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Posted

koh-samui2.jpg

 

Koh Samui's tourism operators are expecting an increase in European tourists as the high tourism season for the Gulf of Thailand is nearing. They are advocating to extend the operating hours at Samui airport to include 20 more flights everyday as they believe this has the potential to increase tourist numbers by 10-20%.

 

The President of the Tourism Association of Koh Samui, Ratchaporn Poolsawadee, expressed confidence in a complete recovery of tourism this season, due to the full resumption of all flights at Samui airport. Visitors are primarily from countries like Germany, UK, France, and Australia. The island is benefitting from a policy that allows tourists from 93 countries to extend their visas and stay up to 60 days.

 

Ratchaporn is hopeful that an increase in flights to Surat Thani Airport and ferry services could help achieve hotel occupancy rates of 80-90% in July and August, the peak season for the Gulf of Thailand. The annual Full Moon Party is also expected to draw big crowds.

 

“The Full Moon Party at Koh Pha Ngan is expected to pull in over 50,000 visitors per event during the high season.”

 

The recent Pride Nation Samui International festival had a positive effect of promoting the island before the peak season.

 

However, there are concerns around inadequate infrastructure. Even though there are enough hotel rooms (about 30,000) for tourists, the airport’s capacity to handle flights and ferry supply falls short of the increasing demand.

 

 

Samui Airport currently operates from 7 am to 10 pm and can handle approximately 50 flights each day. A public forum is due to be held in late July, in which the possible extension of the airport’s operating hours will be discussed with locals and stakeholders.

 

A study suggests that the airport could manage 73 flights a day, achieving an increase in tourist numbers by around 2,000 each day. Ratchaporn is estimating a 10-20% increase in the number of tourists from the 3.4 million tourists recorded last year.

 

The island’s ferry service operators are also preparing for the increase in demand by expanding their fleets.

 

In order to boost tourist spending, the government is considering lifting the ban on alcohol sales from 2 pm to 5 pm. Ratchaporn suggested that caution should be exercised with alcohol consumption and the laws around it should be strongly enforced to maintain safety.

 

“Relaxing the alcohol sales limitation should be balanced with confining drinking to private areas and strictly enforcing the law to ensure road safety and prevent crimes.”

 

The extension of operating hours for bars and entertainment venues until 4 am has proven to be managed effectively by both public and private sectors concerning safety matters.

 

File photo for reference only

 

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-- 2024-07-05

 

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  • Confused 1
Posted
23 minutes ago, Foek said:

Maybe open the airport for other flight carriers , or will that no improve tourism?🤔

It would, but it won't increase Bangkok Airways profits and that's what it is all about...

  • Confused 1
Posted

imagine paying good money and planes constantly taking off and landing... nice holiday

 

phuket and surrounding area = pirate islands, ripp off starting with the taxi maffia

Posted
3 hours ago, Foek said:

Maybe open the airport for other flight carriers , or will that no improve tourism?🤔

 

2 hours ago, Keeps said:

It would, but it won't increase Bangkok Airways profits and that's what it is all about...

 

Other airlines have always been flying into Samui.

To say that they have not is an AN posters myth.

Before Covid, there were about six other airlines flying to the island.

Some years ago, TG used to but realised that it was cheaper to code share.

Currently there are two or three other airlines. Scoot and Chengdu Airlines are using the airport.

Cambodia Airways were also flying here but stopped as it there were not enough passengers.

Landing fees may be an issue for them, but more importantly it is the daily flight quota that is the restriction in high season.

As a private airport (no government funding) only 50 flights per day is the max.

Bangkok Airways fills that number in high season.

Posted

They might want to sort out their awful flight timetable !

I had to leave a day early in the afternoon as there was literally 2 morning flights around 8-9am and then next one was around 4pm. After that there was a flight every 15-30 minutes.

My mate flying back also said he couldn't get one back to samui from BKK until late afternoon as no flights .

Plus their prices are absolutely shocking when can fly same airline and flight time to Phuket for about a third of samui price . 

Posted
11 minutes ago, ronster said:

They might want to sort out their awful flight timetable !

I had to leave a day early in the afternoon as there was literally 2 morning flights around 8-9am and then next one was around 4pm. After that there was a flight every 15-30 minutes.

My mate flying back also said he couldn't get one back to samui from BKK until late afternoon as no flights .

Plus their prices are absolutely shocking when can fly same airline and flight time to Phuket for about a third of samui price . 

The other flights were already fully booked?

There are at least 20 - 30 flights a day from Bangkok BKK and DMK depending on the season.

It is their most popular route.

One customer in January flew in from Saudi and assumed that he could just pop onto one of the many flights on the timetable.

He had to wait two days for availability.

 

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

 

Posted
50 minutes ago, Tropicalevo said:

The other flights were already fully booked?

There are at least 20 - 30 flights a day from Bangkok BKK and DMK depending on the season.

It is their most popular route.

One customer in January flew in from Saudi and assumed that he could just pop onto one of the many flights on the timetable.

He had to wait two days for availability.

 

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

 

I wouldn't think so as they weren't on the timetable and the airport wasn't busy when I left on one of first flights out in afternoon. I had 3 seats all to myself on my flight out .

Posted

Operating hours were certainly extended at Samui yesterday.

Flights still leaving at 23.30.

Lots of delayed flights onto the island.

When I looked, out of 22 flights on the board at the time, 13 were delayed. Some very long delays.

The longest delay was from Chiang Mai - 630 minutes.

I presume that there was a lot of very bad weather around Thailand. (Sunny here though.)

