Bangkok Airways > Reviews > Gateway to magic!

Author's product rating:   

Food Quality	Satisfactory
Customer Service	Friendly and attentive
Punctuality	Good
Space	Comfortable
Value for Money	Satisfactory

Advantages:	Good route network, bookable online, friendly image
Disadvantages:	Expensive

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

Anyone visiting Thailand must see Bangkok.
Anyone visiting Thailand also wants to escape to the hills or beach.

My criteria, like most peoples, needed both the above elements. Thailand has developed drastically, and backpackers move around the country on modern air-con buses, opting for ferries to visit islands. It is certainly 'do-able' to get round the country by these means.

I had limited time, and wanted to experience Bangkok and Koh Samui. I knew that the lengthy flight from London would sap me of energy, and cost me a day out of my ten in Thailand.

I booked my long-haul flight with Thai airways online, I booked a hotel in Bangkok online, and a bungalow on a beach in Koh Samui online. The missing link was the flight from Bangkok to Samui.

Guess what... I booked it online!

Bangkok Airways website is brilliant. Aswell as the facility to book, it is a showcase of their achievement. They proudly display their expanding network, boast of their young fleet, the airports that they control and the experience and training of their crew and engineers, trained by the well-respected Swissair team.

I knew that I was dealing with a competent outfit. Worth mentioning at this point, they boast
their holding of an award for excellence in the 'Asia regional airlines' category.

Online booking is straightforward, and they have adopted the ever-increasing policy of issuing e-tickets. It means that you can't forget your ticket. Just prove who you are (passport) and your on board!

After a few days in Bangkok, I travelled to the airport for my flight.
Now, In Europe, low cost airlines are operating from minor secondary airports miles from town. Bangkok Airways use the same international airport that I arrived in Thailand at. A new 'Super-airport' is being built in Bangkok, I am not sure what airlines are going to re-route into that.

Good security prevails here, with bags being sealed. Check in was effortless and I moved swiftly through to the gate.

The aircraft are stunning, lots of flowery/leafy/tropical livery, and it sets a fun tone (lets face it, business travellers don't use these routes, everyone is heading for the beach!)
The friendly staff perform all the usual functions, you get an OK sandwich/snack and a drink.

The inflight magazine is quite refreshing too...
How often are they full of ads for glitzy Fifth Avenue style gems, offshore accounting or frequent-flyer lounges? I saw ads which many tourists may appreciate.

Arriving in Samui is unforgetable. Bangkok Airways operate the airport themselves, and it is like no other. A narrow airstrip also functions as taxiway carved into the hills.

Tractors pull carts of passengers and luggage from the aircraft to the area you would normally call the terminal. Most of this airport is outdoors, with areas covered in thatch style coverings. Walls don't exist, but vegetation does. It is a lovely arrival to a stunning part of Thailand.

If this alarms you, be assured that for my return leg, there was stringent security on arrival, and the airport is patrolled with keen-eyed Thai guards.

Bangkok Airways has an extensive network in the region. They fly from Bangkok to six regional airports in Thailand.

They fly also to Pnon Penh, the Cambodian capital, and Siem Reap, close to the world heritage site of Angkor Wat in Cambodia.
They serve Singapore and airports in Laos too.
In Burma (Myanmar) they serve Rangoon (Yangon)
Vietnamese routes include Ho Chi Minh
Also, several destinations in China including Nanjing, Shenzen and Xian.

This is a brilliant opportunity for travellers to get to their destination cheaply. Tickets from London to Vietnam and Cambodia are prohibitively expensive, yet Bangkok can exist as a gateway here. I paid £370 to fly LHR to BKK.

If I wanted to visit Laos, Cambodia or Vietnam, I would consider using Bangkok as a launch-pad to travel on.

Bangkok Airways is a success story, an example of Thais doing their best for their guests