• LJU-IST

• IST-BKK

• DMK (Bangkok Don Mueang)-SAI (Siem Reap)

• SAI-BKK-USM (Ko Samui)

• USM-BKK

• BKK-IST

• IST-LJU

The airlines involved were Turkish Airlines, Thai Airways, AirAsia and Bangkok Airways.

While the trip originated and finished in the Ex-Yu region, the focus of the report is on the regional flights in Thailand and Cambodia. The reason for that is that when some other trip reports mentioned local or regional flights several commenters asked about those too. And I believe that this kind of information has value for people entertaining ideas about traveling to certain regions of the world. I add technical details for the LJU-BKK leg and a few extra details for the return leg.

All the tickets were bought well in advance (July / August). The main ticket (LJU-BKK-LJU) was bought on one of the OTAs. It costed 3100€ for the whole family (23kg of baggage per pax included, as well as advanced seat reservation). The same ticket was available on TK website but for a significantly higher price. The tickets for the regional flights were bought on airline websites.

 

Airline company: Turkish Airlines

Airplane: B737-900

Registration: TC-JYL (11 years)

Take-off (scheduled / actual): 9:20 / 9:32

Landing (scheduled / actual): 13:45 / 13:43

Flight time: 2:11

Load factor in economy: close to 100%

 

Airline company: Thai Airways

Flight Number: TG 901

Airplane: A350-900

Registration: HS-THY (8 years)

Take-off (scheduled / actual): 16:30 / 16:50

Landing (scheduled / actual): 5:20 / 4:55

Flight time: 8:04

Load factor in economy: around 90%

 

Airline company: Thai AirAsia

Flight Number: FD 610

Airplane: A320

Registration: HS-BBD (12 years)

Take-off (scheduled / actual): 9:55 / 10:04

Landing (scheduled / actual): 11:00 / 10:50

Flight time: 0:46

Load factor in economy: 100%

Price: 358 € for 2 adults and 2 kids together with two pieces of baggage (20kg each)

After a few days of sightseeing in Bangkok, we went to see the famous Angkor Wat in Siem Reap, Cambodia. There are several direct options from Bangkok to Siem Reap. I decided to try AirAsia. The reason for that was not just the price but also very convenient departure time and relative proximity of the older of the two Bangkok international airports to the place where we were staying. Both BKK and DMK are connected to the city centre with a railway link which offers cheap, fast and regular connections. 

The flight was short and uneventful. The staff barely had time to go through the plane with a trolley offering drinks and snacks for purchase. The legroom was just enough for a person of my size (183cm) to seat normally, but for such a short flight it was ok. The plane was full. If I may borrow the words of one of our commentators: "Everybody wants to visit beautiful Angkor." We landed at the relatively new Siem Reap-Angkor International Airport. Cambodia implements Visa on Arrival, but it is recommended that the travellers obtain eVisa in advance to save time at the airport. Apart from that, the eCambodia arrival card is also mandatory. And it must be obtained in advance. At the immigration we were lined at the eVisa gates where there the line was very short. The immigration officer was polite. I was instructed to bring paper copies of the visa confirmation, but I was not asked for it. Unfortunately, we didn't get any stamps in our passports.

The new airport was built quite far from the city. Our hosts were kind enough to arrange a car to wait for us at the exit. It took about an hour (and 25USD) to get to the city center. Siem Reap is a very touristy city. It has more than 2 million visitors a year. The center is very nice, very lively, full of restaurants, however it has probably lost a little bit of authenticity. The outskirts, on the other hand, still feel like a typical southeast Asian city. And the temples of Angkor are spectacular. Cambodia has its own currency - the riel, but USD is commonly accepted. Even ATM's ask you if you want riel or USD. It is not uncommon in a restaurant to get change in mixed cambodian and USD bills.

 

Siem Reap to BKK

Airline company: Bangkok Airways

Flight Number: PG 906

Airplane: ATR 72-600

Registration: HS-PZK (7 years)

Take-off (scheduled / actual): 13:25 / 13:29

Landing (scheduled / actual): 14:55 / 14:43

Flight time: 1:14

Load factor in economy: 100%

 

Airline company: Bangkok Airways

Flight Number: PG 173

Airplane: A319

Registration: HS-PGZ (17 years)

Take-off (scheduled / actual): 17:30 / 17:53

Landing (scheduled / actual): 18:40 / 18:44

Flight time: 0:51

Load factor in economy: 100%

Price: for both flights 1147USD (approx 990€) for 2 adults and 2 kids (baggage of 20kg per pax included).

Two days were barely enough to visit the most important and beautiful temples of Angkor. In the morning of our last day in Cambodia the driver was waiting to take us back to the airport. It was the same driver that met us on our arrival. The trip back costed 20USD. This time we had more time to enjoy the Siem Reap-Angkor airport. It was obviously built for the growing number of international tourists. It is spacious, although the walking distances are not big. Architecturally it has distinct Khmer flavour.

