Flights to/from Thailand status, news, and updates

[PeteC]

It's like many or most promotions, jack up the base prices before the discount comes into effect. All of a sudden you may not find the usual 800 Baht flight to Chiang Mai, as the base will become 1,100.

My wife hates it when I reminder her of that when she becomes all excited about some grand sale somewhere.

[Nereus]

You can get 300 baht off domestic flights in Thailand under the project “Discounts All Over the Sky, Fly All Over Thailand.

And to help pay for the discounts, all the international flights have been jacked up!

[buksida]

Arrived on Eva from London yesterday, the flight was full and by listening to chats and looking at the queues, most were going to Pattaya.

Took an hour to get through immigration and baggage claim so be prepared if you have onward travel booked.

[Ginjaninja]

I tried to book Eva on my return last week and it was fully booked. If I’d booked two days before flying there were still a few seats available.
I took the later Thai flight instead and it was pretty much full as well.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[PeteC]

https://thethaiger.com/travel/thai-lion ... -to-taipei

Budget airline Thai Lion Air will resume its direct service between Bangkok and Taipei in Taiwan on December 17. Tickets start at 2,950 baht one-way.

Flight SL396 will depart from Bangkok’s Don Mueang International Airport on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays, and Sundays at 8.35pm and will arrive in Taipei at 1.25am the next day.

Flight SL397 will depart from Taipei’s Taoyuan International Airport on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays, and Sundays at 2.35am and arrive in Bangkok at 5.35am. The flight time is approximately three hours.

The journey takes approximately 3 hours and 50 minutes.

Tickets will go on sale today on the Thai Lion Air website for a discounted price of 2,950 baht one-way. The price includes a generous checked baggage allowance of 20 kilograms and a carry-on allowance of seven kilograms.

Passengers who wish to change the date of their flight will be charged a rebooking fee of 750 baht.

Other airlines serving the route include Thai Vietjet Air, Thai Airlines, China Airlines, Tigerair, Thai Smile, and Starlux...........

[Motyduke]

20 kg luggage ...generous ??? I rememeber the old times with 27 kg or more. In fact , it is less and less now

[Dannie Boy]

Although it’s true what you say, a number of airlines have stopped any free luggage that goes in the hold, so 20 kg isn’t that bad for a budget airline


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[PeteC]

https://thethaiger.com/travel/thai-aira ... -and-india

Low-cost airline Thai AirAsia announced plans to launch direct routes from Bangkok’s Don Mueang Airport to Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh and to Lucknow in northern India.

The airline’s Bangkok – Dhaka service will operate four times per week commencing November 24, 2022.

The flight will depart from Don Mueang at 11pm on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays and arrive in Dhaka at 12.25am local time the next day.

The route from Dhaka to Bangkok will depart at 12.55am on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays, and Sundays and arrive at Don Mueang at 4.20am.

Tickets for the Bangkok – Dhaka route start from 3,630 baht one-way and can be booked through the AirAsia website.

The Bangkok – Lucknow service will fly three times per week, beginning December 4, 2022. The flight will depart Don Mueang at 8.10pm on Wednesdays, Fridays, and Sundays and arrive in Lucknow at 10.35pm local time.

Thai AirAsia’s flight from Lucknow to Don Mueang will depart at 11.20pm on Wednesdays, Fridays, and Sundays and arrive in Bangkok at 4.40am the next day.

Tickets on the Bangkok – Lucknow route start at 4,380 baht one-way and can be booked through the AirAsia website.

[PeteC]

AirAsia X expands medium-haul routes from Bangkok and Kuala Lumpur

https://thethaiger.com/travel/airasia-x ... ala-lumpur

Air Asia X group (AAX) – including Malaysia AirAsia X and Thai AirAsia X – announced an expansion of medium-haul services out of Bangkok and Kuala Lumpur to meet the ever-growing demand. CEO of AAX Tony Fernandes says the airline is “well and truly back.”

