Hi Everyone,

I finally booked my ticket with Thai Air ( JFK-BKK- premium economy ) .... I have posted before on this topic. We are going in Feb.

I didn't book it straight through as it was more expensive, and I was afraid I would miss the one hour connecting flight JFK-BKK-RGN....( thanks to you Fodorites... I am going to do take the later flight out of BKK)

Anyway, I got an agent on the phone yesterday ( NYC branch Thai Air) and she said I needed a PAPER ticket to leave Yangon ( as opposed to an electronic ticket) .... This becomes more expensive as you have to pay for the ticket and pay for the mailing of it via Fed-X.

Does anyone have any experience with this? Is this true?

Also, the air from BKK-RGN and return on Thai Air is about 445 USD per person, which I think is a bit expensive considering it's an hour and a half flight. I know Burma increased gas prices, but even in August when i was checking .... the ticket was in the 400 range. Any ideas if it will go down?

I did check the other airlines but the times areren't good ( Bangkok air has good prices but the times won't work for me.

Thoughts?
Thanks
Bette

That sound expensive. I've just check Air Asia website and their fare are significantly cheaper. I did a dummy booking and the fare is only 4,218 Baht nett.

Could be an option for you but you might have to overnight in Bangkok which will add to your expense.

We booked our round trip BKK-RGN flights with Eddie in Bangkok (do a search here) and were able to save some $. The total cost (RT) was about $300 + the cost to fed ex them to us. He will deliver them to you hotel in Bangkok though free of charge if that works for you.

Hi again,

I am not staying in BKK .. too much of a hassle. I would have to collect the bags, go to a hotel, get back to the airport the next day..... stand in lines .....too much for me .... Craig I know you stayed in BKK before and after your trip. And I have already tried asiaair, and it's cheaper but the times don't work for me ..... I would still have to stay overnight and then go back to the airport. I may just have to "suck it up" and pay the bucks .....
I just don't understand why that short flight is so expensive considering that Premium Economy from JFK-BKK is 1584 ( plus or minus) .....

I thought I was the only crazy person online at this hour!!

I don't know if this will be better but have you try Air Bagan? A very good airline from Myanmar and they have 2 daily flights between BKK - YGN. One flight depart at 10.10 and the other at 19.25.

Currently they have a promotional rate of US $128 per person and their planes are brand new jets(for the international routes).

http://www.airbagan.com/

Having to have a paper ticket is news to me.

I've been in and out of Myanmar three times in the last 18 months - all on E ticket; sometimes on Thai. And I'll be back there in October - with not a paper ticket in sight.

Hanuman - when I go to the Air Bagan site I read it as 'from 15 May to June 30 2007' a special fare etc. I know its late at night, but makes me think I'm crazy!

Did I miss something?

I think it's 15 May til 30 September 2007. I'm not sure if this is the purchasing period and you can fly later or you must start your travel within those dates.

Thanks Hanuman.

Hi, ldtc2!

This past spring I traveled on Thai Airways from New York JFK via Bangkok to Yangon RGN. I had no trouble whatsoever making the connection at Bangkok; I simply walked from one gate to another. I recollect that the connection time was about 1h. 45min. This was all accomplished on an E-ticket from United Airlines (as I had redeemed frequent flyer miles).

If you are looking for an air carrier between BKK and RGN that is cheaper than Thai Airways, consider Air Bagan, Air Asia, and also Bangkok Airways.

Enjoy your travels, bon voyage, and let us know how things turn out for you!