Showing 1 Thai Smile Air Flights from Phuket - Starting at Just ₹85,349

  About Phuket

Phuket, in Thailand, is one of the most popular holiday destinations in the world and a very affordable one at that, too. The white sands at the beaches, the picturesque cliffs and the aquamarine waters in Thailand will make you want to extend your stay. Travellers get a lot of options to choose from for their itinerary. If you want to spend your vacation relaxing, you can book a hotel in Phuket that is next to the beach and has spa treatment facilities. If you want to go on adventures, the city has a ton of water sport activities that you must definitely try. Phuket is also a very happening party place and the perfect place for you, in case you are or want to be a party animal. Not only are there luxury resorts in the city but you will also find a lot of hostels since Phuket has a lot of young tourists and backpackers every year.

Best Time to Visit Phuket

Phuket is most visited during winter and early summer. Any time between November to April is considered as the peak season and sees a lot of tourists. December and January are popular months to plan a trip to Phuket since this is when tourists get to attend the most parties in the town. The weather remains cold from November to February, making it a perfect time to hit the beach, try out all the water activities and go sightseeing. The frequency of flights to Phuket is quite high during this season since the demand is high.

March and April are summer months in Phuket. If you are okay with the heat during the day, you can plan your trip to Phuket during these months. However, stepping out in the middle of the day might be a bad idea. The scorching heat will only make you head back to your hotel room or dive into the pool. But it is a great time to plan a vacation if you are only in for sunbathing or not indulge in any adventure activities. Flight tickets to Phuket from India during this time will be slightly cheaper than it is from November to January. In fact, you can even book a hotel in Phuket at a cheaper rate during this time.

Monsoon hits Phuket from May to October, and it is not the best time to visit the city. You won't enjoy your visit to the beach, and a lot of water activities will also remain shut during this time. It is not exactly a popular time for tourists to go to Phuket. The heavy rains and the powerful waves will only keep you deprived of all the water fun you can have otherwise. But since it is off-season, you might even get lucky with flight deals to Phuket.

Places to Visit in Phuket

Since Phuket is a city that has a lot of beaches, you can spend your holiday visiting each one of them. Patong beach is popular and happening beaches in Phuket. You'll find a lot of shacks, cafes and pubs around the beach where you can chill with a glass of beer. You will also find locals selling beach mats and umbrellas so you can lie on the beach and soak in the sun. You can also rent the beach mats and the umbrella. They will charge around 100-200 Thai Bahts to rent the mats and umbrella. You can also go on an island tour to the Phi Phi islands, James Bond Island, Phang Nga Bay and a couple of more islands. You will find a lot of tour guides who will offer you a combined tour of the islands. Karon View Point is another very popular tourist spot in the city. You get a view of the Kata Noi, Kata Yai and Karon beaches from a height. You will also get to take pictures with tamed eagles here. Not to mention, this makes it a perfect place to take pictures. You can also indulge in beverages and local snacks offered here.

Big Buddha is another very popular tourist destination and the perfect spot to embrace spirituality. Wat Chalong, an old Buddhist temple, is also a popular spot. The Phuket Aquarium and the Tiger Kingdom are also some famous places in the city that you can visit. The city also has museums and a couple of boxing stadiums that you can add to your itinerary.

Things to do in Phuket

Phuket is the perfect place for any vacation. You can spend your weekend sunbathing at the beach or indulging in luxurious spa treatments and going to the fanciest places to dine. You can visit the beaches in the city and try activities like snorkelling, jet skiing, surfing, parasailing and other water activities. You can also plan an adventurous trip and one where you can please the party person in you. Full moon parties are a big deal in Thailand and if you love partying you must definitely be a part of one. You can also check the lunar calendar and the full moon party schedule in Phuket before you plan the trip. Don't fret if you somehow miss attending the Full moon party because the city also throws a half-moon party. If you have chosen to stay at a hostel, make sure you check with the hostel desk about any event that they are planning. A lot of hostels plan pub crawls, which is also something you can experience. Phuket is one of the safest cities in Thailand, but there's no harm in making sure you don't lose any of your belongings.

If you are an animal lover, you can volunteer at the Soi Dog Foundation. Though the shelter is shut on Sundays, it is open on the other days and will be a treat to all animal lovers. Another speciality in the city is the Bangla Night Market. It's a popular place to go shopping but make sure you bargain.