The low-cost airline has “reactivated” 175 pilots and 285 cabin crew who were furloughed during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Fernandes said that AAX is also looking to launch long-haul services to London, Dubai, and Istanbul.
Flights from Bangkok

Thai AAX already launched services from Bangkok to…

Osaka, Japan
Tokyo Narita Airport (NRT), Japan
Seoul Incheon, South Korea

In December, the airline will launch flights from Bangkok to…

Melbourne, Australia
Sydney, Australia
Sapporo, Japan

Tony Fernandes commented on the purpose of focussing on the revival of medium-haul services…

“This strategy ensures that AAX Group can operate at an optimal frequency on our core routes to keep our costs down and deliver the best fares in the market for our customers, while at the same time, maximizing our revenues to ensure a successful and viable airline for the future.”

The CEO reflected on his previous promise to get the airline’s staff back on board after the pandemic…

“I made a commitment, and it thrills me that we can honour that in two and a half years as we return to the skies stronger than ever. All of our AAX pilots who are still on furlough will return to the flight deck, together with the retrenched cabin crew by December this year.”

Flights from Kuala Lumpur

AAX group has already relaunched services from Kuala Lumpur to…

Seoul Incheon International Airport (ICN), South Korea
Indira Gandhi International Airport (DEL), New Delhi, India

The airline announced plans to resume flights from Kuala Lumpur to…

Sydney, Australia
Melbourne, Australia
Perth, Australia
Auckland, New Zealand
Tokyo Haneda Airport (HND), Japan
Sapporo New Chitose Airport (CTS), Japan
Taipei, Taiwan
Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
Istanbul, Turkey

Malaysia AAX CEO Benyamin Ismail said bookings out of Kuala Lumpur are “looking strong.” He said medium-haul travel is recovering fast and predicts a positive trend in early 2023.

Tickets on all routes can be bought through the AirAsia website. Always check the entry requirements of your final destination before you fly.

[PeteC]

Thai AirAsia launches its inaugural flight to Fukuoka via Don Mueang. This route launch comes just in time with the further relaxation of travel protocols and visas for foreign travellers to Japan.

To celebrate Thai AirAsia's first direct flight to Fukuoka, Japan BIG members may avail of the promotional offering from as low as 3,690 baht per trip. Passengers can book now via AirAsia Super App.

Thai AirAsia operates the Don Mueang-Fukuoka route using 236-seat Airbus A321 aircraft. Hot meal and beverage services are made available on board. Ancillary products can also be booked.

Visit airasia.com.

[PeteC]

Qantas announces partnership with Bangkok Airways

https://thethaiger.com/hot-news/tourism ... ok-airways

Australia flag carrier Qantas Airways announced a new partnership with Bangkok Airways today which will allow its frequent flyers to book classic flight reward seats to more than 20 destinations across Thailand and South East Asia.

Bangkok Airways climbs onboard the Qantas Frequent Flyer programme with another 45 partner airlines, which will allow members to use their points to travel to more than 1,200 destinations across the globe.

Travelers can access Bangkok Airways flights from Australia via Bangkok, Phuket and Singapore. Qantas operates more than 50 return flights each week between Australia and these popular destinations.

Bangkok Airways has regular flights each day out of the kingdom’s capital to some of Thailand’s most popular destinations, including Koh Samui and Chiang Mai, and Siem Reap in Cambodia.

The partnership expands on a codeshare agreement that was introduced in 2014 allowing Qantas customers to book commercial seats on Bangkok Airways flights.

Qantas Loyalty CEO Olivia Wirth said Qantas Frequent Flyer welcomed Bangkok Airways to the program.

“We want our members to be able to use their Qantas points on reward seats to as many destinations as possible and our portfolio of partner airlines means they can choose from hundreds of locations across the globe.

“Thailand is one of the most popular destinations for our frequent flyers and this partnership will make it easier for them to explore more of the region using their points.

“The option to book reward seats on Bangkok Airways’ expansive network across Thailand and Southeast Asia will also open up thousands of new redemption opportunities.

“Reward seats continue to be great value and there are millions available for booking now across domestic and international routes for the next year on Qantas, Jetstar and our partner airlines.”

The Bangkok Airways partnership follows recent initiatives from Qantas Frequent Flyer to expand opportunities for travelers to use their points on flights including 100,000 classic flight reward seats between Australia and Japan, and the extension of Qantas’ commitment for 50% more reward seats until June 2023.

