Boycott Bangkok Air!

[womble]

Last week I flew up with Bangkok air, ticket price was nearly 5k. I just returned on nok air with the high speed cat for 1990 all inc! More than half price and flying into don meung is a breeze.

When you take into consideration the time it takes to drive from swampy to Sukhumvit (thats where I stay anyway), and the fact you have to check in 1 1/2 hrs before your flight at swampy due to the huge walking distance. It really isn't that much longer to go with nok air.

In fact i'd say from hotel door (lower sukhumvit) to Nathon pier with Nok air VS Hotel door, swampy to samui airport with bkk air, difference in time is around 2hrs max.

The bkk air flights rarely leave on time, and I absolutley hate the way the herd you into the buses but even tho the first bus is full, no bus can leave till all the buses are full. They leave you in the bangkok airways lounge for ages, then tell you the flight is boarding only to leave you in the horrible departure lounge that is freezing cold with really uncomfortable seats, just before leaving you standing squashed for ages on the bus waiting for the last person on the last bus.

My return was under 2k, compared to 5k flying up. I can certainly put up with a short high speed ferry and coach ride for a return price of under 5k!!

Return for same price as 1 way.

Bangkok air is seriously damaging business on this island.

I have stood up for them for years. They do provide excellant service, and samui airport is great. What I dislike is the bangkok end. Firstly the journey to swampy from where I stay. Second the long walk in the airport. Third the price of food in swampy, and then what i already mentioned, all the wasted time in the lounges and standing in the bus. These are small complaints tho, on the whole bkk air is very good, the price is what pisses me off.

On all other routes they are priced sensibly as they have competition, the samui price is now getting silly. At nearly 5k each way it is one of the most expensive flights for the distance in the world. Perhaps kuwait-Iraq is more?

I think we should all boycott bkk air, sign a petition. They make out they have cheaper seats available but when you try to book on internet they are all booked. Then you get on the flight and it is half full!!!

The other thing that really annoys me is when I book a ticket and the telephone operator tells me I am on a Jet, then it turns out they have put me on one of those crappy prop planes.

Has anyone noticed that since the crash they lie and tell you props are jets. I now ask for the landing time, that way you can tell whether it is atr or jet. Quite often find myself catching them lying to me trying to get me on a prop. 5k for a one way flight on a prop plane.................

Anyway Door to door the difference is less than 2hrs, and for half the price I think that is well worth it. Family of 4 now pays around 16-18k instead of 40k!!!!!!

IF we boycott we will defo force them to offer a decent price for expats, if we can convince enough tourists perhaps we can hit them where it hurts. Remember they have a property fund that has to get decent returns. If we can make a significant dent in those returns changes will have to be made.

Anyway after trying it out for the first time, I will no longer be using Bkk air unless they revert back to the old price of 2750 baht. But in light of the cost of fuel I would be prepared to pay 3500 all inc. No way will I pay nearly 5k for a 45 minute flight again!

[smokie36]

:clap2:

[carmine]

Unfortunately whilst the vast majority living here will agree with your sentiments fact is there are still a few of the more fortunate one's here that will keep paying their flights costs and Bangkok Airways will also keep fleecing the package holiday tourists regardless.

It's not going to change and the owners have clearly demonstrated they have no interest in the welfare of the island. Everyone should be grateful that atleast we now have a slightly more viable option and many residents will now only be using them in emergencies.

[Boater]

Every expat on the island is sick of them , I was speaking to a few friends who where in phuket but where supposed to be here , I said why u not come samui ? Their reply was 1500 thb to phuket or 4000 to samui !! Bkk is killing the island !!!

[PoorSucker]

Where did you book your tickets with Nok/Lomphraya?

[Boater]

Also to add I looked to book 2 adults and 1 child for a return fair to singapore , bkk air quoted ......... 61,500 thb !!!! I can book the same ticket departing phuket for 8600 thb !!! How can you justify the differnce ? ..

