Bangkok Air

Founded in 1968, Bangkok Airways is based in the city’s major international airport, Suvarnabhumi Airport and has been known by the current name since 1989.

Bangkok Airways has around 40 aircraft in its fleets and wholly owns Siem Reap Airways as well as Samui, Sukhothai and Trat airports.

Bangkok Airways schedule flights both domestically and internationally, covering a wide range of destinations including Bangladesh, Cambodia, China, India, Laos, Malaysia, Maldives, Myanmar, Singapore and Vietnam.

From Bangkok there are around eight flights per day to Chiang Mai in the north of Thailand, a journey that takes approximately 80 minutes. There is also the same number of flights from Chiang Mai back to Bangkok each day. Fares are usually priced at around THB1,500 each way.

If you are tired of city life in Bangkok and want to head down towards Thailand’s beautiful southern beaches, then there are plenty of options. There are 12 flights from the capital direct to Koh Samui each day, a flight which takes just an hour. Prices are often around THB3,500 for this trip. The prices and frequency of flight are the same from Koh Samui back to Bangkok.

Additionally, there are also nine flights per day connecting Bangkok with Phuket and three in each direction between Bangkok and Krabi. Both flights usually last around 90 minutes and are priced at THB 1,400 and THB1,200 to Phuket and Krabi respectively.

You can also visit these islands directly from Chiang Mai. There are two flights in either direction from Chiang Mai to both Phuket and Koh Samui priced from around THB2,400 and THB5,000 respectively.

Bangkok Airways is a great option if you are planning on flying internationally from Thailand’s capital. For example, there are up to six daily flights to regional hub Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia and another four per day to Singapore. Flight times to either destination are just over two hours and are usually priced around THB4,500 and THB4,200 respectively.

There are plenty of flights to other neighbouring countries as well. For example, there are five daily departures to Phnom Penh from Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi which is just over an hour flight. Prices are often in the THB1,400 bracket.

Similarly priced flights can also be found to destinations in Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam.

From Bangkok you can reach Vientiane, Yangon and Danang within 90 minutes on a Bangkok Airways flight. Fares for these flights are priced at around THB1,300, THB1,400 and THB1,500 for Vientiane, Yangon and Danang respectively.

If you are looking to head further afield then Bangkok Airways has other options which may well suit your schedule. From Bangkok there are up to eight departures each and every day to Hong Kong, a flight that will take around three hours, costing approximately THB12,000.

Taiwan is another destination that is well served by Bangkok Airways, there are three daily flights to Taipei which will take less than four hours and cost around THB7,500.

Alternatively, you can visit mainland China, Bangkok Airways offer four non-direct flights to Guangzhou each day. The total journey time depends on the length of the layover but is usually around 10 hours altogether and is typically priced at THB14,000.

Travellers wishing to head towards the Indian subcontinent can fly to Dhaka in Bangladesh or India’s Mumbai. There is one daily flight connecting Dhaka and Bangkok which takes around three hours and four departures to Mumbai which takes closer to five hours. Prices are often around THB6,000 for flights to both Dhaka and Mumbai. Male in the Maldives is also served by one daily flight from Bangkok and often costs in excess of THB13,000 for the four hour trip.

The biggest advantage when travelling with Bangkok Airways is the fantastic reputation of the airline. It is regarded by many as one of the world’s best low-cost airlines and has built a loyal customer base.

Additionally, fares remain very competitive and there are often sales which offer extremely good value for money for travellers. These tickets include luggage so even if you pay full price for a ticket it may still work out to be better value than if you purchased a ticket with another low-cost carrier.

Another bonus with Bangkok Airways is that flights depart from Suvarnabhumi Airport as opposed to the smaller Don Mueang International Airport, this is very convenient if you are planning on catching a connecting international flight as you will not have to travel across the city in order to change flights. Also, in many cases it is much easier to reach your accommodation via public transport from Suvarnabhumi Airport rather than from Don Mueang International Airport.

There are plenty of perks when travelling with Bangkok Airways as well. You will always receive a meal on these flights, even if you are travelling on one of the shorter routes such as between Bangkok and Chiang Mai. The quality of the food is excellent as well! You will also have complimentary access to the Bangkok Airways lounge where you can enjoy free Wi-Fi as well as drinks and snacks ahead of your flight so it is worth getting to the airport early to take advantage of this offer. Anyone used to travelling with budget airlines in Europe will be in for a very pleasant surprise!

Bangkok Airways flights do not offer any in-flight entertainment. Although this is unlikely to be an issue on domestic or sorter international flights, it may be a little annoying if you are travelling on some of the longer distance international flights, for example to Mumbai.

If you are booking your flight at short notice you can sometimes find that your ticket is fairly expensive when compared to other low-cost providers. But as we’ve explained above, the level of quality is almost certainly going to be far higher here. Also, with luggage and snacks included in the cost of the ticket, it may actually be better value than you initially realize.

Bangkok Airways were ranked in 21st place in the 100 Top Airlines at the SKYTRAX World Airline Awards in June 2017 as well as winning an award for the World’s Best Regional Airline for the second consecutive year and for the third time in total.

Travellers continue to choose Bangkok Airways primarily due to the fantastic service and value for money you receive. In many cases, fares will actually be cheaper with Bangkok Airways compared to many other low-cost airlines as luggage is included in the fare. This can be a substantial saving as additional fees for luggage are often very high with budget airlines.

The fact that Bangkok Airways flights depart from Suvarnabhumi Airport is also a bonus for many travellers, especially those who may be catching a connecting flight or want to use public transport to reach the city centre. It is often the case that you have to transfer from Suvarnabhumi Airport to Don Mueang International Airport when you are trying to connect with another flight, which is always highly inconvenient, stressful, time-consuming and sometimes very expensive!