Bangkok Airways airpass route Questions
 

Hi all. My partner and I will be in Thailand from Oct 10-25 and are busy trying to finalize itinerary ideas. After much consideration, we've decided to attempt the following locations: Thailand -- Bangkok (BKK), Chiang Mai (CNX), Koh Samui (USM)/Koh Tao/possibly Phuket if time; Laos -- Luang Prabang (LPQ); Cambodia -- Siem Reap/Angkor Wat (REP). To do this, given the short time of our total trip in the area, we are planning to use the Bangkok Airways/Siem Reap Airways/Lao Airways airpass. And therein lie the questions:

1. Can we purchase this pass at the Bangkok Airways office in BKK airport? If so, can we use the pass for same-day flights? We will arrive at 1425 on 10/10 and to minimize multi-entry issues with Thai visas, we are considering taking the 1800/1830 flight BKK-REP. Would this be possible.

2. I see conflicting route information on the direct flight REP-LPQ on Siem Reap Airways. On the airpass page, it shows this as a valid route, but on the normal Bangkok Air routing page, it shows it as a future route, and on the Siem Reap page, it isn't listed. Does anyone have accurate information on this route? Also, if we are forced to transit BKK to go from REP-LPQ, is it still considered one international coupon $80USD, or considered two international flights? I'd prefer answers before arriving in Bangkok, but if no one knows, I'll post what I find when I can.

3. Is CNX-USM a one-way route only? From what I can find, the flight only goes south and to go from USM-CNX one has to transit BKK. Is this true?

4. Finally, all routing questions aside, I'd appreciate any input on what people think about this itinerary? We're thinking 3 full days REP, 3 full days LPQ, 4 days CNX, about 3 days in the southern islands, and the remainder in BKK. Too ambitious?

Thanx for everyones' input in advance. Marquis790

1. No - have to buy before you get there. Can make that transfer easily, even with 2 hours less. Have to go through immigration and pay THB 500 though.

2. I think you will have to go back through BKK and it's one coupon per flight, unless it's the same flight no.

4 . 3 days in REP is good. Better if you can do 7am-5pm every day.

REP-LPQ routes through BKK, so it costs you two $80 coupons. You may want to consider Thai's nonstop CNX-LPQ flight to save time and perhaps a little money. (Ask a Bangkok or Chiang Mai travel agent about the one-way fares. There's a recommended Asian travel agents thread in this forum.) You could fly BKK-CNX ($50) on Bangkok; CNX-LPQ ($???) on Thai; and LPQ-BKK-REP ($160), REP-BKK ($80), BKK-USM ($50), and USM-BKK ($50) on Bangkok. (Make sure that an open jaw is permitted on the Discovery Airpass.)

Your itinerary is a bit ambitious: lots of flying and trips to and from airports. I suggest that you ditch one destination, spending four days each in three destinations (plus Bangkok).

You'll need three days in Siem Reap to cover the major Angkor sites, and it's a good idea to have an extra day to wander around the town, relax, and, perhaps, visit the lake village. If you're not accustomed to heat and humidity, I highly recommend booking a hotel or guest house with a pool.

Four days will be OK for Luang Prabang; four months would be better. Its major sites are somewhat underwhelming, but the town is charming and intriguing -- one of those laze-about-and-soak-in-the-unique-atmosphere locales.

Siem Reap and Luang Prabang are definitely go-now destinations: Angkor Park has already been overrun by tour groups (and it's only going to get worse), and Luang Prabang is at the cusp of being discovered by the masses, with (daily?) flights from Hong Kong in the works.

Be sure to check out the good, recent thread on Siem Reap and Luang Prabang in the Trip Reports forum.

Toll free number
 

Based on your limited profile, I assume that you are based in the U.S. or Canada. The Bangkok Airways website has U.S. & Canada toll free numbers that route one to a call center in India. They book the Discovery Pass. Since Discovery Pass is capacity controlled, be prepared to make decisions re: your routing while on the phone or at least book segments to hold the ticket. They will make changes for free until you send your certified check in. Be sure to book air before hotels because of the capacity controls.

Last November, I flew BKK-PNH ($80), PNH-REP ($50), REP-BKK ($80), BKK-LPQ ($80), LPQ-BKK ($80), taxes extra. Each international BKK departure incurs baht 500 ($12.50) tax payable at airport.

Unless something has changed, Siem Riep airlines (or Bangkok Air) fly the Phnom Penh - Siem Riep routing. Last year it was 3-4 times per day. Aircraft is an ATR-72. Sit in back rows to get off first.

Your plan is pretty ambitious because of travel times, connections and no thru routings available. BTW: Chiang Mai really requires only a couple of days. Routing thru BKK can be a pain if a plane is late. Connections may require that you retrieve your baggage and check in for the next leg. The call center will tell you what they consider legal connections. They are considerably longer than one would expect for an on-line connection.