[carmine]

Also to add I looked to book 2 adults and 1 child for a return fair to singapore , bkk air quoted ......... 61,500 thb !!!! I can book the same ticket departing phuket for 8600 thb !!! How can you justify the differnce ? ..

Now that is truely appalling. But ofcourse they are not even trying to justify it are they. Just abusing a situation that has been allowed to be monopolised and abusing it to utterly outrageous proportions.

[smokie36]

Also to add I looked to book 2 adults and 1 child for a return fair to singapore , bkk air quoted ......... 61,500 thb !!!! I can book the same ticket departing phuket for 8600 thb !!! How can you justify the differnce ? ..

Now that is truely appalling. But ofcourse they are not even trying to justify it are they. Just abusing a situation that has been allowed to be monopolised and abusing it to utterly outrageous proportions.

I find it amazing that anyone would be prepared to pay so much for a flight to Singapore......another untapped source of income for Nok Air?

[PoorSucker]

If you are going to Singapore go with Firefly

One way ticket per person:

Koh Samui(USM) to Subang (Kuala Lumpur)(SZB) = 3750 baht

Subang (Kuala Lumpur)(SZB) to Singapore (Budget Terminal)(SIN) = 1680 baht

[Gatorade]

On the face of it, it sounds like a good alternative but comparing 'like with like'

e.g. 6AM dep from BKK on Bkk airways on the 15th Aug the total price for the 6 am BA flight is 3150 Baht.6am dep 0715/0730 arrival.

Nok is 2750 total. 6AM dep 1040 arrival.

So your saving is around 400 Baht and around 3.5 hours extra travelling time. Hardly a valid comparison but ok if time not an issue.

I do agree that BA are way too expensive but I think that you need to compare similar operations. It's no good cherry picking the ones that suit

the argument best. Particularly as NOK has only two flights a day to Nakhorn and no changes allowed.

For accuracies sake the ATR is a turbo prop which is a jet engine derivative, but uses a propeller for its method of obtaining thrust.

[Boater]

Even if I was back on 60 k a year in the uk I would not pay 1,200 pounds for me , the missus and the kid to fly a short distance , shit its cheaper for a return flight for the 3 of us from london to bkk !!! For argument sake yes I know samui airport is privatly owned , but so is heathrow ect , but under law they have to allow every aircraft to land / take off and the prices are governed . Samui airport would be so much busier if they allowed air asia / nok air to fly in , but then they would lose buiness

[everydaysthesame]

I mostly use Nok air or Air Asia flying from Samui to BKK. Its a bit of a pain but its worth the bus and boat to save the cash. My last Nok air flight was over 3 hours which I wasn't happy with. TO be fair though they did call me in person to tell me the flight was going to be delayed which was a nice touch.

[carmine]

The actions of Bangkok Air is all part of the compromise people have to make if they choose to live in this region. I don't like it anymore than anyone else but it's not going to change because this is not a first world country with first world values. Another one is their chain of hospitals that work out the correct price for your treatment then quadruple it, often menacing patients for the bill payment.

Somethings we have to live with unfortunately.

[misterme]

I can't believe the original poster is recommending Nok Air to Samui.

Let see if I got this right.

Don Meung to Nakon Sri Tammarat, then take a bus to the pier, then a boat to Samui? The 6am flight arrive to Samui Pier 5 hours later?

I could see flying NOK to Chiang Mai or anywhere else. But to Samui it just seems crazy.

From Bangkok (Don Mueang) To Koh Samui (Nar Ton Pier) (Flight + Hi-speed Catamaran)

Origin Destination Dept. Arr. Transportation Mode

DMK NST 06:00 07:10 Flight

NST LAM 07:40 09:05 Air conditioned Coach

LAM NTP 10:00 10:40 Hi-Speed Catamaran

Legends

DMK = Bangkok (Don Mueang)

NST =Nakhon Si Thammarat

LAM = Surat Thani (Laem Thuat Pier)

NTP = Koh Samui (Nar Ton Pier)

Edited August 15, 2010 by misterme

[sevenhills]

I can't believe the original poster is recommending Nok Air to Samui.

Let see if I got this right.

