Thread: Lion Air to Plunge Fares to 515 Baht Return Between Phuket and Bangkok

PHUKET: Lion Air, a relative newcomer to the skies over Thailand, will set the pace with ultra-low fares when it begins flying between Phuket and Don Muang in Bangkok later this month.

From September 15, return flights will be 515 baht, plus extras.



Sceptics on Phuket have noted that it's not possible to get from one end of Phuket to the other in a new meter taxi for 515 baht.

Lion's prices are likely to make it difficult for officials to explain the new taxi fares, which are supposed to be cheaper than the old taxi fares.

Lion, with its home in Indonesia, will begin with one flight a day each way between Phuket and Bangkok and aims to increase that as fast as possible to five flights a day.

The Bangkok-Phuket route is highly competitive with AirAsia and Nok among Lion's competitors at the low-cost end of the market.

Although Lion will only be using an ATR 72-600 (capacity 72) and a Boeing 737 900-ER (215 seats) to start with, the aim is to have 50 aircraft linking Thailand to Hong Kong, China and Singapore within five years.

Lion is Indonesia's largest privately run airline, capturing the largest share of the domestic market.

Lion Air to Plunge Fares to 515 Baht Return Between Phuket and Bangkok - Phuket Wan

Plunge

Not a word one likes to read in airline related articles.

Especially since its the airline that missed the runway in Bali and landed in the sea.

Yeah, maybe give it a miss 'til the end of rainy season at least.

Phuket airport in the rain has quite a history already, after all.

They're doing about four flights a day from Chiang Mai to Don Meuang. I've flown with them once. The plane was brand new. The ticket was cheap. They left on time.