FIRST IMPRESSIONS: Apart from an immigration official who obviously reckons Thailand’s marketing slogan is The Land of Snarls, the wait at Koh Samui’s sunny, al fresco, thatched departure lounge is something I look back on with great pleasure.Tea, coffee, hot chocolate, juices, snacks, internet access and newspapers – all free – were augmented by views over a lily pond to the runway where Bangkok Airways’ (PG) swizzle stick aircraft pirouette before taking off with distinct panache past the seated golden Buddha and away over the Gulf of Thailand. Airport lounges are all too often frenetic –this is just the opposite, and the overall experience made paying the 500 baht (US$12.84) departure tax pretty painless. There are plans on the drawing board for an airport on neighbouring Koh Phangan: the architect needs to take his cue from Samui.
BOARDING: Rattling over the apron aboard the airline’s multi-coloured open-air charabancs is a great way to bid farewell to the holiday isle of Samui. Staff showed great patience with posers snatching a last-minute snapshot at the bottom of the steps.
THE SEAT: PG’s Boeing B717-200’s 125 seats are laid out in 25 rows of five,with a pair to port and a trio to starboard. There is no row 13. Book rows 16 or 17 over the wing for generous leg room by the emergency exit.
THE FLIGHT: Roughly one third full,with three (amazingly quiet) babies scattered among the returning holidaymakers, most of whom ventured to the rear to stretch out.After taking off around 0900, the crew proffered juice and sausage rolls,which were followed up by a “fish-or-sausage” brunch mid-morning. Both were perfectly palatable, but for a carrier that bills itself as “Asia’s Boutique Airline”, a bit more imagination in the catering stakes would not go amiss. The gallimaufry that is Thai cuisine should provide ample inspiration. Fah Thai, the 139-page bilingual in-flight magazine, provided ample diversion.
ARRIVAL: Smoggy skies coincided with the captain’s announcement that we’d started our descent into Chek Lap Kok.Walking all the way from the far end of the terminal (past a beaming Immigration officer) brought me to the carousel in time to see a familiar suitcase joggling towards me.Courtesy of the nippy Airport Express, I was at my office desk writing this within an hour of landing.
VERDICT: Flying should be fun. And while Dragonair continues with its post Tsunami decision to boycott Phuket, Bangkok Air provides Hongkong with a highly successful, to say nothing of attractive, Instant Thailand formula. In short – as Bridget Jones might say - PG is VG.
Ed Peters
FACT FILE
As the country’s first privately owned domestic airline, set up in 1986 by tycoon Prasert Prasarttong-Osoth, PG enjoys the monopoly on Koh Samui, where it owns (and is currently expanding) the airport. New aircraft parking bays and international and domestic terminals, with a total of five arrival and departure halls, each capable of holding 150 passengers at a time, should be completed by July at a cost of around 250 million baht (US$6.4 million). Thankfully, the low-rise, tropical theme is being continued with little evidence of concrete and glass.
FREQUENCY: One non-stop flight every Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday. There are also numerous connections to the capital, Bangkok.
CONTACT: Log on to www.bangkokair.com or call tel 66 2 265 5555. Passengers can also enrol in the FlyerBonus awards programme online at www.bangkokair.com/flyerbonus
PRICE: At press time, a round-trip fare was about HK$2,300 (US$59) plus tax and surcharges. It’s worth researching travel agents’ prices, which can differ sharply from internet offerings. It’s always best to shop around.
