While a coach flight within Thailand is hardly an aspirational travel experience worth writing about, I have to say that Bangkok Airways is one of the most unique airlines I've flown. They market themselves as "Asia's boutique airline," as they offer some pretty elaborate meal services on short flights and also have lounges for all…
Continue reading: A Royal (dis)HHonor: Bangkok Airways Economy Class Koh Samui to Bangkok
Share your questions, experiences, and thoughts below.
@ smitty06 -- Actually not as dirty as it sounds:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snooker
Or maybe there's an alternative meaning I'm missing...
You certainly don't have to apologize for writing about a "non-aspirational" experience. I think I speak for a lot of us here when I say that reading about other peoples' travels (and yours in particular) is interesting regardless of cabin class, and for me at least it increases my body of knowledge for when/if I go to, say, Thailand
I had never heard of them and flew them from Bangkok to Siem Reap. Flight was an hour and they served a meal which was pretty good actually. I regularly fly on American Eagle to Chicago on a flight that long and as an EXP they often don't even remember to give me a choice of snacks, much less drinks. Usually there is no service for anyone. It was mostly just fun to try a new airline.
Ben, was the foot massage the traditional Asian type, where afterward you feel like every bone in your foot has been broken? Or was it actually relaxing, as their sign said?
Does anyone know if the extra 10kg is also added to the business class allowance?
Lucky, was there an separate security line for business class?
@ Scuta -- Yes, I believe it can be added to the business class allowance as well. I didn't see a separate business class security queue, though.
Wonderful advice to print own boarding pass.
Does it matter if you print the BP or have it emailed?
We're at the Conrad Koh Samui right now and were thinking of asking the front desk to print it, but wondered if it would make it awkward to choose our seats.
How did you hear of the benefit in printing the BP? If it's that simple to beat the queue, I would think more people would come across it and print it. Has me wondering if you just got "lucky" that day in them taking the printed BP folk?
BTW...here's a tip for getting cheap airport transport. Found a local driver on tripadvisor (samui explorer) who did it for 700bht each way ($23)...which is 2/3 cheaper than the Conrad!
@ wolfgang -- Hope you're enjoying your stay!
You actually don't have to print your boarding passes, but rather just check-in online. I don't believe online check-in even lets you print your boarding passes, so I'm not even really sure what the purpose is. It was a coincidence that I stumbled across it.
@ stacey -- We booked a Toyota SUV both ways which was really nice. On the way back got an "upgrade" to a BMW, which is usually three times the cost. Far preferred the Toyota, though, as the suspension on the BMW was *horrible*.
@stacey--picked up in a large and comfortable black SUV. Leather interior and clean. Web site http://samuiislandexplorer.com/
Also did a 6-hour island tour for 2,000 baht ($70).
@lucky--so where did you find this gem of an idea that let you skip the lengthy queues?
@ wolfgang -- I saw the option on the website and assumed I'd be able to print my boarding pass, so figured I might as well check-in. While it didn't let me print my boarding pass, coincidentally it did save me a bunch of time.
Hilarious and one of your better posts. I know - flying Coach must be absolute hell for you and your friend, but 50 minutes in a 3x3 center seat really won't kill you. That airport and the 'lounge' look delightful and I especially appreciate the open, airy feeling suggested in your excellent pix. Ha! A full meal tray in a 50-minute flight, and in Coach Class, is almost a joke these days. Good food, or cheap, I fail to understand why the others cannot keep up, save a huge measure of corporate greed.
