Review of Bangkok Airways flight Chiang Rai → Bangkok in Economy

Airline Bangkok Airways
Flight PG 232
Class Economy
Seat --
Aircraft Airbus A320
Flight time 01:10
Take-off 18 Dec 16, 09:45
Arrival at 18 Dec 16, 10:55
PG   #21 out of 94 Airlines A minimum of 10 flight-reports within the past two years is required to appear in the rankings. 122 reviews
MrMax
By 783
Published on 24th May 2017
Welcome to my new series of FR's on my trip to Thailand this December!



BACKGROUND

This December, I went with my Dad and Brother to Thailand. My dad used to live here so it is a very special place for him. I've never been before, so we saw this opportunity. We settled on flying Y+ on CI for $1800 roundtrip SFO-TPE-BKK rt. The plus for CI Y+, is that on regional flights (without Y+), you are put in J! For the domestic flights, we flew on PG (Bangkok Airlines).

The itinerary is as follows:

PART I:

SFO-TPE — Y+ — CI 003 — 12/17/16 http://flight-report.com/en/report/21926/China-Airlines-CI-003-San-Francisco-SFO-Taipei-TPE
TPE-BKK — J — CI 823 — 12/18/16 http://flight-report.com/en/report/24111/China-Airlines-CI-823-Taipei-TPE-Bangkok-BKK%3Fv=53&edit=_edit_report
BKK-CNX — Y — PG 906 — 12/18/16 YOU ARE HERE

PART II:

CEI-BKK — Y — PG232 — 12/27/16 [COMING SOON]
BKK-USM— Y — PG135 — 12/27/16 [COMING SOON]

Part III:

USM-BKK — Y — PG148 — 12/31/16 [COMING SOON]

Part IV:

BKK-TPE — J — CI836 — 1/2/17 [COMING SOON]
TPE-SFO — Y+ — CI004 — 1/2/17 [COMING SOON]


Here is my routing for my international flights:

photo screen shot 2017-03-19 at 4.34.29 pm

And the domestic ones:

photo screen shot 2017-03-19 at 4.35.17 pm

CNX – Chiang Mai
CEI – Chiang Rai
USM – Koh Samui



C'Mon Max… Lets Talk About the FLYING Bit Already!!!



We arrived at CEI with our tour group at the end of the trip. We were headed to Koh Samui by way of Bangkok. Security at the airport door was very crowded (sorry no pics allowed). Eventually we walked through the outdated check in hall to PG check in counters. Check in was a breeze with exactly no line (take that UA J class check in at LHR!!!!)

photo img_2226photo img_2227

We went through the security checkpoint which was unremarkable. It was efficient but not quite as impressive as other Thai airports. There is a common waiting area for most passengers, with about enough benches (no pics). In that area, there was a counter with free drinks and sandwiches exclusively for PG pax. Great job PG!!!! Nobody in the airline industry but PG seems to understand how much goodwill a bag of chips can buy (lol) :)

Once our flight is called we walk into our gate, which involves walking by the window and admiring the a/cs:

photo img_2229photo img_2230


Up the escalator:

photo img_2231


Admiring more a/cs:

photo img_2232


And through the jetway to our A320:

photo img_2233


Boarding pic:

photo img_2235


My seat:

photo img_2239


Legroom is a thumbs-up:

photo img_2238photo img_2240

Red Bird! Red Bird! Fly through my window! (Actually, on second thoughts, I'd rather fly PG)

photo img_2241


Contents of seat pocket, and a refreshing wipe handed out by crew:

photo img_2242photo img_2243


There is a ~ 5 min delay. But soon, we are taxiing:

photo img_2245photo img_2246photo img_2247


And in the air:




Beautiful countryside where I had been biking earlier, and the magnificent city of Chiang Rai:




~ 10 mins after takeoff, the crew conducts a very efficient meal service:

photo img_2264

Entree:

photo img_2265

And tea after the meal:

photo img_2266


The food wasn't too my taste, but great job to PG for providing a meal on a shorter flight.



Outskirts of Bangkok:




And final approach:




Bangkok Airport:




We park at a remote stand and are bussed to the terminal:

photo img_2302


CONCLUSION



PG is a great choice for Thai domestic flights. The service is great and the price is right.

CEI is an efficient (except for the security check at the terminal door) if not slightly outdated airport. Up to my standards for a domestic outstation. However, it is a little far from the city.

The cabins on PG were a little outdated, but the legroom was okay. I wouldn't expect anything more for a short flight.

The crew were friendly and efficient. Great job!

The PG inflight magazine could use some work, but I brought my own material and looked out the window. So IFE was good.

The catering was more than sufficient for a flight of this length, even if it was not very good.

BKK is a wonderful modern airport that I think sets the standard for what a good airport should be.

Thank you for dropping by, and please drop me a line in the comments section.
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Verdict

Bangkok Airways

8.8/10
Cabin8.0
Cabin crew10.0
Entertainment/wifi7.5
Meal/catering9.5

Chiang Rai - CEI

7.0/10
Efficiency8.5
Access7.0
Services8.5
Cleanliness4.0

Bangkok - BKK

9.5/10
Efficiency10.0
Access8.5
Services9.5
Cleanliness10.0

Conclusion

PG is a great choice for Thai domestic flights. The service is great and the price is right.

CEI is an efficient (except for the security check at the terminal door) if not slightly outdated airport. Up to my standards for a domestic outstation. However, it is a little far from the city.

The cabins on PG were a little outdated, but the legroom was okay. I wouldn't expect anything more for a short flight.

The crew were friendly and efficient. Great job!

The PG inflight magazine could use some work, but I brought my own material and looked out the window. So IFE was good.

The catering was more than sufficient for a flight of this length, even if it was not very good.

BKK is a wonderful modern airport that I think sets the standard for what a good airport should be.

Thank you for dropping by, and please drop me a line in the comments section.

Stay tuned for my connecting flight to Koh Samui!!

Information on the route Chiang Rai (CEI) → Bangkok (BKK)

Les contributeurs de Flight-Report ont posté 4 avis concernant 3 compagnies sur la ligne Chiang Rai (CEI) → Bangkok (BKK).

Useful

La compagnie qui obtient la meilleure moyenne est Bangkok Airways avec 7.7/10.

La durée moyenne des vols est de 1 heures et 20 minutes.

  More information

2 Comments

If you liked this review or if you have any questions, don’t hesitate to post a comment below !
  • Comment 398886 by
    Razza_Pr 216 Comments
    Hello, MrMax, and thank you for sharing this FR :)

    I'm very impressed by PG's domestic service. What a wonderful boutique airline they are.

    Meal service for a one hour hop, snacks at the gate, and economy class lounge at BKK..

    Are there any PTV screens or overhead monitor?

    Thanks again. Cheers!

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