Foods and Restaurant in Phuket

Thai food is quite popular in the city. You can try the local street food, or you can dine at a fancy restaurant. Phuket also has a few Indian restaurants that serve really good Indian food. If you feel like trying out some Thai cuisine, Blue Elephant is a place you must try. You can also head to the Red Duck restaurant at Kata Beach for some great food and good service. The Odysseus Greek Organic Restaurant at Kata beach is where you go to try some delectable Greek food. The ambience and decor only add to a fine dining experience. You can always take a walk on the beach after dinner before you call it a night.

Sam's Steaks and Grill at Patong is another popular restaurant that promises value for money. It's not too expensive, and it is completely worth your time. Head over to Green Tamarind Kitchen for good burgers with toppings that will be a treat for your taste buds. Do make sure you go to the Quip Sky Bar in Phuket Old Town for a fun night. It is the town's first rooftop bar, which makes it a highly recommended place. Wassa Homemade Bar in Patong is another rooftop bar that will serve you the best cocktails and a breathtaking view of the sunset. You can also visit the rooftop bars inside the hotels that you are staying in Phuket.

How to Reach Phuket

Direct flights to Phuket International Airport from India are quite limited. GoAir is one of the only airlines that fly directly to Phuket from Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport in Mumbai. Bangalore, Delhi and Bangkok are the popular routes to Phuket via connecting flights. Overall, the flight connectivity to Phuket is excellent, and you will get better flight deals to Phuket after January since November to January is high peak season. Thailand offers visa on arrival to a couple of countries, and if you are one of those who qualify for this, you might have to wait in line after you land before you get out of the airport. But the authorities do try their best to reduce time. Also, if you have forgotten to carry your passport sized pictures by any chance, there is a photo booth right near the Immigration section. You can take a picture and pay for it in Thai Bahts. Not to mention, make sure you look out the window while you land to spot the beach on one side. You will get a ride to your hotel or your hostel at the airport, and it won't be too expensive. Make sure you also get a local temporary sim card that will be available outside the terminal. It will only help you access the internet without having to look around for WiFi. You will get cheap flight tickets to Phuket if you book during the off-season or by the end of the peak season. Getting around the city is not too difficult, either. You can either opt for public transport or go for a tuk-tuk or hire a taxi to get around Phuket city.

  About Thai Smile Airways

Thai Smile Airways is a low-cost regional carrier that predominantly caters to services in Thailand and India. The airline is fairly new in the aviation industry as it came into existence in 2012. Operations of Thai Smile Airways commenced in 2012. It is a subsidiary of Thai Airways International and is wholly owned by the parent company. The decision to commence a business for a new carrier came in 2011 by the Thai Airways board. They announced plans to come up with a low-cost carrier that would be emulating Thai Wings. The chairman of Thai's board of directors, Ampon Kittiampon, revealed plans for Thai Smile Airways in 2011. The main idea behind creating Thai Smile Airways is to provide to the market gap that low-cost airlines and main service airlines. Out of a pool of names that were collected from about 2,229 entries, the name Thai Smile was finally chosen. It was speculated that the airline would start showing profit margin two years from its inception.

Right from its first operations, Thai Smile Airways has managed to grow into an important subsidiary for Thai Airways International. There are plans to expand Thai Smile Airways' domestic route and regional route to accommodate more destinations and attract passengers in the process.

Fleet size of Thai Smile

As of 2020, Thai Smile's fleet size has 20 aircraft, all from the Airbus family. The airline has two diverse configurations to the Airbus A320-200 aircraft, namely 320 and 32S. Currently, the 320 configuration aircraft is in service and has about six of its as part of Thai Smikle's fleet. As for the remaining 14, they are all of the 32S configurations and in service. The major difference between the two variants of Airbus A320-200 is the seating class and configuration. While the 320 can accommodate about 168 total seating class, 32S has space for 162 seating class which can be utilised. The airline has not revealed any plans to expand its fleet or acquire new aircraft to replace the current ones. As it is a fairly new fleet, the requirement to replace the existing aircraft doesn't seem necessary. However, expansion of the fleet with more aircraft does seem like a good approach if the airline is rooting for some upscaling and is eyeing to connect to more domestic route and international route destinations.