Don Meung to Nakon Sri Tammarat, then take a bus to the pier, then a boat to Samui? The 6am flight arrive to Samui Pier 5 hours later?

I could see flying NOK to Chiang Mai or anywhere else. But to Samui it just seems crazy.

From Bangkok (Don Mueang) To Koh Samui (Nar Ton Pier) (Flight + Hi-speed Catamaran)

Origin Destination Dept. Arr. Transportation Mode

DMK NST 06:00 07:10 Flight

NST LAM 07:40 09:05 Air conditioned Coach

LAM NTP 10:00 10:40 Hi-Speed Catamaran

Legends

DMK = Bangkok (Don Mueang)

NST =Nakhon Si Thammarat

LAM = Surat Thani (Laem Thuat Pier)

NTP = Koh Samui (Nar Ton Pier)

"I can't believe the original poster is recommending Nok Air to Samui."

He is recommending an alternative to the RIP OFF merchants called BKK air at Samui if you missed the point??

You can continue to get ripped off if you so chose mate but others less affluent than yourself may choose this alternative.

Oh and its spelt Nathon not Nar ton. Cheers .

[sunanta]

The actions of Bangkok Air is all part of the compromise people have to make if they choose to live in this region. I don't like it anymore than anyone else but it's not going to change because this is not a first world country with first world values. Another one is their chain of hospitals that work out the correct price for your treatment then quadruple it, often menacing patients for the bill payment.

Somethings we have to live with unfortunately.

price is an issue, but so is safty.......seems every time i use bkk air i get some kind of shock on landing......because it seems the direction of the runway was ill planned theres always a cross wind.....the left wheel touches first,,, then the right, then the front comes slamming to earth....the overhead storage appears to b coming down on you, an u thank god you have lived through it again.....6 months ago i had the crap scared out of me....just as we were about to do that tuk tuk landing, the power went out on samui...the back up generator must take a min to start...the capt hit the juice an pointed us straight to the heavens.. first time i ever had something like that happen to me....ALL AT A PREMIUM PRICE.......

[Birdman]

Well meant, but that's not a considerable alternative at all.

[Gatorade]

I can't believe the original poster is recommending Nok Air to Samui.

Let see if I got this right.

Don Meung to Nakon Sri Tammarat, then take a bus to the pier, then a boat to Samui? The 6am flight arrive to Samui Pier 5 hours later?

I could see flying NOK to Chiang Mai or anywhere else. But to Samui it just seems crazy.

From Bangkok (Don Mueang) To Koh Samui (Nar Ton Pier) (Flight + Hi-speed Catamaran)

Origin Destination Dept. Arr. Transportation Mode

DMK NST 06:00 07:10 Flight

NST LAM 07:40 09:05 Air conditioned Coach

LAM NTP 10:00 10:40 Hi-Speed Catamaran

Legends

DMK = Bangkok (Don Mueang)

NST =Nakhon Si Thammarat

LAM = Surat Thani (Laem Thuat Pier)

NTP = Koh Samui (Nar Ton Pier)

"I can't believe the original poster is recommending Nok Air to Samui."

He is recommending an alternative to the RIP OFF merchants called BKK air at Samui if you missed the point??

You can continue to get ripped off if you so chose mate but others less affluent than yourself may choose this alternative.

Oh and its spelt Nathon not Nar ton. Cheers .

Point is..how is 400 Baht more, a rip-off when you save over 3 hours travelling by BA in comparison with Nok?

Is this going to make any difference to anybodies affluence??

Really, if you follow all the BA threads they are allegedly the big bad wolf for not giving away their commercial advantage of owning the airport to share with others at little/no cost. There is nothing to stop other operators from using the airport if they feel that the charges are commercially viable. Some do.

(Seems to me that some posters consider it a right to row in on others commercial savvy).

Anyway, I don't think that NOK is a serious contender to BA if the only thing that they can offer is 400 Baht saving and a dubious 3 and a half hours extra time. And only two flights a day with no changes allowed.

Hardly competition to BA and not really worthwhile shooting oneself in the foot by considering a boycott.

