Air Travel to Bangkok

Bangkok has grown into one of the most appealing travel destinations for tourists from all over the world. This bustling capital city of Thailand not only stimulates the senses with an overabundance of sights, tastes, sounds, and scents, but also serves the country as the political, economic, and social center. Bright colors and mesmerizing designs of monuments and architecture reflect both ancient and contemporary Indochina, illustrating Bangkok's modern growth as well as its preservation of culture. From the tropical monsoon climate to the exotic cuisine, this city is a buzzing adventure for travelers. Getting to Bangkok by air is not difficult. Here are some tips.

Geography

Thailand is in Southeast Asia, with neighboring countries of Burma (Myanmar) to the west, Cambodia to the southeast, Laos to the northeast, and Malaysia to the south. Also referred to as Thailand's "City of Angels," and home to more than 10 million people, Bangkok is in Bangkok province in the nation's southwest on the east bank of the Chao Phraya River, near the Gulf of Thailand.

Airports

Two airports serve Bangkok: Suvarnabhumi International Airport, also referred to as the New Bangkok International Airport, and Don Mueang International Airport, also referred to as the Old Bangkok International Airport. Located about 25 kilometers east of downtown Bangkok, Suvarnabhumi International Airport services all domestic and international commercial flights. It is the main hub for Thai AirAsia, PBair, Thai Airways International, Bangkok Airways and Orient Thai Airlines. Don Mueang International Airport was closed in 2006-07 after Suvarnabhumi opened. Don Mueang became a facility for charter flights, military aircraft and civil aviation. The airport reopened for non-connecting domestic commercial flights in March 2007. Suvarnabhumi is the most likely landing point for international travelers.

Airlines

Bangkok is a major airline hub of Southeast Asia, so finding a flight to Bangkok regardless of a traveler's departure point is easy. The following is a list of airlines in alphabetical order that fly into Thailand: Aeroflot, AIr Andaman, Air France, Air India, Air Lanka, Air Mandalay, Air New Zealand, Asiana Airlines, Balkan Bulgarian Airlines, Bangkok Airways, British Airways, Brunei Airlines, Canadian Airlines, Cathay Pacific, China Airlines, Delta Airlines, Egyptair, Elal, EVA Air, Finnair, Garuda Indonesia, Gulf Air, JAL, KLM Royal Dutch, Korean Air, Lao Aviation, Lauda Air, Malaysia Airlines, Mandarin Air, Mayanmar Airlines, Northwest Airlines, Pakistan International (PIA), Philippine Airlines, Qantas, Royal Air Cambodge, Royal Nepal Air, SAA, Silk Air, Singapore Airlines, Swissair, Thai International, Turkish Airlines, United Airlines, Vietnam Airlines.

Airfare

Because of Bangkok's tremendous growth and worldwide popularity as a tourist destination, the number of air carriers servicing Bangkok has grown as well, thus causing airfare to be slightly more affordable than it once was. While airfare to Thailand has never been cheap, currency exchange rates and inexpensive travel and accommodation within Bangkok have often balanced out the chunk of change travelers have spent on airfare. "Cheap flights to Bangkok" advertise all over the Web, with booking either directly through the airline or a third-party search engine, like TripAdvisor.com, Cheaptickets.com, or Priceline.com. Flights from New York City to Bangkok on Thai Airways average $1200 round trip for a 10-day stay. This fare can vary greatly depending on time of purchase relative to departure, season and other factors. Package deals from London average 700£ including accommodation and airfare. Obviously, too, the closer the point of origin is to the destination, the less expensive the airfare. A thorough searching of airfares, either online or through a travel agent, usually proves beneficial to the wallet.

Seasons

In Thailand, the year is divided into three seasons: the cool season, the hot season, and the rainy season. For westerners, however, what the Thai people consider cool is quite warm, as temperatures, rarely fall below 25° Celsius (77° Fahrenheit). The "cool" season runs from December to March. December to February are most popular tourist months. The heat starts increases in April, and by May it is extremely hot and humid. Some visitors arrive during the rainy season (less expensive airfare), which corresponds with the European and North American summers. The downpours can be heavy; they generally last for an hour or so in the afternoon. The rain cools down the warm temperatures.

References

• Thailand Flights and Airlines
• Bangkok Weather

Resources

• Thailand for Visitors - Weather, and other information