Don Mueang

[vickersvc10]

I see that all the budget airlines will be using Don Mueang from 1 October. This is bad news for Pattaya dwellers I think. Suvarnabhumi is very easy to get to from here, but good old Don M. isn't! The last time I flew from there (Nok Air to Udon in October) I took the a/c bus to Morchit then by taxi to the airport. A long and tedious journey; also much more than from Pattaya to Suvarnabhumi.

I wonder if Bell or the great service from Jomtien will start a direct service to Don M. in October? I very much hope so.

[gk10002000]

As much as I liked the Don Mueang character, Suvi really does make the trip to Pattaya much faster and easier. Had to land at off hours at the Don in order to get through Bangkok without too much of a delay.

[prospero]

Air Asia has just lost my business.

[Semper]

Air Asia has just lost my business.

How did you managed before Suvarnabhumi was built?

[JoePai]

Air Asia has just lost my business.

How did you managed before Suvarnabhumi was built?

Maybe a newbie ?

[JaiLai]

In all reality it only adds another 20 minutes on to your journey to Pattaya if you have your own car or you go direct by taxi, not the end of the world.

[PattayaParent]

In all reality it only adds another 20 minutes on to your journey to Pattaya if you have your own car or you go direct by taxi, not the end of the world.

I used to do it in 2 hours 10 minutes compared to 1.5 hours to Swampy so just have to set off a bit earlier.

[vickersvc10]

JaiLai: if you can drive the extra 35 kms from Suvarnabhumi to Don M through Bangkok traffic in 20 minutes then you have to be travelling either by helicopter or when the roads are 100% traffic free!

[JoePai]

You don't go through BKK traffic - take the ring road

[PattayaParent]

You don't go through BKK traffic - take the ring road

I'd continue past Swampy on the Rama IX overhead road to Din Daeng then turn right onto Viphavardi and enter the overhead tollway out to Don Muang.

What way are you thinking?

[JoePai]

You don't go through BKK traffic - take the ring road

I'd continue past Swampy on the Rama IX overhead road to Din Daeng then turn right onto Viphavardi and enter the overhead tollway out to Don Muang.

What way are you thinking?

Motorway (7) past swampy and right onto ring road (9) then left on 1st major intersection (304) straight to DM

[Tolley]

I wont be flying Air Asia either. I am regularly flying from Singapore back to Pattaya. So extra time wasted travelling on my weekends is not something that i am prepared to put up with.

Air Asia already takes a bit longer than Thai as it is so I will be using Thai airways in future.

[JaiLai]

JaiLai: if you can drive the extra 35 kms from Suvarnabhumi to Don M through Bangkok traffic in 20 minutes then you have to be travelling either by helicopter or when the roads are 100% traffic free!

Correct, drive to Swampy and then private chopper from there - no one else does this????

[PattayaParent]

You don't go through BKK traffic - take the ring road

I'd continue past Swampy on the Rama IX overhead road to Din Daeng then turn right onto Viphavardi and enter the overhead tollway out to Don Muang.

What way are you thinking?

Motorway (7) past swampy and right onto ring road (9) then left on 1st major intersection (304) straight to DM

Thanks

[kap]

Wow, this really is bad news! One of the things I like about being in Jomtien (Pattaya) is the easy and inexpensive transport to the airport. I usually fly to HK several times a year and take Air Asia because of the reasonable cost, and the timing allows me to take the airport bus. If I now have to start taking taxis, that'll cost me about an extra USD 80, which is a lot considering most of my flights have been less than USD 200.

Somehow I'm not optimistic that we'll get a bus service as convenient as the one we have now (to swampy).

[PattayaParent]

You don't go through BKK traffic - take the ring road

I'd continue past Swampy on the Rama IX overhead road to Din Daeng then turn right onto Viphavardi and enter the overhead tollway out to Don Muang.

What way are you thinking?

Motorway (7) past swampy and right onto ring road (9) then left on 1st major intersection (304) straight to DM

I passed the Ring Road 9 junction today, it's signposted Kanchanapisek Rd. - Bang Na - Bang Pa In

So you're saying take the Bang Pa In Rd and the 304 to DM is the first major intersection?

