Why Exactly Did Flights From Hua Hin Airport Stop

[Deadcert]

When I first came to Hua Hin Bangkok airways operated a flight to Koh Samui and Phuket from Hua Hin Airport. It was cheep and so convenient. I understand that the runway was extended at huge cost to accommodate the larger planes that were needed.

Then the service stopped with no real explanation. Several rumors, it was disturbing the Palace, Bankok Airways weren't given good slots from Bangkok because of Thai Air, Bangkok Airways couldn't make it pay.

Does anyone have the real answer. I had a really horrid trip on the ferry at new year, it was so rough everyone was throwing up. I would dearly like this service to resume. Is there hope? It seems to me a gross waste of money not to use it but it would seem that for what ever reason the local government like restricting access to and from Hua Hin.

DC X

Edited January 8, 2009 by Deadcert

[troopie]

From what I heard, the Bangkok tourists (on whom HH relies far more than the foreigners) thought HH was too close to fly, prefering to drive down in their 4x4s. They also complained about access from the airport to the town. The airport did consider adding some international flights, to Singapore & even Macau, but the larger (& noisier) jets required were given the thumbs down by palace officials who didn't want the king disturbed. As I live in northern HH, I am also pleased we don't have Boeings taking off & landing regularly, although I am sure more foreigners would visit if they could fly here from regional centres -- flying here from Bangkok isn't such a popular idea since the Yellow Shirts antics!

Will the airport ever become a real airport, rather than a glorified airfield for rich private plane users? Not until after the 'unthinkable' happens -- you can guess what I'm referring to!

When I first came to Hua Hin Bangkok airways operated a flight to Koh Samui and Phuket from Hua Hin Airport. It was cheep and so convenient. I understand that the runway was extended at huge cost to accommodate the larger planes that were needed.

Then the service stopped with no real explanation. Several rumors, it was disturbing the Palace, Bankok Airways weren't given good slots from Bangkok because of Thai Air, Bangkok Airways couldn't make it pay.

Does anyone have the real answer. I had a really horrid trip on the ferry at new year, it was so rough everyone was throwing up. I would dearly like this service to resume. Is there hope? It seems to me a gross waste of money not to use it but it would seem that for what ever reason the local government like restricting access to and from Hua Hin.

DC X

[hhfarang]

From what I heard, the Bangkok tourists (on whom HH relies far more than the foreigners) thought HH was too close to fly, prefering to drive down in their 4x4s. They also complained about access from the airport to the town. The airport did consider adding some international flights, to Singapore & even Macau, but the larger (& noisier) jets required were given the thumbs down by palace officials who didn't want the king disturbed. As I live in northern HH, I am also pleased we don't have Boeings taking off & landing regularly, although I am sure more foreigners would visit if they could fly here from regional centres -- flying here from Bangkok isn't such a popular idea since the Yellow Shirts antics!

Will the airport ever become a real airport, rather than a glorified airfield for rich private plane users? Not until after the 'unthinkable' happens -- you can guess what I'm referring to!

When I first came to Hua Hin Bangkok airways operated a flight to Koh Samui and Phuket from Hua Hin Airport. It was cheep and so convenient. I understand that the runway was extended at huge cost to accommodate the larger planes that were needed.

Then the service stopped with no real explanation. Several rumors, it was disturbing the Palace, Bankok Airways weren't given good slots from Bangkok because of Thai Air, Bangkok Airways couldn't make it pay.

Does anyone have the real answer. I had a really horrid trip on the ferry at new year, it was so rough everyone was throwing up. I would dearly like this service to resume. Is there hope? It seems to me a gross waste of money not to use it but it would seem that for what ever reason the local government like restricting access to and from Hua Hin.

DC X

Another airline, Nok air I think, is running two flights a day between Hua Hin and Bangkok. I don't know if they fly anywhere else from Hua Hin though.

[fft100]

there are still 3 or 4 flights a day in each direction between HH and BKK. used it a dozen times or so over the last few years. for a single person, there isnt a huge difference between that and a taxi, and it used to (not any more) time very nicely with my international connections.

When you are in HH terminal building, you will see upstairs there is an international departures lounge / booths / etc. I once had an hour to spare and wandered around as far as possible and asked people upstairs if there was any info. The airport also has large numbers of empty shops / car rental desks / info / etc. i.e. the airport was converted to be able to handle both international and domestic flights. The runway is certainly capable of handling 737's and A320's. Luggage belt may have problems !

