Phuket-bkk,air Asia Or One-two-go?

[seasider]

I will shortly be arriving into phuket and need to get a connecting flight to bkk.Which budget airline should i go for?

NO IMPORTANCE-Price(as prices are much the same for both)

MINOR IMPORTANCE-standard of service ect

MAJOR IMPORTANCE-1.Ease of booking online without problems.

2.reliability of flights,small delays are ok but a major delay/cancellation from bkk to phuket would mean me missing my return flight out of phuket.

3.Weight /baggage allowance-i think i will have about 15-20 kilos,i have heard that aa are normally ok up to 20k(allowance is actually 15k),what about one-two-go?

[Soju]

I'd say neither. Long delays (sometimes up to a few hours) are common for both those airlines. I'd go with Nok Air, and get a Nok Plus ticket which give you more baggage allowance anyways, or Thai Air which give you 20kg standard. Both of those airlines have much better on-time records than either Air Asia or 1-2-go AFAIK. Of course any flight has some chance of being delayed. THAI is very easy to book online, but Nok can be a hassle using a credit card and my require you to send in a fax and/or call them in person.

If you're taking the first flight of the morning on Air Asia, then you might be alright as most people say that flight is seldom delayed. Don't know about the baggage, though have heard various reports of people having to pay lots in excess baggage fees. When I tried out Air Asia a year ago, I had problems with booking online and had to call them in person, just like with Nok Air in order to confirm my booking.

Edited November 19, 2006 by Soju

[Mahout Angrit]

I will shortly be arriving into phuket and need to get a connecting flight to bkk.Which budget airline should i go for?

MAJOR IMPORTANCE-1.Ease of booking online without problems.

2.reliability of flights,small delays are ok but a major delay/cancellation from bkk to phuket would mean me missing my return flight out of phuket.

3.Weight /baggage allowance-i think i will have about 15-20 kilos,i have heard that aa are normally ok up to 20k(allowance is actually 15k),what about one-two-go?

You pays your money and takes your chance, all have possibilities of being delayed or even cancelled.

One-2-Go, the on-line booking is easy, they even emailed when they cancelled a flight and gave the opportunity to rebook. One-2-Go has a standard baggage allowance of 20Kg and gives you peanuts and a soft drink and has more modern MD82 aircraft. Air Asia was a bit cattle class, 15Kg allowance and no refreshments.

They are ideal for a budget trip, when actual time of arrival is not too important, dont cut it fine to catch an international connection.

Remember you book tickets as singles and returns are no cheaper than 2 singles so you may consider using a cheap fight when you are not bothered by delays or cancellations and Thai for the important connection

[jingjoe]

If you don't mind jumping through a few hoops (as far as faxing credit card detials etc) then Nok is good.

Check them on line, and see how they fit with your schedule www.nokair.com

[calibanjr.]

Agree with Soju. Not much difference, but if given a preference, Nok Air, or Thai for a bit more $. AirAsia is almost always late, 35 to 45 mins., but that's manageable. I've had 12Go be 2 hours late and even cancelled on me, last resort for me nowadays.

[cdnvic]

How tall are you? If you are over 5'8 you'll be painfully cramped in an AirAsia flight. Nok has great legroom even in standard class and an option for double the baggage allowance and a business class seat for an extra 1200bht.

Flying 1-2-Go in the high season risks getting a rickety 747-MP (museum piece).

[seasider]

How tall are you? If you are over 5'8 you'll be painfully cramped in an AirAsia flight. Nok has great legroom even in standard class and an option for double the baggage allowance and a business class seat for an extra 1200bht.

Flying 1-2-Go in the high season risks getting a rickety 747-MP (museum piece).

Yes i am over 5'8.I think i can put up with being cramped for 1 hour.

I think i will probably go with Air Asia,the previous posts about 1-2-go's delays/cancellations and the possibility of a museum piece counts them out to be honest.

As for Nok Air,well i don't mind paying a little extra for something superior but as previously stated, i don't want any online booking hassles.

1-2-go and Air Asia both have suitable schedules,very similiar. Allowing 1 hour to disembark,clear immigration and customs i would then still be have 2 hours before flight time with 1-2-go(perfect really) and 3 hours with Air Asia(this maybe better if i have a delay of more than 1 hour)A delay of 1.5-2 hours and i may miss check-in with 1-2-go but i could still make Air Asia's flight time.

I will also check out Nok Air's scheduling before i book.

Anyway,thanks to all the replies and feel free to post any other info/experiences as it's not set in stone yet(will book by tuesday 21st).

[george]

Hint: Sometimes you can go with Thai at very discounted fares (check regulary!):

http://203.150.31.41:8080/NASApp/IP_SPECIAL/DisplaySpecial

[Soju]

I personally find the legroom on just about all the domestic flights in economy of all the airlines to be

very cramped, but for just an hour it's certainly bearable. If you do decide on Air Asia, be aware that there is no assigned seating. When they make the boarding announcement, it's a mad rush for everyone to try to get through the doors first in order to pick the seat they want. If legroom is important to you, try to get to the gate early and sit down as close to the gate as you can, then go and then be one of the first in line when people start lining up. If you manage to get a front row seat, or emergency row seat you'll likely have plenty of legroom.

Just beware that if you get charged for your overweight luggage, you could very well end up paying more than you would have by using Nok Plus or THAI.

[Mahout Angrit]

I think i will probably go with Air Asia,the previous posts about 1-2-go's delays/cancellations and the possibility of a museum piece counts them out to be honest.