What's the intersection signposted as?

Edited July 7, 2012 by PattayaParent

[marstons]

You don't go through BKK traffic - take the ring road

I'd continue past Swampy on the Rama IX overhead road to Din Daeng then turn right onto Viphavardi and enter the overhead tollway out to Don Muang.

What way are you thinking?

Motorway (7) past swampy and right onto ring road (9) then left on 1st major intersection (304) straight to DM

29 kilometres in 20 minutes that's the above route, took over 40 minutes in a BKK taxi from DM to swampy last time i did it, mid afternoon. averaging 20 miles per hour would take 18 minutes, and thats never going to be done.

[davoz]

not every1 has a car to drive to Don Muang,

what about buses?

is it airport bus to swampy then another bus from there to DM?

or regular bus to Morchit or Eckamai then change bus there?

or maybe 1 of them vans to Victory, then a van or bus to DM,

or what about by train?

any1 done it & know the best way?

[PattayaParent]

not every1 has a car to drive to Don Muang,

what about buses?

is it airport bus to swampy then another bus from there to DM?

or regular bus to Morchit or Eckamai then change bus there?

or maybe 1 of them vans to Victory, then a van or bus to DM,

or what about by train?

any1 done it & know the best way?

Bus to Morchit be your best bet, or taxi all the way.

Edit: wasn't the old DM airport bus service the bus to Morchit which switched airport passengers to a van en route? They would maybe restart that service again.

Edited August 5, 2012 by PattayaParent

[ARGUSEYE]

Also.... If I come in on a flight from Europe and want to continue on Airasia...

Whar a drag! I would have to allow minimum 5 hrs transit time, just in case I encounter a traffic jam between the airports!

They better build some kind of a transit rail system there in the future....

Wishful thinking.

[Dirk_brijs]

You don't go through BKK traffic - take the ring road

I'd continue past Swampy on the Rama IX overhead road to Din Daeng then turn right onto Viphavardi and enter the overhead tollway out to Don Muang.

What way are you thinking?

Motorway (7) past swampy and right onto ring road (9) then left on 1st major intersection (304) straight to DM

just to avoid confusion.......

its the 3rd intersection coming from highway 7

first intersection is Ramkanheang road and will bring you back to highway 7 eventualy.

second one is road #3278 which will bring you to Bangkapi

so the 3rd intersection road #304 which will bring you just south of Don Muang

Just before the highway you will get on Chang Wathanna and at IT SQUARE you get back on the highway to Don Muang (about 1km)

anyway I strongly believe that at the peak hours you better avoid this route as Chang Wathanna is revered as one of the worst streets in Bkk at around those times. Also the way to get back on the right highway to Don Muang can be very difficult to find if you have never been in that area before with alot of side streets and U turns clogged together at that point.

So if people tell you its just 20min more to Don Muang please be advised that at the wrong times it could easily be 1 to 1 1/2 hour more especially during the peak hours.

The Suva its about 1 hour 15 min to Don Muang you need to calculate 2 hours + easily. any way you drive

this to avoid confusion for the people not that known with traffic in Bkk

[Gone]

PP, I did the Google map thing and typed in from Pattaya to Don Muang and I'm not sure if my attachment will work here hover I think it is the same rout that "Dirk brigs" is trying to explain. I do know the rout and believe it is much quicker.

I have TomTom Thailand loaded on my iPhone and if I use it for the fastest rout, this IS the one it gives me. Anyways if my attachment doesnt work here try the Google Map search I suggested and you can print them as well.

Ok it says I'm not permited to upload this kind of file sorry.

[whybother]

This will (should) show the directions being talked about (from Suv to DM).

http://maps.google.c...&via=1&t=m&z=11

edit: or http://maps.google.com/maps?saddr=Suvarnabhumi+International+Airport+Bangkok+Thailand&daddr=13.75057,100.70184+to:13.87896,100.57891+to:Donmueang+Airport+Bangkok+Thailand&hl=en&sll=13.878038,100.581937&sspn=0.024039,0.042272&geocode=FXjs0AAd01EBBiG1Vnq1uNqDBynLRMLggGcdMTG1Vnq1uNqDBw%3BFSrR0QAdkJYABinJM-8lNmEdMTEQPicfsgABEw%3BFbDG0wAdXrb-BSlVB4o814LiMDEw-GgfsgABEw%3BFZhM1AAdLBX_BSGg_ws9swABDyktpqwdiILiMDGg_ws9swABDw&mra=dpe&mrsp=2&sz=15&via=1,2&t=m&z=15

... which has a different u-turn near DM.