[smokie36]

I can't believe the original poster is recommending Nok Air to Samui.

Let see if I got this right.

Don Meung to Nakon Sri Tammarat, then take a bus to the pier, then a boat to Samui? The 6am flight arrive to Samui Pier 5 hours later?

I could see flying NOK to Chiang Mai or anywhere else. But to Samui it just seems crazy.

From Bangkok (Don Mueang) To Koh Samui (Nar Ton Pier) (Flight + Hi-speed Catamaran)

Origin Destination Dept. Arr. Transportation Mode

DMK NST 06:00 07:10 Flight

NST LAM 07:40 09:05 Air conditioned Coach

LAM NTP 10:00 10:40 Hi-Speed Catamaran

Legends

DMK = Bangkok (Don Mueang)

NST =Nakhon Si Thammarat

LAM = Surat Thani (Laem Thuat Pier)

NTP = Koh Samui (Nar Ton Pier)

"I can't believe the original poster is recommending Nok Air to Samui."

He is recommending an alternative to the RIP OFF merchants called BKK air at Samui if you missed the point??

You can continue to get ripped off if you so chose mate but others less affluent than yourself may choose this alternative.

Oh and its spelt Nathon not Nar ton. Cheers .

Point is..how is 400 Baht more, a rip-off when you save over 3 hours travelling by BA in comparison with Nok?

Is this going to make any difference to anybodies affluence??

Really, if you follow all the BA threads they are allegedly the big bad wolf for not giving away their commercial advantage of owning the airport to share with others at little/no cost. There is nothing to stop other operators from using the airport if they feel that the charges are commercially viable. Some do.

(Seems to me that some posters consider it a right to row in on others commercial savvy).

Anyway, I don't think that NOK is a serious contender to BA if the only thing that they can offer is 400 Baht saving and a dubious 3 and a half hours extra time. And only two flights a day with no changes allowed.

Hardly competition to BA and not really worthwhile shooting oneself in the foot by considering a boycott.

Please don't mention the 6am flight again Gator.....it sends a shiver down my spine every time.....

[Rooo]

I am trying to book a 6am USM - BKK flight for later in the month, NON existing on line.Have a look at the fares for the 26th.

[womble]

I can't believe the original poster is recommending Nok Air to Samui.

Let see if I got this right.

Don Meung to Nakon Sri Tammarat, then take a bus to the pier, then a boat to Samui? The 6am flight arrive to Samui Pier 5 hours later?

I could see flying NOK to Chiang Mai or anywhere else. But to Samui it just seems crazy.

From Bangkok (Don Mueang) To Koh Samui (Nar Ton Pier) (Flight + Hi-speed Catamaran)

Origin Destination Dept. Arr. Transportation Mode

DMK NST 06:00 07:10 Flight

NST LAM 07:40 09:05 Air conditioned Coach

LAM NTP 10:00 10:40 Hi-Speed Catamaran

Legends

DMK = Bangkok (Don Mueang)

NST =Nakhon Si Thammarat

LAM = Surat Thani (Laem Thuat Pier)

NTP = Koh Samui (Nar Ton Pier)

"I can't believe the original poster is recommending Nok Air to Samui."

He is recommending an alternative to the RIP OFF merchants called BKK air at Samui if you missed the point??

You can continue to get ripped off if you so chose mate but others less affluent than yourself may choose this alternative.

Oh and its spelt Nathon not Nar ton. Cheers .

Point is..how is 400 Baht more, a rip-off when you save over 3 hours travelling by BA in comparison with Nok?

Is this going to make any difference to anybodies affluence??

Really, if you follow all the BA threads they are allegedly the big bad wolf for not giving away their commercial advantage of owning the airport to share with others at little/no cost. There is nothing to stop other operators from using the airport if they feel that the charges are commercially viable. Some do.

(Seems to me that some posters consider it a right to row in on others commercial savvy).

Anyway, I don't think that NOK is a serious contender to BA if the only thing that they can offer is 400 Baht saving and a dubious 3 and a half hours extra time. And only two flights a day with no changes allowed.

