MHTripple7 From United States of America, joined Feb 2008, 1050 posts, RR: 5 Posted (3 years 1 month 3 weeks 5 hours ago) and read 12151 times:
Introduction
Bangkok Airways is an airline based in BKK (obviously) that touts itself as “Asia’s Boutique Airline”. It operates a modest fleet size of new A320s, A319s, and ATRs; and flies to several regional destinations in the area (although PG does fly to MLE).
Since my family and I planned on travelling to REP to see the Angkor Wat, PG was literally the only choice as they have a monopoly on the BKK-REP-BKK route. Ticketing was done through a travel company that arranged our whole trip for us, and we had to re-arrange the whole trip at the last minute, as we were afraid protesters would attempt to close the airport in BKK again. Thankfully, this didn’t happen!
At BKK Airport
I arrived at the airport 2hr 30min before SDT since the PG website suggested arriving early, and I just wanted to play it safe. It was interesting seeing several soldiers stationed on the highway leading to airport to ensure protesters don’t close it. PG’s check-in desks are located in row F, which is towards the end. The size of the check-in area at BKK’s new airport is overwhelming to say the least!
Anyways, check-in was without problems and PG was surprisingly willing to check 7 bags without issues!
Clearing immigration was quick and they appeared to be taking everyone’s picture through a webcam, which was interesting.
BKK has gotten a lot of criticism, but I must say I thoroughly enjoyed this airport. A lot of airport actually feels like a mall and there are several statues and such that make it look really cool. The architecture is stunning to say the least. I did notice floor tiles already broken and FIDS broken however, which is concerning considering the airport is so new.
I noticed on the FIDS that a WY (Oman Air) flight to MCT was departing, and I was determined to see one of their beautiful and brand-new A332s. Therefore, I decided to trek over to the G concourse to do this.
Oman Air is an airline that seems really fascinating to me. They are exotic, offer cheap prices, and seem to offer an excellent product. Those words do not typically go hand in hand. I’m sure if you read the following TRs you will think the same thing:
After gazing at WY’s A330, I further explored that airport, and eventually headed to the gate at the time my boarding pass stated, which was about 40 min before departure. We all sat there for 20 minutes before everyone boarded onto busses. I was surprised we used a bus gate, considering there was a plentiful amount jetways available.
The Flight
Date: 16 Mar 2010 Airline: Bangkok Airways Flight: PG 903 Aircraft: Airbus A319-132 Aircraft Reg: HS-PGT Departure Airport: Bangkok – Suvarnabhumi (BKK / VTBS) Arrival Airport: Siem Reap (REP / VDSR) Scheduled Departure Time: 8:00 AM Actual Departure Time: 8:00 AM Scheduled Arrival Time: 9:00 AM Actual Arrival Time: 9:15 AM (15 min late) Class: Economy Load Factor: 80%
The bus ride took about 3 minutes and we drove under another concourse. While arriving at the plane, I couldn’t help notice how nice PG’s livery is.
Great looking airport!
The cabin was nicely colored and seemed brand-new; however, it was already showing its wear. There were scuff marks all over the place and the backings of the seats felt like they were made of wood – not comfortable at all.
Average legroom
Safety demo was done through the drop-down screens.
Pushback occurred exactly on-time, and the captain mentioned taxi would take 15 minutes longer than usual since one runway was closed for some reason.
While taxiing out, I also noticed work being done on various taxiways – I know that the airport had issues with the taxiways when it first opened, but I was under the impression that they had been repaired? Cold hand-wipes were also given our prior to takeoff, which I appreciated.
Finally after 15 minutes of taxiing, we reached the runway and took off.
Airbus A300 on short final
Right after takeoff, I moved to the back of the cabin so I could get a nice video of the landing in REP.
Roughly 10 minutes after takeoff, some random programming was shown on the drop-down LCD screens.
We were given snack boxes with a croissant, orange juice, fruit, and some other things I wasn’t sure of. Not bad for such a short flight.
The cabin crew were not the friendliest bunch. They didn’t smile, avoided eye contact, and didn’t say anything if you thanked them for anything. I was not impressed at all, however, they did look very good!
Tea and coffee was offered after they gave out the snack boxes, however, no soft drinks were given out.
After what seemed like 10 minutes of cruising, we began our descent into REP.
Here is a video I took of the landing for anyone interested:
We parked near the terminal and I was met with the sweltering Cambodian heat right as I stepped onto the airstairs. I also noticed how cool Angkor International Airport looks. A great welcome to Siem Reap!
Overall, I found PG to be a nice airline minus the crew. Their planes are really nice and the flights were on-time so I was pretty satisfied overall. It’s hard to really rate an airline on a 40 minute flight, however.
Extra
Here are some pictures I took of Siem Reap and its temples. I HIGHLY recommend visiting Siem Reap for anyone that is planning a Southeast Asia trip. The temples are very interesting, the people are extremely friendly, and it just has a nice vibe to it.
