia.

given the "free for all" on airasia flights, how early do you recommend getting to the airport? (I've a few flights on them for March...)
thanks, Ellen

For Domestic Air Asia flights, I've never gotten there more than an hour in advance. They have a "2,000,000" free seat promo going on right now. They do add a fuel surcharge in, but it's not bad. I'm flying BKK-PNH for $35 all in.

Well, I'm coming into BKK on MH via KUL, so I imagine I'll have to go through all the hoops and change to the domestic part of the airport. In that sense, it probably doesn't matter which LCC I would choose. But, I'd probably take your recommendation about AirAsia. Thx. :)

For Domestic Air Asia flights, I've never gotten there more than an hour in advance. They have a "2,000,000" free seat promo going on right now. They do add a fuel surcharge in, but it's not bad. I'm flying BKK-PNH for $35 all in.

Specific routes only? $35 all in would be very nice.

Edit: nevermind. It's specific dates that's the problem... :(

given the "free for all" on airasia flights, how early do you recommend getting to the airport? (I've a few flights on them for March...)
thanks, Ellen


Just to clarify my "free for all" comment....

As noted by the other poster, there is no reason to get to
the airport extremely early... AirAsia posts check-in cutoff
times (I forget what they are, but they are not unreasonable)
and there is no reason to get there a whole lot earlier than that.

My comment was related to the boarding process. AirAsia is
very good at pre-boarding families and folks who need some
help. But once that is over, it is a stampede.

I was kind of expecting it to be like Southwest, where (last
time I flew them) boarding was done in groups, and the
earliest check-ins boarded in the first group. With AirAsia, the
check-in time doesn't matter... the first passengers to
board are the people who stand closest to the gate.

Sorry if my "free for all" comment sounded a bit worse than it
is... I have flown AirAsia many times, and will keep flying them
without hesitation.

Koh Samui's airport is a private airport that is ONLY served by Bangkok Airways (a great regional carrier, IMHO - I've flown them about 7 or 8 times & have NEVER had any problems - great staff, decent lounges for all, free food & internet).

An option for getting to Samui is to fly into Surat Thani (or take a train there - or even bus it from BKK - though that's a long time!) & then ferry (a few hours - not too bad) it over to Samui. You can use Surat Thani as a starting point - any travel agent in Surat can get you a one-way bus ticket to Phuket for less than 10 bucks & its only about a 4 hour drive - the bus stops once & its usually not too packed & is a pleasant ride. If you do take the bus, try to sit in the very back - less people sit back there & there's usually a space between the last seat on the left & the bathroom (they usually keep the bathroom doors locked, so there's no smell or anything). Warning - if you take a bus - bring headphones/MP3 player &/or a book - the past 2 bus rides I took, they played the same VCD of a concert over & over - it almost made me crazy!

Also, if you want, maybe fly one-way into Samui, spend some time there, ferry it to Surat & take the overland bus route to Phuket & fly out from there. Surat's not that great of a town - but there's some decent restaurants. You could probably get from Samui to Phuket in less than a day & do it for under 30 bucks most likely.

Just to clarify my "free for all" comment....

As noted by the other poster, there is no reason to get to
the airport extremely early... AirAsia posts check-in cutoff
times (I forget what they are, but they are not unreasonable)
and there is no reason to get there a whole lot earlier than that.

My comment was related to the boarding process. AirAsia is
very good at pre-boarding families and folks who need some
help. But once that is over, it is a stampede.

I was kind of expecting it to be like Southwest, where (last
time I flew them) boarding was done in groups, and the
earliest check-ins boarded in the first group. With AirAsia, the
check-in time doesn't matter... the first passengers to
board are the people who stand closest to the gate.

Sorry if my "free for all" comment sounded a bit worse than it
is... I have flown AirAsia many times, and will keep flying them
without hesitation.

Well, I was thinking along the lines of SWA, but it does sound worse, but not terrible....thankfully, they are all shorthaul flights!

thanks.

btw, despite a bunch of flights, I've been unable to book any of the "free" tickets....but am flying for about $50 from PEN to BKK to Chiang Rai....not too bad!

