# Airline, airport and flight news



## Song_Si

*Air Asia relocates from 1 October 2012*

of interest esp to people booking connecting flights from international flights, allow more time from October. 

From 1October 2012 Air Asia will be operating from Don Mueang International Airport (DMK) - no longer flying to/from Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi Airport

Nok Air and Orient Thai Airlines also operate from Don Mueang










For me - we live south-east of Suvarnabhumi we get there with minimum fuss/traffic, an easy 3hrs by bus. This will add maybe 1.5-2hrs to our travel time and impact on what flights we can select to match the bus services to avoid having to spend overnight in a hotel. But for people in some other areas they will be better off - win some, lose some.


These are suggested travel times from Air Asia and further info here


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## Song_Si

a new Thai airline - opens 7 July 2012

*Thai Smile*

*THAI Smile*, the so-called “light premium brand” will take off on July 7 with a service from Bangkok to Macau.

Services between Bangkok and Phuket, and Chiang Mai and Phuket will follow on September 16.

Fares will not be as low as the country’s budget airlines.


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## Song_Si

graphic providing facts and figures on the two airports; wonder wahts happens in 2017 when Suvarnabhumi has been expanded for 15 million more passengers per year.










source



> According to Airports of Thailand (AOT), Suvarnabhumi has 48 million passengers a year, while its capacity is 45 million. Moreover, the passenger figure is expected to soar to 52 million this year.
> 
> "In fact, we experience many peak-hours slots from 10am every day. The airport's two runways can handle 76 flights per hour or 1,824 flights per day. But the control tower has the capacity to handle only 60 flights per hour or 1,440 flights per day," said Somchai Sawasdeepon, director of Suvarnabhumi Airport.
> 
> ***
> 
> What the government can do to wipe out the congestion problem as quickly as possible is to make some flights disappear. Even if the eastern runway repairs are completed on August 9 as scheduled, the congestion problem will remain. The best choice at this time is to relocate all low-cost carriers to Don Mueang. By doing this, it can buy time as long as the Phase 2 project is completed in 2017, enabling the airport to handle 15 million more passengers.
> 
> _Thai AirAsia_ recently agreed to relocate its operation to Don Mueang, effective October 1. Thirteen other airlines are in talks with AOT. If successful, this would help reduce by 8 or 9 million passengers a year the load at Suvarnabhumi, according to AOT.


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## Bobr

They can say what they want about Suvannbhumi, but it's the greatest airport on Earth compared to LAX (Los Angeles). I've many airports that are a whole lot worse.


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## Song_Si

^ I've only ever been held up there once in almost 40x through there, and that was for almost one hour - could be worse! But my favourite would be the main one at Kuala Lumpur (not the LCCT one Air Asia use). Always seems so quiet, efficient.

a note on Air Asia for this weekend:


> *Thai AirAsia closes its online booking during July 27 and July 29, as the airline is changing its airport code ahead of the relocation to the Don Mueang Airport on October 1.*
> 
> During the period, no online booking, through agents, airport sales office and travel service centres for flights going to or from Bangkok during the travel period of October 1, 2012 onwards. Unaffected will be passengers with travel dates before October 1 or those to fly from other destinations outside Bangkok, like Chiang Mai or Phuket.
> 
> From October 1, it will operate all domestic and international flights from Don Mueang Airport, which is using "DMK" as the airport code. All flights will be relocated from Suvarnabhumi Airport which is coded "BKK".
> source


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## Song_Si

*Bus service between Bangkok airports*

"about two hours, excluding traffic" unsure what that means - when is there no traffic?
Hoping that by October when Air Asia operations commence there is a better bus service in place as there will be far more passengers at that time. 
And some may even have large luggage!




