Deciding Who To Fly To Chiang Mai
During a recent trip to Thailand I decided to break away from Bangkok and spend a few days in Chiang Mai. While my first instinct was to book Thai Airways (TG), a Thai friend suggested that I try the low cost carrier Nok Air (DD).
Nok Air uses the old airport, Don Mueang (DMK). DMK was closer to where I was staying in Bangkok than the new Suvarnabhumi Airport (BKK) and the price was right. Nok Air was one third the price of Thai Airways.
So I booked the flight and selected my seat online about a month in advance.
My round trip ticket cost 3,270 THB (~$100) after taxes. I decided to pay an extra 500 THB (~$15) each way to upgrade to Nok Plus.
Nok Plus is Nok Air's so-called business class. It provides 2-2 seating instead of 3-3. You get 30kg of checked bags instead of 15kg. The seat pitch is 33" instead of a painful 29-32". And you get a complimentary snack, newspaper and drink. Not a bad deal.
Don Mueang Domestic Terminal Gate Area
This was my first experience with the domestic terminal at Don Mueang. It's a dump. There are no stores or restaurants past security so try and stay landside as long as possible.
The only good thing about the domestic terminal is the view of the airport:
This was my plane:
Boarding and Seats
The agents called for boarding and it was a free for all race down the jetbridge. I was in seat 1A, the bulkhead in Nok Plus. This was my seat:
Here is the view of the other side of row 1:
In Flight Snack
With Nok Plus (an extra $15/500THB) you get a complimentary snack, drink and newspaper. You can see the newspaper above. The drink was a choice of water, coffee or tea. Here is the snack:
The Return Flight
After an enjoyable few days in Chiang Mai, it was time to take Nok Air back to Bangkok's Don Mueang Airport.
The waiting area past security at Chiang Mai is nicer than at Don Mueang. There is a Thai Airways lounge but Nok Air passengers don't have access. There are also several shops, a cafe, and several Internet kiosks available past security.
A Bad Choice on Where to Sit
I decided to try a non-bulkhead row for my return flight. Bad choice. They call this 33" of seat pitch:
Bulkheads on Nok Air for me next time.
Nok Air Flight Attendant Delivers Snacks
After we reached our cruising altitude, the Nok flight attendants brought the complimentary snacks:
The Return Flight Snack
Conclusion
For ~$131 (THB 4270), this was an excellent deal.
The employees were friendly. The planes have a colorful livery. The worst part of the experience was the old domestic terminal at Don Mueang.
The seats in Nok Plus were like old domestic first class seats in the USA. The seat pitch was fine in the bulkhead but was lacking in the other Nok Plus rows. It must be brutal in the main cabin.
I would fly Nok Air again as long as Nok Plus was available and the price was competitive.