I don't fly a lot of SWA, so I don't know if this is true there or not,
but it does seem to work for me on AirAsia....

I typically find the flights to be about 80% full (after taking
maybe 10 AirAsia flights on a variety of routings)... And folks
really, really, really seem to like to sit in the front of the plane.

When I board (usually in the middle of the boarding process), I
walk to a row about three or four from the back of the plane... I
seldom get anyone sitting in the middle seat next to me back
there. My experience is that some folks would rather grab a
middle in row 3 than an aisle or window in row 25.

As always, YMMV... just my experience.

Thai is not that expensive if you price it up, and you benefit from the lounges if you have Star Alliance Gold status. And a decent slug of miles.

If you want a splurge, it may even be worth paying for business class although I accept this is the budget travel board! However, at just GBP 50 each for Bangkok to Chiang Mai and Phuket to Bangkok (GBP 80 for Chiang Mai to Phuket), it was a good deal when we did it last month - especially as the route was flown on an A300 with the kind of business class seating you find on intercontinental routes! Business Class was only about a third full on our three internal flights, with 80% of pax being farang.

Even in Economy on Thai, it may be worth it because of the better intercontinental-style seating and - arguably - the higher safety standards.

I would awoid Thai Orient. Their reputation is very bad. I have seen their 747 at BKK grounded with the engines removed.

I'm not familiar with air fares to Samui, but fares to HKT are in general very cheap. Try airasia or Nok air. The fares that you refer to are much more expensive than the fares you can buy in Thailand. There are plenty of flights to HKT, so I would not hesitate to take the chance and buy the ticket upon arrival at BKK. Then you should be able to take advantage of the local promotions. Admittedly, promotions may be limited at the moment as DEC-FEB is the peak tourist season. In April and Sept this year BKK-HKT o/w was around THB 2000 on Thai Airways in V class. That was a nice deal, but if you do not mind flying a LLC you should be able to find cheaper fares at airasia and nok air.

sorry, double post

After 2 out 3 AirAisa flights being canceled and/or delayed by as much as 7 hours I will never fly them again. The boarding process is a stampede with people pushing and shoving. On one flight I was #5 in line, #22 on the bus but #51 entering the plane.

You might concider this. Great service and miles.

Star Alliance Thailand Airpass

The Star Alliance Thailand Airpass allows you to get the maximum out of Thailand.
In conjunction with travel to/from or via Thailand from any other part of the world on Star Alliance services.
Passengers can purchase from four to eight coupons for travel within Thailand, paying $199 US for the first four coupons and $45 US for each additional coupon (excluding applicable fees and taxes).

http://www.staralliance.com/star_alliance/star/content/airpass_thailand.html

You’ll find there’s a great deal of flexibility with the Star Alliance Thailand Airpass, however there are a few conditions.

• The Airpass can only be used for travel within Thailand and is only open to non-Thai residents.
• Travel on this Airpass is only available in conjunction with an international return ticket to Thailand on a Star Alliance member airline flight.
• You can only purchase one Airpass per international flight.
• You must confirm your first coupon at the time of purchase. But the other coupons can be booked at any time, subject to availability, and are valid for three months from the departure date of the first flight.
• Ticketing must be completed before you arrive in Thailand.
• There is no minimum stay, although there is a maximum stay of three months.
• Stopovers are permitted, however, rerouting isn’t.
• Apart from the first flight, changes to flights can be made at least three hours to departure without a cancellation fee.
• Discounts apply for children under 11.

Where can I go?

The Star Alliance Thailand Airpass covers 14 destinations across Thailand - giving you plenty of choice when you plan your itinerary. Destinations include:

Bangkok • Chiang Mai • Chiang Rai • Hat Yai • Khon Kaen • Krabi • Mae Hong Son • Nakhon Si Thammarat • Phitsanulok • Phuket • Surat Thani • Trang • Ubon Ratchathani • Udon Thani

The taxes were just a few dollars. There is a US$50 reissue fee to change routing, can only be done before departure to Thailand. Biz upgrades (day of flight only) are about THB1200

• Travel on this Airpass is only available in conjunction with an international return ticket to Thailand on a Star Alliance member airline flight.

