Mae Hong Son Flights

Mae Hong Son airport is amongst the smallest in Thailand. There are only four (eight if you count going back) flights a day, all Thai airways and from/to Chiang Mai. The flights can all be found on the Thai Airways Int'l page at www.thaiairways.com . The flight is also extremely cheap:

Round trip economy: 1530 Baht (38 USD)
One way ecomony: 765 Baht (Under 20 USD)

I have taken this flight twice and found it to be amazing. You fly above (and between, don't be scared) the green mountains, really cool! The airport is located in a mountain valley and it looks scary when you come in for a landing, but there havent been any crashes yet, don't wory!

Most tourists fly to MHS because of the convenience. Until only recently the one way flight was an incredibly cheap 375 baht. I understand that it is now over 1000 baht - more reflective of actual cost. In the past it was heavily subsidized by Thai Airways (Thai Airways was losing money on 90% of its runs in Thailand until recently. This was allowed as long as the monied runs Bkk-CM, Bkk-Phuket, etc. pulled in the cash. Since air travel has slowed, all routes have had to shoulder the burden).
All flights go to and come from Chiangmai, so you have to get yourself there first.
It is a 25 minute flight from Chiangmai airport as opposed to 6 hours in a car or truck, 8 hours on a non-A/C bus. The road is quiet scenic and mountainous but buses have to crawl along it. A/C buses take a different route - they go south to Mae Sariang and then east to Chiangmai on a route that is much less scenic but safer. There is a bus station on the south side of the main street, but unless there is a bus there, you might not recognize it - it's pretty small.
The town itself can be walked easily.
Small Suzuki jeeps can be rented at a few locations in town for about 1000 baht per day. Motorcycle rental are possible as well. Most are 100cc 4 stroke Honda Dreams. You can get get larger dual purpose bikes as well but they are a bit harder to find.

Thai Airways International Ltd. doesn't operate flights from Bangkok, but it does have flights from Chiang Mai to Mae Hong. They have about four a day, possibly depending on the season. Flighttime is just over 30 minutes.

Getting Mae Hong Son:
Thai Airvways flight from Chiang Mai (25 min.) or Air Andaman flight from Bangkok to Mae Hong Son (1.15 hours). Or by car from Chiang Mai (245 km).
A best way to see town is just walk around.

If you don’t want to be restricted by bus times, and want the freedom to explore off the bus route then another option is to hire a car and driver. Rental prices range from 1,500-2,000bt/day. A driver can be added on for an extra 400-500 hundred baht/day, good for those not confident to self-drive through the mountainous windy roads of Mae Hong Son.

Having your own car could be significantly easier for families travelling with children.

*updated as of May 6, 2008

If you're up for a 16 hour bus ride, then take the direct bus from MHS to Bangkok. Tickets can be purchased from the New Bus Terminal (not the old terminal next to the airport runway). Sombat Tour offers three airconditioned bus trips: 1pm, 2pm, and 3pm. Bus fare costs 746baht.

I took the 2pm bus, which goes through Highway 108. There were only two stops along the way. 1st stop was in Mae Sariang. 2nd stop was for dinner along the highway to Bangkok. The bus arrived in Mo Chit Terminal at 6am the next day.

updated as of April 18, 2008

Aircon Orange Van from Chiang Mai to MHS. Fare is 250 baht. Travel time is about 5 hours, through scenic Highway 1095.

I took a 6:45am van in Chiang Mai and arrived in MHS around 12noon. The van's first stop was in Mae Sa, then Pai.