USM-BKK and BKK-USM operate many flights each day. CNX is served not only by Bangkok Air, but also AirAsia, Nok Air and Orient Thai, as well as TG.
USM-CNX requires a change in BKK and it is actually cheaper to fly one of the LCCs between BKK-CNX to insure that you do not exceed the maximum six (6) segments allowed on the discovery pass. One can presently buy a 1700 baht +++ fare USM-BKK on Bangkok Air on the web-site and save a segment or two. Beware, only available on 2 very inconvenient flight per day. You may have to overnight in BKK to make connections unless particularly on the USM-BKK-CNX route, or spend most of the day to get to CNX.

You may want to PM me about LCCs and Discovery Pass. I am presently routing USM-BKK-CNX-BKK in October. To get to USM, we are flying Nok Air business class ($46) BKK-HKT and driving to Samui from Phuket after, of course, a six day stay at the J.W. Marriott, Phuket.

Last year I was able to visit BKK, HKT, KUL, PNH, REP, LPQ, and Macau/Hong Kong in 3 weeks. It required a number of overnights in BKK, 6 Air Asia Flights, a round trip hydrofoil trip and a full Discovery Pass (6 segments). I spent 2 nights in PNH, 2 1/2 days in REP, 2 1/2 days in LPQ and almost a week in Macau and Hong Kong. Most people might feel overwhelmed by such an agressive itin., so be cautious about what you plan and what you are able to execute.

Please do a search in Trip Reports for "Luang Prabang" (I posted a partial review of the above trip under the heading of "Greetings from Luang Prabang") and in Asia for more information.

Thanx to all. I'm based in Guam, so nominally US (though try convincing the mainland about that!). Anyway, taxes proved too prohibitive to do the Bangkok Airways pass. Also, timing was a little poor. So others can better plan, there will be a nonstop Luang Prabang to Siem Reap on Siem Reap Airways starting Nov 1, 3 times a week (I forget which). So, only 1 $80 coupon plus taxes, which amounted to about $25+ per segment (Luang Prabang has higher taxes than Siem Reap).

So, our final itinerary, which we are currently on, was mostly overland. BKK 4 days then Siem Reap 5 days (really only 3 full days because 2 full days lost to overland transit by bus...btw, non-existent roads on 90+ % of Cambodia from Poi Pet to Siem Reap, so verrry bumpy and long rides; also, if going overland, don't book roundtrip bus tix. It's a scam. No bus to pick you up. Turns out the Thai travel agents book the trips but keep all the money, so the Cambodian side has to make money by driving real slow and taking a longer route so that guests arrive really late at a contracted guesthouse, which pays the bus about $7 per head in the vans (not large buses)...nobody to take you the reverse route...just book in Siem Reap about $12 bus all the way to Bangkok).

Anyway, after Siem Reap, train to Suratthani, then boat to Koh Samui. We are on Samui now, will leave Sunday and do the train in reverse, then a couple days in Bangkok again.

For 2 people, adding Luang Prabang was looking at around $700 for the flights and visas alone, so we pulled that locale, as well as Chiang Mai. Wish we'd just stayed in Siem Reap longer instead of Samui, but each their own.

Sincere thanks again to all. I'll use the Bangkok Airways pass in the future after a direct flight between Luang Prabang and Siem Reap is installed. Then I'll report on that experience. A direct flight would truly make that routing a bargain at $80 + taxes.

This is sadly a well-used (and by now, well-documented) scam -- one fo several at work in the overland route to Siem Reap. See www.talesofasia.com for more information on this and other scams. I'm sorry to hear that you were the victim!

Yes, that will be great - between that and Air Asia flights to and from Phnom Penh, air travel options into and out of Cambodia are really set to increase in the coming months.

- Michael

a quick baggage & connection update
 

Last week we flew USM-BKK-CNX (with the stop in Sukothai) and Bangkok Air sent the baggage straight thru no longer requiring baggage pickup at BKK. Bangkok Air seems to have eliminated the baggage tags and gone to a normal appearing bar coded routing tag. You are issued a colored sticker (stick on your shirt) upon check-in in the form of an airplane of varying colors depending upon your destination. If one is flying from USM to connect to an international flight the sticker states "CIQ" and a separate bus is available upon arrival to take those connecting passengers directly to international departures. Seems to work the same way from CNX and Sukothai. These passengers clear immigration and customs in Samui and become transit passengers in BKK. Quite nifty for international connections. Domestic departures turn right after baggage pickup to get to the lounge. Simple and short walk.

Since we were not on an international connection, I do not know if this eliminates the 300 baht Samui departure tax. BTW: note that I said 300baht which, as of last week, was the latest.

That is, indeed, very cool. I wonder if it works for the reverse i.e. <int'l>-BKK-USM. Somehow I doubt I can clear Thai immigration/customs in Luang Prabang. Oh well, the walk between the int'l and domestic terminal would be good for me ;)

LPQ does not have Thai customs and immigration. Yes, you have to walk (or take the bus), or walk part way and take the golf cart between Intl and domestic at BKK. I wonder if LPQ has the modern baggage tag generators since it is a very small airport.