superflip

1. Purchase: Originally I figured this would probably be an overland journey. After speaking to other travellers who had done this via cheap AirAsia fares, I looked at the flight options. After getting shocked at how much AirAsia wanted for a checked bag, I remembered to look for what reward flights I could find given my points portfolio and came across this PG flight. Economy class (there's no other option on this route) for 10,000 QF points + 750 THB one way. Being able to avoid the overland Poipet border crossing as well as a 0905 arrival helped sell me on the flight, giving me most of the day in Siem Reap (which wouldn't happen if I went overland).

2. Checkin (Part I): I have gotten into the habit of checking in online to try to secure good seats. Given the short flight time, it didn't really matter for this trip, but for whatever reason, I tried to check in online the day before.

And failed. The online system wouldn't let me continue without a visa, which I didn't have. Cue some temporary panic. But hey, there's nothing that can be done at this point in time. Let's hope everything is fine at the airport and trust that the information I read about being able to get a visa on arrival is OK (an eVisa option exists, and it costs 6USD more).

3. Arrival at BKK: Couldn't find a definitive answer on the English language portion of the internet about what time the train to the airport started, but one thing everyone agreed upon was that there was a 0530 departure from Phaya Thai. That train did exist which made for a simple ride to the airport.

4. Checkin (Part II): This one was a breeze. No queue and no visa problems. I will get one on arrival.

5. Flight: This flight was ridiculously empty. We were using a bus gate, and all the passengers on the plane could easily fit in a single bus with plenty of room. Consequently had a row to myself, which isn't hard given there were many entirely empty rows on the plane. Why PG were flying this route thrice daily with such a small load on the early flight confused me. But helped explain how come there was so much award availability on the route when booking less than a week in advance.

6. In flight service: Look, if I was a diligent trip report writer then I would've taken notes. And maybe photos too. There was a meal. It was underwhelming. My memory is failing me in coming up with more details.

7. Visa on arrival: Empty flight means no queue for visa on arrival. I had my 30 USD with me as well as some passport photos, but they didn't ask for passport photos. It was a painless and quick procedure. I overheard another traveller telling them that he wanted to return to BKK the same day, which I thought was against the rules, but I think he got through OK.

8. Taxi: At the taxi booth, a taxi into town is 10 USD and a tuk-tuk is 9 USD. I take the taxi, which is considerably faster. Later, I have another traveller tell me that if your negotiation skills are good, you can walk out of the airport and hail a tuk-tuk for 5 USD. Soon the new airport will open and this information will be out of date.

9. Money: For those not in the know, everything is priced in USD, and you can pay in either USD or Cambodian riel. Most places operate on a 4000:1 exchange rate between USD and riel, with some operating on a 4100:1 rate. The Angkor National Museum has a sign saying they use 4200:1. At the airport you can only get 4000:1 but in town you can do better. I walked into one money changing place at random, they told me they would give me better than 4100:1 and I gave them my 100 USD to get some local currency.

iamitp

I have the same sort of trip planned for early march next year. I am planning on booking the PG flights using 12K JAL (which works out better as it's a round-trip).