AirAsia launches Phuket-Udon Thani direct flights
Dawn breaks over the Mekong at Nong Khai, close to Udon Thani, with Laos on the far bank. - Photo (c) by Alasdair Forbes.
AirAsia, which recently set up a regional hub in Phuket, today launches its new direct service between Phuket and Udon Thani.
The biggest group of passengers is likely to be people from Udon working in Phuket. They can now get home in a couple of hours, as opposed to having to fly via Bangkok with the usual couple of hours’ wait in Suvarnabhumi Airport.
The new service also makes it convenient for tourists to get from Phuket to Laos. From Udon to the Lao capital, Vientiane, is a short bus journey via Nong Khai and the Friendship Bridge across the Mekong river.
Better yet, the flight is currently priced at B690 for the less-than-two-hours one-way trip. Compared with the 10-hour drag by overnight bus from Phuket to Bangkok, costing B500 or more, then another 10 hours to Udon, costing an additional B260, it’s a no-brainer.
The AirAsia service takes off from Phuket at 14:40 on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays, arriving in Udon at 16:20. The flight in the other direction takes off at 16:50 on the same day, landing in Phuket at 18:30.
For those contemplating a visit to the old capital of Laos, Luang Prabang, Lao Airlines has daily flights from Udon, taking about 50 minutes. However, Lao Airlines is no budget carrier – this flight costs around B2,800 one-way.