> "Since more low-cost airlines will use Don Mueang as their base, BMTA will prepare for the increasing number of passengers between the two airports," said BMTA Deputy Director for Bus Operation Department Narade Boonpiam. At present the No.555 bus, which has a terminus station at Talat Rangsit, passes Don Mueang at Vibhavadi Rangsit Road before taking the motorway at Rama XI entrance to Suvarnabhumi.
> 
> Starting on Aug 1, the bus will stop inside Don Mueang to drop passengers at the arrival hall on the ground floor of Terminal 1, said Mr Narade.
> 
> BMTA has an agreement with the Airports of Thailand (AoT) to facilitate passengers who want to get off at Don Mueang for connecting flights. For the return leg, passengers can also get the bus at Terminal 1 to go to Suvarnabhumi.
> 
> BMTA has about 15 buses for the service which operates daily during 4am-10pm. The estimated travel time is 90 minutes, excluding waiting time for the bus which might be 15-30 minutes depending on traffic.
> 
> Unfortunately, the bus isn't designed for passengers with large luggage. BMTA operates the service with a normal yellow air-conditioned bus. It plans to increase the number of buses to 20 within the next 30 days.
> 
> An alternative for passengers commuting between the two airports is to take the privately-run No.554 bus plying the Talat Rangsit-Don Muang-Ram Intra expressway-Suvarnabhumi Airport route.
> 
> However, AoT does not allow the 554 and 555 buses to pick up passengers directly at the arrival hall of Suvarnabhumi. They can only send passengers.
> 
> Those who want to get the public bus to Don Mueang must take an airport shuttle bus which takes about 20 minutes between the airport terminal and the bus station. The estimated waiting time for a shuttle bus is 10 minutes.
> 
> The total travel time for a passenger who wants to take a public bus from Suvarnabhumi to Don Mueang is about two hours, excluding traffic.
> 
> According to AoT, passengers also have an alternative by hopping on a public van available at Gate 8 on the first floor from 6am-6pm. However, the van will not get inside Don Mueang airport. It only stops at the bus stop at the opposite side.
> source


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## Song_Si

*Fly Bangkok-Mandalay*

a new route from Air Asia, and cheap flights available if you're flexible on days - I couldn't resist - and got return flights for a total 2800 baht. Now I need to research Mandalay, no idea what's there. 



> *Thai AirAsia to Launch Bangkok – Mandalay Service from Oct 2012*
> 06AUG12
> 
> Thai AirAsia from 04OCT12 will launch its second route to Myanmar, with 4 weekly Bangkok Don Mueang – Mandalay flight, becoming the first low-cost carrier to operate service to Mandalay.


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## Song_Si

*Chaos at Don Mueang*

from today's news, South Korean airline T'way Airlines says the problems at Don Mueang have prompted it to halt service there.

They listed major faults:



> The counters opened only two hours ahead of boarding time, and the very slow check-in procedure did not leave passengers enough time to obtain their VAT refunds, he said.
> That is, if there had been a VAT refund facility at Don Mueang, which there was not, a fact that further upset foreign passengers who had gone shopping in Thailand expecting the refund, said Mr Choi.
> Most electric devices at Don Mueang were constantly out of order.
> The luggage carousels did not worked properly, and bags had to be handled manually.
> Luggage weighing scales seemed uncalibrated, while electronic signboards did not function.
> Check-in counters had no operational computers, so boarding passes had to be printed in advance.
> While seven immigration officers were promised, only two were provided for departures and two for arrivals, resulting in very long queues.
> T'way has decided to stop operating at Don Mueang and will consolidate flight operations at Suvarnabhumi alone. Furthermore, the airline has no intention of ever returning to Don Mueang.
> 
> full story