So, I have to fly into/out of Thailand on a *A flight to purchase this? Sounds like it won't work for me. I'm flying to KIX on UA and flying from KIX to BKK on MH... :(

I've flown on 8 or so segments with Air Asia and have never had a significant problem. I even flew in with the President of Air Asia coming back from KL. While the boarding can be a bit of a stampede, I've never been on a completely full plane. Usually in the 60-75% range, so there is room to spread out.

I find the service to be much superior to WN or it's ilk. I even won a prize on a flight to Phuket last year. (They asked what type of aircraft it was. Sheeeesh, talk about an easy one for me.)

they tend to be *slightly* cheaper than air asia.
www.tigerairlines.com

You need to watch to baggage weight limit on the LCCs as most have only a 15 or 20KG weight limit which is enforced. The excess baggage fee for an extra 10KG can be as much as the arfare. With Thai Air you get 20KG (in Y) plus another 20 if you are Star Gold. And they don't seem to be so picky about the weight limit.

they tend to be *slightly* cheaper than air asia.
www.tigerairlines.com


Tiger is another decent LCC is Asia, but the OP was asking about travel
within Thailand... to my knowledge, Tiger is based in Singapore
and all flights hub through there. They are certainly a decent
airline (although, as another poster has said, the luggage weight
restriction leads to many, many people paying extra luggage
charges!), and the seat pitch seems to me to be a bit less than
on AirAsia.

I also have flown AirAsia many times and have never experienced a
delay or problem. Note that the Thai "subsidiary" of AirAsia is
actually called "Thai AirAsia" and is responsible for the flights within
the Kingdom.

... Note that the Thai "subsidiary" of AirAsia is
actually called "Thai AirAsia" and is responsible for the flights within
the Kingdom.That means if you need to make changes you have to contact AirAsia in Thailand. Each AirAsia is a different company and their reservation systems are not connected.

I hadn't realized the reservations systems were not integrated...
I had always just bought the ticket on the internet and never
had the reason to change them. (I thought the "Thai AirAsia"
thing was more for political reasons than anything else.)

I do need to confess that I am spending a lot of time in this
thread talking about AirAsia, yet the last time I went BKK-HKT,
I flew on TG. About a month ago, I flew to Chiang Mai and again
flew TG. I am 1K on UA, and so *A Gold, so I fly TG as often
as I can, and if the price is anywhere near that of the LCCs,
I will grab TG in a heartbeat. (For a while, TG was offering a
5% discount for bookings on their internet site for domestic
routes.)

To each his/her own... flying LCCs may require a certain amount
of patience at times... so it is up to the individual if the fare
difference is really worth it or not. In my case, sometimes it
is, sometimes not.

Although I could swear that very recently some LCC routinely had around $30 RT to Phuket for example. Perhaps my imagination? :) Thanks.

Last time I did BKK-HKT it was Air Asia at $34 RT after the taxes. That was the July before the tsunami (July can be very rainy there). Orient Thai and Nok Air also are possibles; with the LCCs it really pays to book ahead if you're semi-firm about your plans.

I think one reason the fares aren't as good now is that Air Asia has added a ton of hidden surcharges, not only for fuel but also "administration." Surcharges now can easily exceed fares at the lowest level. It's a bit underhanded by U.S. standards, as they'll gleefully advertise the eye-popping fare, but the real total will be quite different. They figure as long as they're still lower than competitors, people will book.

I think Air Asia also flies the KUL-HKT if you had wanted to bypass BKK entirely. Bangkok Airways flies the HKT-USM (useful), and of course the BKK-USM, though as others mentioned, you can fly to Singapore now for less than USM from BKK because of the monopoly situation (even more outrageous is BKK-REP, where they're making a killing and it costs more than BKK-TPE or BKK-MNL would cost!)