In the middle of the day there were only two other departures beside ours, hence the airport felt way oversized. I had a feeling like I am walking through an empty airport - a rather welcoming difference to the usually crowded airports. As you can imagine, the check-in process was quick and smooth, as was security and immigration. Our luggage was checked-in all the way to Samui and we received boarding passes for both flights. We had enough time to visit the Angkor lounge. Even the lounge was almost empty. I grew accustomed to be denied entry to airport lounges (at least those with LoungeKey), as they are often full. Well, not here.

The lounge offered a decent choice of hot meals, deserts and beverages. On top of that, their Wi-Fi was excellent. After about an hour of chilling in the lounge's quiet room it was time to go to the boarding gates. Since we had small children, we were allowed to board the first. We generally received priority treatment throughout the whole trip because of the children. The notable exception is LJU which in my opinion is one of the most family unfriendly airports I have had the pleasure of experiencing (with LAX coming close 2nd and YVR 3rd). Boarding was done on foot, since the airplane was parked very close to the gate. Originally, A319 was planned for the route but that was changed to ATR 726 about a month before the flight. This meant longer flight time, but since we were checked-in all the way to Samui the shorter transfer time in BKK didn't matter.

One very nice perk that Bangkok Airways offer is a sizable snack or even a hot meal even on the shortest flights. Due to various dietary restrictions our family was "blessed" with, I preordered one vegan meal and one fruit platter. Vegan meal consisted of a bun and a muffin, while fruit platter contained a piece of papaya, dragon fruit, melon, watermelon, pineapple and a tangerine. Regular meal had a jelly bun, a chocolate cookie and a strawberry one. A crew of two stewardesses started delivering the refreshments very shortly after the take-off. One could also be treated to a standard albeit slightly trimmed selection of beverages (coffee, water, beer, apple juice). The legroom was ok and the plane didn’t feel cramped. It was clean and generally well-maintained. The flight itself was quiet, with a few short turbulences when we passed by some spectacular clouds. At one moment the pilot flew so close to the clouds that the tip of the wing was almost touching them.

After landing we were transported to the terminal building by bus. We passed immigration. To enter Thailand, one must fill a digital arrival card. There are kiosks just before the border control, but it is advisable to have it filled beforehand (up to 72 hours before the arrival). Even though we left Thailand for just two days we had to fill a new arrival card.

Bangkok Suvarnabhumi airport is huge. Corridors stretch for several hundred meters. It is divided into seven concourses from A to G and a newer satellite concourse. There are travelators which make moving from one concourse to another faster. The satellite concourse is reached by train.

At the time of our arrival the apron saw many airplanes from the major European and American airlines. Arriving from Cambodia we use what seemed to be secondary immigration port to enter Thailand. Passengers from Europe and USA were not so lucky. On our way to transfer gate we so huge crowd of people at the primary immigration port. However, the waiting times announced on the displays were not that huge (15 minutes mostly).

Before we could get to the waiting area we had to pass a boarding pass control where we were given a sticker - a blue one for the international transfer and a yellow one for the domestic transfer. After that we entered the domestic airside area with all the shops and restaurants that one would expect. Despite a rather short transfer time we had enough time to visit a lounge. We were at the domestic part of concourse A where The Coral Executive Lounge is located. It is a smaller lounge. It was almost full but we were able to find an empty table. Different Thai and Indian dishes were available. Cocktails were available upon request. There was no toilet in the lounge. The nearest was about 50 meters away.

The A319 to Samui was full of passengers who arrived to BKK with aforementioned wave from Europe and USA. Most of the things about the flight could be repeated from the previous flight with the exception that the type of the plane was different, of course. The plane was clean, the legroom was sufficient, the crew of 4 polite. The service was about the same, with one notable difference. This time we were served a hot meal. The regular meal was chicken Thai style, the fruit platter was identical to the previous flight and the vegan meal was shakshuka with mashed potato. After landing we were transported to the terminal "building" by open air carts instead of the usual buses. Why the use of quotation marks is appropriate will be revealed in the return flight segment. We had to find the international transfers baggage claim and then walk about 150 meters to the car rental counters where our Ko Samui holidays began.

 

Airline company: Bangkok Airways

Flight Number: PG 166

Airplane: A319

Registration: HS-PPS (21 years)

Take-off (scheduled / actual): 18:30 / 18:35

Landing (scheduled / actual): 19:45 / 19:26

Flight time: 0:51

Load factor in economy: 100%

Price: 20360 THB (approx 550 EUR) for 2 adults and 2 kids (baggage of 20kg per pax included).

Our vacation was over too soon. As usually. We returned the car and walked about 500 meters to the other side of the airport to the check-in area. Samui airport in not enclosed in a building. It is an open-air affair. Instead of corridors there are streets with shops and restaurants. Some waiting areas are parks with benches. The crucial areas are roof covered, like walkways, check-in, security, baggage claim, border control and boarding areas. 

