Originally Posted by BinSabai (Post 34718901)

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;)

Originally Posted by moondog (Post 34718958)

Why couldn't he just lower the landing fees to the same ballpark as Trat, Phuket, etc? Obviously, the real estate is more prime than its peers, but this could be taken into account without resorting to anti-competitive practices, and the airport would remain a profit center on its own.

Originally Posted by ftrichard (Post 34718237)

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.

Originally Posted by greendx (Post 34723241)

Pretty sure I saw Cambodia Airways on the departure board when I was leaving Samui in June. Maybe it was short lived.

Originally Posted by moondog (Post 34718507)

Why not:

2. caps on landing/parking fees at USM?

3. runway extension to accommodate 737s and A320s?

Originally Posted by Kacee (Post 34725541)

Because . . .

This is Thailand.

Originally Posted by LIH Prem (Post 34726168)

Yeah, but you can soon buy 1 rai of land with your $1m investment in Thailand!

But it at the end of the runway.

-David

Originally Posted by ftrichard (Post 34825614)

Another #winning moment in December. It appears availability from BKK-USM is completely zeroed out in the week between Christmas and New Year with two weeks to go. Is this normal at this time of year? In this situation, does PG tend to put on additional flights or do they just laugh all the way to the bank?

We've booked our one-way from USM-BKK in the week before Christmas and are currently facing a return flight to Surat Thani with bus and boat ride to get home for New Year.

Originally Posted by moondog (Post 34825662)

I'm seeing flights on 25, 26, 28, and 31.

Originally Posted by moondog (Post 34825662)

I'm seeing flights on 25, 26, 28, and 31.

Originally Posted by pentiumvi (Post 35716866)

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.

Originally Posted by ftrichard (Post 35717955)

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.