As for Nok Air,well i don't mind paying a little extra for something superior but as previously stated, i don't want any online booking hassles.

I dont think you have read the previous posts too well, One-2-go had much more modern aircraft when I have used them and both are subject to possible delays and cancellations. basically you get what you pay for. good luck

[sibeymai]

From my experiences with 1-2-Go it should be called 1-2-No. Nok Air seems better.

Edited November 20, 2006 by sibeymai

[Diablo Bob]

Word of warning about AirAsia......

If there is any chance that you might need to change your dates, they will dick you around. In fact in many cases they will make you purchase another ticket.

This happened to me a few months ago, returned from Malaysia a day early (Was able to get my AirAsia ticket changed for the Penang-BKK leg) arrived in BKK and was told that I couldn't change my ticket. I was pissed so since I needed to get to Chiangmai, went to Nok Air and purchased a ticket for a flight one hour later.

Another thing, in most instances pre-booking is not necessary, unless you are traveling at Christmas, New Years or Sonkran. You can get a ticket for the next day easily........

[cdnvic]

I think i will probably go with Air Asia,the previous posts about 1-2-go's delays/cancellations and the possibility of a museum piece counts them out to be honest.

As for Nok Air,well i don't mind paying a little extra for something superior but as previously stated, i don't want any online booking hassles.

I dont think you have read the previous posts too well, One-2-go had much more modern aircraft when I have used them and both are subject to possible delays and cancellations. basically you get what you pay for. good luck

During the high season 1-2-Go sometimes uses it's 747s on runs to Phuket. Some of these are in fact museum pieces. The 747-100 was produced between 1969 and 1986.

Edited November 21, 2006 by cdnvic

[seasider]

Does anyone know if it would be possible for me to book and pay on arrival at Phuket Airport?

I noticed that on the Nok Air website they gave that option as one way of booking/paying.Do the others(Air Asia,1-2-go) offer that as well?

Would the price be the same as booking online/over the phone?If so,i may as well book on arrival as i will know when the next flight out is,i have the timetables for the budget airlines and i don't have to worry about delays and missing the connection.

* Nok Air Plus class on the afternoon and evening departure out of phuket is now full so i would have to go economy(15k baggage allowance)

[Mahout Angrit]

Does anyone know if it would be possible for me to book and pay on arrival at Phuket Airport?

I noticed that on the Nok Air website they gave that option as one way of booking/paying.Do the others(Air Asia,1-2-go) offer that as well?

Would the price be the same as booking online/over the phone?If so,i may as well book on arrival as i will know when the next flight out is,i have the timetables for the budget airlines and i don't have to worry about delays and missing the connection.

* Nok Air Plus class on the afternoon and evening departure out of phuket is now full so i would have to go economy(15k baggage allowance)

Yes, all the cheap airlines have counters at Phuket airport, they usually only open a few hours before a departure though. As with most cheap airline pricing the price usually rises as the plane fills up so whether the price will be the same on the day as it is now depends on how full the aircraft is.

If you are stopping in Phuket, the tickets are available all over the island also

You may have missed it but 1-2-go has a standard 20KG baggage allowance if you are heavy.

[seasider]

Does anyone know if it would be possible for me to book and pay on arrival at Phuket Airport?

I noticed that on the Nok Air website they gave that option as one way of booking/paying.Do the others(Air Asia,1-2-go) offer that as well?

Would the price be the same as booking online/over the phone?If so,i may as well book on arrival as i will know when the next flight out is,i have the timetables for the budget airlines and i don't have to worry about delays and missing the connection.

* Nok Air Plus class on the afternoon and evening departure out of phuket is now full so i would have to go economy(15k baggage allowance)

Yes, all the cheap airlines have counters at Phuket airport, they usually only open a few hours before a departure though. As with most cheap airline pricing the price usually rises as the plane fills up so whether the price will be the same on the day as it is now depends on how full the aircraft is.

If you are stopping in Phuket, the tickets are available all over the island also

You may have missed it but 1-2-go has a standard 20KG baggage allowance if you are heavy.

[seasider]

Does anyone know if it would be possible for me to book and pay on arrival at Phuket Airport?

I noticed that on the Nok Air website they gave that option as one way of booking/paying.Do the others(Air Asia,1-2-go) offer that as well?

Would the price be the same as booking online/over the phone?If so,i may as well book on arrival as i will know when the next flight out is,i have the timetables for the budget airlines and i don't have to worry about delays and missing the connection.

* Nok Air Plus class on the afternoon and evening departure out of phuket is now full so i would have to go economy(15k baggage allowance)

Yes, all the cheap airlines have counters at Phuket airport, they usually only open a few hours before a departure though. As with most cheap airline pricing the price usually rises as the plane fills up so whether the price will be the same on the day as it is now depends on how full the aircraft is.

If you are stopping in Phuket, the tickets are available all over the island also

You may have missed it but 1-2-go has a standard 20KG baggage allowance if you are heavy.

I think i will book on arrival at phuket,as someone previously posted they are rarely sold out unless it's xmas,songkran ect.Yeh i did notice the 2okg baggage with 1-2-go thanks, and i may not be able to keep to 15kg so i might consider them now,even though i was put off a bit by other posters.I suppose if i book at the airport last minute at least the flight probably won't be cancelled.

Basically,if i'm not over 15kg on baggage,i will book the first flight out which if i land on time will be Nok Air.