State-run Airport Opposed For Samui

[Rooo]

Bangkok Airways, the owner of Koh Samui's sole airport, says it is prepared to face challenges from a proposed second airport on the resort island only if it is built and operated by a private entity.

Today Bangkok Post

.http://www.bangkokpost.com/Business/16May2007_biz35.php

Edited May 15, 2007 by Rooo

[sbk]

From the Bangkok Post

Bangkok Airways, the owner of Koh Samui's sole airport, says it is prepared to face challenges from a proposed second airport on the resort island only if it is built and operated by a private entity. Chief executive Prasert Prasarttong-Osoth yesterday told the National Legislative Assembly's Transport Committee that it was only fair to have a second airport, provided it was built and run by a private company rather than a state agency using taxpayers' money.

He goes on to say that govt agencies have an advantage over privately owned businesses because they can disregard the true costs of construction etc. I guess, he's saying that a privately owned airport would not pose any kind of competition for Bkk Air because they would have to charge even more than Bkk Air to make their money back.

[Rooo]

What a pathetic representation made by the good DR.I can't believe what he is saying.

[Ling Kae]

I love Koh Samui but the airfares of nearly 8,000 baht return from BKK kind of puts me off going there. It is really weird that you can fly to Surat Thani for about 2,000 Baht return and you can fly all the way to the Philippines for around 8,000 return, yet Koh Samui is only an hour away and it costs so much. Anything that can get rid of these high charges would be a big plus for Samui.

[southwest19]

I love Koh Samui but the airfares of nearly 8,000 baht return from BKK kind of puts me off going there. It is really weird that you can fly to Surat Thani for about 2,000 Baht return and you can fly all the way to the Philippines for around 8,000 return, yet Koh Samui is only an hour away and it costs so much. Anything that can get rid of these high charges would be a big plus for Samui.

I agree. I have just returned from Phuket and when I was there I got chatting to a family and I asked them if they had been to Samui before they said they had but this year decided to return to Phuket citing cheaper airfares and better value hotels.

Phuket was certainly very busy though I think alot of government money has been invested there for obvious reasons.

[lazeeboy]

I love Koh Samui but the airfares of nearly 8,000 baht return from BKK kind of puts me off going there. It is really weird that you can fly to Surat Thani for about 2,000 Baht return and you can fly all the way to the Philippines for around 8,000 return, yet Koh Samui is only an hour away and it costs so much. Anything that can get rid of these high charges would be a big plus for Samui.

I agree. I have just returned from Phuket and when I was there I got chatting to a family and I asked them if they had been to Samui before they said they had but this year decided to return to Phuket citing cheaper airfares and better value hotels.

Phuket was certainly very busy though I think alot of government money has been invested there for obvious reasons.

bangkok airways have been ripping everyone off for years ,and they have the money to tie the proposed airport up for years dropping back handers to the right people so that it stays bottom of the pile .the sooner samui gets the 2nd airport the better ,then maybe we will get some more tourists here

[samran]

samui doesn't need a second airport.

BKK air needs to have its monopoly powers stripped away from it, and open the current airport up based on landing charges which reflect more reasonable anding charges elsewhere. Currently BKK airways has an effective monoply on Samui, preventing other airlines from landing there.

For consumers, this is a bad thing.

[singa-traz]

And there is no way a second airport would be build.

This is BS talk for negotiation only ...

[Pilchard]

From the same article

Dr Prasert noted that the development of the second airport should be considered in the context of sustainable tourism, zeroing in on the high-end market, which has not been pursued vigorously.

Mass tourism is the bread and butter of this Island. Hi end stuff only filters to locals via low paid hotel jobs.

Dr Prasert needs to be carefull what he wishe's for. He may get such high end tourisrts that they come with their own helicopters direct to their homes. No more need for cramped little planes.

[southwest19]

From the same article

Dr Prasert noted that the development of the second airport should be considered in the context of sustainable tourism, zeroing in on the high-end market, which has not been pursued vigorously.

