any truth about regional flights

[mack]

Perhaps this is more hoping more than willing to be realistic.

I was in a travel agent last week in Singapore booking some flights to Hong Kong. Got chatting with the girl working in the travel agents and she said that the low cost offshoot of Singapore airlines was planning to fly to Hau Hin. Not that those flights between Singapore and HH would do me much good but I thought if that route was opening up more would follow.

Has anyone heard anything along these lines??

Cheers

[Norseman]

Singapore airlines was planning to fly to Hau Hin.

Never heard of this before. Where did you get that information?

In addition to the SGA Airlines, the Hua Hin Air Shuttle to/from Bangkok we have the "new" Bangkok Airways as described underneath.
Will we have international flights as well?


Having finally agreed an acceptable fare for the flight Bangkok to Hua Him, Bangkok Airways landed there again after a break of 10years. Flying Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday on a 70 seat ATR 72 aircraft the services continues onwards to Koh Samui.

As I reported earlier Hua Hin airport was recently upgraded with the runway being extended to 2, 100 metres, to accommodate aircraft such as ATR 72 without a restricted payload. There are also customs and immigration facilities to allow airlines to fly charters to Hua Hin direct or transit Bangkok International Airport and clear immigration on arrival in Hua Hin.

Currently passengers would need to clear immigration at Bangkok International Airport and transfer to the domestic terminal for flights to Hua Hin.

Dr Prasert Prasarrtong-osoth, President of Bangkok Airways was keen to point out that resumption of flights to Hua Hin will help the destination achieve its goal of becoming an internationally recognized resort.

"Opening up these routes will not only serve the tourism business," he commented, "but also generate additional income to aid rural development in the immediate area." Hua Hin and neighbouring Cha-am attracts 700,000 tourists each year.

[PJG]

Hope it never happens. The thought of loads of Singaporeans adding to the the Koreans on the Golf Courses during high season is really depressing. Lets keep it difficult to get ton Hua Hin

[Wanderlust]

Norseman,
i'm not saying you are wrong with that news story, but I googled it and I found that exact passage from Travel Thailand ezine, part of the HotelThailand,com site, and it is from June 2004. I also checked the Bangkok Airways website and Hua Hin is not on their list of destinations. So as far as I can tell they have not resumed or announced that they are going to.

[lomuamart]

And in response to the OP, Singapore Airlines were the first in there years ago when the "international" airport opened. Not one flight landed.
Maybe the person in Singapore was reading off an old manual?

[troopie]

I agree that this information is very much out of date. The story said "Bangkok Airways landed there again after a break of 10 years." Well I flew from HH to Bangkok on BA much less than 10 years ago!
I also agree with those who hope this story is inaccurate. Having a shuttle to Bangkok is useful for some but as someone who lives on the north side of town, I certainly don't want more & bigger planes flying in! As for extra tourists, I'm not in the property or retail/restaurant business so I also hope there are no floods of extra foreigners coming in. However, now that the peak season has given way to the hot & then the wet, we may have to wait a bit before we see any hordes flooding downtown!

[Mart]

Won't the new BKK airport be further away? If so, maybe it does need a proper shuttle service.
It's a tough one this, part of me wants it left as harder to get to (so keeping out the package idiots), but part of me wants the place to get more on the map.

Mart

[Jaime]

As has been discussed elsewhere, the new airport is going to be about the same distance from Hua Hin as the current one. If the proposed new infrastructure actually gets constructed then travel times may even get shorter.

[Jaime]

part of me wants it left as harder to get to (so keeping out the package idiots)

Package 'idiots'?

What exactly makes them idiots Mart?

I would suggest that there are plenty of 'idiots' arriving in Hua Hin and Thailand in general on a 'flight only' basis. I see plenty of them in the bars every time I come to Thailand!

[caller]

Hey Jaime, I know its kind of late here in the UK, but thats a wee bit harsh, isn't it?

However one travels and for whatever purpose, a percentage will fit someone elses idea of an idiot.

Maybe we all have at some stage?

And I bet they don't all have tattoos, or get ripped off buying fake IT!!!

I've had to put up with a plague of golfing package tourists in the Hilton and other package groups elsewhere. The trouble was, they all seemed to be having a good time!

Anyway, it looks like I'm finally heading out late April, should get to HH about 8/9 days after arrival, so I'd better be careful what I say - that could be me on the bar stool!

It probably already is.

[Jaime]

Hey Jaime ... thats a wee bit harsh, isn't it?

However one travels and for whatever purpose, a percentage will fit someone elses idea of an idiot.

Maybe we all have at some stage?

Good point Caller. And that is exactly the point I was trying to make about Mart's observation.

I am not trying to bait Mart or be confrontational for its own sake.

I am, of course, a 'flight-only' wallah myself and I am sure I have bored the pants off more than one unfortunate in a bar who just went out for a quiet drink but I find the disparaging attitude towards package tourists in general rather pompous.

Like it or not, mass tourism is what has made travel affordable for all of us.

And lest I forget; some of my best friends are package tourists!

[Mart]

I think I was a little harsh in calling package tourists idiots. I've never been a fan of the package tour myself, but have lots of friends and family who travel no other way.

Parts of Spain, Greece etc have turned into a nightmare because of cheap and easy package tours - just wouldn't like to see it here.

Mart

[Jaime]

Parts of Spain, Greece etc have turned into a nightmare

Of course, one man's nightmare is another man's paradise.....

P.S. In my experience the biggest threat to local customs, culture and dare I say it ambience, etc. in tourist destinations is not transient package tourism, which can be contained both physically and temporally, but burgeoning ex-pat populations who think they have discovered a new Eden only to find that they contribute to the demise of all they once found charming in a place just by being there.

[caller]

[quote="Jaime P.S. In my experience the biggest threat to local customs, culture and dare I say it ambience, etc. in tourist destinations is not transient package tourism, which can be contained both physically and temporally, but burgeoning ex-pat populations who think they have discovered a new Eden only to find that they contribute to the demise of all they once found charming in a place just by being there.[/quote]

Blimey!!! Good luck with that one and having read your earlier response, it looks like it was me that was affected by the late night!!!

Mind you, even in the few years I've been visiting HH, I've noticed the changes, I'm beginning to wonder whether a bit further south might be an option...?

[Jaime]

I'm beginning to wonder whether a bit further south might be an option...?

And so spreads the malaise..... If you go, you know that Tesco and friends will follow you! It's all dooooomed I tell ya!

But don't worry, just go with the flow and have another Chang while you're contemplating the quandry!