Airasia Operates Chiang Mai-Ubon Route

[Lite Beer]

AirAsia operates Chiang Mai-Ubon route

The Nation

Thai AirAsia is operating a new route, between Chiang Mai and Ubon Ratchathani, to link the North and Northeast.

Earlier, it operated the Chiang Mai-Phuket route.

"This would create a triangle link of the North, Northeast and South. We see this as an opportunity for all Thai travellers, distribute income and promote tourism. It’s our intention to boost the domestic economy through domestic routes," said Thai AirAsia CEO Tassapon Bijleveld.

The new route, with three weekly flights, will also transport Northeastern travellers to Chiang Mai which will host the International Horticultural Expostition: Royal flora Ratchaphruek during November and February. As promotion, the fare starts from Bt590 per trip.

-- The Nation 2011-10-04

[songhklasid]

HOORAH, Great news, I'll be on one of the first flights, give you all my report.

regards songhklasid. B)

[Ricardo]

Excellent news, the lower-fares should encourage more people to fly, we've noticed an increase in visits to CM by family & friends, since the direct-flights between CM and Hat-Yai started !

[KhunDave]

No promo fares for the first few weeks: 3000Baht each way!

[terryp]

Unless you want to book 12 months in advance AA is no longer a cheap airline once all their add ons!!!! have been totalled up ..

I have just bought 6 tickets for travel in Nov/Dec and Thai were cheaper by a minimum 500 baht on every flight and NO convenience charge for using my debit card..so another 6x150 baht saved

AA ..no thanks

[wandrinstar]

Unless you want to book 12 months in advance AA is no longer a cheap airline once all their add ons!!!! have been totalled up ..

I have just bought 6 tickets for travel in Nov/Dec and Thai were cheaper by a minimum 500 baht on every flight and NO convenience charge for using my debit card..so another 6x150 baht saved

AA ..no thanks

How very true , i try to use Nok Air if poss.

[KhunDave]

No promo fares for the first few weeks: 3000Baht each way!

Something going on behind the scenes here. All flights prior to 16/11/11 - which were showing at 3000 Bt this morning - have now disappeared. Maybe some promo fares being loaded?

[SantiSuk]

HOORAH, Great news, I'll be on one of the first flights, give you all my report.

regards songhklasid. B)

Ditto. No more two day drives to see my wife's other daughter.

Schedule is Monday, Wednesday and Friday

Leaves CNX 07:20; arrives UBP 08:35

Leaves UBP 09:00; arrives CNX 10:10

First bookable flight to CNX seems to be 16 November

First bookable flight to Ubon seems to be 25 November - a lot more people want to come to Ubon than go to CNX it seems!

Comment about 3,000 baht by some other poster is poorly researched or applies to someone wnating to check in 25kg of luggage and pick their own preferential seat up front. Go out on 16 November and come back 30 November (very early in the new route's schedule) - cost baht 1,372 return without checked-in luggage. That price is routinely available from January. 15kg costs another 290 baht each way. Allocated seats cost extra (who cares on a 1 hour flight?).

Yes AA have pushed short term prices up a bit, but the comment about AA being more expensive than Thai is complete bo$ocks - on the Ubon to Bangkok route at least. I travel that route every month and still have never found Thai to be anywhere near as cheap as AA. Nok Air often come in under AA's price. Maybe favourable Thai prices apply to the other poster's favoured route, but it is not a universal truism.

I also disagree with the observation that you have to book a year ahead to get cheaper flights on AA. Yes the really super-cheap flights have to be booked pretty much when they come out - usually 6 months ish ahead. But the promotional fares are still good value and they seem to expire only about 2 or 3 weeks ahead of flight time. My comments are based on knowledge of the BKK to UBP and BKK to Phnom Penh routes.

Edit: aha - so more expensive fares were showing when the OP wrote. Apologies to the poster who wrote about that

Edited October 5, 2011 by SantiSuk

[Sam Drucker]

HOORAH, Great news, I'll be on one of the first flights, give you all my report.

regards songhklasid. B)

Ditto. No more two day drives to see my wife's other daughter.

Schedule is Monday, Wednesday and Friday

Leaves CNX 07:20; arrives UBP 08:35

Leaves UBP 09:00; arrives CNX 10:10

First bookable flight to CNX seems to be 16 November

First bookable flight to Ubon seems to be 25 November - a lot more people want to come to Ubon than go to CNX it seems!

Comment about 3,000 baht by some other poster is poorly researched or applies to someone wnating to check in 25kg of luggage and pick their own preferential seat up front. Go out on 16 November and come back 30 November (very early in the new route's schedule) - cost baht 1,372 return without checked-in luggage. That price is routinely available from January. 15kg costs another 290 baht each way. Allocated seats cost extra (who cares on a 1 hour flight?).

Yes AA have pushed short term prices up a bit, but the comment about AA being more expensive than Thai is complete bo$ocks - on the Ubon to Bangkok route at least. I travel that route every month and still have never found Thai to be anywhere near as cheap as AA. Nok Air often come in under AA's price. Maybe favourable Thai prices apply to the other poster's favoured route, but it is not a universal truism.

I also disagree with the observation that you have to book a year ahead to get cheaper flights on AA. Yes the really super-cheap flights have to be booked pretty much when they come out - usually 6 months ish ahead. But the promotional fares are still good value and they seem to expire only about 2 or 3 weeks ahead of flight time. My comments are based on knowledge of the BKK to UBP and BKK to Phnom Penh routes.

Edit: aha - so more expensive fares were showing when the OP wrote. Apologies to the poster who wrote about that

AA? Isn't that the code for American Airlines? I think Thai Air Asia uses the FD code or is referred to as TAA.

By the way, don't get so defensive about TAA having higher prices than THAI. Not common, but it does happen sometimes. Typically if it is getting close to flight time and the TAA flight is getting filled up, THAI can be lower. Sometimes TAA is outright higher, and sometimes it's less obvious (you need to do the math and add in all the TAA fees and then it totals more than the all-inclusive THAI fare.) Frankly, I prefer the "bottom line pricing" approach of THAI to the enticing ads with a fare that is mostly not available (or even if it is, the final price is nowhere near the advertised price.) TAA's methods smell of bait and switch, and it's a shady way to do business. Makes me feel like I'm dealing with a used car salesman.

[songhklasid]

Ah well,thats xxxx it, I thought the new service was gunna start oct 31, but not so according to latest posts, can someone tell me for sure, I will have to go via BKK on nov 2, never mind , still be balls up in afternoon. B)

[KhunDave]

Ah well,thats xxxx it, I thought the new service was gunna start oct 31, but not so according to latest posts, can someone tell me for sure, I will have to go via BKK on nov 2, never mind , still be balls up in afternoon. B)

The website was showing flights starting on the 31st this morning - albeit at quite a high price. Then later all flights before 16th November disappeared. My guess is they're still loading the flights into the system. Only a guess, but if it were me I'd give it another day or two before giving up.