Airlines, Bangkok

I last flew "One Two Go Airlines" when I was doing internal flights in Thailand.
I think all flights are the same - about $US 58.00 to Phuket or Chang Mai, and flying gave me more time in some places and actually worked out cheaper and more comfortable than the o/night train or bus up north. BUT, they also do much cheaper specials if you can book in advance.
I've had no trouble using this low cost airline.

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An Asian budget airline is Air Asia.
On certain routes,
they have some amazing prices.
Such as, from KL to Laos.

The earlier you book,
the better chance you have
to get a cheaper rate.

This is a no frills airline,
so don’t expect any blankets,
or good food,
if good food exists on any airline.

If you’re a particular healthy eater,
forget bringing your own food on board.
It is simply not allowed.
So make sure the tummy is full before hand,
or wait it out till you arrive to your destination.

Rates are also cheaper by booking on line,
rather than going directly to their office.

They do warn at check in,
not to place any valuable inside of your suitcase,
which is why I have repeatedly advised,
no matter what, put a lock on your bag.

Lost baggage does and has occurred
on some of their flights.

And I have heard through others of several complaints,
but that comes with the budget price
along with the high traffic
of flying around the world.

bought a BKK-HKG one way. was told by China airlines ticket office in Bangkok could check two free bags due to fact flying next day to USA, only needed to show email confirmation. got to counter very early. not free, USD$136.00. had to leave bag at left luggage and throw stuff out. THEY EVEN WEIGHED MY CARRY ON OH 9KG TOO HEAVY. Never had my carry on weighed even at New Delhi or Calcutta. I fly about ten international trips a year so I ain't no new flyer but this was ridiculous!! was stopped at the gate too"ONLY ONE CARRY ON" . I was really pissed. DO NOT EVER FLY CHINA AIRLINE OUT OF BANGKOK!!!

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From Singapore to Bangkok tiger airways is a great opportunit to fly low cost. Departing from the budget terminal in Sin ( free bus from Terminal 1 just 1 km) , very on time, brand new airplanes excellent sercive onboard, arriving at Suvarnabhumi International.

It’s an easy, and relatively inexpensive flight from Bangkok to Phnom Penh. We didn’t even have tickets into Cambodia when we arrived into Thailand. We researched flights prior to leaving the States and Air Asia seemed to have the most reasonable prices. We tried to book online but had difficulties so we flew to Asia and decided to try our luck at the airport. Our flight landed in Bangkok after the ticket counters had closed for the evening so we waited overnight in the airport for the counter to reopen in the morning. Other people gradually arrived too, so when the first agents arrived at the break of dawn there was already a bit of a line that had formed. But we had no problem getting onto the first flight of the day. A one-way ticket from Bangkok to Phnom Penh cost $112 US. Tickets were listed a little cheaper online so if you are able to book in advance or online you’ll save a little money. We also heard that it’s also cheaper to book through a travel agent versus at the airport, but for a last minute ticket, bought at the airport for a flight that was departing a mere two hours later that’s a pretty good deal.

The other advantage to crossing into Cambodia via air rather than over a land border is the ease of passing through customs. Talking to other travelers we heard horror stories of problems at land border crossings with customs agents. We had no problem at the airports. And the flying was considerably faster than any other mode of transportation into the country.

The website for the Star Alliance provides online details of available flights for trips between two airports, or for longer trips. Most usefully, from the website you can obtain a free downloadable program which has all this information, intended for planning ‘round the world’ trips while offline. This program automatically updates online with new airline schedules every few months.

I found the “trip planner program” invaluable, as it enabled me to put together draft itineraries, save the details, review them at leisure and make changes to refine flight details. Finally I printed out what looked a useful “final” and sent it by fax to our travel agent – who ran it past the airlines, which raised a few new issues (such as a different distance calculation, requiring some flight modifications, plus the single stopover allowed in Asia). Collectively we developed the final itinerary, but having the travel options at my fingertips made it possible to consider and review a huge range of possibilities, some of which may not otherwise have been obvious. You won't be surprised that I'd rate this program as "Highly Recommended"!

We flew to Bangkok from Brisbane on a Thai Airlines B777. The food was good, the cabin crew friendly, and the seats comfortable. The seats are worthy of further explanation – when “reclined”, the entire seat pivoted into a more horizontal position: ie not only did the back go down, but the squab moved forward and up at the front. The result was that it not only became more “bed-like”, but it did not intrude into the space of the passengers behind (though one’s own knee room reduced). We encountered no other seats like these on our trip, but were very impressed.

Flying from Bangkok to Vienna, we again found ourselves on a B777, this time operated by Austrian Airlines. The cabin service could be described as polite (but more formal than Thai) and the food was average to good. There was a major problem with the seats though – these were the traditional “recline the backrest onto the person behind” variety and at best were uncomfortable and with minimal kneeroom. As soon as we left Bangkok, the two people in front went to full recline and stayed there! I should probably have asked the cabin crew to do something about it, but instead stayed trapped with no room to move (not even space to read a book). It was the most uncomfortable flight of the entire trip and my back complained for over two weeks later!

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(date written - March 18, 2007)

Booking number: NC2VX
Flight number: 5J932

Departure date: May 10, 2007

Departure time: 1:35 a.m.
Arrival time: 5:40 a.m.
Seat # 19C

Airfare: one-way ticket via Cebu Pacific Air

Mode of payment: Master Card/Visa Card

Fare price :
Taxes:

Total fare: THB 2,575 (around 71.47 US $ as of March 17, 2007)

Allowed baggage: 20 kilos
Hand carry : 7 kilos