MHTripple7 From United States of America, joined Feb 2008, 1050 posts, RR: 5 Reply 3, posted (3 years 1 month 2 weeks 5 days 21 hours ago) and read 10263 times:
Quoting Initious (Reply 1): Great to see a report on PG! An airline to me that is so near yet so far. The landing seemed smoother than ever considering it was a visual approach.
JRadier From Netherlands, joined Sep 2004, 4597 posts, RR: 51 Reply 5, posted (3 years 1 month 2 weeks 5 days 14 hours ago) and read 10045 times:
Quoting MHTripple7 (Thread starter): Clearing immigration was quick and they appeared to be taking everyone’s picture through a webcam, which was interesting.
Oh the irony.... You know they do the same thing with foreign visitors in the US right?
For once you have tasted flight you will walk the earth with your eyes turned skywards, for there you have been and ther
PlaneHunter From Germany, joined Mar 2006, 6183 posts, RR: 79 Reply 6, posted (3 years 1 month 2 weeks 5 days 14 hours ago) and read 9979 times:
Hi MHTripple7,
another great report with many stunning pictures! Good to see you only post high-quality pictures, well done!
Quoting MHTripple7 (Thread starter): Oman Air is an airline that seems really fascinating to me. They are exotic, offer cheap prices, and seem to offer an excellent product. Those words do not typically go hand in hand. I’m sure if you read the following TRs you will think the same thing:
Nice shot! Oman Air is indeed an amazing airline. Thanks for posting the link to my report!
Quoting MHTripple7 (Thread starter): While arriving at the plane, I couldn’t help notice how nice PG’s livery is.
I can only agree - and there are even different versions.
Quoting MHTripple7 (Thread starter): The cabin was nicely colored and seemed brand-new; however, it was already showing its wear.
Quoting MHTripple7 (Thread starter): There were scuff marks all over the place and the backings of the seats felt like they were made of wood – not comfortable at all.
Quite disappointing considering that the plane is only two years old.
Quoting MHTripple7 (Thread starter): The cabin crew were not the friendliest bunch. They didn’t smile, avoided eye contact, and didn’t say anything if you thanked them for anything.
Another bad surprise, I would expect to see many smiling faces on a Thai carrier.
ohsopc From Thailand, joined Jul 2006, 107 posts, RR: 0 Reply 7, posted (3 years 1 month 2 weeks 5 days 2 hours ago) and read 9720 times:
Were you able to visit Bangkok Air's lounges? PG is one of the few airlines in this world (the only one i know of actually) that provides lounge access for economy class passengers.
ThomasCook From United Kingdom, joined Aug 2004, 719 posts, RR: 9 Reply 9, posted (3 years 1 month 2 weeks 4 days 9 hours ago) and read 9440 times:
Hello,
I will be trying Bangkok Airways for myself in 1 month between Bangkok and Samui on their A319. I'm very much looking forward to it. I joined their frequent flyer program FlyerBonus which entitles you to 10kg extra luggage allowance at entry level which is fantastic! Should also be good to try out their lounges. Thanks for the report, it was great to read!
MHTripple7 From United States of America, joined Feb 2008, 1050 posts, RR: 5 Reply 10, posted (3 years 1 month 2 weeks 3 days 9 hours ago) and read 9054 times:
Quoting ohsopc (Reply 7): Were you able to visit Bangkok Air's lounges? PG is one of the few airlines in this world (the only one i know of actually) that provides lounge access for economy class passengers.
What?! Wow, I wish I had known this!
Quoting ba319-131 (Reply 8): Thanks for posting, good to read about the smaller carriers.
Thank you, BA319-131!
Quoting ba319-131 (Reply 8): - Thanks, planning to go there next year, all being well.
You will definitely enjoy the trip. Have fun!
Quoting ThomasCook (Reply 9): I will be trying Bangkok Airways for myself in 1 month between Bangkok and Samui on their A319. I'm very much looking forward to it. I joined their frequent flyer program FlyerBonus which entitles you to 10kg extra luggage allowance at entry level which is fantastic! Should also be good to try out their lounges. Thanks for the report, it was great to read!
Thanks ThomasCook. Yes they have some very nice and good-looking aircraft. Have a nice flight!
gardermoen From Australia, joined Jul 1999, 1518 posts, RR: 1 Reply 11, posted (3 years 1 month 2 weeks 3 days 1 hour ago) and read 8926 times:
Hello, nice report.
I flew PG once, BKK/HKT back in November 09 and they were good, crew included. I can see why they have the "Asia's Boutiqe Airline" slogan.
Nice pictures - surprised to see Thai aircraft STILL in the old livery!
Quoting ohsopc (Reply 7):
Were you able to visit Bangkok Air's lounges? PG is one of the few airlines in this world (the only one i know of actually) that provides lounge access for economy class passengers.
