I have been on the phone with Bangkok Air all morning. I am getting conflicting stories from different people so I need some help here.

They say it is $80 one way (per person) to travel internationally in SEA. Fine. I want to go from Siem Reap to Luang Prabang. However, they say because there is not a direct flight between these two cities (you must go thru Bangkok), so you have to pay $80 from SR to BKK and $80 from BKK to LP for a total of $160 per person. Does this sound right? Or should it just be $80 per person despite the stopover in BKK?

Any thoughts or similar experiences?

i think you are right...it is two seperate flights...you are going from one very issolated place to another...it beats the full fare which i think i paid $275 r.t. SR-Bkk and about the same for LP....

you have to buy at least a minimum of 3 legs to use the pass....

some bkk air international segments cost more if out of the area...i.e. xian....

so what is the conflicting info you are getting??

Yes, Bob is right, SR to LP is two segments at $80 each.

one person told me $80 from SR to LP..one person told me $80 from SR - BKK and another $80 from BKK - LP

i would have then tried to buy the two for $80...try and see what happens

I just bought the same tickets - - I paid $80 per leg - - SR to BKK and then BKK to LP, $160 total.
Although others have said they had problems with the ticketing, I had none. I sent my cashier's check to the NY office via FedEx, and I received the tickets a few days later (paid the extra $15 fee for courier service)

DC---i had no problem either...i think if you know exactly what you want when you call you are ok....if you want some advice i think this may be an area where the outsourced help desk is weak...i did mine by regular mail...for free...

I alkso had no problems with purchase last month, through my regular travel agent.

I just booked this same journey -- Siem reap to Luang Prabang -- with a Discovery Airpass, and I can assure you that you do NOT have to go back to Bangkok to do it!

Don't forget that the Bangkok Airways Discovery Airpass applies not only to that airline but to several other airlines affiliated with them. We chose the Lao Airlines flight (no. QV522) from Siem reap to Vientiane ($80), then straight onto another Lao Airlines flight from Vientiane to Luang Prabang ($50). Okay, it's only a $30 saving (since there are four of us, this mounts up, so we're smiling), but I have a feeling there would be very definite time savings there, too.... in our case we leave Siem reap at 1000 and by 1340 we are in Luang Prabang.

alan---essentially you did the same thing by going to the capital and then transferring...and it cost you some extra...not as much but it cost you time as well...
i personally chose not to use lao aviation...

KW---hope you have seen the post about an increase in the prices???

Hi, rhkkmk!

Well, then, can you summarize for us, 'cause I still don't get it.... which is the best way to do this trip without paying for a second flight and withour sacrificing precious time? Is there a way to do it on one flight and for one payment of $80?

do you understand this: NO.......
no matter what it is, two legs or two flights or how ever you want to describe it....there are no bargains to these destinations, period!!!

best way...you feel it is lao and i personally would not fly on lao except in an emergency....you save $20 by your method...it may also take slightly less time...for me it is bkk air...i like them, their service, their planes, their safety, etc...i find discovery pass to be a good deal also

We did a return trip to Siem Reap with BKK airways earlier this year. Excellent service - very hepful staff. The UK's Foreign & Colonial website advises against travel on Laos air though F&C do tend to err on the very cautious side. We'll be doing a Cambodia followed by Laos combo in a month or so and I'm currently tempted to do a return flight to BKK and then enter Laos via the bridge (for Vientiane) or via Chiang Rai and the Mekong (for LP). Not particulalry useful plan for you if time is of the essence.

We flew Laos Aviation in 2003 on a trip to Vientiane and LP and had no complaints. We flew Bkk-Vientiane-LP-Bkk - best part was no backtracking. Think it was Discovery Pass but don't remember. Bob is right that for the Pass rates you must ahve 3 legs.

I know that BKK Air/Lao Air and Siem Reap Air all have the same Discovery Pass. Are there any other airlines that have a similar Discovery Pass System? Perhaps Thai Airways or Asia Air?

cathy pacific and malay air both have passes but of a different sort...