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## Song_Si

*Bus - Don Mueang-Suvarnabhumi*

update of bus services between airports



> *Shuttle service Don Mueang-Suvarnabhumi airports starts Oct 1*
> 
> BANGKOK, Sept 11 - Airports of Thailand (AoT), operator of the country’s commercial airports, said Tuesday that shuttle bus services between Bangkok’s two commercial airports will be provided for passengers with connecting flights starting next month.
> 
> AoT Vice President Somchai Sawasdipol said the shuttle bus services will be offered for passengers between Suvarnabhumi International Airport and Don Mueang Airport next month after low-cost carriers move their operations bases to the capital’s original international gateway Oct 1.
> 
> Mr Somchai, also director of Suvarnabhumi Airport, said four buses will be on service hourly from 6am to 10pm between Don Mueang-Suvarnabhumi airports.
> 
> He said the services will give passengers more convenience and that the buses will run on the expressway.
> 
> Passengers board buses at the first floor of Don Mueang Airport's Terminal 1 and debark at the second floor of Suvarnabhumi’s Terminal Building, Gate 3, said the AoT executive.


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## Song_Si

my exp yesterday - several flights arriving at the same time, and the immigration waiting hall was filled to overflowing, people lined up down the ramp towards the duty-free area.

however the 'people channels' they have ensured some order and there was slow and steady progress.

Still - it took me just over an hour from getting off the plane to walking out of immigration. 

It was not my day, a minute earlier I'd have caught the shuttle bus but had to wait 10 for the next one, as a result missed my minivan to Chanthaburi by five minutes, and a 1 hour 50 wait for the next available bus. 

Doesn't pay to be in a hurry!

Does highlight for us how the extra travel time to/from Don Mueang will impact on us and may force us to spend an extra night in/around Bangkok unlesss late departure/early return flighst are available.


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## Song_Si

*Don Mueang passes AOT readiness test*
September 22, 2012 

*Don Mueang Airport is 95 per cent ready to serve low-cost airlines and passengers when it is fully relaunched on October 1, Airports of Thailand (AOT) said yesterday.
*
Paranee Vatanotai, director of the airport, said it had arranged with relevant parties to prepare transport service between Don Mueang and Suvarnabhumi Airport.

AOT conducted a readiness check of Don Mueang yesterday. The test used 135 people to act as passengers with luggage preparing to board an AirAsia flight from Bangkok to Singapore departing at 1.10pm. According to AOT, the test ran smoothly.

***

The airport currently serves 150 flights per day with a total of 15,000 passengers, which is expected to increase to 256 flights per day with an estimated 30,000 passengers after its full opening on October 1.

For its flood-prevention plan, AOT will spend Bt131 million on building a 7.3-kilometre embankment 3.85 metres above sea level and will install pumps in all areas of the airport. It will also jointly conduct a flood-prevention drill with the Air Force next Thursday.

AOT has prepared 300 staff to provide immigration service, who will work four shifts. They can provide service at a rate of not more than 45 seconds per passenger. Electronic passport readers have also been installed. 

The airport is expected to be able to serve at least 6.5 million passengers per year. 

Don Mueang was Bangkok's only international airport before Suvarnabhumi was opened in 2006. The old airport is being brought back into service to relieve congestion at Suvarnabhumi.


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## Song_Si

*New airline: Pattaya - Sien Reap*

New service starting soon Pattaya-Siem Reap - Air Hanuman



> *Air Hanuman set to take off*
> Friday, 14 September 2012
> 
> *An unusual and ambitious ‘airline,’ Air Hanuman, is about to take off in Siem Reap to provide thrice-weekly flights from Siem Reap airport to Pattaya.*
> 
> Flights to Pattaya are slated to commence on Wednesday, October 10, departing Siem Reap at 2pm on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, with a return flight to Siem Reap at 4pm on the same days.
> 
> For the Pattaya leg, the flights will land at U-Taphao International Airport, a joint civil-military public airport about a 45 minute drive from Pattaya.
> 
> Air Hanuman will operate three aircrafts of type B737-300 with 144 seats and B737-500 with 187 seats, and Tonle Sap Airlines will operate the Air Hanuman flights as charter flights.
> 
> Air Hanuman’s promotional campaign promises return flights “from US$99.”