Huh, WTF, is this for real? This was not around last year I am certain, otherwise I would have been in there.
goldorak From France, joined Sep 2006, 1672 posts, RR: 3 Reply 12, posted (3 years 1 month 2 weeks 2 days 23 hours ago) and read 8896 times:
Thank you for your trip report. I go to REP every winter (was my 5th trip there last january) and it's one of my favourite destination. The Angkor temples are just fascinating. Regarding PG, they are really a great airline. I flew them quite a bunch of times to Cambodia and Laos. For the crew, probably just bad luck as I always had smiling and friendly crews.
As you noticed, one annoying thing with PG flights at BKK is that you ALWAYS board by bus despite many jetways available. But I think I remember having read somewhere that many jetways were not operable at BKK due to construction defaults or whatever...
You mention a PG monopoly on BKK-REP and you are right and due to that the fares are really outrageous for such a short trip. Some competition would be welcomed
gardermoen From Australia, joined Jul 1999, 1518 posts, RR: 1 Reply 13, posted (3 years 1 month 2 weeks 2 days 23 hours ago) and read 8895 times:
Quoting goldorak As you noticed, one annoying thing with PG flights at BKK is that you ALWAYS board by bus despite many jetways available. But I think I remember having read somewhere that many jetways were not operable at BKK due to construction defaults or whatever...
I wondered the very same thing and was totally puzzled. Atleast it gave me the chance to photograph our aircraft up close.
akhmad From Netherlands, joined Sep 2005, 2326 posts, RR: 53 Reply 14, posted (3 years 1 month 2 weeks 2 days 2 hours ago) and read 8591 times:
Hi MHTripple7,
Thanks for sharing this report with PG. I especially like your temple pictures. Just beautiful!
Quoting MHTripple7 (Thread starter): The cabin crew were not the friendliest bunch. They didn’t smile, avoided eye contact, and didn’t say anything if you thanked them for anything. I was not impressed at all, however, they did look very good!
Too bad about the attitude. Perhaps they were having a bad day.
Quoting MHTripple7 (Thread starter):
The Next 5* Carrier? MUC-MCT-DXB, Oman Air A330 (by PlaneHunter Mar 25 2010 in Trip Reports)
NonRev BKK-LHR Part 1--Oman Air BKK-MCT-DXB (by TR1 Jan 4 2010 in Trip Reports)
You can read the J trip report as well. Just follow this link
Quoting JRadier (Reply 5): Oh the irony.... You know they do the same thing with foreign visitors in the US right?
MHTripple7 From United States of America, joined Feb 2008, 1050 posts, RR: 5 Reply 15, posted (3 years 1 month 2 weeks 7 hours ago) and read 8343 times:
Quoting gardermoen (Reply 11): I flew PG once, BKK/HKT back in November 09 and they were good, crew included. I can see why they have the "Asia's Boutiqe Airline" slogan.
I agree, they have a nice little operation going on. New planes, good branding, lounges, etc.
Quoting gardermoen (Reply 11): Nice pictures - surprised to see Thai aircraft STILL in the old livery!
Indeed, and it's a shame because their new livery rocks IMO.
Quoting goldorak (Reply 12): Thank you for your trip report. I go to REP every winter (was my 5th trip there last january) and it's one of my favourite destination. The Angkor temples are just fascinating. Regarding PG, they are really a great airline. I flew them quite a bunch of times to Cambodia and Laos. For the crew, probably just bad luck as I always had smiling and friendly crews.
Wow, I envy you. Not only did I enjoy the temples but the actual city of Siem Reap is just awesome. I love the French / Cambodian fusion.
Quoting goldorak (Reply 12): As you noticed, one annoying thing with PG flights at BKK is that you ALWAYS board by bus despite many jetways available. But I think I remember having read somewhere that many jetways were not operable at BKK due to construction defaults or whatever..
Interesting. On my return flight from BKK to REP, we did park at a jetway.
Quoting goldorak (Reply 12): You mention a PG monopoly on BKK-REP and you are right and due to that the fares are really outrageous for such a short trip. Some competition would be welcomed
Perhaps Cambodia Angkor Air (K6) will begin flights to BKK?
Quoting akhmad (Reply 14): Thanks for sharing this report with PG. I especially like your temple pictures. Just beautiful!
Thanks akhmad!
Quoting akhmad (Reply 14): Too bad about the attitude. Perhaps they were having a bad day.
Yeah that's what I'm thinking since everyone else has had good experience with PG crews.
Quoting akhmad (Reply 14): You can read the J trip report as well. Just follow this link
Thanks for the link, I have read it through several times. Once again re-affirming my fascination with WY!
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Great looking airport! 
Average legroom 
Airbus A300 on short final 
Tomb Raider was filmed here
From Singapore, joined Dec 2008, 1011 posts, 
The landing seemed smoother than ever considering it was a visual approach.
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