Sailing in Thailand? Top tips for tackling the airport!

Chances are if you are sailing in Thailand with us at Simpson Yacht charter, then you will be flying in to Phuket airport. The airport arrivals and departures can be a stressful time for some travellers, so we thought we would give you some top tips for travelling through Phuket airport, taking away some of the airport stress and leaving you relaxed and ready for some beautiful sailing in Thailand.

Arriving at Phuket Airport

Be prepared to queue! – There are always large queues in immigration, be patient, you will get through in the end.
Don’t stress about your luggage – that takes it’s time too so just stay calm and patient and you will be through in plenty of time to claim your luggage.

Claiming your luggage – It is worth noting that there are 2 luggage claim areas in Phuket International Airport – Domestic and International baggage claim. If you travelled from an international airport originally, but transferred through Bangkok, your luggage will still be coming into the International terminal, which is very close to the domestic terminal so easy to follow the signs and reclaim your luggage.

Domestic Arrivals – if you have travelled from a domestic airport within Thailand as you had maybe arrived previously and spent some time travelling or enjoying Bangkok before doing some sailing in Thailand from Phuket, then your luggage will be found within the Domestic terminal.

Transfers from Phuket Airport

It is possible of course to book transfers to our yacht base with us which means that someone will be waiting to meet and greet you and bring you to our yacht base in order for you to start your holiday sailing in Thailand. However, if you didn’t do that in advance, then no problem there are many easy options to transfer to our base;

• Take a Taxi – The taxi rank is located at the far end of the terminal building and is well signposted. Normally you will be charged a surcharge of around 100 Baht for an airport taxi, but make sure they turn on the meter and then give them the base address.
• Airport Limousine – Alternatively then use one of the taxi counters that you will find located in the terminal just outside the baggage claim area. They tend to display their prices and you can move from desk to desk to get the right price or time – slightly more expensive than going to the taxi rank, but less effort overall and you will arrive in style and comfort!
• Catch the bus. It is possible to catch the airport Bus which provides transportation between Phuket Town and the Airport. It is a comfortable air conditioned bus, and an economical way of getting into Phuket, the drives are professional and helpful in aiding you to your destination, but it is around 30-40km away, so you may not want to spend longer travelling.
• On a Budget? If you are on a budget then possibly the cheapest option is a shared minibus, you normally pay a per person rate, but beware that there could be a fair amount of waiting around for the bus to fill up, and you could be the last person dropped off, but a cheap and cheerful option if you want it!

When your holiday sailing in Thailand is over, and it comes to leaving Phuket, then a good tip to remember is that whilst there are two terminals the entrance is the same, so once you have been dropped off at the terminal, if there are queues outside the door then enter through the Arrivals door and take the lifts up to the second floor, straight to departures and bypassing the queues! It is worth noting that Phuket airport has currently undergone a massive upgrade and development so arriving and departing from this busy airport is now significantly easier

So hopefully we have made your arrival into Phuket airport a little easier ready to relax and enjoy the stunning sailing in Thailand now on your doorstep!

Photo Credit: phuketwan.com, do-you-know-about.blogspot.com