Flights Within Thailand – A Guide To Domestic Flights in Thailand

Thailand is a big country but when traveling around Thailand is time-consuming especially if you are on a two or three-week holiday. Everyone wants to visit beautiful islands like Koh Samui or go north to see the elephants in Chiang Mai. Taking the bus, train, and ferry may seem like a good idea but it is time-consuming.

Generally speaking, catching the train or bus to get around Thailand takes longer and is cheaper than flying but flying is faster and is not overly expensive. There are times when domestic flights in Thailand are cheaper than the bus.

In this post, we will go over the 7 airlines and their destinations. As well as the best travel comparison websites to use in Thailand.

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Flights Within Thailand

Airlines in Thailand offer domestic flights all around Vietnam with new routes opening up all the time at affordable prices. And can be even cheaper if you book early.

Airlines in Thailand accept bookings on international credit and debit cards.

Domestic Airlines in Thailand

There are over 7 main airlines in Thailand. They are offering domestic flights around Thailand. Each company has its own unique offering and services.

Let’s take a look at the airlines in Thailand offering domestic flights in Thailand.

Thai Airways

Thai Airways is the flag carrier airline of Thailand and was formed in 1988. Today, Thai Airways including its subsidiaries fly to 84 destinations in 37 countries with a fleet of over 90 aircraft.

Thai Airways is considered one of the best airlines in Thailand. The airline 2004 was given an award, for the implementation of its in-cabin management system from the World Health Organization.

Here’s a list of Thai Airways’ current destinations within Thailand.

• Bangkok.
• Chiang Mai.
• Chiang Rai.
• Hat Yai.
• Khon Kaen.
• Krabi.
• Phuket.
• Surat Thani.
• Ubon Ratchathani.
• Udon Thani.

Thai Smile

Thai Smile has been offering domestic flights in Thailand since 2012. And is a subsidiary of Thai Airways. THAI Smile’s business model tries to serve the market gap between low-cost carriers and full-service airlines.

It currently includes only 11 domestic routes, which are all major tourist destinations.

Here’s a list of Thai Smile’s current destinations within Thailand.

• Bangkok.
• Chiang Mai.
• Chiang Rai.
• Hat Yai.
• Phuket.
• Krabi.
• Khon Kaen.
• Narathiwat.
• Surat Thani.
• Udon Thani.
• Ubon Ratchathani.

Bangkok Airways

Bangkok Airways offers flights within Thailand. In 1986, it began scheduled services becoming Thailand’s first privately-owned domestic airline. And in 1989 it was re-branded to become Bangkok Airways.

In April 1989 they opened their airport on Ko Samui. And offers direct flights between to and from the island.

Here’s a list of Bangkok Airways’ current destinations within Thailand.

• Bangkok.
• Chiang Mai.
• Chiang Rai.
• Hat Yai.
• Ko Samui.
• Krabi.
• Lampang.
• Mae Hong Son.
• Pattaya.
• Phuket.
• Surat Thani.
• Sukhothai.
• Trat.

AirAsia

The Ryanair of Asia. AirAsia is a very popular airline in Thailand. Like Ryanair, they have the lowest fare and are always running promotions.

Unfortunately, it is the little add-ons that can make things expensive like checked luggage and the credit card surcharge.

Here’s a list of AirAsia’s current destinations within Thailand.

• Bangkok.
• Buriram.
• Chiang Mai.
• Chiang Rai.
• Chumphon.
• Hat Yai.
• Hua Hin.
• Khon Kaen.
• Krabi.
• Loei.
• Narathiwat.
• Nan.
• Phuket.
• Pattaya.
• Phitsanulok.
• Ranong.
• Sakon Nakhon.
• Surat Thani.
• Trang.
• Nakhon Si Thammarat.
• Udon Thani.
• Ubon Ratchathani.

Nok Air

Nok Air is a budget low-cost airline in Thailand. ‘Nok’ means birds in Thai. It is a symbol of freedom, air travel, and friendliness.

Nok Air offers the highest number of domestic flights in Thailand. They also offer routes with bus and ferry transfer services available.

The average Nok Air ticket prices are generally higher than AirAsia but with add-ons like checked baggage, they become cheaper.