Hardly competition to BA and not really worthwhile shooting oneself in the foot by considering a boycott.

If you re-read my post you will see the saving was considerably more than 400 baht, I paid 1990 all inc.

Perhaps fly down bkk air and up nok air? That way you don't have to get up early, and the saving on the second flight makes the return a more sensible price.

Looking at prices on the website it seems I was lucky to get 1990baht, most tickets are around 2500 all inc.

I agree bkk air is more convenient, I never said it wasn't, infact in general I praised most of there service. It's the price and the crappy atr's that I dislike most + the waiting in lounge and buses + long walk in swampy..............(sorry to sound repetitive, but some people just don't read the posts properly).

Edited August 15, 2010 by womble

[Rooo]

IMHO they have taken all the movement spots allowed at Samui. That pretty much cuts out the competition. They get around the over commitment by cancelling flights. Even if they run them at minimal capacity, they are still making money & blocking out competitors.

I suppose they have to sacrifice a spot to allow someone else to land here, hence the high landing charges.

[tw25rw]

I flew though Surat last time. What difference does it make to use Nakhon Sri Thammarat?

[LaoPo]

IMHO they have taken all the movement spots allowed at Samui. That pretty much cuts out the competition. They get around the over commitment by cancelling flights. Even if they run them at minimal capacity, they are still making money & blocking out competitors.

I suppose they have to sacrifice a spot to allow someone else to land here, hence the high landing charges.

Many forget that Bangkok Airways created the tourism industry on Samui in the first place by buying land and building the airport and without them a majority of 90%+ of the posters, complaining, wouldn't even be on Samui WITHOUT BKK Airways.

I came here for the first time in winter "89/90" when the airport just opened and Chaweng was still like the same paradise as Patong/Phuket once was.

The majority of sales from BKK Airways is by far the once-a-year tourist and they are fully aware of that.

Once tourism drops (will it ever?) they will adjust the number of flights and/or ticket prices as well.

Up to that point, traveling to the mainland and fly from there will still be a low-used option but it will certainly be a good option for expats, living on the island with a bit more time on their hands rather than a tourist with limited time; after all, the majority of tickets are sold abroad by agents and tour operators to tourists, coming to Thailand.

LaoPo

[smokie36]

I am trying to book a 6am USM - BKK flight for later in the month, NON existing on line.Have a look at the fares for the 26th.

Tried but unable to access the site due to Queen Sirikit birthday. :jap:

[misterme]

I agree that if they are holding the market hostage by overcharging, trying to find any alternative to screw them back makes sense.

It's funny because my experience is just the opposite. I live in Phuket and Bangkok Air is the one keeping the prices lower. To me. I save 1400THB on Bangkok Air over Thai Airways. The same is true on other Bangkok Airways routes that both PG & TG fly. I know that PG screws the Samui market.

So, while I understand your cause, I still come back and question the Nok Air option as the solution. Otherwise, you have my sympathy, not my criticism. Funny how Bangkok Air is our savior here in Phuket though, don't you think.

[Rooo]

I am trying to book a 6am USM - BKK flight for later in the month, NON existing on line.Have a look at the fares for the 26th.

Tried but unable to access the site due to Queen Sirikit birthday. :jap:

Just close the first screen Smokie.

[smokie36]

I am trying to book a 6am USM - BKK flight for later in the month, NON existing on line.Have a look at the fares for the 26th.

Tried but unable to access the site due to Queen Sirikit birthday. :jap:

Just close the first screen Smokie.

Bloody website!! Anyway cheapest flight is 4455 Baht.....but if you change your dates by a month you can have the 3360 Baht flight on the prop.....VIP bus time for you Rooo....

[tw25rw]

What's wrong with flying the prop plane? They're a bit noisy inside, but perfectly safe.

Edited August 15, 2010 by tw25rw

[LaoPo]

What's wrong with flying the prop plane? They're a bit noisy inside, but perfectly safe.

I agree; I enjoy those. They give the "old days" feeling

LaoPo