The check-in line was long but we were allowed to use the priority lane. We had to walk back to the security check. At the entrance there is a large screen showing several pieces of luggage. We were asked if any of them was ours, and indeed it was. Now I had to go back to the check-in counters where there was a baggage control booth. A short line of tourists was formed. We were all eager to find out why our luggage was so important that it merits some TV time. We all had one thing in common - we left a lighter in our checked baggage. A staff member had to open each suitcase and do the search without owners’ intervention. Luckily, they allowed a bit of guidance to easily find the culprit. After that the suitcase had to undergo another security screening, and if everything was ok the owner was given permission to go back to whatever he or she had been up to. In my case that meant running back to the security area where my family was awaiting. By the way, the lighter was permitted in the hand luggage. The security check went swiftly, and we didn't have to wait long for the boarding.

For the flight itself I could simply say "see above". Everything was very much like on previous Bangkok Airways flights. I even recognized some of the crew members. Although the plane was rather old it showed very little wear and tear, if any. After landing we were treated to the usual procedure: we were bussed to the terminal building where we collected our luggage. We had separate ticket from Samui to Bangkok which meant that we had to check-in for the final part of our journey. We had enough time until our next flight, so we didn't have to rush. Getting to the departures was actually a shorter walk than what I got used to at the Suvarnabhumi airport. We probably moved more vertically than horizontally, as the departures are in the 4th floor. we were again able to skip the line and checked in all the way to Ljubljana. After security and border control we took a train to Satellite Concourse 1 (SAT-1), where our flight was leaving from.

We had more than enough time to visit a lounge. SAT-1 has Miracle Business Class Lounge which lies one floor above the concourse and offers a nice view of the building. The lounge was about half full. It had a good assortment of hot dishes, salads, fruits, deserts and some other snacks like popcorn. Toilets included showers as well.

 

Airline company: Thai Airways

Flight Number: TG 900

Airplane: A350-900

Registration: HS-THY (8 years)

Take-off (scheduled / actual): 23:45 / 0:08

Landing (scheduled / actual): 6:05 / 6:08

Flight time: 10:00

Load factor in economy: 100%

The plane to Istanbul was the same that took us from Istanbul to Bangkok. The only minor quibble I can think of was slightly loose aisle armrest on both flights. But that didn't diminish the whole experience. The crew was nice and attentive, the food ok, the toilets clean, the entertainment screen responsive. The choice of music was somewhat limited, as was the choice of children content. The only thing that was lacking was games. But we each found something to watch or listen to before and after dinner until we went to sleep. 

During the night the cabin temperature was lowered but not much as with some other airlines. For restless and hungry, snacks were available in the galley. We were awoken about two hours before landing when breakfast was served. My impression of Thai Airways was very positive. While it is not a 5-star airline like some other Asian airlines, it certainly is on par with the best European ones. Ok, if you want to play games, bring your own. I would not hesitate to fly with them again.

We landed in cold and wet Istanbul where an unpleasant surprise awaited. The plane was not given a gate to disembark. Instead, we had to wait for buses. It took more than 30 minutes for the plane to empty. We had two hours to our flight to Ljubljana, and we barely made it because of this unforeseen delay and because of the security check that we had to go through right after we entered the terminal. 

The lines for the security check were long (probably because of the incoming morning wave), and we lost quite a bit of time there. I had heard that transfer windows of less than two hours are risky at the new Istanbul airport, and I must concur. I don't recall having to go through the security control when we flew in from Ljubljana. Or maybe it was so swift that I forgot about it. Once through the security control, the airport isn't hard to navigate, and although it is big we didn't need much time to get to the boarding gate on Concourse B.

 

Airline company: Turkish Airlines

Flight Number: TK 1061

Airplane: A321neo

Registration: TC-LPB (2 years)

Take-off (scheduled / actual): 8:05 / 8:17

Landing (scheduled / actual): 8:25 / 8:05

Flight time: 1:48

Load factor in economy: 100%

Other contributors have reported about TK flights between ExYu region and Istanbul, so I will keep this section short. It is worth noting that we flew LJU-IST in B739 and I noticed a huge difference between entertainment systems on these two flights. The one on B739 was very unresponsive and the selection of cartoons was much better this time. Thumbs up, of course, to TK for offering entertainment and hot meal on regional flights. After landing in Ljubljana, we had to wait almost an hour for the border control. There were only two booths open - one for EU passports and one for others. It seems that the airport lacks staff. So maybe the guy impersonating a police officer a while ago just wanted to help.

All in all, we had good experience on all eight flights. Some airports (Istanbul, Samui) were a bit more stressful than the others but not to the extreme. Only one suitcase was delayed - on our outbound flight it decided to go Touristanbul and came to Bangkok one day after the rest of us. It was delivered to the address where we were staying after delivery service contacted us on WhatsApp to confirm when we would be present.

Thank you for reading through my babbles and many happy flights.