Practical tips
- If you are flying to Phuket from abroad, you will most likely land at its main international airport—Phuket International Airport
HKT. It is a busy hub, seeing over 16 million passengers each year. It has three terminals: Terminal 2 for international flights, Terminal 3 for domestic flights, and Terminal X for charter flights. The airport has a reputation for long and slow lines to pass the immigration, so it is recommended to have your arrival card filled out in advance. It is generally not necessary to book a hotel transfer in advance, as there are several options (often more affordable) waiting for you just outside the arrival hall. These include metered taxis, buses and minivans, and limousines that offer transportation from the airport to various tourist destinations on the island. The Phuket Smart Bus is the most reliable and affordable option, offering hourly trips from the airport to Rawai in the south for about 170 baht (5 USD / 7 AUD). The Orange Airport Bus service can take you from the airport to Phuket Town, from which you can transfer to a bus to the beaches and beach resorts.
HKT – situated on the northern part of Phuket island, approximately 30 kilometers (19 miles) from Phuket City and 25 kilometers (15 miles) from Patong. These distances equate to a 50-minute drive by car to either location. Expect to pay around 700 baht (20 USD / 30 AUD) for a taxi ride to Phuket City and around 900 bahts (27 USD / 39 AUD) to Patong.
- Planning to explore the region? Popular destinations can be easily reached with regional low-cost carriers (LCCs) by the likes of AirAsia, Bangkok Airways, Batik Air, Hong Kong Express, IndiGo, Jetstar, Jin Air, Nok Air, Scoot, Thai Smile, Tigerair Taiwan, and VietJet Air.
Flights to Phuket
from United States and Canada
- There are no direct flights from the US or Canada to Phuket. However, most major hubs in Asia have non-stop flights to Phuket, as do some larger airports in the Middle East – your journey will have at least one stop.
- Phuket is well-served via one-stop flights from North America. Flights to Phuket with one layover depart from most major North American airports, including Atlanta
ATL, DallasDFW, DenverDEN, ChicagoORD, Los AngelesLAX, Las VegasDFW, MiamiMIA, SeattleSEA, HoustonIAH, New YorkJFK, and San FranciscoSFOin the United States and TorontoYYZ, VancouverYVR, CalgaryLAS, and MontrealYULin Canada. - The best airlines to fly to Phuket from the US and Canada are: Japan Airlines, Korean Air, and Singapore Airlines. They are top full-service carriers, offering exceptional customer service, in-flight comfort, a generous checked baggage allowance, and reliable customer support channels – all included in the ticket price.
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What is the best time to book flights to Phuket?
The best time to book flights to Phuket is between 2 to 8 months before your travel date. The prime booking window (the most likely time to find the bargains) for Phuket flights is 4–6 months before takeoff. Book when you notice a significant drop in price.
Airfare prices for Phuket flights fluctuate due to demand, seasonal trends, and competition, causing numerous price drops and increases as your departure date approaches. The airlines use sophisticated revenue management systems to adjust pricing for optimal seat sales.
Generally, as seats are sold, prices tend to become more expensive.
Don’t book too early
Most airlines start selling their flights 9–12 months in advance. However, booking a ticket too early in that window can be an expensive mistake – airlines typically start by setting prices at a relatively high level to capture early demand from those willing to pay more to secure their seats.
Peak seasons are expensive
Peak travel seasons are always expensive – due to higher base prices set by airlines for dates they expect to be popular. Try to avoid the high season during summer and major holidays including holidays in Thailand. If you must travel during peak times, book your flight well in advance.
Avoid last minute
Avoid booking flights to Phuket less than 30 days before takeoff. Prices spike sharply then, as airlines are taking advantage of any last-minute travelers who have no choice but to pay up.
Prime Booking Window
For long-haul flights to Phuket, the best time to book your ticket is around 4–6 months before departure. This is the “Prime Booking Window.” After some seats have already been sold, airlines start dropping prices to stimulate demand. They may also offer promotions and sales. This is the ideal time for bargain hunting.
Fly on weekdays
It makes a difference which day of the week you board the plane. Midweek travel (especially Tuesdays and Wednesdays) is less busy and likely cheaper than flying on weekends. Airlines charge higher prices for weekend travel due to the high demand from people going on short getaways or visiting family and friends.
Opt for early morning flights
To save on airfare, select a late night or early morning (1–5 a.m.) flight. Airlines often offer discounts on their first flight of the morning (up to 15-20%) simply because of lower demand—most people are not willing to go to the airport so early. Moreover, morning flights tend to have fewer delays, and airport queues are usually shorter.