Here is a list of Nok Air’s current destinations within Thailand.

• Bangkok.
• Buri Ram.
• Chiang Mai.
• Chiang Rai.
• Chumphon.
• Hat Yai.
• Mae Hong Son.
• Phrae.
• Mae Sot.
• Lampang.
• Khon Kaen.
• Loei.
• Phitsanulok.
• Krabi.
• Sakon Nakhon.
• Nakhon Phanom.
• Nakhon Si Thammarat.
• Roi Et.
• Phuket.
• Ranong.
• Surat Thani.
• Trang.
• Ubon Ratchathani.

Thai Lion Air

Thai Lion Air is another low-cost airline. Their slogan is “Freedom to fly” which will make you feel the freedom to fly to your destination. Thai Lion Air is flexible on checked-in baggage, unlike its competitors.

They have plans to increase their domestic scheduled flights in Thailand.

Here is a list of Thai Lion Air’s current destinations within Thailand.

• Bangkok.
• Chiang Mai.
• Chiang Rai.
• Hat Yai.
• Khon Kaen.
• Krabi.
• Phuket.
• Pattaya.
• Phitsanulok.
• Surat Thani.
• Trang.
• Nakhon Si Thammarat.
• Udon Thani.
• Ubon Ratchathani.

Thai Vietjet Air

Thai VietJet Air is a Thai low-cost airline that is part of the Vietnamese airline VietJet Air. It’s the newest airline that is provided domestic flights in Thailand since 2015.

Here is a list of Thai Vietjet Air’s current destinations within Thailand.

• Bangkok.
• Chiang Mai.
• Chiang Rai.
• Krabi.
• Phuket.
• Udon Thani.

Travel Insurance

This is an important question when traveling, should you buy travel insurance? Some people consider it necessary, while others do not.

But things happen when traveling from a motorbike crash to theft. Considering the rules of the road are not enforced or obeyed in Thailand.

Travel insurance is cheap and more than likely you will never need to use it. But you will have peace of mind if something does happen, you know that you are covered.

Travel Comparison Sites

Travel comparison websites are a great way to find the best deals on international and domestic flights. They show all the best deals and times available. The main price comparison websites are.

• Skyscanner.
• Expedia.
• Google Flights.
• Kayak.
• Cheapticket.

Before using the comparison websites to search for flights in Thailand, it is recommended to change the currency to the Thai Baht.

This will prevent unexpected fees including conversion exchange fees.

Skyscanner

Skyscanner is one of the world’s biggest comparison travel sites on the web. It compares millions of flights to find the best deals.

The only downside of using Skyscanner is you cannot book a ticket directly, they will redirect you to who is offering the deal.

Expedia

Expedia is another large travel comparison site. That covers all the major international airlines as well as domestic airlines. After choosing a route, you can book a ticket directly on the site.

Google Flights

Google Flights is another big travel comparison site. That provides one of the fastest searches, with price tracking and alerts.

Alternative dates with cheaper tickets can be found. In general Google, flights do not offer the cheapest or best prices.

Kayak

Kayak comparison sites come with powerful filtering and flexible search tools. This makes it easy to find, compare, and book at a good price.

And once you’ve booked your trip, KAYAK monitors changes to the prices of your itinerary.

Cheapticket

Cheapticket offers deep discounts and includes some last-minute deals. For flights, you can sort results by price, departure time, or shortest flight, a great option.

When you book your tickets, you can access a seat map to select your seats for each flight. You can also narrow your search by selecting a preferred airline and price range.

Is It Cheaper To Book Internal Flights In Thailand?

My answer is, that it depends. If you book your flights 1 or 2 months in advance direct with an airline. You can get flights at a cheaper price. To do this requires you to have a travel plan as airlines don’t give refunds in general.

Wrapping Up

Finally, flying is one of the fastest ways to get around Thailand. Thailand has a wide range of options to get around from buses, ferries, and taxis. Thailand currently has 7 airlines that are faster and in some cases cheaper than buses. Sometimes flying is just common sense.

And that’s it for now! I’d love to know if this guide on flights within Thailand – A guide to domestic flights in Thailand has helped you. Let me know if you have any questions and let me know if there is more to add.

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