Quite why the international flights never started has never been clearly spelt out. If you do a search on google, you will find mention of international flights from HH. It does appear as though the airlines were geared up for it, but something stopped them. whether it was the palace, lack of demand, airline priorities changing, i dont know. But, it is interesting to have a look at the airmap for HH. There is a big no go area over the palace, and planes have to bank left sharply if taking off towards the sea.

I would be more than happy for flights to start. HK, SGP are well within range, and even 2 flights a week would be very nice, rather than having to go to BKK. It would also be good for the golf business in HH. from BKK its only an hour to Pattaya, so i suspect that gets most of the trade.

[Deadcert]

Thanks for that guys.

My main interest would be for it to resume flights to the Islands again. It was far more convenient than driving to Chumpon and taking that dam_n ferry. I hate the drive and I really hate that ferry crossing after my last trip. I often have friends who go south and just don't have the time o a 2 week trip to visit me in Hua Hin. Having the choice to get there easily and quickly would put an end to that. Plus Hua Hin lovely as it is lacks much of a night life and a weekend trip to the islands puts pay to my restless feet!

On a similar note why do the ferry's leave from Chumpon and not somewhere closer to Hua Hin. It seems odd to me that a 3 hour drive is necessary just to take a ferry when we are already on the cost ?

DC X

Edited January 8, 2009 by Deadcert

[pothai]

The nightlife in Hua Hin now challenges Samui/Phuket and definatly puts Krabi to shame. The amount of bars and clubs especially those that are open to the very early hours are definatly more than Samui and as good as Phuket. The days of Hua Hin being a sleepy golfing/retirement/fishing town are long gone. Dont think anyone needs to get away south for the nightlife anymore

[jumnien]

I live next to the Hua Hin Airport. If I drive to our condo in BKK it takes less than 2 hours. If I fly it takes about one hour fourty-five minutes, door to door, minimum. Having the car, being able to stop if I want and not enduring the possibility of the "yellow plague" makes it much more pleasant to drive.

By the way, there are very few private planes going into Hua Hin. I keep a plane at Cha-am and have to give 3 days notice to fly to Hua Hin, one hour notice to everywhere else in Thailand. 95% of flights at Hua Hin are from the CATC training program.

[THAILIBAN]

From what I heard, the Bangkok tourists (on whom HH relies far more than the foreigners) thought HH was too close to fly, prefering to drive down in their 4x4s. They also complained about access from the airport to the town. The airport did consider adding some international flights, to Singapore & even Macau, but the larger (& noisier) jets required were given the thumbs down by palace officials who didn't want the king disturbed. As I live in northern HH, I am also pleased we don't have Boeings taking off & landing regularly, although I am sure more foreigners would visit if they could fly here from regional centres -- flying here from Bangkok isn't such a popular idea since the Yellow Shirts antics!

Will the airport ever become a real airport, rather than a glorified airfield for rich private plane users? Not until after the 'unthinkable' happens -- you can guess what I'm referring to!

When I first came to Hua Hin Bangkok airways operated a flight to Koh Samui and Phuket from Hua Hin Airport. It was cheep and so convenient. I understand that the runway was extended at huge cost to accommodate the larger planes that were needed.

Then the service stopped with no real explanation. Several rumors, it was disturbing the Palace, Bankok Airways weren't given good slots from Bangkok because of Thai Air, Bangkok Airways couldn't make it pay.

Does anyone have the real answer. I had a really horrid trip on the ferry at new year, it was so rough everyone was throwing up. I would dearly like this service to resume. Is there hope? It seems to me a gross waste of money not to use it but it would seem that for what ever reason the local government like restricting access to and from Hua Hin.

DC X

Another airline, Nok air I think, is running two flights a day between Hua Hin and Bangkok. I don't know if they fly anywhere else from Hua Hin though.

its actually SGA, not NOK AIR. but Nokair is doing the sales and distribution for SGA on their website. SGA as well flies from Chiang Mai to Pai, Mae Hong Son and Chiang Rai. extremely pricey.....

[Deadcert]

The nightlife in Hua Hin now challenges Samui/Phuket and definatly puts Krabi to shame. The amount of bars and clubs especially those that are open to the very early hours are definatly more than Samui and as good as Phuket. The days of Hua Hin being a sleepy golfing/retirement/fishing town are long gone. Dont think anyone needs to get away south for the nightlife anymore

I have to disagree, I find Hua Hin nightlife boring in the extreme while Samui is quite the opposite, but I guess the term horses for courses might well apply. I would love them to resume flights to the south, especially after a six hour boat crossing where everyone spent the time being sick!