Mass tourism is the bread and butter of this Island. Hi end stuff only filters to locals via low paid hotel jobs.

Dr Prasert needs to be carefull what he wishe's for. He may get such high end tourisrts that they come with their own helicopters direct to their homes. No more need for cramped little planes.

I think you will find the use of helicopters in Thailand is heavily restricted i.e. military so we may have to put up with cramped overpriced planes for a while.

A don't believe a second airport would be the answer the last thing Samui needs are runways with cracks!

[Master of the court]

From the same article

Dr Prasert noted that the development of the second airport should be considered in the context of sustainable tourism, zeroing in on the high-end market, which has not been pursued vigorously.

Mass tourism is the bread and butter of this Island. Hi end stuff only filters to locals via low paid hotel jobs.

Dr Prasert needs to be carefull what he wishe's for. He may get such high end tourisrts that they come with their own helicopters direct to their homes. No more need for cramped little planes.

I think you will find the use of helicopters in Thailand is heavily restricted i.e. military so we may have to put up with cramped overpriced planes for a while.

A don't believe a second airport would be the answer the last thing Samui needs are runways with cracks!

Hmmmm and who says the airport doesent have cracks ????? did anyone check ????? just a thourght.

Last time I checked the tire of one of the propelled planes I got a shock......one new one VERY old, next to each other...so even a half blind would notice it.

[astral]

I love Koh Samui but the airfares of nearly 8,000 baht return from BKK kind of puts me off going there. It is really weird that you can fly to Surat Thani for about 2,000 Baht return and you can fly all the way to the Philippines for around 8,000 return, yet Koh Samui is only an hour away and it costs so much. Anything that can get rid of these high charges would be a big plus for Samui.

A monopoly so they jack up the prices.

[Japhrodisiac]

samui doesn't need a second airport.

BKK air needs to have its monopoly powers stripped away from it, and open the current airport up based on landing charges which reflect more reasonable anding charges elsewhere. Currently BKK airways has an effective monoply on Samui, preventing other airlines from landing there.

For consumers, this is a bad thing.

Spot on. The capacity for the existing airport is sufficient, but as a monopoly, BKK airways will only send up profitable flights. Bkk air has to be credited with developing tourism, the hotel industry, property industry, spas etc on the island but we seem to be at a point where the monopoly has to end for the sake of the businesses on the island. The Government (oh yeah, what's that again...?) needs to step in and we need more and cheaper flights to fill hotel beds, more of which are coming online all the time.

[Prakanong]

samui doesn't need a second airport.

BKK air needs to have its monopoly powers stripped away from it, and open the current airport up based on landing charges which reflect more reasonable anding charges elsewhere. Currently BKK airways has an effective monoply on Samui, preventing other airlines from landing there.

For consumers, this is a bad thing.

Spot on. The capacity for the existing airport is sufficient, but as a monopoly, BKK airways will only send up profitable flights. Bkk air has to be credited with developing tourism, the hotel industry, property industry, spas etc on the island but we seem to be at a point where the monopoly has to end for the sake of the businesses on the island. The Government (oh yeah, what's that again...?) needs to step in and we need more and cheaper flights to fill hotel beds, more of which are coming online all the time.

Is there an oversupply of hotel beds down there or to put it better is there a lot of spare capacity due to the fact not enough people are going due to the cost of getting there?

If beds are not in short supply can the rest of the infrastructure handle the situation if all beds were full?

I first went to Samui in 95 on a bus. Then in 96 on the train. Every time since then I have flown.

[RAZZELL]

Just supply and demand I'm afraid...

I've never been on a plane to Samui that wasn't nearly full...

RAZZ

[chinthee]

This whole thread supports the reason that although I live in Bangkok, I keep a second home in Phuket...NOT Samui. Even though I don't like the way Phuket has become too commerciaized, expensive and with its many ugly developments, I still prefer to spend 3400RT on one2go than 8,000 on Bangkok airways on sometimes frequent trips.

