Bangkok Airways Review - Koh Samui to Singapore - Airbus A319
- Sam
- 4 days ago
- 7 min read
Best small airline I’ve ever flown. Period.
If I was any good at this I’d have put that at the end of the review, but to hell with it! Credit is due when warranted. This was my first time flying on Bangkok Airways, and this time we were travelling in Economy, from Koh Samui to Singapore on an Airbus A319 for this review. Our previous flight to Koh Samui from Singapore was on Scoot, and you can find that review here.
Who are Bangkok Airways?
Bangkok Airways call themselves “Asia’s Boutique Airline”. The small Thai airline consists of just 25 aircraft, but has a service level that rivals the big Middle Eastern airlines. Uniquely to Bangkok Airways, they not only operate aircraft, but also built and operate a couple of airports in Thailand, one of those being the airport we are flying from, Koh Samui.
Booking
Bangkok Airways is not a part of any airline alliance, preferring to interline with airlines of all colours instead. We paid cash for this flight, and whilst not typically a good deal, I found it fair. We paid 23990 ฿ (£545) for the two of us one way. This was a flight departing on a Sunday afternoon, and was nearly full, so demand was high for this route.
Koh Samui could be the best airport in the world
Bangkok Airways have pulled off a blinder with Koh Samui airport. The airport has an open air design, with fans to circulate the sticky air of Koh Samui. Every part of navigating this airport is an experience unlike any other major airport you've been to. Starting with check-in which a space completely open to the elements, with no doors to seal out the world.
From there, and this may be one of the strangest, but most wonderfully functional airport experiences I've had, you have to stand and watch a screen for three minutes to see if your checked-in bag has been pulled aside for secondary screening. A member of staff is stood just out of shot timing everyone, and then releasing them to continue once their three minutes is up.
From there, a covered walkway takes you to a parade of shops and bars!
The airport is clearly trying to encourage customers not to spend too much time airside, but also trying to create a space that non-travelling members of the public would feel comfortable using.
The airport then splits into a domestic, and international portion. With only five gates for domestic, and two for international, you start to understand the size of this airport. For me though, the real entertainment exists the other side of security.
Helena was tasked with sampling the Blue Ribbon Club Lounge, a review of which will go up on the website in the near future.
Airside at Koh Samui is a similar affair to landside, with Gate 6 situated underneath an open-sided wooden structure.
Gate 7 though is the only true indoor structure of the passenger experience.
Outside though, there is no proper fencing or walls to stop you from watching the runway, and with all aircraft required to backtrack along the runway, you will get some great views.
Our flight was departing from Gate 7, in the cool embrace of sweet, sweet air conditioning. At each gate, you start to get a sense of what makes Bangkok Airways stand out from the crowd. Flying Economy you're used to, at best, a packet of crisps and a thimble of water. But Bangkok Airways have an entire snack station at each gate for every passenger to take advantage of.
For science, I tried a vegetable curry puff, ham sandwich, the popcorn, and a coffee! The curry puff and the ham sandwich were very average, but the popcorn was great, not stale, and with a full coating of a sugary syrup.
The Flight
Our flight was delayed due to the incoming flight from Bangkok having to deviate around a storm in the Gulf of Thailand. I have no problems with an aircraft being delayed for such a reason, but no announcements were made to passengers, and with our boarding time been and gone, some passengers were going up to the gate staff to enquire.
Boarding started 25 minutes behind schedule with boarding beginning for families with small children, and the elderly, then followed by the rest of the cabin, boarding rear to front. Bangkok Airways do operate a Business Class, but this service was all economy. Boarding groups were strictly enforced with gate staff turning passengers away who were not in the correct sections. The stands at Koh Samui are all remote, and whereas at a normal airport this would necessitate a bus ride, Koh Samui goes one better with trolley buses. The sort you would find along Main Street, Disney!
Its only a short drive to the aircraft, but it gives you some great, unimpeded tarmac views. From this view, we could see our aircraft, HS-PPT, a 17 year old Airbus A319.
We boarded at the front using a sheltered set of air stairs, and found our seats 2A and 2B. This aircraft has 144 seats in an all economy configuration.
What you'll first notice is the amount of padding on these seats, these ain't no slimline bench seats that you'd find on Wizz Air or easyJet. Legroom though is rather average. At 6ft2 I am taller than most, but if the person in front were to recline then I would have difficulty moving my legs. Helena though at 5ft2 had ample room! So if you're anything less than 5ft11, you'll be just fine.
We pushed back 25 minutes late, and whilst taxiing the safety demonstration began, and just like with Scoot, Bangkok Airways do also stipulate that power banks cannot be used during flight.
Seatback power is not available on Bangkok Airways, and this is something I would like to see rectified if the power bank ban persists.
Designed for short haul hops around the Gulf of Thailand, there is no in flight entertainment, and there was is no WiFi onboard, so make sure to bring some offline options with you.
We were in the air half an hour behind schedule, sadly leaving Koh Samui behind. The crew were released springing into action, and within no more than three minutes Helena was served her meal. Yes, you heard that right! On this 1hr55m flight there is a full meal service for all onboard.
Helena had ordered a lactose free meal before the flight, hence the immediate service. Her meal consisted of fish, potato, and carrots in a tomato sauce, with a side salad, and a small bowl of melon and dragon fruit. She said the salad was fresh, and crunchy, but with a dressing dominant of vinegar, which she wasn't a huge fan of. The main dish though was "surprisingly delicious".
Helena's dietary needs are not unique to her, and we know that a lot of our readership too will struggle with dietary needs when travelling, but this will continue to be a focus of ours, so make sure to subscribe to our emails to get all the latest posts on this topic.
Mine was served only eight minutes after consisting of fish, rice, in a Thai curry sauce. Accompanied with a salad, and a toffee and walnut brownie.
The vegetable and grain salad was rather bland, but this was rectified with the quality of my main dish which was delicious. The fish was not too pungent considering it had been reheated, and the rice was well cooked. To finish, the toffee and walnut brownie was the perfect bit of stodge to end with. I would be extremely happy to get this on a 6hr transatlantic flight, let alone a sub two hour regional flight. British Airways, take note!
To the left of the tray you'll see two things, firstly a "refreshing towel" to clean your hands with afterwards, but also metal cutlery! This should be something to get excited about, but as anyone who has had to contend with a spork will attest, solid, proper cutlery is a luxury.
10 minutes after I was served, a full drinks trolley was wheeled out, consisting of every beverage under the sun. You wanted scotch, they've got you! How about a smooth mango juice, of course! Its 30c outside and Sir would like a Bloody Mary; they could see you from a mile away! The crew did a stellar job to serve everyone so efficiently. At 1hr55 this is actually one of Bangkok Airways' longer flights out of Koh Samui, so the crew are clearly well drilled in this operation.
Descent started roughly 30 minutes out from Singapore, and was smooth affair, bar coming through the cloud ceiling. We touched down only 15 minutes behind schedule, making up a nice bit of time in the air.
Can Bangkok Airways open a European subsidiary?
Some of my other best short haul flights have all been flying Business, never in Economy. This bucks the trend in a substantial manner. We've been told that the only way flying has a future is with smaller seats, and no frills to match that. Well, Bangkok Airways buck that trend. You could say that they can only offer this service because of their near monopoly in Koh Samui as they own the airport, but that doesn't ring true for the rest of their operation where they provide the same level of service. And I am not the only one to be highlighting their greatness, themselves wining "World's Best Regional Airline" by industry body Skytrax a total of nine times since 2014.
All I can say is that I hope more airlines follow Bangkok Airways' lead.
Sam
Comments