Edited April 7, 2009 by Deadcert

[PatinBKk]

The nightlife in Hua Hin now challenges Samui/Phuket and definatly puts Krabi to shame. The amount of bars and clubs especially those that are open to the very early hours are definatly more than Samui and as good as Phuket. The days of Hua Hin being a sleepy golfing/retirement/fishing town are long gone. Dont think anyone needs to get away south for the nightlife anymore

I have to disagree, I find Hua Hin nightlife boring in the extreme while Samui is quite the opposite, but I guess the term horses for courses might well apply. I would love them to resume flights to the south, especially after a six hour boat crossing where everyone spent the time being sick!

I have lived in Phuket Samui and Hua Hin, I tend to agree with Pothai....Samui has a few places to go...Solo Green Mango...same old same old....not much else on offer....Phuket, OK but too expensive...Hua Hin however seems to be open 24 hours.....no trouble getting latenight/very early hours drinking unlike the above places...Hua Hin has a good selection restaurants/clubs/girlie bars and straight bars....Hua Hin definatly gets my vote way above Samui or Phuket....and it is so cheap,quick and easy to get to compared to the South......also great beaches etc etc etc

[stgrhe]

I can't see that the night life issue has anything to do with this thread "Why Exactly Did Flights From Hua Hin Airport Stop". Keep to the subject please!

[hhfarang]

Actually, the reason may simply be economics...lack of business. A couple of weeks before SGA stopped flying here altogether (about a month ago) some friends from the states came to visit and they flew down to Hua Hin. The two of them and one other passenger were all that were on the flight...

[MysteryPlane]

Actually, the reason may simply be economics...lack of business. A couple of weeks before SGA stopped flying here altogether (about a month ago) some friends from the states came to visit and they flew down to Hua Hin. The two of them and one other passenger were all that were on the flight...

Thats right, lack of use. Be nice to have it working as a commercial airport again, enjoyed going to Samui for 2040 Bahtand a 1 hour flight.

[whitfield]

I charter a Bangkok Airways plane every year to bring my golfers to Hua Hin. We do 5 nights in Phuket or Chiang Mai or Samui and then 9 Nights in Hua Hin. Chartering an ATR72 makes the switch of venue effortless. So I know BKK Airways well and I asked them why they stopped doing the flights.

The answer was quite simply economics. Their smallest plane, ATR 72, has 70 seats and they were running at less than 30% occupancy on average. The service to Samui was really just a diverted flight from BKK that would hop down to Hua Hin and then go on to Samui. It didn't serve those who wanted to go straight to Samui from BKK and there are very few people each day wanting to go from Hua Hin to Samui.

I suggested that they invest in a smaller ATR40 but they said it burns as much fuel as an ATR72 and requires the same number of staff. SO there you have it. Economics. The route isn't viable.

Even less so now that you can drive from HH airport to Swampy in less than 2 hrs. If you want to avoid the ferry drive to BKK.

Same would apply to SGA. The road is too good and the increase in aviation fuel meant that it was always going to be cheaper to take a taxi (2500 Baht) against SGA 3500 Baht.

[Deadcert]

So basically all the billions of Bahrt spent extending the runway for bigger planes was a waste of money No surprise really !

I really miss it, even if the ran a once a week service, oh well

[gregchambers]

Presumably, it could be used for diverted flights from Bangkok if that airport gets closed down again...

[hoopmonk]

It would not be practical having a boat service from Hua Hin to Samui, looking at a map, that would not be a ferry ride you would enjoy. The ferry from Surat Thani is much more comfortable and closer to Samui than the options in Chumphon, that i am aware of. And if it is the ferry you must avoid, minivan to Bkk and fly to Samui. It is nice to get out of town with those restless feet, although Hua Hin's nightlife has quite a variety deep into the night.

[costalot]

By the way, there are very few private planes going into Hua Hin. I keep a plane at Cha-am and have to give 3 days notice to fly to Hua Hin, one hour notice to everywhere else in Thailand. 95% of flights at Hua Hin are from the CATC training program

I didn't know that Cha-am had an airport, and why on earth would you want to fly to Hua hin, it's only 25k into town???????????????????

