Tight Connection Making Samui Flight

[Dinobot]

Hello,

 

Wondering if people with plenty of experience with Ko Samui airport travel can help me decide how best to fly out when coming from Koh Phangan.

 

I have a flight out of Samui airport at 10:20am. Seatran has a ferry that says it arrives to Samui airport (after land connection) at 9:30am. Is this enough time to check in (I have one bag to check) and make my flight?

 

I have no idea how crowded and fast/slow Samui airport is on a typical morning, so any advice here would be helpful and appreciated.

 

I know it’s the most certain option, but I prefer not to have to overnight on Samui if at all possible, but if my chances of making it over from Phangan in time the morning of my flight are slim then I suppose it’s my only option.

 

Thanks all.

[geriatrickid]

Seriously? In the time you took to type out your question you could have  verified with the airline website.  As it seems you are flying from USM, it is most likely a PG flight. As per the airline website;

Domestic : At least 90 minutes before departure time.

This means being at the desk to drop off your bag. Add to this the wait in line.

Nor does this take into account weather or mechanical delays to the ferry.

Look at the historical weather for the  period you will be traveling in. If  there is usually rain, there will be delays, and even ground halts. If it is peak travel time, there will be a line up at the airport.

Use common sense. if you are late, unless flying on the full fare, the airline is under no obligation to book you or waive surcharges. The flight loads are heavy and popular flight times fill up quickly. You may find yourself waiting until the afternoon to get a flight if you miss your flight.

 

Edited February 24, 2019 by geriatrickid

[islandguy]

Not enough time. Take an earlier ferry. Minimum time to get a bag checked onto a flight, even if you have already done a web check in, is 45 minutes before scheduled departure.

[Dinobot]

Not enough time. Take an earlier ferry. Minimum time to get a bag checked onto a flight, even if you have already done a web check in, is 45 minutes before scheduled departure.

Which ferry is this? On the seatran website the earliest one gets me to the airport at 9:30. I like that Seatran includes the land transport, does this one?

[Tropicalevo]

18 hours ago, Dinobot said:

 

Which ferry is this? On the seatran website the earliest one gets me to the airport at 9:30. I like that Seatran includes the land transport, does this one?

You should contact the ferry ticket office direct and ask them.

[khunPer]

On 2/24/2019 at 5:56 AM, Dinobot said:

I have a flight out of Samui airport at 10:20am. Seatran has a ferry that says it arrives to Samui airport (after land connection) at 9:30am. Is this enough time to check in (I have one bag to check) and make my flight?

No, you should be in the airport no later than one hour prior to your scheduled departure, preferably even before that; the mentioned 90 minutes is a good guide.

 

Count another 30 minutes minimum from a bang Rak bound ferry scheduled arrival time for getting off, finding a taxi, and drive to the airport.

 

I.e. if you flight departure is 10:20 am, your Bang Rak bound ferry shall arrive no later than 8:20 am (perhaps 8:30 will do). this does not include any buffer to delays or unexpected events.

[Dinobot]

I’d like to just take an earlier ferry as the guy suggested above. Seatran gets in too late. What pier(s) should I book to using the other company, I think it starts with an L?

[SamuiGeezer]

You want to get the 8:00am ferry to Bangrak pier (not the ticket to the airport) it is scheduled to arrive at 8:30am. Then get a taxi to the airport. It is a sort trip and should take 15 minutes maximum. You will then be at the airport with plenty of time.

Edited February 25, 2019 by SamuiGeezer
typo

[Dinobot]

You should contact the ferry ticket office direct and ask them.

I took your advice and called Seatran. They said the connection using the 8am ferry is no problem at all. Once I arrive at the pier it will be 8:30 and they said it typically takes 15 minutes to get from boat to the airport, but even if there’s some delay I will for sure get there before 9, still plenty of time.

They just quote an hour from pier to airport out of extreme conservatism, but it’s simply a 5-10 minute drive. I opted for their transport rather than taxi so I don’t have to deal with haggling while my brain is still asleep.

Thanks All and I hope this thread is helpful to someone else in the future.

[SamuiGeezer]

You will probably be okay, but they won't be in a rush to get to the airport. They will want to fill up the minibus first.

[Dinobot]

Just to close the loop on this: I ended up making the connection even with the SeaTran being 20 minutes late and the flight on time, with plenty of time to spare. One thing that helped was checking in for the flight online rather than at the airport (so I could just do bag drop instead of check in line).

I hope this helps others.