A newly-launched Bangkok-Hua Hin air shuttle service offers travellers the option of flying between Bangkok and Hua Hin in only 40 minutes. The air shuttle service, operated by Siam GA (SGA), reduces the travel time between Bangkok and Hua Hin by more than two hours.
With a steady increase in the number of luxury resorts and spas and prime properties opening in the ‘royal paradise’ of Hua Hin, Thailand’s first seaside resort is attracting an ever-increasing numbers of affluent international travellers. This, according to SGA, has led to a demand for an air shuttle service that provides a convenient and welcome alternative to the three-hour drive from Bangkok to Hua Hin.
The Bangkok-Hua Hin air-shuttle service essentially provides an express transfer service for hotel guests, particularly for travellers arriving on long-haul flights from Europe. In operating its air-shuttle service, SGA works in close cooperation with several leading hotels in Hua Hin namely Anantara Resort and Spa, Evason Hua Hin Resort and Spa, Chiva-Som International Health Resort, Hua Hin Marriott Resort and Spa, Regent Cha-am, Hyatt Regency Hua Hin, Hotel Sofitel Central Hua Hin and Hilton Hua Hin Resort & Spa. More new hotel and resort properties scheduled to open in Hua Hin and Cha-am are also expected to join.
The airline has been operating four daily flights between Bangkok and Hua Hin since November 1, 2004. The route is serviced by a Cessna 208B Caravan aircraft, with a seating capacity for 12 passengers. The aircraft has been fitted out with plush leather seating. The Cessna is a light aircraft well-suited to low-altitude flights. This offers passengers an opportunity to enjoy an aerial view of the landscape along the route which passes over Bangkok, Samut Prakarn, the Gulf of Thailand, the Chao Phraya River and Petchburi province before touching down in Hua Hin.
With such a short flight, there is no inflight service. However the airline has its own lounge in Bangkok and Hua Hin, where passengers are able to relax and enjoy light snacks and beverages.
A round-trip ticket costs US$135 per person or US$80 for a one-way fare (inclusive of VAT, insurance coverage and other related expenses). Reservations need to be made two days in advance.
Flights depart from Bangkok’s Don Muang Domestic Terminal, with a separate check-in area adjacent to the Bangkok Airways counter. Passengers are requested to arrive at the check-in counter a minimum of 45 minutes before departure time. The checked baggage allowance is 20 kilogrammes per person and an additional 5 kilos for hand-carried items. Passengers are met on arrival at Hua Hin airport and provided with an escorted transfer between the airport and the participating hotel or resort.
The operation is designed to grow with demand, however, initial flight times have been established to accommodate international arrivals from/to Europe, with daily departures scheduled as follows:
Departing Bangkok (BKK): 08.00, 11.30, 15.30, 18.30 hours
Departing Hua Hin (HHQ): 09.30, 13.00, 16.30, 20.00 hours
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