[maccaroni man]

The nightlife in Hua Hin now challenges Samui/Phuket

and definatly puts Krabi to shame.

The amount of bars and clubs especially those that are open to the very early hours are definatly more than Samui and as good as Phuket.

The days of Hua Hin being a sleepy golfing/retirement/fishing town are long gone. Dont think anyone needs to get away south for the nightlife anymore

the Hua Hin I visit on a regular basis has more 40 something women doing bar work than I even thought possible it must be a retirement centre for BGs. Seriously to compare the bar/beach scene with phuket or samui is a huge stretch of ones imagination.

[jumnien]

By the way, there are very few private planes going into Hua Hin. I keep a plane at Cha-am and have to give 3 days notice to fly to Hua Hin, one hour notice to everywhere else in Thailand. 95% of flights at Hua Hin are from the CATC training program

I didn't know that Cha-am had an airport, and why on earth would you want to fly to Hua hin, it's only 25k into town???????????????????

Because it's fun to fly!!!

[Jimjim]

Hua Hin just isn't big enough to justify overseas flights.

[maccaroni man]

So basically all the billions of Bahrt spent extending the runway for bigger planes was a waste of money No surprise really !

I really miss it, even if the ran a once a week service, oh well

location and noise may be a factor as well

[DaleBlue]

Hua Hin just isn't big enough to justify overseas flights.

If you can justify Krabi, I don't see why you cannot justify Hua Hin.

[hhfarang]

Hua Hin just isn't big enough to justify overseas flights.

If you can justify Krabi, I don't see why you cannot justify Hua Hin.

The justification is that Hua Hin is just a little over 2 hours drive from Bangkok... a taxi ride... Krabi is much more remote.

[PETERTHEEATER]

From what I heard, the Bangkok tourists (on whom HH relies far more than the foreigners) thought HH was too close to fly, prefering to drive down in their 4x4s. They also complained about access from the airport to the town. The airport did consider adding some international flights, to Singapore & even Macau, but the larger (& noisier) jets required were given the thumbs down by palace officials who didn't want the king disturbed. As I live in northern HH, I am also pleased we don't have Boeings taking off & landing regularly, although I am sure more foreigners would visit if they could fly here from regional centres -- flying here from Bangkok isn't such a popular idea since the Yellow Shirts antics!

Will the airport ever become a real airport, rather than a glorified airfield for rich private plane users? Not until after the 'unthinkable' happens -- you can guess what I'm referring to!

When I first came to Hua Hin Bangkok airways operated a flight to Koh Samui and Phuket from Hua Hin Airport. It was cheep and so convenient. I understand that the runway was extended at huge cost to accommodate the larger planes that were needed.

Then the service stopped with no real explanation. Several rumors, it was disturbing the Palace, Bankok Airways weren't given good slots from Bangkok because of Thai Air, Bangkok Airways couldn't make it pay.

Does anyone have the real answer. I had a really horrid trip on the ferry at new year, it was so rough everyone was throwing up. I would dearly like this service to resume. Is there hope? It seems to me a gross waste of money not to use it but it would seem that for what ever reason the local government like restricting access to and from Hua Hin.

DC X

Living in northern Hua Hin I am surprised that you don't acknowledege that the airport is home to a busy commercial aviation flying training school and is used also by the Royal Thai Police air wing for their parachute qualification drops.

It came in handy during the recent ASEAN 14th meeting when the Sultan of Brunei's large private jet flew in and also Phillipine 1 the Phillipine premier's aircraft.

[stevehaigh]

The nightlife in Hua Hin now challenges Samui/Phuket and definatly puts Krabi to shame. The amount of bars and clubs especially those that are open to the very early hours are definatly more than Samui and as good as Phuket. The days of Hua Hin being a sleepy golfing/retirement/fishing town are long gone. Dont think anyone needs to get away south for the nightlife anymore

you should visit the places you are talking about and do a simple count before making ridiculous claims.

BTW, have you seen HH bar girls? not one of them is under 40 i think.

[Jimjim]

Hua Hin just isn't big enough to justify overseas flights.

If you can justify Krabi, I don't see why you cannot justify Hua Hin.

I myself am not justifying Krabi, but obviously those who flew Bangkok to Hua Hin couldn't justify it with actual market research beyond your rationalization that one small tourist town equals another. As someone else noted it's barely longer to drive or take a taxi from Bangkok than to fly.