Every Airline Flying Direct From Singapore to Bangkok Suvarnabhumi and Don Mueang

Every Airline Flying Direct from Singapore to Bangkok Suvarnabhumi and Don Mueang

At 06:15 on a Friday, the check-in counters at Changi Terminal 1 for AirAsia's first Don Mueang departure are already stacked three deep with weekend bags. This is the busiest international route out of Singapore, and you have a decision to make before you book: which Bangkok terminal and which of the eight airlines on this 1,418 km corridor actually fits your plan.

The split is straightforward. Full service carriers Singapore Airlines, Thai Airways, Cathay Pacific (fifth freedom routing through Bangkok to Hong Kong), Gulf Air and Air India all fly into Suvarnabhumi (BKK), 30 km southeast of central Bangkok. Budget carriers AirAsia, Scoot, Jetstar Asia, Thai Lion Air and Nok Air fly into Don Mueang (DMK), 24 km north of the centre. The block time is 2 hours 20 minutes to 2 hours 35 minutes to BKK, 2 hours 25 minutes to 2 hours 40 minutes to DMK. The real difference is not the five minutes in the air. It is what happens when you land.

Getting Out Of Each Terminal

Suvarnabhumi gives you the Airport Rail Link. Pay 45 baht (approximately S$1.70), ride 30 minutes to Phaya Thai, step onto the BTS Skytrain and you are in Siam within 45 minutes of leaving the arrivals hall. Don Mueang has no rail link. The SRT Dark Red Line runs from DMK to Bang Sue station where you switch to the MRT Blue Line, a 90 to 120 minute journey with two transfers. Off peak, a taxi from DMK to Siam takes 30 to 45 minutes and costs around 250 to 350 baht (S$9 to S$13). At 5 PM on a Friday, that same taxi takes 90 to 150 minutes. Budget for that.

The Suvarnabhumi Versus Don Mueang Decision

If your hotel is in Siam, Sukhumvit, Silom or the Riverside, fly into BKK. The Airport Rail Link saves you an hour and the stress of Bangkok traffic. If your hotel is near Chatuchak, Ratchada, or anywhere north of the old city, DMK is closer by road: 24 km versus 30 km. The catch is getting out of DMK. Between 3 PM and 8 PM, the expressway north of Bangkok is a parking lot. A taxi from DMK to Sukhumvit at 5 PM runs 90 minutes. Same journey at 10 AM takes 35.

Do not book a self transfer between the two terminals. The practical minimum connection time is 3 hours 30 minutes at best, 4 hours 30 minutes at worst. No airline sells a through ticket that changes BKK and DMK on a single booking. If you arrive at Suvarnabhumi and need to get to Don Mueang for a connecting flight, take the Airport Rail Link to Makkasan, switch to the MRT Phetchaburi station, ride to Bang Sue, transfer to the SRT Dark Red Line to DMK: 90 to 120 minutes. A taxi costs 300 to 500 baht and takes 45 minutes off peak. Double it during rush hour.

Friday Evening And Sunday Night Price Surges

Singaporeans treat Bangkok as a weekend pantry. The Friday evening departures from Changi, between 17:00 and 20:00, carry a 1.8x to 3.0x multiplier on the off peak baseline fare. Sunday evening returns from both BKK and DMK are the same. A Scoot or AirAsia one way that costs S$45 to S$65 booked 30 days out jumps to S$140 to S$280 booked seven days out. Singapore Airlines and Thai Airways return fares at 30 day advance run S$220 to S$480. At seven day advance, that same return is S$350 to S$700. Walk up on a Friday evening and you pay S$600 to S$1,200. Book Tuesday to Thursday departures and you pay the floor.

Connecting Beyond Bangkok

Your choice of Bangkok terminal determines your onward domestic connections. From Don Mueang, AirAsia and Nok Air operate high frequency services to Chiang Mai, Phuket, Krabi, Hat Yai and Udon Thani. The minimum connection time on a single AirAsia booking from Singapore is 1 hour 30 minutes. Self transfer, allow 2 hours 30 minutes to 3 hours 30 minutes. From Suvarnabhumi, Thai Airways and Bangkok Airways connect to Phuket, Chiang Mai, Krabi, Koh Samui and Ubon Ratchathani. The same PNR connection minimum is 1 hour 15 minutes. Self transfer, 2 hours 30 minutes to 3 hours 30 minutes.

The Koh Samui Exception

If your final destination is Koh Samui, you are on Bangkok Airways from BKK. A return Samui ticket from Singapore via Bangkok averages SGD 280 to 550. The through fare on a single booking discounts 15 to 30 percent compared to buying Singapore Bangkok and Bangkok Samui separately. Do not try this through Don Mueang. Bangkok Airways does not serve DMK and the self transfer via road between the two terminals is not worth the risk for a same day connection.