The flight is the biggest single cost of a Thailand trip, and it is also where a couple of decisions make the most difference — without giving up any comfort. Our best flying experience happened on the cheaper option, not the expensive one.
What's in this guide
We live in southern France, and the reflex is to look at flights from the nearest French airport. What we found is that the same long-haul routes leaving from Barcelona are often cheaper — the big international carriers price more aggressively there.
An honest note on how much this actually saves. It is not a dramatic difference on every route: think somewhat cheaper rather than half price. But on four tickets, a modest per-person gap adds up quickly, and Barcelona is a few hours away by road or train. On some dates the French airport wins — which is exactly why the habit is to compare rather than to assume.
It was our first flight with Emirates, and we understood the reputation. From boarding, our daughter was spoiled: gifts just for her, enough to keep her busy for the whole flight. A happy child on a plane means relaxed parents, and that is worth a lot.
The rest matched: genuinely good meals — a real meal you enjoy, not a tray you endure — and unusually attentive, kind cabin crew from take-off to landing. We arrived in Thailand rested, almost sorry to get off.
The stopover is in Dubai, and the airport is a destination in itself: enormous, gleaming, with duty free as far as you can see. It is a good moment for a few sensible purchases — perfume, souvenirs, small treats — often at better prices than in Europe.
For smokers it is also where cigarettes are cheaper than in Thailand, where tobacco is expensive and tightly regulated. But there is one rule you genuinely need to know.
This is the point most travellers work out too late. If your plan is southern Thailand and its islands, landing in Bangkok costs you a day or two — crossing the city, waiting for a domestic flight, repacking bags. We fly straight into Phuket airport instead.
And it is a pleasure: a small, human-sized airport where everything moves fast — immigration, bags, and boarding on the way home. Financially it also works out better when you are heading south: no extra domestic flight, no wasted hotel night in Bangkok. You walk out and the islands are already within boat reach.
Once you have landed, the rest follows on its own: our full southern Thailand itinerary — Phuket, Koh Lipe, Koh Lanta, Koh Phi Phi, Koh Tao, Chumphon — starts from exactly here. And if you have a day before your first boat, we spent ours on a local market, a giant reclining Buddha and a scooter.
Since we are talking about airports, a special mention: Koh Samui has the most beautiful airport we have ever been through. Open pavilions looking onto tropical gardens, no long grey corridors, warm air and palm trees from the moment you step off the jet bridge. You know you are on holiday before you have collected your bag. We remember it as vividly as some of the beaches.
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- Compare the airports around you. The closest is not always the cheapest — a large hub a few hours away, even across a border, is worth checking every time.
- Aim for the airport of your first island. Heading for the Andaman Sea? Land in Phuket. Heading for the Gulf? Koh Samui. Bangkok is only a necessary stop if you want to see Bangkok.
- Use the stopover, but know the rules. Dubai duty free is tempting: 200 cigarettes per adult maximum on entry to Thailand, and no e-cigarettes at all.
- Book early. The good fares go quickly, especially over school holidays.
- Think about the return leg when you book the outbound. Flying home from Phuket or Koh Samui is exactly as simple in the other direction.
Quick answers
Phuket or Bangkok for southern Thailand?
Phuket, without hesitation, if your trip is the south: you avoid one or two lost days and a domestic flight. The airport is small, quick and pleasant.
Is it worth flying from an airport in a neighbouring country?
Sometimes. Long-haul fares from a big neighbouring hub can be lower, and on family tickets a modest per-person gap adds up. It is not a dramatic saving on every route — but comparing costs nothing.
How long a stopover should you plan in Dubai?
Between two and four hours: enough to stretch your legs and wander the duty free, not enough to wear you out. With a child, that pause splits the journey nicely.
What can you bring into Thailand from duty free?
The usual perfume and souvenirs are fine. For tobacco: 200 cigarettes per adult maximum, with real checks and heavy fines beyond. E-cigarettes are banned in Thailand.
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