Flights to Phuket from Europe
- There are no direct flights from Europe to Phuket — you’ll need to get a connecting flight from elsewhere in the Middle East or in Asia. Direct flights from Europe to Phuket are about 10-12 hours long. Only a handful of the largest European hubs have a straight connection to Phuket – among them are Helsinki (with Finnair), Zurich (SWISS), Brno (Neos Air, seasonal), Istanbul (Turkish Airlines), and London (TUI Airways, seasonal).
- Airlines that frequently fly from the UK, Germany, France, and other European countries to Phuket include Cathay Pacific, Etihad Airways, Emirates, Finnair, Lufthansa, Malaysia Airlines, Qatar Airways, Singapore Airlines, SWISS, and Turkish Airlines.
- Consider departure airports in neighboring countries to increase your chance of spotting the best deal. Especially look for large airports that serve as hubs for multiple airlines. For example, if you live in Western Europe, check air tickets to Phuket from Amsterdam, Frankfurt, London, Madrid, Paris, and Rome. Leverage frequent promotions from European budget carriers like RyanAir, EasyJet, and Eurowings to reach a major hub; from there, take a cheaper long-haul flight to your final destination, potentially saving hundreds of euros.
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The cheapest time to fly to Phuket
The high tourist season in Phuket is from November to March with the crowds peaking in December and January. During this season, prices of flights and accommodation go up significantly. Try to be flexible and fly to Phuket in May through October when rains and humidity scare away most of Phuket’s crowds – these are the cheapest months that guarantee the greatest savings.
Plan ahead if you intend to take your chances with Phuket’s peak season.
Know your time zone
When checking flights and airport transfer times, ensure you know the local time zones. The departure/arrival times on your plane ticket and boarding pass are based on the time zone of the departure/arrival airport – this also applies to the connecting (layover) airports.
Thailand uses only one time zone across the country – Thailand Standard Time (THA) or Indochina Time (ICT) – which is UTC+7 (GMT+7). As a result, clocks in Phuket are 7 hours ahead of London and 11 hours ahead of New York. Thailand shares the same time zone as Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, and Western Indonesia. It does not have an associated daylight saving time.
Duty-free rules
Thailand is serious about the duty-free concession. There is a limit for bringing in certain items. Alcoholic drinks such as wine, spirits or beer cannot exceed one liter per person, and you can carry only 200 cigarettes (or 250g of tobacco). In addition to personal items, you may also carry items in reasonable quantity up to a value of 20,000 baht (~USD 550 / AUD 810).
Anything above those limits must be declared – at the airport, head to the Red Lane to declare your goods.
Luggage storage at the Phuket airport
Phuket Airport offers Baggage Storage Services at the International Terminal on the ground floor, near the police counter. If you have somewhere to be before you can check into a hotel and need a place to keep your luggage, you can use this service for a small fee of 100 baht (about 3 USD or 4.5 AUD) per item per day.
Avoid Thai public holidays
Prices skyrocket during holidays in Thailand – adjust your travel dates to avoid expensive tickets. Cheap flights to Phuket are non-existent during popular “red days” such as Songkran (12-15 April), Coronation Day (5 May), Vesak (26 May), Chulalongkorn Day (23 October), and New Year’s Eve (31 December).
Fly with Thai budget airlines
It can be time-consuming and uncomfortable to travel on overnight buses or trains in Thailand. Opt for domestic air travel instead, as it is usually cheap, easy, and convenient.
Most flight routes around Thailand are reasonably priced and short. For example, to go from Phuket to Chiang Mai in the north, it takes less than 2 hours on a non-stop flight, at the cost of around 2000 bahts (~60 USD or ~85 AUD) for a one-way ticket.
The cheapest flights can be found on Thai budget airlines – Nok Air, Thai Air Asia, Thai Lion Air, Thai VietAir, and Thai Smile. These budget airlines offer domestic flights from Phuket International Airport.
Get Grab to move around town
Uber is no longer available in Thailand – it ceased business in April 2018 and has been replaced by its Asia alternative – Grab. It’s a good way for a cross-city journey: the cars are safe, secure and usually air-conditioned. Similarly to Uber, it has fixed distance-based fees, so drivers can’t overcharge you for journeys (as it often happens with local tuk-tuks).
Some busier cities such as Phuket or Bangkok also have GrabBike, where you can hail a ride on the back of a scooter to get to your destination cheaper and faster in congested traffic.
If you don’t have Grab Taxi yet, download it for your Phuket vacation and set up your account, payment options, etc before arriving.
Use the Thai Post Office to send your bag ahead
You can walk into a post office in any Thai town and send a suitcase ahead to your next destination in Thailand. Just contact your next hotel or Airbnb to notify them of the upcoming package delivery. Even a large, heavy suitcase should cost you no more than 300 Bahts (less than $10).
