Bangkok Airways temporarily suspends all domestic flights between 7-30 April 2020

[churchill]

https://www.bangkokair.com/press-release/view/Bangkok-Airways-temporarily-suspends-all-domestic-flights?fbclid=IwAR33_6SiwT_S4Jzf9-okapjll69cDLBajd52tW35yu3hQcOoGNUIxpqx4kw

[phetphet]

Not only are they suspended flights from 7-30 April. They are also stopping flights on certain routes from other dates. Some from 29 March to 24 October.

I don't think I have seen any flights arriving or departing from Samui today. Just checked FlightRadar24 and none on the screen.

 

Please see: https://www.bangkokair.com/Announcement/view/bangkok-airways-flight-suspension-table

[khunPer]

1 minute ago, phetphet said:

Not only are they suspended flights from 7-30 April. They are also stopping flights on certain routes from other dates. Some from 29 March to 24 October.

I don't think I have seen any flights arriving or departing from Samui today. Just checked FlightRadar24 and none on the screen.

 

Please see: https://www.bangkokair.com/Announcement/view/bangkok-airways-flight-suspension-table

The older ATR72 airplanes won't show up at FlightRadar24 due to lack of compliant transponder. I cannot remember if it's from -500 or -600 they'll show up. It seemed like the departures last evening were props, probably due to the reduced demand and only 68 seats instead of around 140 in the jets.

 

But can well be that the demand right now is so little, that they only have a few departures a day.

 

Soon we will feel what Samui was like before 1989...

[phetphet]

5 minutes ago, khunPer said:

The older ATR72 airplanes won't show up at FlightRadar24 due to lack of compliant transponder. I cannot remember if it's from -500 or -600 they'll show up. It seemed like the departures last evening were props, probably due to the reduced demand and only 68 seats instead of around 140 in the jets.

 

But can well be that the demand right now is so little, that they only have a few departures a day.

 

Soon we will feel what Samui was like before 1989...

Yes. It's already looking like it was pre 2000. And it should reduce the chances of someone bringing further infection here. 

But if you check that link to Bangkok Airways, you can see that some flights are suspended from 29 March until 24 October.

I have a flight booked for early July from Samui to UK. So it might affect that, even though it's months away.

[khunPer]

1 hour ago, phetphet said:

Yes. It's already looking like it was pre 2000. And it should reduce the chances of someone bringing further infection here. 

But if you check that link to Bangkok Airways, you can see that some flights are suspended from 29 March until 24 October.

I have a flight booked for early July from Samui to UK. So it might affect that, even though it's months away.

In this situation I would not predict about the future, my normally shining clear crystal ball is infected by smoky-gray shades of virus...????

[Tropicalevo]

The Samui airport link give the full picture.

https://www.samuiairportonline.com/flight-status-departures/

 

As you say Phetphet (and I agree). This is how I first saw Samui.

Little traffic. Few boats. Not many restaurants but the roads are better now and we also now have supermarkets, banks and ATM's.

  3 hours ago, phetphet said:

Yes. It's already looking like it was pre 2000. And it should reduce the chances of someone bringing further infection here. 

[Samui Bodoh]

"...Yes. It's already looking like it was pre 2000..."

 

Whooohooo!

 

I recall the pre-2000 years with great fondness.

 

I was 25 kilos lighter, had abs + pecs + whatever the other muscles were, was able to both go to sleep and wake at dawn, eat as I liked, swim, jog, drink and chase women with reckless abandon and success.

 

If we are going back to that time, then I say...

 

Close the airport and bring on the isolation!

 

 

 

 

 

[Birdman]

In the 80s and early 90s there was almost no traffic. On the ring road often no vehicle for 15 minutes. 

Palm tree forests so tense until the beaches. Chaweng Beach Road a sandy path in that, dark at night. The Reggae Pub a tiny, very simple bar with a small dancing spot on sand opposite the now Centara. Samuians were very relaxed. Farangs only young easy people. Everything everywhere was tropival calm and extremely beautifull. It was magical.

[phetphet]

I first came in the early 90's, and  can remember the Reggae Pub in it's present location, but one had to cross a rickety bamboo bridge across the lake to get there. I think it was where the present road is at police station end of the lake. Happy days.

[Psimbo]

They are settling into the long term- I have had 2 flights at the end of May cancelled.

[Birdman]

I live on Samui since 91 until now. Before that on Phuket. Came in my young 20s. And yep, 86 or 87 the Reggae Pub was at the beach road. Lamai was then t h e place. Animal house first 'disco'. Flamingo...

In the 90s Reggae Pub at the same place like now with the shakey bridge and next to that in the water motorbikes from last night.

Green Mango was at the Petch Buncha Boxing Stadium area, very nice place before surrounded by tense palm tree forests. And nice it was later at the Sunday afternoons at Secret Garden....