Edited August 5, 2012 by whybother

[Dirk_brijs]

This will (should) show the directions being talked about (from Suv to DM).

http://maps.google.c...&via=1&t=m&z=11

edit: or http://maps.google.c...ia=1,2&t=m&z=15

... which has a different u-turn near DM.

you better dont miss that U turn and if never been there before this would be very easy to do I think you will be taking the next flight out I guess....

Better take the easier route maybe a bit longer but much safer.

Also Chang Wathana during peak hours?????

[Dirk_brijs]

PP, I did the Google map thing and typed in from Pattaya to Don Muang and I'm not sure if my attachment will work here hover I think it is the same rout that "Dirk brigs" is trying to explain. I do know the rout and believe it is much quicker.

I have TomTom Thailand loaded on my iPhone and if I use it for the fastest rout, this IS the one it gives me. Anyways if my attachment doesnt work here try the Google Map search I suggested and you can print them as well.

Ok it says I'm not permited to upload this kind of file sorry.

does your Iphone know the traffic situation on that route?

I doubt it

I rather follow the inside highway route. Might be further and also might be slowed down by traffic but I am sure the traffic there will at least move a bit.

On Chan Watthana you never know you might be stationary for over an hour easily.

[Gone]

PP, I did the Google map thing and typed in from Pattaya to Don Muang and I'm not sure if my attachment will work here hover I think it is the same rout that "Dirk brigs" is trying to explain. I do know the rout and believe it is much quicker.

I have TomTom Thailand loaded on my iPhone and if I use it for the fastest rout, this IS the one it gives me. Anyways if my attachment doesnt work here try the Google Map search I suggested and you can print them as well.

Ok it says I'm not permited to upload this kind of file sorry.

does your Iphone know the traffic situation on that route?

I doubt it

I rather follow the inside highway route. Might be further and also might be slowed down by traffic but I am sure the traffic there will at least move a bit.

On Chan Watthana you never know you might be stationary for over an hour easily.

My iPhone might not know it but the TomTom app does. I set it to fastest route or for tollways etc. Any detours are also told. You never heard of GPS? It is done via satellite so it is real time not just a map.

[whybother]

My iPhone might not know it but the TomTom app does. I set it to fastest route or for tollways etc. Any detours are also told. You never heard of GPS? It is done via satellite so it is real time not just a map.

The only "real time" thing about GPS mapping is where you are. There are some systems in some locations that give real time traffic conditions. Thailand isn't one of them.

[Spoonman]

Air Asia has just lost my business.

Mine as well.

[PattayaParent]

This will (should) show the directions being talked about (from Suv to DM).

http://maps.google.c...&via=1&t=m&z=11

edit: or http://maps.google.c...ia=1,2&t=m&z=15

... which has a different u-turn near DM.

That second U-turn I know very well as I used to live on Ramintra but back in the days when you could right turn at Laksi.

Ramintra can be bad for traffic at certain times of the day too, especially near the Laksi end where it narrows and causes bottle necks.

[Gone]

My iPhone might not know it but the TomTom app does. I set it to fastest route or for tollways etc. Any detours are also told. You never heard of GPS? It is done via satellite so it is real time not just a map.

The only "real time" thing about GPS mapping is where you are. There are some systems in some locations that give real time traffic conditions. Thailand isn't one of them.

So you are saying that TomTom using the same satelite in England would give real time yet in Thailand it will not? Can you elaborate on your wizardry a little more please? I then wonder why when I'm driving around Thailand and there is a detour due to construction etc. that it says (Detour ahead, please follow alternative route)?

Anyways my reply to PattayaParent was giving the most direct route from Pattaya to Donmuang. Nothing was mentioned on what time of day he travels etc.