Yup, we've visited Thailand and other parts of SEA multiple times in years-past. When we went, (late 80s through mid-90s) Thailand was an obvious bargain; excellent service and facilities at inexpensive prices - if one knew where to go, and some truly wonderful sights to see. (No, we did not visit Thailand for *those other* reasons.) Sadly, today, the their prices have gone through the roof, the services have suffered and we've lost interest. As noted elsewhere, as we get a bit older, the comforts of people and establishments with whom we have built a long history become even more welcoming. As noted in my reply to the prior post, for us, that Ideal Escape has become a tiny guesthouse and berg in Bavaria that we've visited for 15+ years. We used to spend 7-10 days there each year. More recently, we'd rather return to what has become our second home and an inn-keeping family that loves us as much as we love them. For 2013, we'll likely complete three visits, and a total of ~45 days in our 'adopted' home. They have only two, couple-sized guest suites, charge most folks about $300/night (though we do much better) and we've come to love this tiny village. Frau 'G.' and her girls cook wonderful meals that we share at the three-generation family table and we come and go as we please. The accommodations are relatively modest, yet elegant and spotlessly clean. The food is whatever we want it to be, from robust peasant fare to 5-star, and always includes the entire family. Our frequent visits with this FUN family have become so important to us that we've curbed our lust for other places, (especially the unpredictable SEA). Of course, we pay a fee for this hospitality, and they don't grant or accept frequent visitor points beyond genuine human pleasure, we find this tiny Guesthouse (about $250-$275 per night, all-in) one of the world's best bargains. And, we're truly come to love the multiple generations of this family. Sorry, but beyond Bavaria - or Southern Bavaria, I won't broadcast where it is.
When you get a lot older, Ben, you'll limit your trips to a very few places that have truly become second homes. Given your heritage and your know enjoyment of Bavaria, someday I may share the details - if privately. -C.
How could you possible resist a visit to the establishment advertised in the taxi, in order to find out what a "Jaguccie" is?
If I had to guess: a Gucci-brand jacuzzi?
@lucky ... where on the Bangkok Air site does it say web check-ins can use the Business Class line at the airport? If I can verify it I can spend another hour here at Conrad.
@wolfgang, from my experience you don't get access to all of the blue ribbon class (business class) counter, you get access to the web check-in counter which on most days is the same counter as one of the blue ribbon class counters. There might sometimes only be 1 blue ribbon class counter, sometimes it's 3 but I only ever have seen one marked as Web Check-in.
@ wolfgang -- I don't know where on the website it says it, but did you look at my picture, which has a clear sign for a web check-in counter? 😉
Awesome post, even if it's economy class. That walkway to the departure area doesn't even look like an airport!
Have you been to Tahiti? (I recall reading on this post that the gate looked Tahitian.)
In addition to the outdoor lounge, there is also an air conditioned bangkok airways lounge in Samui for business class customers, which is also a priority pass lounge.
Thanks for a great post - your advice will defintely come in handy when I travel through USM in a few weeks! 🙂
Just an unrelated question: can you book PG business class using AAdvantage miles as CX codeshares on PG and AA partners with CX on AAdvantage? (assuming there's space of course)
@ Hong Kong Airline News -- There's no way to redeem American miles on Bangkok Airways.
Just wanted to give you a huge thanks on the web check-in and FFP baggage tips! You saved my wife and I a huge amount of time (queue at BKK-USM check-in counter was brutal!) and money respectively on our recent trip to Koh Samui.
Just returned from Koh Samui having been armed with the incredibly helpful information outlined in this post. Thank you so much!
To add a few details, we checked in online which allowed us to skip the queue, however, I'm afraid we created a very long queue once we got to the check-in counter to drop our bags and I think the very reason why it took us so long to drop our bags is the very reason why the queues are so long.
The agent required us to present our boarding passes or itinerary for our Bangkok to Istanbul flight which we did not have aside from on our phones. We had to connect to the airport's free wifi to obtain this information. Once she had our ticket numbers, she was able to check our bags through to our final destination, London.
My advice to future passengers is to have all of your flight details printed and ready to present to the agent. Additionally, gate 7 (international gate) is air conditioned and Bangkok Airways provides small bites and drinks at the gate.
Hi, I am traveling on this airline this weekend and am a bit confused. How many pieces of checked luggage is each passenger allowed on Bangkok Airways?
Thanks!!