Was not an extension, but a reduction to make sure to limit competition.

Wrong. Sukhothai, Trat and Samui are owned by PG�

Yeah, IIRC PG just shortened the official reported length by a few feet. Probably just needed a couple buckets of paint.

oh right, I completely forgot about Silk.

-David

I'm looking to book RT tix from BKK to USM, and would prefer to book the "Blue Ribbon" class - when I try to book on the Amex travel website, it's only showing economy, but in a range of fares Q/M and D. The price in D is the same as the "Blue Ribbon" price on the Bangkok Airways site (I want to use up an Amex credit) Is there some reason the flight is showing as code "D" it it is in the business section?

Thanks

some A319 have larger blue ribbon class seats with higher width and pitch

D is a business booking class on PG. Presumably if the Amex ticket books into D, you'll be in business class, but there are no guarantees (and personally I wouldn't risk it - would use the Amex credit on something less speculative).

It looks like PG is only operating two flights per day with the business class cabin.

Thx Kacee - I followed your advice and just booked thru the Bangkok Airways website.

Not worth the difficulty.

I have had a number of frustrations trying to use the Amex Travel website just to take advantage of the $200 credit - it's a pain every year.

I have the same issue with the Cap1 Venture X travel credit.

I assume the $200 travel credit is a Canadian Amex benefit? Can you use it on a hotel booking - FHR or Hotel Collection?

Yes - Amex increased the Plat annual fee from $499 to $699 (CAD), but you get an annual $200 credit through the travel website - it drives traffic to the site. the problem is that the search engine is crap, and I can never seem to book a flight in the specific class I am looking for. With travel being lighter the last couple of years, I have been concentrating on Marriott to keep my status, so haven't booked hotels thru Amex either.

That leaves booking short commuter flights or car rentals, to burn off my $200 - it's a pain. it would be so much easier if they just used the same search engine used by Kayak or google flights.

There have been campaigns from time to time to build a second airport on Samui. But nothing ever came of it.
You could fly to Surat Thani with Air Asia or Nok Air, bus to the pier and take the ferry to Samui. The airlines offer flight/bus/ferry packages which are considerably cheaper than a flight with Bangkok Airways. But they take a considerable amount of time. You’re still sitting on a bus when you could be already drinking a Leo on the beach.

Surat Thani has become disappointing since the Great Plague with only flights to and from Bangkok from what I can see on the arrivals/departures board online. I specifically want to fly to KUL from Samui and would stomach the ferry ride if Air Asia reinstated the route because the alternative is to fly to BKK and double back. I suppose flying to KL via HKT from USM would also be viable somehow.

Let's not forget that Malaysia's Firefly used to fly to USM direct from KL's other airport in Subang and undercut Bangkok Airways's insane regional fares but they stopped operating the route some years before the Great Plague.

I don't think it's viable for other airlines to fly to USM so I've give up hoping to see other airlines there. Cambodia Airways announced two return flights a week from Phnom Penh in May this year but it's scrubbed from their web site now. I assume that Bangkok Airways didn't think the route was viable so let Cambodia launch the route with crippling landing charges and thus proved their point.

It's not much mentioned but Bangkok Airways does offer a significant discount to Samui Residents on its USM flights and if you can prove residency then you get a special resident card and booking portal. It takes the sting off the fares, particularly ruinous international flights like the SIN one.

Also, when you're paying your absurdly high fare for a domestic or regional flight ex-Thailand you can rest assured that the airline has reinstated hot meals on the USM-BKK route (cold snack still on USM-HKT) and I got five glasses of wine with my hot meal on my recent SIN flight so you can get some added value from the journey.

a second airport on the small island would be crazy
Surat Thani is a viable alternative, but unfortunately not an international airport (can not check through luggage and stay in transit in BKK)

Possibilities:

1. Nationalise USM and hand it to the DoA or mandate that AoT buys it so there's an airport operator that is motivated to increase airline competition.

2. Build the bridge to the mainland already so we can drive reliably at any time to Surat Thani airport without relying on ferries.

Anyone want to speculate on the likelihood of either of these happening?

Why not:

2. caps on landing/parking fees at USM?

3. runway extension to accommodate 737s and A320s?

1. Not as long as the influential and very well connected owner change the strategy of his airline (the airline is the smaller part of his business)
2. This project will probably come as fast as the Kra canal