AirAsia from DMK (vs. other airlines from BKK) to Siem Reap
 

I'm starting to book my intra-SEA travel for my trip this November, and I see that there are two airports that service Bangkok. Flights on AirAsia to Siem Reap are 1/3 the price of other airlines, but AirAsia flys out of DMK. Anything I should be warned about before I book these tix? Am I going to pay 3 times the price in transportation, aggravation or other unanticipated consequences? The benefit of your personal experiences will be most appreciated. Thanks!

Flying to/from DMK is just fine. Many of us did it for decades before the new airport opened. The only time you have to be cautious about this is when you are connecting to another flight that uses BKK.

I guess the other thing to think about is that when you get into a taxi and say "airport" drivers will all think BKK - you will need to be clear that you are going to Don Muang.

I did it recently with no hassles. I took the skytrain to Mo Chit and then a 30 baht direct bus to Don Muang. Immigration was a bit slow coming back to Bangkok but nothing really serious. I spent a night in Bangkok before flying home so did not have to worry about onward flights.

One of my AirAsia flights was 4 hours late but the other three were fine. Indeed the flight from Siem Reap to Bangkok arrived about 20 minutes early. For short flights I wouldn't go past AirAsia.

We spent virtually the whole of last year in Asia and used Asia Asia for over 20 flights including DMK to Siem Reap. I think one flight was an hour late, which is pretty good by any standards.

Online check in was a breeze. We printed boarding passes in advance to avoid an extra charge at the airport.

We travel carry on only but you need to pay extra for checked bags online as it is v.expensive at check in.

On longer flights we paid extra ( a minimal charge) for allocated seating. Other times we didn't bother and always got seated together

Thanks for the feedback everyone!

Air Asia has a free shuttle from BKK to DMK. It takes about an hour, but friends of mine did it last October with no drama. They flew into BKK on a different airline, so you don't need to be flying AA on both ends.

You can get a train from Bangkok [Hualamphong] to Aranyapraphet for 48 baht. Then carry on overland to Siem Reap. It's very simple, just needs a bit of research.

... And a whole day.

...but a great experience

So we ended up booking AirAsia from DMK to Siem Reap, based on the advice above. Super cheap fare too ($50 each)! Then Bangkok Airways from Siem Reap to Krabi, which had our preferred arrival time, and was not that much more cost than AirAsia. Finally, we were able to add the Krabi to BKK leg via Thai Airways onto our existing award tickets, continuing on Thai the next day to Tokyo and then ANA to LAX, without using any additional miles. Perhaps I'll start a SEA regional airline review blog when I get back. Thanks again for the help everyone!

Hi russ_in_LA,

First I need to tell you that I saw this post because I just read an old trip report of yours re: your first Japan trip and was trying to find your second report! Thank you so much; we are hoping to go to Japan for the first time next year and it was so helpful to read your report!

Now on to this post and Thailand in general: We were lucky enough to go to Thailand for the first time last November (Krabi, Chiang Mai, Bangkok), and also Siem Reap. DMK was easy, and you're right - very cheap. Be prepared for a late flight and just a tip that we got more current flight info via smart phone rather than actually asking the attendant at the airport (our flight was very delayed, too). Also, getting a SIM card at BKK was super easy, quick, and cheap.

Some random thoughts re: your other Thailand/Siem Reap questions/posts:

* You might be there during the King's birthday. We were last year and it was quite interesting.
* Somewhere in Thailand you need to ride a tuk tuk! I don't think I would ride one in Siem Reap, though. That traffic was next-level crazy.
* We actually loved, loved, loved Chiang Mai. We were there during Loy Krathong, though, so maybe that made a big difference? We spent the night at Elephant Nature Park and it was amazing. I'm shocked about the negative comments about CM. CR must really be something, then. I would definitely skip the tiger temple stuff.
* I don't know if you're staying near Krabi, but the views from the those beaches are wonderful.
* There is a market on the weekend in Bangkok that is crazy and totally worth going to see if you're there at the right time: Chatuchak. It's huge and crowded, but it's an experience.
* Massages are cheap cheap there (hour foot massage for $10 (sometimes less). When you need downtime go get one!
* Shangri-La hotel has an awesome cocktail bar if you are into cocktails - we went twice.
* If you don't have the hotel set up yet in Siem Reap, I highly suggest Golden Temple Residence. Mr. Choat was so helpful, and Ron, the driver, was fantastic.
* In Siem Reap you can do a sunset gondola tour. It's unique and we really enjoyed the views.
* Our guide in Bangkok, Mr. Oat, was also fantastic if you're looking for someone. Bangkok was probably our least favorite of everywhere we went, but Mr. Oat was certainly the bright spot. He was so helpful, nice, and professional.
* The Royal Palace was an absolute zoo. Wat Pho was our favorite temple in Bangkok.

I hope you don't mind my commenting about all the posts in this one. I just wanted to pass on some tips and thank you for the awesome Japan report.

Hi Neen,

I'm so glad that you enjoyed my Japan trip report. I hope you were able to find my second one. If not, just click on my name and scroll down to trip reports at the bottom and it should be there.

Thanks so much for the great info for our upcoming trip! I'm afraid we will be flying back from Krabi to BKK on the king's birthday, so I don't know if we will get to experience it, unless they are celebrating it at the airport ;-). We fly home the next day, so we are just staying the night at an airport hotel.

We decided to skip Chaing Mai for this trip, but we are staying two nights in Krabi/Railay Beach, before moving on to Koh Lanta. We do have the Golden Residence booked for Siem Reap, so I'm happy that you have given it high marks.

Thanks again for the additional info. I'm sure it will come in handy. I'll be sure to post a trip report on my return.