Book Flights on Bangkok Airways

Bangkok Airways was founded as Shakol Air in 1968 and was operated primarily as a charter airline. After launching its domestic commercial services in 1986, the carrier now flies to 20 destinations in Southeast Asia, India, and the Maldives. Through its codeshare partners, Bangkok Airways also offers flights to destinations in the Middle East such as Abu Dhabi and Muscat.

The airline is headquartered in Bangkok, and continues to operate charter and cargo services. It also owns and operates three airports at Samui, Sukhothai, and Trat.

Bangkok Airways positions itself as a boutique airline that provides full-service facilities to a limited number of destinations, concentrating largely on popular vacation routes. The airline’s frequent flyer program is known as FlyerBonus and its codeshare partners include Thai Airways, KLM, Etihad Airways, and EVA Air, among others.

Bangkok Airways aircraft are extremely colourful with nature-themed landscapes painted across the body. These are based on the exotic destinations that the aircraft fly to. The airline’s red, gold, and blue logo is printed on the aircraft’s tail.

Bangkok Airways Ticketing and Check-in Information

Bangkok Airways offers four easy options for check-in:

Airport Counter Check-in: Check in at the airport counter if you’re travelling in a group of 10 or more, have excess baggage, or are checking in an unaccompanied minor.

Check-in counters for Bangkok Airways flights departing from Suvarnabhumi International Airport close 40 minutes before departure for domestic flights and 50 minutes prior to departure for international flights. For all other airports, counters close 30 minutes before domestic departures and 40 minutes before international departures. Bangkok Airways recommends that passengers should report to the airport’s check-in counters at least 1.5-2 hours prior to departure.

Online Check-in: This service is only available for some of Bangkok Airways’ departure airports. You can check-in, choose your seat, and print out your boarding pass before heading straight to the security gates at the airport. Passengers with checked luggage can drop off their bags at the designated airport counter and the deadline for doing so is at least 40 minutes before departure.

Online check-in facilities are available between 24 hours and 2 hours prior to your flight’s scheduled departure.

For passengers taking connecting flights on international routes, Bangkok Airways recommends allowing for a minimum connecting time of at least one hour and fifteen minutes. Some of the airline’s codeshare partners allow passengers to print out their connecting flight boarding passes and check in their luggage to their final destination at the very first airport of the journey. You can find a complete list of these airlines on Bangkok Airways’ website.

Bangkok Airways Baggage Information & Restrictions

Checked Luggage Restrictions for Bangkok Airways

Economy Class passengers are allowed to check in luggage weighing up to 20 kg while Business Class (also known as Blue Ribbon Class) passengers and FlyerBonus frequent flyer club members have a luggage weight allowance of up to 30 kg. Infants without an individual ticket have a free checked baggage allowance of up to 10 kg.

Excess baggage fees will be charged for items that do not meet these specifications and irrespective of seat class, each checked item should not weigh more than 32 kg.

Carry-On Baggage Restrictions for Bangkok Airways

Each passenger is allowed one carry-on item weighing no more than 5 kg. Carry-on luggage dimensions should not exceed 56 cm x 36 cm x 23 cm on the airline’s Airbus aircraft and should not measure more than 44 cm x 28 cm x 13 cm on its ATR 72 aircraft.

Infants without an individual ticket do not have a free carry-on luggage allowance.

Bangkok Airways Special Luggage Requirements

While some sports equipment such as scuba diving and golf gear can contribute to the free checked baggage allowance, other oversized items such as surfboards and bicycles are subject to special size specifications and excess baggage fees. You can find detailed information regarding these on the airline’s website.

Bangkok Airways Seating Options

Economy Class seats have a pitch of 76-78 cm and seat configurations vary depending on which aircraft you’re flying in. The A320 and A319 have three seats on either side of a central aisle, while the airline’s ATR72-500 aircraft have two seats on either side of the aisle. The A319 is the only one of the Bangkok Airways’ aircraft that has two separate seat classes.

There are only 14 Business Class seats on the A319, with two on either side of the main aisle. These seats have a pitch of approximately 96 cm. This seating class is also offered on A320 aircraft with the first three rows of the plane blocked off from Economy Class.

The airline offers Boutique Premier Service tickets on a few of its routes and the seat pitch on these flights is approximately 101.6 cm.

Travelling with Pets on Bangkok Airways

Don’t forget Bruno!

Small cats and dogs as well as birds can be transported on Bangkok Airways flights but do not contribute to the free baggage allowance. Service animals are exempt from excess baggage fees but passengers will need to carry the animal’s health and vaccination paperwork and present these at the time of check in.

It is best to contact the airline as early as possible to inform them about your travel companion to avoid any last minute mishaps at the airport. You can find detailed information about travelling with your pet on the airline’s website.

Bangkok Airways In-flight Service, Beverages, and Meals

Economy Class passengers are served hot meals or snacks, depending on the duration of the flight. Complimentary non-alcoholic beverages are also provided. In-flight entertainment options vary depending on your flight route and can include shared screens and audio programming.

Business Class and Boutique Premier Service passengers are provided with personal video screens and a full meal service with several menu options. Alcoholic beverages are also served free of charge.

Bangkok Airways Fleet

The airline’s fleet consists of three Airbus 320s, seven Airbus 319s, and eight ATR 72-500s. The Airbus 320 can seat up to 162 passengers, the Airbus 319 can seat 120 passengers, while the ATR 72-500 can seat 70 passengers.

Bangkok Airways Lounge

Bangkok Airways operates Boutique Lounges at a few select airports in Thailand and these are accessible to Economy Class passengers. These lounges offer complimentary snacks, hot and cold drinks, a children’s play area, and free internet access.

Some airports also have the airline’s exclusive Blue Ribbon Club Lounge for Business Class passengers and facilities here include free internet access, complimentary snacks and alcoholic beverages, and plenty of quiet spaces to relax before boarding your flight.