Qantas Frequent Flyers can also use their points on hotel stays across Thailand through Qantas Hotels.

[PeteC]

Russian airlines resume direct flights to Phuket

https://thethaiger.com/hot-news/tourism ... -to-phuket

Tourism in Phuket got another boost from Russian tourists as the first direct flights from Moscow to Phuket International Airport resumed. The airport expects to see an average of 30,000 arrivals per day in November. Ikar Airlines was the first to arrive from Moscow yesterday afternoon, with a flight from Russian national airline Aeroflot landing later at 9.10pm.

Ikar is a charter airline that operates under Pegas Fly. They usually run flights from Moscow to Phuket, Krabi, and U-Tapao Airport serving Pattaya. Their plane landed at 1.23pm yesterday at Phuket Airport and was met with a special reception from airport staff.

Some 449 Russian travellers were aboard the flight. They were met by the staff administrative officer for Phuket as well as airport staff who gathered to mark the return of direct flights from Russia to Phuket.

Going into the winter High Season, when many Russian tourists flee to warm locations like Phuket, Koh Samui, and other tropical Southeast Asian destinations, three Russian airlines will shuffle passengers from around Russia to Phuket.

Ikar Airlines which arrived first will have a regular schedule running flights from Sheremetyevo Airport in Moscow to Phuket on Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday each week. The schedule is confirmed until March 25. Aeroflot will fly between the same two airports, but twice as often as Ikar. It will fly daily from now until the season change on March 25.

Finally, Siberia Airlines will transport Russians from three major cities to Phuket. Their November to March high season schedule will run three flights a week – two on Monday and one on Thursday. The Thursday flight will bring people to Phuket from Irkutsk in Siberia. On Mondays, the airline will operate flights to Phuket from the far-east port city of Vladivostock. They will also fly from Novosibirsk, Russia’s third-largest city every Monday through the end of March.

[PeteC]

Airlines ramp up Chiang Mai flights in time for High Season in Thailand

https://thethaiger.com/travel/airlines- ... n-thailand

Airlines are ramping up flights to and from Chiang Mai, northern Thailand, in time for the High Season which runs from November until March.

Most international visitors to Chiang Mai will fly from abroad into Bangkok first. Governor of Chiang Mai province Nirat Pongsitthavorn revealed that he has been in discussions with Nok Air about increasing flight frequency to Chiang Mai from the capital.

The governor revealed that Nok Air will increase the frequency of their Bangkok – Chiang Mai route from eight flights per day to a whopping 12 flights per day, starting November 1.

Korean Air‘s direct route from Seoul in South Korea to Chiang Mai will fly four times per week in November. In December, the frequency will be increased to seven flights per week.

Lao Airlines have two direct services to Chiang Mai from Vientiane and Luang Prabang. Both routes will fly three times per week, starting November 1.

The hottest destination to fly to from Chiang Mai this High Season seems to be the Taiwanese capital Taipei, with three airlines hopping on board with direct routes.

EVA Air will fly between Taipei in Taiwan and Chiang Mai on a 184-seater Airbus A320 seven times per week, starting January 1, 2023. EVA Air’s connecting routes will bring tourists into Chiang Mai from Europe, America, and Japan.

China Airlines‘ Taipei to Chiang Mai service will run thrice weekly, starting January 20, 2023.

Thai AirAsia is reportedly preparing to open a direct service between Taipei and Chiang Mai soon.

Tourists can stay longer in the kingdom than usual this High Season, with Thailand officially granting longer stays to tourists. For High Season only, Thailand is granting extended visa exemptions on arrival up to 45 days and VOA (visas on arrival) up to 30 days for tourists from eligible countries.

If you want to experience real Thai winter, take a trip up Doi Inthanon mountain in Chiang Mai province, where the weather hits lows of eight degrees Celsius in the winter months.

[HHTel]

'Thrice'! Not heard that used since I was at school. I'm sure there are many that wouldn't even know what it meant - 'Three times'

[Nereus]

And with all these flights appearing, Thai Airlines has still not restored their daily flight to Perth, which also used to include Phuket!