World City Guide

Getting There By Air

Bangkok Don Muang International Airport (BKK)
Tel: (02) 535 1111.
Website: www.airportthai.co.th

Bangkok International Airport, located 25km (15miles) north of the city centre, is operated by the Airports Authority of Thailand. It is a major gateway to South-East Asia and one of the region’s busiest airports catering for 85 international carriers. Over 32 million passengers use the airport annually. The new international terminal has relieved congestion and handles passengers efficiently. A second international airport, Suvarnabhumi Airport, is currently under construction at Nong Ngu Hao, to the southeast of Bangkok, which will be in operation during 2005.

Major airlines: Thai International (tel: (02) 628 2000; website: www.thaiair.com) is the national airline. Other major airlines include: Air China, Air France, Bangkok Airways, British Airways, Cathay Pacific, Garuda Indonesia, Gulf Air, Japan Airlines, Lufthansa, Malaysian Airlines, Northwest, Phuket Airlines, Qantas, SAS, Singapore Airlines and United Airlines.

Approximate flight times to Bangkok: From London is 11 hours 35 minutes; from New York is 19 hours 20 minutes; from Los Angeles is 18 hours 35 minutes; from Toronto is 19 hours 10 minutes and from Sydney is 9 hours 25 minutes.

Airport facilities: These include 24-hour shopping, duty-free, restaurants, snack bars, postal services, bureaux de change, tourist information, hotel reservations, left-luggage and medical service. Car hire companies include Avis and Budget.

Business facilities: There is a small business centre in both terminals with telephone and fax, but the post office has Internet facilities. There are several executive lounges and services like limousine hire and rental of mobile phones.

Arrival/departure tax: There is no arrival tax but B500 (international) is payable in cash on departure. There is also a tax of B50 on domestic flights but this is included in the price of the ticket.

Transport to the city: Taxis can be pre-paid for at the Arrivals Hall in the airport; visitors should expect to pay B700 to the city centre (journey time – 40-90 minutes) plus road tolls of B70 at the booths. Airport buses (tel: (02) 995 1252) operate four different routes into the city every 30 minutes (0530-2430). Route A-1 goes to the Silom Road business district, A-2 goes to Sanam Luang (Royal Grand Palace), A-3 goes to Sukhumvit Road and A-4 goes to Hualampong Railway Station (approximate journey times – 1 hour; cost: B100). Bangkok Airport trains operate from 0200-2100 from the railway station adjacent to the airport (journey time – 50 minutes; fare: B10). The tourist information booth in the Arrivals Hall has the schedule.