Domestic flights from Phuket
Most domestic routes in Thailand are operated by local carriers. When traveling to popular tourist destinations such as Chiang Mai, Bangkok, Ko Samui, Krabi, Pattaya, Phi Phi, and Surat Thani from Phuket Airport, you’ll likely fly with one of these domestic airlines: Thai Airways, Bangkok Airways, Thai AirAsia, Thai AirAsia X, Thai Lion Air, Nok Air, Thai Smile, Thai Vietjet Air.
This is often the best transportation method, providing speed, convenience, and cost-effectiveness. Local airlines often offer multiple daily flights to key destinations, providing flexibility in scheduling and competitive pricing. They also serve smaller regional airports, enabling access to a wider range of Thai destinations.
Flights to Phuket
from Australia and New Zealand
- Australia and New Zealand are well-connected with popular Asian destinations, including Phuket. In addition to domestic airlines – Qantas, Jetstar Airways, Virgin Australia, and Air New Zealand – routes from Australasia to Asia are operated by large international carriers such as ANA, Emirates, Cathay Pacific, Garuda Indonesia, Japan Airlines, Korean Air, Malaysia Airlines, Philippine Airlines, Qatar Airways, Singapore Airlines, and Thai Airways.
Currently, there are no direct flights from Australia or New Zealand to Phuket. You’ll need a layover in one of the major hubs in Asia.
Currently, the only direct flights to Phuket from Australia are offered by Jetstar Airways and Qantas. The cheapest option for around 9 hours long non-stop flight from Melbourne or Sydney to Phuket costs around 350 AUD one-way with Jetstar Airways. - Airfare costs can vary widely depending on the route and the airline’s pricing strategy. To find the cheapest flight to Phuket, compare ticket prices from various international airports in Australia – Sydney
SYD, BrisbaneBNE, MelbourneMEL, PerthPER, AdelaideADL, CairnsCNS, Gold CoastOOL, CanberraCBR, and in New Zealand – AucklandAKL, WellingtonWLG, ChristchurchCHC, QueenstownZQN, and DunedinDUD. - For optimal savings, consider flying from Australia or New Zealand to a key Asian hub, then connect to Phuket via a regional low-cost carrier. Among budget airlines that fly to Phuket are AirAsia, Bangkok Airways, Batik Air, Hong Kong Express, IndiGo, Jetstar, Jin Air, Nok Air, Scoot, Thai Smile, Tigerair Taiwan, and VietJet Air.
For the first leg, use the budget carriers that fly out of Australian airports, leveraging sales and promotions they run frequently: AirAsia (connects with Jakarta, Kuala Lumpur, and Singapore), Cebu Pacific (Manila), Jetstar (Seoul, Singapore, Tokyo), Scoot (Singapore), VietJet Air (Ho Chi Minh City), Bamboo Airways (Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Beijing), and Batik Air (Jakarta, Singapore).
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Flights to Phuket
from major hubs in Asia
- Asia is probably the best continent for short-haul and mid-haul flying. The sheer scale of this most populous region on Earth is reflected in the type of aircraft operating many shorter routes: intra-Asia flyers benefit from comfortable, wide-bodied aircraft by the likes of Boeing 777, 787 or Airbus A350, A330, and A380. When booking your flight to Phuket look for these bigger planes as they will almost always give you the best experience in every cabin, including better seat pitches, higher ceilings, and larger overhead bin space.
- Asia is also home to most of the world’s best airlines. There are only ten airlines that received the prestigious 5-star mark of quality from Skytrax, and all of them are from Asia: ANA, Asiana Airlines, Cathay Pacific, EVA Air, Garuda Indonesia, Japan Airlines, Korean Air, Qatar Airways, Singapore Airlines. Choosing one of these airlines for your trip to Phuket will guarantee a pleasant journey – delicious meals served during the flight, great in-flight entertainment, and above-average airline customer service.
- Asia is extremely well served by low-cost regional airlines. If you are visiting Thailand and want to see several other countries on a tight budget, they often have great sales with rock-bottom prices, while still offering a relatively comfortable flight experience. Among the best Asian budget airlines you can book without hesitation are AirAsia, Cebu Pacific, Citilink, FlyDubai, Indigo, Jetstar Airways, Scoot, SpiceJet, and VietJet Air. The cons? Being no-frills airlines they may not provide free baggage allowance, inflight meals, or onboard entertainment. The departure times may also be quite inconvenient as they try to save money by flying at off-peak hours.
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Flights to Phuket dataset
