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 | |
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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 | |
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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 |