How to get to Phuket?

I have now been asked by several people on the best way to fly to Phuket. Well to be totally honest I have only ever traveled to Phuket via Malaysia, so I will give you information on that from personal experiences as for flying from UK I will have to use information from friends and research.

Flying out of Kuala Lumpur will only take you around an hour in total from airport to airport, and then of course depending on where you stay in Phuket will depend on how long it takes to get from the Airport to the hotel. I will come back to Airport transfers later in this post.

You have several options when flying out of Kuala Lumpur to Phuket, all of which depends on what your budget is. If you want to fly cheap and cheerful then you will want to opt for AirAsia who fly out of the Low Cost Carrier Terminal (LCCT). This should never be mistaken with Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA). I’ve just made a quick search on their website for return flights in the middle of October 2010 and it is currently selling at around 307 Ringgit Malaysia (RM). But AirAsia is forever doing super cheap deals so it is well worth keeping an eye open. You might even want to register with their website so that they send you an email every time they have a special offer.  AirAsia is now flying direct from London to Kuala Lumpur in about 12 ½ hours, so again it might be worth checking out prices there. 

You can also find other cheap airlines that fly to Phuket from either Kuala Lumpur, Singapore or other parts of Asia, such as Silk Air, Jetstar and Dragon Air, Nokair. I am told they are pretty cheap and comfortable.

If you don’t mind spending a bit more then your best bet will be to fly with Malaysian Airlines (MAS). You can fly with Thai Airways but they go via Bangkok. I have just checked the price to fly around the same time in October 2010… I am pleasantly shocked to find that it is really cheap. Return flight from Kuala Lumpur to Phuket is only RM 477. So if you are thinking of flying to Phuket around October then check out Malaysia Airlines NOW. Who knows how long that price will stay like that? 

Ok, now is you are from back home in the UK then, as far as I am aware there are no direct flights. From my understanding you can only fly direct if it is less than an 8 hour flight. This has something to do with the length of the Phuket International Airport Runway. It is too short to allow a fully loaded flight from Europe. If anyone has more detailed information on this please let me know.

So basically flying from UK or Europe to Phuket you will have to make at least one stop. Flying Thai Airways from London to Phuket will take you around 13-16 hours in total from airport to airport, this will depend on how long you are waiting at Bangkok (BKK). The cost of this flight is around 735 GBP (again to fly return mid Oct 2010). 

  

You can of course use many other airlines that should be cheaper, such as Emirates, Qatar, Etihad, Singapore, Malaysian and many more. Apart from Etihad I have used all carriers long haul and felt they are all very comfortable. The airline crews are always friendly and of course being long haul you get unlimited complementary drinks. 

   The best bet is to just check out the best deal at the time, and always try to book well in advance to get the best price. If in UK I find that shopping around the high street is always worth it, especially check out The Flight Centre stores as they are normally pretty cheap. Either way it will be a very long flight, but believe me it will be worth it, plus it’s not that bad flying long haul. You will get your very own private TV in front of you with heaps of movies and music videos to choose from.

I have met some great people during long haul flights in the past and often had a great time during the flight. Conversing with the crew is always interesting. They usually have some very fascinating stories to tell. You might even want to break up the flight by spending a night in the Middle East or Malaysia. 

 Once you finally arrive to Phuket International Airport and collect your luggage, you will have a couple of options to get to your hotel. If you haven’t already arranged transport a taxi should cost around 500-800THB and will take around 30-50 minutes to send you to the hotel, depending on where in Phuket your staying and how much traffic is on the road.

I would personally recommend booking a taxi in advance so you have someone waiting for you when you arrive. It is safe and recommended by the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT). Use Phuket Shuttle and you will have a good selection of vehicle depending on your party size. 

The cheapest way to get from the airport is of course by bus. There is a regular bus service that operated to and from Phuket International Airport. But the last bus leaving Phuket International Airport is at about 2045, so if your flight lands after that you will have to take the taxi. 

The Price for a bus ticket from Phuket International airport ranges between 20-85 THB, which makes it the cheapest method to get from the Airport. I have used the bus once and found it comfortable enough; I certainly had no complaints and will possibly use it in the future. The time table is usually on time so I am told. You can check out prices and timetable here Airport Bus Phuket

Well I hope this is good information for those thinking of traveling to Phuket, please feel free to ask for any other information if there is something I haven’t covered.