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## Song_Si

with the re-opening of Don Mueang next week, no doubt some of the airport scammers will relocate

*********


*Airport vultures still circle prey*
Published: 29/09/2012

*Illegal tour guides and taxi drivers are still preying on both Thai and foreign passengers at Suvarnabhumi airport six years after its opening.*

When Suvarnabhumi airport was opened on Sept 28, 2006, illegal tour guides and taxi drivers moved from Don Mueang airport to the new airport.

They still frequent the passenger terminal and departure floor.

Illegal tour guides and taxi drivers are often in league with each other. Tour guides bring travellers from inside the passenger terminal and send them to taxi drivers outside the building.

The guides receive 100 baht to 500 baht per passenger from taxi drivers, who then charge fares that are five to 10 times higher than standard fares. Drivers also take travellers to guesthouses, hotels and shops where they receive commissions. They even drop en route passengers who try to bargain for lower fares.

. . . .Suvarnabhumi airport director Somchai Sawasdipol admits the presence of illegal guides and taxi drivers continues at the six-year-old airport.

He said the wrongdoers mainly target foreigners.

more


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## Song_Si

*AirAsia takes off from new hub at old Bangkok international airport*
October 1, 2012 1:56 pm

*Regional budget carrier AirAsia started operations from its new Thailand base Monday, the day the nation's airports authority consolidated low-cost carrier services at Bangkok's old international airport.*

Thai AirAsia Co Ltd had been based at Suvarnabhumi Airport, but the government urged it to move to Don Mueang Airport to release pressure on the overtaxed and troubled-plagued Bangkok hub that opened in 2006.

"I am satisfied with the operations at the (Don Mueang) Airport sofar, including immigration and check-in services, which have not caused any flight delays," Thai AirAsia chief executive Tassapon Bijleveld told Thai PBS television. "At Suvarnabhumi, delays inlanding queues and the cost of aircraft circling the airport added 2 to 3 per cent to our operating costs." Thailand’s second-largest carrier by revenue and passenger volume joined Nok Airlines Co Ltd, Orient Thai Airlines Co Ltd, Solar Aviation Co Ltd (Solar Air) and charters at Don Mueang, which reopened in March after being forced to close in October last year because of Thailand’s worst flooding in more than 50 years.

*************









*Walling up Don Mueang*
A construction worker builds a floodwall in front of Don Mueang airport on Vibhavadi Rangsit Road in Bangkok yesterday. The airport was severely flooded late last year.


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## Song_Si

*First exp Don Mueang Airport*

We went to KL for the motorcycle grand prix (Moto GP) over the weekend - first experience of travel to/from Don Mueang Airport

Coming from Chanthaburi we took our usual bus to the bus station near Suvarnabhumi - from there had options of taxi, minivan or bus to Don Mueang. As we had plenty of time , took the bus.

34 baht per person, and took 1hr 5 minutes - this was about 1pm on Friday
Back today (Monday) similar time 1pm and took 55 minutes

Sure a minivan or taxi would be quicker - maybe 10 min, but we were in no hurry as connecting bus home didn't leave till 3.30pm.

*Don Mueang*

Well, it will improve ( hope)
We arrived with more than two hours hour to spare. Very limited seating. 
Insane 'airport prices' for food and drink in surroundings far worse than you'd expect.
As Air Asia is the main airline, really highlights the budget aspect.
As an airport I'd give it three out of ten. 
Signage is appalling for non-Thais, and even then non-existent in many cases. Just follow other people and hope . . . and don't have more than a small backpack - up and down stairs, also no facilities/allowance for disabled persons we could see.

One good point: quicker both ways though immigration - having read of big delays when AA started there 3 weeks ago we were prepared for a long wait, but plane landed 12.40pm and at 1.00pm we were out on the street waiting for a bus having cleared Immigration and bought a couple of bottles of duty free (but downside, just one very small df store with limited range)

For us - will look more at other airlines flying from Suvarnabhumi in future; some AA flights would now require that we spend a night in a Bangkok hotel, negating any flight cost saving. Equally - must be more convenient for people closer to that side of Bangkok.


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