BKK Transfer Questions
 

Hello All,

We will be flying in and out of BKK at less than perfect times and I'm concerned about the amount of time spent in transfer between the airport and the Peninsula.

We arrive around 4:00PM on a Friday and I'm assuming that once we make it through customs we'll be trying to get into the city and over the river at the peak of rush hour. Is that correct?

We depart around 8:00AM on a Tuesday and I'm assuming a similar traffic situation then. Correct?

After an 8 hour flight in the last thing we want to do is sit in a car for another two hours. On the return we don't want to have to get up at 3:00AM just to shower, dress, eat, and make the transfer.

Here's the question.... Do any of you have experience with helicopter transfers from the airport to the river hotels? I know that the Shangri-La has a service, but I'm wondering if there are more than that available. I'm hearing about $200/person....:( Aside from the obvious speed advantage does the helicopter fly a route that gives a good view of the city?

Thanks for any and all information!

Rush hour isn't all that bad. On your arrival, it may take an hour or more but not too bad if you use the expressway. As for departure if your flight does leave at 0800, you'd want to leave for the airport by 0630 at the very latest and that's before rush hour starts (I've done 2 departures at 0600 or earlier, and one around 10am lately and arriving back around 3pm). No problem getting to/from the airport via the expressway.

Leaving from the Peninsula
 

We noticed that the bridge over the river by the Peninsula started backing up at 5:30 am. We used their Mercedes to go to the airport, but had him pick us up at the ferry stop on the other side of the river. From there it was less than an hour to the airport

Peninsula also has chopper transfer
 

Used it on our honeymoon two years ago - 'collected' at the top of the jetway by a nice lady who walked us through to baggage claim (this after internal flight from Chiang Mai), flunky picked our bags off the belt then we walked back out onto the apron, into minivan direct to chopper.
Into Jetranger (just me and the new Mrs Mac, with two pilots, for the ten minute flight onto the helipad on the roof of the Pen.

You land on the completely flat roof, then little railings raise up all round the edge of the roof and an elevator appears out of the roof. Three blokes in black suits appear (one to greet us and take us to our room, the other two to grab the bags and bring them along a minute or two later). Check-in done in the room.

Can't remember the cost (email the concierge at the Pen and he'll give you the details) but it was worth every penny :D :D :D

one of the highways to the airport has a toll road that a lot of people don't pay for. as a result the morning ride isn't as bad as you might suspect. But the honest truth is your real choice is to stay at the airport amari (which is literally at the airport), drop your luggage off and then go have fun and come back at night when there is no traffic, or go to a downtown hotel and book a 6 a.m. car