Posted

They don’t need to lengthen operating hours. Just restore all the flights they have cut back. Bangkok Air website showing no flights some days next week from morning until evening. 9am until 7pm.

Posted
1 hour ago, phetphet said:

They don’t need to lengthen operating hours. Just restore all the flights they have cut back. Bangkok Air website showing no flights some days next week from morning until evening. 9am until 7pm.

 

All flights are full.

A friend trying to get to Bangkok for a meeting is having to wait 5 days and can only fly Business class in the last available seat.

Bangkok airways website only shows available flights.

Try this one

 

https://www.flightradar24.com/data/airports/usm/departures

 

departures today -

 

Wednesday, Jul 10
06:55 PG450
Bangkok (DMK)
Bangkok Airways (Sea & Palm Tree Livery) AT76 (HS-PZH)
 
Departed 06:51
07:00 PG102
Bangkok (BKK)
Bangkok Airways A319 (HS-PGZ)
 
Departed 07:03
08:00 PG104
Bangkok (BKK)
Bangkok Airways A319 (HS-PPG)
 
Departed 08:08
08:00 PG251
Phuket (HKT)
Bangkok Airways AT76 (HS-PZC)
 
Departed 07:58
08:15 PG1110
Bangkok (BKK)
Bangkok Airways AT76 (HS-PZG)
 
Departed 08:18
08:45 PG106
Bangkok (BKK)
Bangkok Airways A319 (HS-PPC)
 
Departed 08:50
08:50 TR641
Singapore (SIN)
Scoot E290 (9V-THA)
 
Departed 08:55
08:55 PG241
Chiang Mai (CNX)
Bangkok Airways A319 (HS-PPS)
 
Departed 09:02
09:15 PG122
Bangkok (BKK)
Bangkok Airways A319 (HS-PPU)
 
Departed 09:31
10:10 PG124
Bangkok (BKK)
Bangkok Airways AT76 (HS-PZE)
 
Departed 10:32
10:55 PG805
Hong Kong (HKG)
Bangkok Airways A319 (HS-PGY)
 
Departed 11:00
11:10 PG293
Rayong (UTP)
Bangkok Airways AT76 (HS-PZC)
 
Departed 11:17
11:15 PG452
Bangkok (DMK)
Bangkok Airways (Sea & Palm Tree Livery) AT76 (HS-PZH)
 
Departed 11:22
11:25 PG253
Phuket (HKT)
Bangkok Airways AT76 (HS-PZD)
 
Departed 11:48
11:45 PG130
Bangkok (BKK)
Bangkok Airways A319 (HS-PGX)
 
Departed 12:01
12:10 TR643
Singapore (SIN)
Scoot E290 (9V-THB)
 
Departed 12:07
12:15 PG405
Phuket (HKT)
Bangkok Airways AT76 (HS-PZF)
 
Departed 12:52
12:25 PG265
Krabi (KBV)
Bangkok Airways AT76 (HS-PZK)
 
Departed 12:30
13:30 PG963
Singapore (SIN)
Bangkok Airways A319 (HS-PPU)
 
Departed 13:44
14:00 PG144
Bangkok (BKK)
Bangkok Airways A319 (HS-PPS)
 
Departed 14:08
14:25 PG1138
Bangkok (BKK)
Bangkok Airways AT76 (HS-PZA)
 
Departed 14:33
14:30 PG255
Phuket (HKT)
Bangkok Airways AT76 (HS-PZD)
 
Departed 14:54
14:35 PG136
Bangkok (BKK)
Bangkok Airways A319 (HS-PPB)
 
Departed 15:03
15:20 PG150
Bangkok (BKK)
Bangkok Airways AT76 (HS-PZF)
 
Departed 15:55
15:25 PG259
Phuket (HKT)
Bangkok Airways (Sea & Palm Tree Livery) AT76 (HS-PZH)
 
Departed 15:32
15:30 PG146
Bangkok (BKK)
Bangkok Airways A319 (HS-PPT)
 
Departed 15:40
15:50 PG148
Bangkok (BKK)
Bangkok Airways A319 (HS-PPG)
 
Departed 16:31
15:55 PG454
Bangkok (DMK)
Bangkok Airways AT76 (HS-PZK)
 
Departed 15:52
16:25 PG961
Singapore (SIN)
Bangkok Airways A319 (HS-PGX)
 
Departed 16:44
17:25 PG166
Bangkok (BKK)
Bangkok Airways A319 (HS-PPC)
 
Departed 17:32
17:50 PG168
Bangkok (BKK)
Bangkok Airways 319
 
Scheduled
17:55 PG257
Phuket (HKT)
Bangkok Airways AT76 (HS-PZD)
 
Estimated dep. 17:55
18:25 PG170
Bangkok (BKK)
Bangkok Airways 319
 
Estimated dep. 18:50
18:55 PG176
Bangkok (BKK)
Bangkok Airways ATR
 
Scheduled
19:00 PG401
Phuket (HKT)
Bangkok Airways ATR
 
Scheduled
19:10 PG180
Bangkok (BKK)
Bangkok Airways 319
 
Scheduled
19:15 PG182
Bangkok (BKK)
Bangkok Airways 319
 
Estimated dep. 21:05
19:30 PG186
Bangkok (BKK)
Bangkok Airways 319
 
Scheduled
21:10 PG184
Bangkok (BKK)
Bangkok Airways 319
 
Estimated dep. 21:45
21:15 PG192
Bangkok (BKK)
Bangkok Airways ATR
 
Scheduled
21:30 PG196
Bangkok (BKK)
Bangkok Airways ATR
 
Scheduled
21:45 PG831
Chengdu (TFU)
Bangkok Airways 319
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