Bangkok Airlines Rocks

giving snack packs as we deplane

Bangkok airways is a class at. They do things right. For example because they should not serve food on the airline during Covid, they hand each of us a little paper bag with a couple wonderful air tight pastries and a small bottle of water as we leave the plane. They also will fly a plane that is 2/3 full and if they have an overflowing flight they will change the plane from the smaller prop engine plane to a larger jet holding 144 as opposed to 56. They also have not cancelled any flights on me, which makes them and Vistara the only two out of nine airlines I’ve booked with this trip that have not cancelled flights on me (and I have 5 legs booked with them).

snack pack

the gate

Additionally, they actually own three airports, though the only one I have been to is Koh Samui. Because they own it, they are the only airline that flies there. That might be reason for concern but instead they have gone all out to make the customer experience wonderful. Samui airport is the coolest airport I have ever been in. I loved it 26 years ago when I first came as they had these wonderful open air seating areas looking like giant tiki huts with beautiful wooden benches. It all felt very tropical. But now in the last 18 years they have completely changed. For one, the tiny airport is now much much bigger though it only went from 2 gates to 4. They added…stuff.

shops on the airport street

I checked in and then walked what seemed like a mile down this new street (used to be all dirt road and dirt parking lot) with small shops and eateries on the sides. At first I was skeptical, but the food looked good and was priced about the same as my inexpensive resort and Food Street in Phuket.

catching last minute rays at the airport

airport bean bag loungers

Granted, the walk to the gate, which used to be 40 yards, is much much longer, but it feels like strolling down the lane in an amusement park. There are shops on one side of a cement tiled roadway and on the other side is a huge grass park with palapas and loungers. I saw a couple putting on suntan lotion and catching some final rays before their flight (above). They also have giant bean bag loungers (right). Then I saw the elephant poop paper stand! Yes, they make paper out of elephant poop and sell little notebooks of it. I was in hog elephant heaven! I have to admit the pads were a little pricey, but they are a tourist geared item so more a function of the company not the airport.

paper made from elephant poop

poop paper close up

shops by the gates with well priced food

outdoor seating next to gate

Next to the gate is a large outdoor area with regular benches and also intricately carved modern art seats and tables. The final feather in their cap, in my opinion is the bathroom. It is by far my favorite airport bathroom and certainly ranks in the top 5 public bathrooms I’ve been in (no I can’t think of any others offhand except the Madonna Inn near SLO). This one has huge stalls with a nice shelf to put your bags on (makes sense right since you can’t leave bags unattended). But the kicker is the giant fish aquarium across the entrance and exit. You walk around it to enter and exiting it is right in front of you.

giant bathroom stalls

aquarium in womens bathrrom entrance