Elite status: none
Aircraft type:
ATR72-600
Seat: 7B
I had no seatmate!
Padding:
Padding was adequate for a short flight but a little hard. The seats and interior of the aircraft appeared to be quite new and modern.
Recline:
The seatback reclined 4 inches from the upright position. Adequate for a short flight.
Pitch:
The pitch was good for an ATR aircraft.
There was 29 inches from seatback to the seat in front. I had 3 inches between my knee and the seat in front of me. The seat width was a generous 18 inches between arm rests.
UTP-USM
March 6, 2019
Distance: 225 miles
Schedule:
Depart: 5:20PM
Arrive: 6:30PM
Scheduled: 1h 10m
Push back: 6:51PM
Touch down: 7:53PM
Arrived at gate 3m later
Actual duration: 1h 5m
Cost:
Paid with: miles
Prices at time of booking:
Miles: 8,972 Chase Ultimate Rewards
Cash: $134.59
Payment method reasoning: I don’t chase airline status. I used Chase Ultimate Rewards points at 1.5 cents to buy the flight 2 days in advance.
Boarding:
We were delayed for 1h 25m and TripIt notified me of the delay. I was already en route to the airport so I had to spend extra time in the terminal.
Boarding happened very quickly due to a half full flight and we all boarded from a single bus. It was less than 10 minutes from getting off the bus to doors shut and aircraft pushback.
It was good to see the crew working quickly to get us going after a long delay.
Service:
Flight crew helped everyone quickly locate their seats and put away bags. Announcements were made on our way to the runway. Very efficient!
After takeoff they quickly began service. The crew served food and drink once we leveled off in the air. Everyone got the same snack and only a few drink options made it go quickly on the half full flight.
About 15 minutes later the crew came and collected the service items. They were very friendly and spoke English well.
IFE and power:
Not offered on this flight.
WiFi:
Not offered on this flight.
Food:
Bangkok Airways is unique in that they offer free snacks and drinks to passengers in the boarding area. At UTP they had pastries, coffee, water, orange juice, popcorn, and rice cakes. They ask to see a boarding pass to verify.
On board we were given a snack tray with a coffee cup, pastry, refreshing towel, and bottled water on it.
The pastry was a chocolate almond danish and was good!
Drinks:
Drink options were limited to water, orange juice, coffee, or tea.
I had an orange juice and a water.
Best seats:
Exit row
Bulkhead
All others
Pros:
This is the fastest and most direct way to get to Ko Samui from the Chonburi area. The airport is small so checkin and security are very fast. It’s convenient to avoid Bangkok and traffic. Overland options take a whole day at least. 1 checked bag is included in the fare.
Cons:
Flights can be expensive on this route. I was lucky enough to find a reasonable fare. The seats were a little hard and was noticeable even on a short flight. The small airport has extremely limited options for food and drink in the domestic terminal.
Would I fly again?
Yes! Flying versus burning an entire day in transit was worth it even with the delay. Service has been great for all of my Bangkok Airways flights.
