Originally Posted by
pentiumvi
Had some questions about USM airport in general was hoping those more experienced can help provide some information.
1) Having never been to USM before, how large is the airport, and how efficient is it? Ie. How early before my flight should I plan to arrive (w/ checked bags).
2) How reliable/on-time are PG flights to/from USM and BKK? I'm self connecting at BKK, with BKK international departure at 8pm. Looks like there are tons of options between USM-BKK, was considering either the 1pm or 2:15pm arrival. Assuming typical operations, how risky is this plan? Traveling in May, if time of year makes a difference.
1. Tiny open-air airport with basically one airline - Bangkok Airways - using it. It's not chaotic. You can check in on line in advance and get your boarding pass on your phone. You'll queue for baggage drop and to get through security but neither is onerous. Without baggage I've arrived 20 minutes before departure time and walked straight on the plane to put it in perspective. With baggage I'd give myself an hour on the understanding I'd be sitting around by the departure gate. PG gives everyone free coffee and pastries at the gate while you wait. The premium lounge serves terrible wine.
2. Reliability can deteriorate as the day progresses. The service USM-BKK is basically a bus route and you can see the schedule gets packed at peak periods with multiple departures an hour on the route sometimes. Delays are generally short though and won't affect onward travel if you're connecting to an international flight at BKK that requires a two-hour check in. If you book much in advance then re-scheduling can happen when they add more planes to the route as flights get full. We've had that happen so keep an eye on your email. For an 8pm departure from BKK you'll be beyond safe getting an early afternoon flight from USM as you plan.