Is Udon Thani truly an international airport?

[Cowman]

A friend is flying from Australia to Udon Thani in February 2016.

His travel agent has told him he can check his luggage Melbourne to Udon Thani with Thai Airways.

I have never been able to do that as late as November 2015. I must collect my luggage at Suvarnabhumi

and re-book it to Udon Thani.

Have things changed? Does anyone have any up to date info one way or the other?

Thanks

[nev]

If he is flying Thai air to Bangkok and then Bangkok to Udon there is no reason you cannot check your luggage all the way to Udon, I am not sure if you have to clear immigration at Bangkok or you can now get your entry stamp at Udon.

[KhunBENQ]

or you can now get your entry stamp at Udon

Absolutely not.

Clear immigration in Bangkok.

Udon has no international flights, no immigration checkpoint at the airport.

No shortcut to Udon Thani flight after arrival (different for Phuket e.g.).

About the baggage I am not sure but also doubt it is possible.

Checking through from abroad would require that there is a customs checkpoint.

Quite sure not.

Would be surprised to be proofed wrong (from own experience please).

Edited December 18, 2015 by KhunBENQ

[chicowoodduck]

According to my brother....Udon was indeed an International destination all through the Viet Nam war....?

[Colabamumbai]

According to my brother....Udon was indeed an International destination all through the Viet Nam war....?

It was an American bomber base during the war, flying over Laos, Vietnam and Cambodia, The pilots houses still remain, Flying both bombs and heroin.

[nudger]

As a part time resident of Udon, I can advise there is no longer any way of checking thru Swampy to Udon. Up until about the end of Oct baggage could be interlined via Bangkok Airways from many other internatioal routes. Bangkok Airways stopped daily flights at the end of Oct and now only have 1 flight on aSunday

Thai Smile do not offer baggage transfer even to Thai Airways. I tried this last week on my way to Melbourne

[UTH001]

or you can now get your entry stamp at Udon

Absolutely not.

Clear immigration in Bangkok.

Udon has no international flights, no immigration checkpoint at the airport.

No shortcut to Udon Thani flight after arrival (different for Phuket e.g.).

About the baggage I am not sure but also doubt it is possible.

Checking through from abroad would require that there is a customs checkpoint.

Quite sure not.

Would be surprised to be proofed wrong (from own experience please).

Well, I cleared Immigration at UTH airport I think in September, flying to BKK and then on to DXB. And the luggage was checked all the way to DXB too. I got to wear a C.I.Q. sticker, walked through the C.I.Q. area at Suvarnabhumi, thus becoming a transit passenger and walked to the international departure area (quite a walk!). Had my boarding pass to DXB, no need to again go to any check-in counter.

See no reason why that is no longer possible, just because Bangkok Airways no longer flies to UTH? Especially as the new "International" section at UTH airport has now been opened.

[Jax308]

Have to recheck in bags at Survanabhumi to Udon.

[TKDfella]

I went to UT airport late last month and looking through the locked doors of the 'international section' I saw odd bits of office furniture space here and there and other bits & pieces indicating that it was not in use. If it was international it would make sense to use that section for domestic flights too wouldn't it? That is, being able to fly direct without changing at BKK

[slipperylobster]

A friend, from south korea, claims there are "unscheduled" flights from seoul to udon thani. This was two years ago.

I am not claiming that this is true...just throwing it out, as perhaps somebody knows about this. Also heard of flights to and from Luang Prabang....last year.

[MobileContent]

Udon Airport was used for international flights to Laos. Theys topped flying and now it is just a domestic airport.

[KhunBENQ]

From Thai Airways, a classification of its domestic destinations.

http://www.thaiairways.com/en_TH/plan_my_trip/domestic_destination.page

* is international

North:

Chiang Mai*
Chiang Rai*

Northeast:

Khon Kaen
Ubon Ratchathani
Udon Thani

South:

Hat Yai*

Phuket*
Surat Thani
Samui
Krabi

Only Phuket, Samui, Krabi and Chiang Mai are fully or partly operated by Thai Airways.

All others only by its low cost offspring ThaiSmile.

[UTH001]

Udon Airport was used for international flights to Laos. Theys topped flying and now it is just a domestic airport.

That's not quite correct. There are customs and Immigration facilities at the airport but just no international flights as yet. And since both BKK airports are pretty full, only a matter of time until there are regular direct flights to say Singapore, Korea or Japan, quite sure (on no frill airlines like Thai Lion Air or Air Asia). I guess with the current airworthiness problems etc, most countries are a bit hesitant right now to offer new landing rights...

[KhunBENQ]

BTW: its the same in Khon Kaen.

Some vague plans (for more than a year) for international flights to China and the like.

Also a separated area at the baggage claim for "International" (which surprised me last time in September).

But plans and preparations only.

Never an international flight was announced nor did I ever see any trace of an immigration passport check, officer nor a customs counter etc.

Edited December 19, 2015 by KhunBENQ

[louse1953]

According to my brother....Udon was indeed an International destination all through the Viet Nam war....?

Hey chico,you can come out of the jungle now,that war has been over for quite a while,but plenty of new ones going on.

[novo58]

In Sept this year I did the reverse trip .......Udon Thani to Brisbane. Udon to bangkok with Thai smile, Bangkok to Brisbane with Thai international .

my bags WERE NOT checked thru for the entire trip .

I had to collect them in Bangkok and re-check them in with Thai International......................and also clear immigration in Bangkok.

I returned to Udon Thani/Thailand with Singapore airlines and Bangkok airlines......................again clear immigration in Bangkok and re-check bags for domestic leg.

Cant see that it will have changed since then particularly as Bangkokairlines has reduced the number of flights into Udon Thani ( replaced I think by thai smile).

[TBWG]

Check in baggage at Oz thru to Udon.

What could possibly go wrong?

TBWG

[GOLDBUGGY]

I will tell you what friend. Based just on the confusion here, and nobody seeming to know for sure you can do this is every flight, I would tell my friend to pick up his luggage in Bangkok, go through Customs, then drop it of again for the Domestic Flight.

I did that a hundred times and never had a problem. I think it can be real pain getting back lost luggage especially when it has to go through Customs first, and the bags are locked. Why Risk It?

[KhunBENQ]

Exactly! Why the fuss.