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It was recently announced that Air Asia would
begin making direct flights from Manchester, UK,
to Kuala Lumpur starting from around £200
including taxes; the first airline to provide
cheap travel from Europe to Asia by introducing
budget flights. With the proliferation of airlines
described as "low cost", "no frills"
and "low fare" in Asia since 2000 this
means that by combining a flight to Kuala Lumpur
with a no frills flight onto Bangkok or one of
a few other destinations within Thailand, the
cost of travelling to Thailand from Europe could
be as cheap as £250, quite a lot less than
current fares.
However,
considering the long distance and time involved
it may well be worth paying the extra for comfort,
service and entertainment.
Within
Southeast Asia, Bangkok
Airways has the largest range of flights serving
Thailand, with regular flights to and from Bangkok,
Chiang Mai, Trat, Ko Samui and Phuket as well
as flights to Cambodia , Laos, Japan, Singapore
and China. I hear that the airports at Trat and
Ko Samui have thatched rooves!
Nok
Air serves Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Hat Yai, Nakorn
Ratchasima, Trang and Phuket.
One
Two Go deals with Bangkok, Phuket, Chiang
Mai, Surat Thani, Hat Yai and Chiang Rai, apparently
serving free snacks and soft drinks in flight.
Phuket
Air, curiously, does not fly to Phuket, Instead
flights between Bangkok, Ranong and Yangon in
Myanmar are provided.
PB
Air runs flights between Bangkok and Lampang,
Nan, Sakorn Nakorn, Nakorn Phanom, Roi-Et, Mae
Hong Son, Buriram and Chiang Mai, although the
wisdom of stepping foot on an airline run by a
brewert remains questionable.
Air
Asia flies from Bangkok to Kuala Lumpur, Phnom
Penh, Singapore and Hanoi amongst others.
Tiger
Airways supplies a range of flights within
southeast Asia and serves Bangkok, Hat Yai, Chiang
Mai, Krabi, Phuket and Udon Thani within Thailand.
Don't confuse this with Tiger Airways in the UK
or you may find yourself in a biplane flying over
the British countryside!
Many
of these fares within Thailand can be very little
more than travelling by bus and I have been told
that in some cases they are less; they certainly
make some long and uncomfortable journeys much
more manageable.
However,
budget flights within Europe are beginning to
become controversial due to the carbon emissions
they are responsible for; the air industry is
the fastest growing source of carbon dioxide,
even though it still only contributes a small
percentage of all greenhouse gas emissions. A
dramatic increase in low cost flights in Asia
could spark another surge in CO2 emissions - try
to consider whether your flight is really neccessary
before booking in order to prevent yourself becoming
a frivolous contributor to environmental degradation.
It would be a real shame if birdwatchers and other
conservation minded people were to further contribute
to global warming by taking unnecessary flights
around Thailand when there is a decent and reasonably
comfortable bus or train service for most destinations.
This
article in the Guardian newspaper proves that
it is in fact possible to make the trip to
Thailand from Europe without using a plane.
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