Air Asia can be a pain to fly, as check in is chaotic, they have a 15kg bag limit (Out of line with the usual 20 kg and they typically charge $3 per kg over 15), and the line-up and boarding can get uncivilized. I much prefer JetStar Asia (BKK-SIN) if available, as they have 20kg and reserved seats, but Air Asia has the most routes and has to stay in business for there to be competitive pressure.

http://www.attitudetravel.com/lowcostairlines/asia/#map

I think one reason the fares aren't as good now is that Air Asia has added a ton of hidden surcharges, not only for fuel but also "administration." Surcharges now can easily exceed fares at the lowest level. It's a bit underhanded by U.S. standards, as they'll gleefully advertise the eye-popping fare, but the real total will be quite different. They figure as long as they're still lower than competitors, people will book.

I think total cost is important. However, with Air Asia doing a "2,000,000" free tickets, you can still get a flight for $30 RT which is dirt cheap in my opinion.

I took the train, to the bus, to the ferry - to Ko Samui.
It was a fun adventure, but it is a real hassle for minimal savings.
We flew back, which ought to tell you something.

Star Alliance Thailand Airpass

The Star Alliance Thailand Airpass allows you to get the maximum out of Thailand.
In conjunction with travel to/from or via Thailand from any other part of the world on Star Alliance services.
Passengers can purchase from four to eight coupons for travel within Thailand, paying $199 US for the first four coupons and $45 US for each additional coupon (excluding applicable fees and taxes).

http://www.staralliance.com/star_alliance/star/content/airpass_thailand.html

You’ll find there’s a great deal of flexibility with the Star Alliance Thailand Airpass, however there are a few conditions.

• The Airpass can only be used for travel within Thailand and is only open to non-Thai residents.
• Travel on this Airpass is only available in conjunction with an international return ticket to Thailand on a Star Alliance member airline flight.
• You can only purchase one Airpass per international flight.
• You must confirm your first coupon at the time of purchase. But the other coupons can be booked at any time, subject to availability, and are valid for three months from the departure date of the first flight.
• Ticketing must be completed before you arrive in Thailand.
• There is no minimum stay, although there is a maximum stay of three months.
• Stopovers are permitted, however, rerouting isn’t.
• Apart from the first flight, changes to flights can be made at least three hours to departure without a cancellation fee.
• Discounts apply for children under 11.

Where can I go?

The Star Alliance Thailand Airpass covers 14 destinations across Thailand - giving you plenty of choice when you plan your itinerary. Destinations include:

Bangkok • Chiang Mai • Chiang Rai • Hat Yai • Khon Kaen • Krabi • Mae Hong Son • Nakhon Si Thammarat • Phitsanulok • Phuket • Surat Thani • Trang • Ubon Ratchathani • Udon Thani

The taxes were just a few dollars. There is a US$50 reissue fee to change routing, can only be done before departure to Thailand. Biz upgrades (day of flight only) are about THB1200

One word of warning (which doesn't sound like its applicable to the OP) but I was told you are NOT allowed to purchase an airpass in conjuction with a Mileage Plus ticket...must be a revenue ticket.....

I would be very careful with some of the airlines who offer cheap fares, the planes I see at BKK are very very very old. At least bangkok airways run good planes that are well maintained.

I would be very careful with some of the airlines who offer cheap fares, the planes I see at BKK are very very very old.

Phuket Air ? :eek:

EmailKid

OP here :)

Well, I haven't purchased anything, but it turns out that we'll be likely spending our time in Phuket. That said, I'll probably pay the premium (something like $10 more) to fly Thai Airways and at least credit my UAL account with some miles, plus, I'm assuming TG has very good reliability on these flights (747s and A300s).

Schmutz: Are you aware that Thai credits actual miles, not 500 mile minimums for Thailand flights? Why not forgo the miles and fly Nok Air in Nok Plus (business class) for $12.50 each way in addition to the normal fare. Very comfortable, first class seats, greater pitch, newspaper, snack & drink and first off the plane. Seats are assigned so no scramble like some of the other LCCs. Fare works out to be slightly less than Thai.

Schmutz: Are you aware that Thai credits actual miles, not 500 mile minimums for Thailand flights?
Here were 2 of my UA posting for recent TG flights. I got 500 minimum, plus 25% more for C.

TG 0643 M Class BKK to HKT 500 0 500
TG 0630 C Class HKT to BKK 500 125 625