How early do you get to get to the airport in Thailand?
 

We have internal flights for our honeymoon in Thailand next month? How early does one really have to get there before our flight. Do not want to wait too long but do not want to miss checking luggage and such either. Thanks!

Lines can be long, that's the biggest problem. We were travelling at the New Year holiday time, though, so more people flying. We arrived about 1 hour before our flight on NOK to Phuket, from the old Don Muang airport. I thought we might miss the flight, due to lines, but we just managed to squeak by! I'd prefer to be there an hour and 15 minutes, just for that extra buffer.

Where would you rather be sad bored? Airside having checked-in, or [potentially] stuck in traffic (accident, time of day etc) and looking at your watch every couple of minutes?

I'd leave my Bangkok hotel at least 3 hours before my flight ETD.

But if I was travelling to Chiang Mai I'd take the overnight sleeper train, save on a night's accommodation, and enjoy the wonderful experience of train travel in Thailand.

I would do what I do when I fly within Europe, I'd aim to get to the airport about 90 minutes before my flight. I too would rather be bored at the airport rather than stressing in a cab somewhere......
If you want to reduce time at the airport, check in online if possible, so all you have to do is bag drop.....( which often has separate lines)

Both airports in BKK have potentially long walks to the gates after you get thru check in and security. I agree with Smeagol...rather be at the gate waiting than in a cab or security line and then have to run. allow plenty of time.

Getting to the airport 90 minutes before your flight will be plenty. I'm not sure where LL stays that he needs to leave the hotel 3 hours before his flight... it has never taken me much over 30 minutes to get to the airport from my hotel along the river. Since you will be staying at the Pen you will have to budget a bit more time, or have the car pick you up on the other side of the river. the Pen can help you with this.

Last time we were in BKK it took no more than 30 mins to get to the airport from the Pen ... Although that was on a Saturday a.m. I'm with Kathie only ever taken me 30 minutes...however my friend K who goes to BKK on Business has nearly missed flights due to the traffic, that said she would be going in the rush hour....
Also depends if it's D MK or BKK

Kathie, and anyone else.

If you missed your flight because of an incident between your hotel and the airport, then what do you do? It happens all the time.

I travel leisurely, allow plenty of time, and minimise the risks.

You cannot control every variable. But you can plan, taking into consideration your own past experience and that of others.

Have I ever missed a flight? No. I plan cautiously, but I don't plan to spend hours at the airport.

And how many times have you missed a flight?

If you miss your flight, you talk with the airline and reschedule.

It is worth noting that if you are flying a budget airline, like Air Asia, your ticket becomes worthless if you miss your flight. If you are flying a full-service airline like Thai Air or Bangkok Air, they may just put you on the next flight with your old ticket or may require an additional charge depending on the circumstances.

Thanks for all the responses. It sounds like 90 minutes should cover us in BKK. Are flights in CM or Phuket the same thing or are the airports far more quiet, which I would assume?

I don't plan to spend hours at an airport either, and especially not wasting time re-scheduling a flight due to not having allowed enough time in order to catch my original flight.

Have I missed a flight before? Of course I have, and it cost me 2 days off my next destination, as well as extra accommodation costs.

I'd much rather lose an hour or so from where I'm leaving than waste time and money because I didn't allow that extra hour or so.

Chitown. 90 minutes at the airport + 60 minutes for travel + 30 minutes to cover any delays, is about right.

If you come unstuck you'll remember this thread.��

The airports in CM and Phuket are certainly smaller, though both airports handle lots of flights. so the lines may be equally long. I'd give myself 90 minutes before a domestic flight from either airport.

You have to do what you are comfortable with. And consider any special conditions, such as driving to the airport during rush hour.

I think we can all agree with that Kathie, and this little song is fairly descriptive of the way this thread panned out...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MWyordkvD0k

Wink!

Eye roll......

We leave our bkk hotel about 3 hours before flt time to allow plenty of time

I'm with Karen on this, leave 3 hours and relax at the airport, you don't stress if the check in lines are long, you don't stress if the security lines are long. you don't stress if there is an accident on the way to the airport- so many things could delay you so why worry, go early.

I just did the Bangkok airport thing yesterday, however not the old airport, but the main one. I had an 8AM pick up by the AOT car service, for an 11:05AM flight. I was at the St.Regis at Rajadamri.

I arrived at the airport at 8:40AM. I timed it. My airline's line was long and slow and there were only 2-3 sets of people ahead of me and a lot in back of me. I was heading to Malaysia.

After getting my boarding pass, it was through the security, ex-ray machine-line that was long, but moved smoothly. Then, it was to the immigration line, as scary as Disneyland in July. I thought I was going to miss my flight.

A French couple, in front of me, told me to go ahead of them as their flight was at 11:30AM. A Chinese woman, in back of the French couple, was having a melt down and turned and started talking to me. She changed lines to the line to the immediate left of me and I moved up one. Not good for her.

When I got, one person from the immigration window, the processing machine broke down in the line to the left of me and I thought there was going to be a riot. Thank goodness the machine in my line was still working. The two immigration officers shared the same booth.

After I got on the plane, there were two, young women from New Zealand, who were hurrying into the plane. They happened to have seats next to me. They said that they had to run all the way and that when they were in the immigration line, there was pushing and shoving as folks were getting very impatient. There was also impatience in my line as it was moving very slowly. The line to the left of mine had been moving pretty quickly until the machine broke down. I'm SO glad that I decided not to move over to that line.

I'm one who likes to arrive to big, busy airports early, around 3 hours before my flight as I can find things to do in the airport to pass the extra time. However, when I arrived into Bangkok, I bought the AOL round-trip ticket and they set the time for an 8:00AM pick up. I should have made it for earlier, but just left it for 8:00AM. Next year, I'll go with my gut, as I usually do, and have an earlier pick up time.

Happy Travels!

I just returned from 2 weeks in Thailand where I took multiple internal flights from DMK. 90-120 minutes is fine, in general. Yes, there are lines but they moved rather quickly. You will experience some frustrating delays - like we did at Chiang Mai and Krabi, but nothing alarming. One word of caution about luggage weight - make sure you stick to regulations. (e.g. Air Asia allows 20 kgs per unit - with extra purchased allowance). We had to leave a bag at DMK as we had more than the limit. However, 75 ThB per day is very affordable for left-luggage. I'd say, keep a spare bag handy in case you have to ioff-load some from your checked-in baggage. I saw plenty of people carrying on 2-3 bags on the plane.