I agree the Samui airport is nice and big enough and see the reasoning in stripping Bangkok airways of the monopoly, but the free market side of me disagrees with that approach.

Anyway, Samui is a relatively poor choice for a 2nd home for those of us living and working in Bangkok. Even driving back and forth to Phuket is easier not having to catch the car ferry at Dongsak, etc..

[churchill]

This whole thread supports the reason that although I live in Bangkok, I keep a second home in Phuket...NOT Samui. Even though I don't like the way Phuket has become too commerciaized, expensive and with its many ugly developments, I still prefer to spend 3400RT on one2go than 8,000 on Bangkok airways on sometimes frequent trips.

I agree the Samui airport is nice and big enough and see the reasoning in stripping Bangkok airways of the monopoly, but the free market side of me disagrees with that approach.

Anyway, Samui is a relatively poor choice for a 2nd home for those of us living and working in Bangkok. Even driving back and forth to Phuket is easier not having to catch the car ferry at Dongsak, etc..

I don't agree that Phuket is an easier drive from Bangkok - Now one can book a place on the ferry from Donsak it is quite easy to leave Bangkok at 7am and book the 3pm Ferry to arrive in Samui around 4.15pm knowing that one will not have to wait at Donsak for 2/3 hours . The drive to phuket is much longer and more tiring .

Also if you can travel early to Samui I think the air fare is 2,000 Baht and they often have special deals - I am sure as the pressure mounts on Bangkok airways the prices will come down . Also for residents on Samui there is a further - I think 20% discount .

[chinthee]

If it's true that you can pre-book a place on the ferry at Dongsak then I agree it's better. However, last time I did it (last October), I got bumped on the first ferry and had to wait around for hours to catch the next one. I would have already been on the beach enjoying the sunset in Phuket...

[the gent]

This whole thread supports the reason that although I live in Bangkok, I keep a second home in Phuket...NOT Samui. Even though I don't like the way Phuket has become too commerciaized, expensive and with its many ugly developments, I still prefer to spend 3400RT on one2go than 8,000 on Bangkok airways on sometimes frequent trips.

I agree the Samui airport is nice and big enough and see the reasoning in stripping Bangkok airways of the monopoly, but the free market side of me disagrees with that approach.

Anyway, Samui is a relatively poor choice for a 2nd home for those of us living and working in Bangkok. Even driving back and forth to Phuket is easier not having to catch the car ferry at Dongsak, etc..

I don't agree that Phuket is an easier drive from Bangkok - Now one can book a place on the ferry from Donsak it is quite easy to leave Bangkok at 7am and book the 3pm Ferry to arrive in Samui around 4.15pm knowing that one will not have to wait at Donsak for 2/3 hours . The drive to phuket is much longer and more tiring .

Also if you can travel early to Samui I think the air fare is 2,000 Baht and they often have special deals - I am sure as the pressure mounts on Bangkok airways the prices will come down . Also for residents on Samui there is a further - I think 20% discount .

One wonders if perhaps Churchill is involved in a spot of Bangkok Air marketing ......

The alleged discounts are purely cosmetic and were introduced in order to appease Thaksin when he got really grumpy with them and threatened all sorts of retribution for shamelessly exploiting their cash cow. Despite the obvious hypocrisy of Thaksin, he did have a point even though it probably would not have been expressed if he had owned the airport!

For most folk travelling according to a realistic itinerary their "cheap flights " are utterly redundant.

The sheer preposterous greed of Bangkok Airways is now beginning to become apparent to most farang from W.Europe who are now accustomed to flying practically anywhere within Europe at any time for the price of a bog standard return to Samui, a journey of only 50 minutes.

But, so what's new? Milk it for all it's worth and then complain when it's broke. Thai is as Thai does.

Frankly, regardless of the environmental issues and the parochial protectionist mafia currently operating in Samui the only solution is the construction of a new airport.

Literally pie in the sky perhaps piloted by porcine aviators extraordinaire?