Thailand Airlines Comparison

There is a great deal to do in and around Thailand and the rest of Southeast Asia. Fortunately, the region has a modern air travel infrastructure that makes it easy to travel throughout the region. There is a selection of carriers to choose from, and these range from providing basic, budget flights to first-class luxury travel.

The majority of international flights from Thailand will fly from Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi airport. This is a relatively new airport with modern facilities. Many international visitors will fly in and out from Phuket International Airport, which is smaller than Suvarnabhumi and handles mostly tourists. If you are flying to other Thailand destinations from Bangkok, you will likely fly from the city’s older Don Mueang International Airport. This airport does handle some international flights, but flights from here are mostly domestic, or cargo flights.

Thai Airways is Thailand’s flagship carrier and has a good reputation globally. Their fleet includes Airbus A380s, making them a popular choice for long-haul flights. Other carriers based in Thailand are generally better suited to short to mid-distance flights. When choosing your flights, it is a good idea to check information such as baggage allowance and booking fees. Not all flights offer meals, but these are generally short-distance flights so a meal won’t be necessary anyway.

When booking tickets, you should also be mindful that some items are automatically included even though you might not need them. For example, when you’re completing the online booking form on low cost carrier’s websites some flights will have travel insurance automatically ticked and charge you for this but this is not necessary if you are already insured. You should be able to choose to deselect these items.

There can be a lot of subtle differences between airlines making the choice of who to fly with difficult. In order to help make it easier for you, we have created a table that will help you find the most important information.

	Thai Airways	Bangkok Airways	Air Asia	Nok Air	Thai Lion Air	Thai Smile	Thai Vietjet Air

Baggage Limits	30kg	25kg	15kg – 300 THB	15kg – 350 THB	30THB/kg	20kg	15kg – 220 THB
Cabin Luggage	7kg	5kg	7kg	7kg	7kg	5kg	7kg
Excess Baggage Costs	55-125THB/kg	80 THB/kg	350THB/kg	300 THB	400 THB	55 -125THB/kg	400 THB /kg
Cancellation Policies	No penalty for cancellations made within 24 hours of booking	Cannot refund on web promotion. 500 baht fee	Refunds if cancelled by Air Asia air only	Refunds if cancelled by Nok air only	50% or 1,000 THB if requested 3 days before flight.	Depends on ticket purchased	Promo tickets non-refundable
Change flight details	At least 6 hours before flight	Cannot change on web promotion. 500baht fee	750 THB of 48 hours prior to flight	24 hours before flight	750 THB if done 4 hours prior. Cannot transfer	500 THB – 1000 THB	Can change non promo tickets for a fee
Payment Methods	Credit card, Direct Debit (max 100,000 THB, Counter Payments, (max 30,000), PayPal. Virtual cards not accepted	Credit Card, LinePay, WeChat, AliPay, UnionPay	Credit Card, Bank Transfer, UnionPay	Credit Card, ATM, Direct Debit, Counter Payment, QR Payment, Union Pay, K Plus, CenPay, Big C, Tesco Lotus, Alipay, Wechat Pay	Credit Card, Direct Debit, Tesco Lotus, 7-11, Big C, ATM, All Pay	Credit Card, bank transfer, internet banking, ATM bill payment, counter payment, 7-Eleven	Credit Card, QR pay

	Thai Airways	Bangkok Airways	Air Asia	Nok Air	Thai Lion Air	Thai Smile	Thai Vietjet Air

Booking Procedures	Insurance automatically included	Insurance automatically included	Insurance automatically included	Premier seat, insurance and extra luggage automatically included	Insurance automatically included	N/A	N/A
Extra Costs	No credit card fee	N/A	Processing fee when booking online	Credit card fee – 90.95	No Credit card fee	No credit card fee	Credit card fee – 164.78 THB
Seat Selections	Can select seats online	Yes – No extra cost	70THB. 400 THB for ‘Hot seats’	Yes	Yes	Yes	No
Pets allowed?	Yes	Cats and dogs only. 2 pets per plane.	No	Yes	No	No	No
Infant fee	10% of adult price	25% of adult price	556.4 THB	300 THB	410 THB	535THB	Free
Child fee	75% of adult price	75% of adult price	100% of adult price	100% of adult price	100 of adult price	100% of adult price	100% of adult price
Meal Included	Yes	Yes	Snack and water	No	No	Yes	No