[khunPer]

Just for old-timers (before me) memory, and later arriveres to view the magic from before the airport-era, as talked about in the above comments...????

 

Samui Aiport, but this photo is taken before it was build...

 

Reggae Pub 1984...

 

Chaweng Beach Road 1984...

 

Lamai, might however be the year after the airfield opened, i.e. circa 1990...

 

[Birdman]

Reggae Pub did not exist 84. And it was a tiny bar on Beach Road in the late 80s. Looks rather 94 or later on the picture. Around 96 it burnt down, because one of the lucky candle lights landed on a roof.

 

And yes, the Caribian was t h e car for rent then. I even had one for a while and did even Samui-BKK-Samui once with that shaky vehicle. Quicker than 70 and you thought parts can fly away any moment.

[lom]

16 minutes ago, Birdman said:

Reggae Pub did not exist 84. And it was a tiny bar on Beach Road in the late 80s. Looks rather 94 or later on the picture.

The bridge in that photo looks much wider than what I remember of it, I'd guess it is the 2nd generation of it.

No bamboo poles with lamps on it either.

[khunPer]

Thanks @Birdman and @lom for comments about dating. The photos are not dated by me, but by other posters in a group collection old time Samui photos.

 

The "84"-date is the earliest photo I know of Reggae Pub. This photo is dated 1987, note the roof is changed from leafs to what looks like tiles, and the bridge looks more worn out...

 

–And this photo just carry the date "long time ago"...

 

Looking in photo-folders from my own Saumi-era up to present time, I found that Reggae Pub celebrated 20-years birthday in 2008, so 1988 seems like the year of opening. However, if that was on the peninsula location or, as mentioned in comments here, by the beach road, I don't know...

 

So yes, the photos above might be from 90ies instead of 80ies, and not before the airport, sorry guys...

 

About the around 96-fire; I've been told that it was the building on the back side of the road, not the one facing the lake that burned, and that it was cause by a Swedish guy that fired a rocket inside, which hit the roof. Looking at the "long time ago"-picture you can see the building in the back, also in the "1984" photo, whilst the "1987" with tiled roofs lacks that building, so 1994 and 1997 might be the right dates...????

 

Edited April 3, 2020 by khunPer

[gearbox]

On 4/2/2020 at 3:57 PM, khunPer said:

The older ATR72 airplanes won't show up at FlightRadar24 due to lack of compliant transponder. I cannot remember if it's from -500 or -600 they'll show up. It seemed like the departures last evening were props, probably due to the reduced demand and only 68 seats instead of around 140 in the jets.

 

But can well be that the demand right now is so little, that they only have a few departures a day.

 

Soon we will feel what Samui was like before 1989...

Interesting times. I haven't seen the financial report of Bangkok Airways, but the Samui route is their cash cow. If the downturn lasts long time they may need a bailout and possibly the government taking partial ownership. Which may lead to the opening of the Samui airport to more airlines if it becomes some sort of government owned airport.

[khunPer]

11 hours ago, gearbox said:

Interesting times. I haven't seen the financial report of Bangkok Airways, but the Samui route is their cash cow. If the downturn lasts long time they may need a bailout and possibly the government taking partial ownership. Which may lead to the opening of the Samui airport to more airlines if it becomes some sort of government owned airport.

Bangkok Airways has not been doing well the last couple of years, they even have loss – I had some few shares bought for 22.71, but luckily dropped out two years ago at 16.60, now the price is little more than 4 baht – but there are some level of capital behind the airline, and it's only a limited part of the company that is traded on SET.

 

Samui Airport is private owned on mainly long-term leased land, and if the owner don't get into serious trouble, I don't think that they'll give it up.

 

However, a lot complains about Samui being overcrowded, overbuild, too much traffic, and lack of sufficient infrastructure; how many of you would wish to see the island even more overrun by budget and charter tourists?

[gearbox]

21 hours ago, khunPer said:

However, a lot complains about Samui being overcrowded, overbuild, too much traffic, and lack of sufficient infrastructure; how many of you would wish to see the island even more overrun by budget and charter tourists?

 

The budget tourists are still coming,  overcoming the inconvenience to go via the Surat Thani airport. There were so many Russians early to mid February when I left, all chartered to the Surat Thani airport. And almost all backpackers heading to Phangan and Tao are going there via Samui and staying at least a few days too. 

 

The corona has taken care of any overcrowding now for long time. These villas and hotels won't see any people any time soon. If the downturn stretches more than 1-2 years lots of businesses won't reopen, and there would be tough times for anyone trying to sell real estate and leave.  

[lom]

1 hour ago, gearbox said:

The corona has taken care of any overcrowding now for long time.

I guess the recently proposed bridge is off the table now..????