Baggage Allowance

Thai Smile's baggage allowance is quite similar to the policy as set by Thai Airways International. Ahead of the journey, the airline expects passengers to understand more about their baggage allowance policy and ensure to follow the same. Thai Smile doesn't have a business class cabin on their flights as it is a regional carrier. However, it does offer a premium class and economy class cabin where the facilities are diverse. For international routes, Thai Smile allows the premium class passengers to carry about 40 kg for checked baggage. As for passengers travelling by economy class, the airline allows a maximum of 30 kg weight for checked baggage. It is necessary for travellers to adhere to this limit as the airline will not accept baggage weighing more than what's mentioned in their policy. Similarly, for domestic route transit, the airline allows 30 kg weight for premium class travellers and 20 kg for economy class passengers. The dimension of the baggage should also not exceed 158 cm and should be inclusive of the wheels, pockets and handles. This helps the airline accommodate the checked baggage in their aircraft. The rules are slightly tweaked for passengers travelling with Star Alliance or Royal Orchid mileage programme.

In-flight services

Thai Smile's in-flight services are in the lines of how one can enjoy immaculate hospitality on Thai Airways International flights. As its regional subsidiary, the in-flight services are just as good, even though they do not have many facilities to provide. The regional airline is a cost-effective venture that offers affordable tickets to basic travellers. Hence, in-flight services are also quite basic. The seating is decent, and there is enough legroom to wriggle in. The flight attendants are quite helpful and accommodating. Passengers who have premium memberships in the airline's mileage program and or are part of the Star Alliance's frequent flyer programme can receive several in-flight benefits ranging from complimentary in-flight meals to seat selection. For members of Royal Orchid Plus, the airline allows the passenger to select the seat, ahead of the transit. The passenger would not be charged extra fees for the seat selection. Other such in-flight services include the airlines offering complimentary meals and beverages that can be availed on domestic as well as international flights. In fact, travellers can pick from the menu that the airline has provided, which has several types of meal combos, including vegetarian and vegan meals. Additional carry-on baggage allowance can also be enjoyed by passengers.

Popular routes and top cities for Thai Smile

Thai Smile has managed to acquire several domestic routes and international route connectivity since its inception. With Bangkok as its hub and Chiang Mai as the focus city, the airline boasts exceptional route connectivity with Southeast Asian destinations. Some of the top cities include Chittagong, Phnom Penh, Siem Reap, Changsha, Chongqing, Zhengzhou, Hong Kong, Luang Prabang, Vientiane, Macao, Kuala Lumpur, Penang, Yangon, Mandalay, Kaohsiung, Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, Hat Yai, Khon Kaen, Krabi, Nakhon Si Thammarat, Narathiwat, Phuket, Surat Thani, Ubon Ratchathani and Udon Thani. Simultaneously, Thai Smile caters to a slew of Indian cities. As a regional airline which has good international route connectivity with cities in India, it is not surprising to see the list of names that are part of its services. The Indian cities that Thai Smile operates services to include Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Chennai, Gaya, Hyderabad, Jaipur, Kolkata, Lucknow, Mumbai, New Delhi and Varanasi. Out of these, Gaya is a seasonal destination wherein travellers majorly visit during Buddha Purnima. As Bodh Gaya is the place where Gautam Buddha is said to have attained enlightenment, the Indian city witnesses a huge number of tourists during Buddha Purnima from Buddhists around the world. Thailand, in general, is one of the cheapest and affordable tourist destinations for Indians. Hence, the country sees a huge number of tourists from India. To cater to the demand, Thai Smile has enabled several services that connect Thailand and India.

Why travel by Thai Smile?

Thai Smile Airways, as a subsidiary to Thai Airways International Public Company Limited, has the best domestic route connectivity. The airline's vision to become the Regional Favourite Airline in Thailand drives it to constantly work on enhancing the quality and efficiency of its services. From the start, the airline has been offering high-quality in-flight services and convenient facilities to meet the needs of passengers. Not to mention the affordability of such experiences that come at a pocket-friendly budget. As part of the Thai Airways International, the airline certainly has some exquisite benefits for passengers. The airline's mileage programme called Royal Orchid Plus has a slew of discounts and deals for passengers and loyal members. In fact, Thai Smile's affiliation with Star Alliance further adds to the perks that passengers can avail in terms of booking Thai Smile flight tickets, raking in better baggage allowance and getting access to airport lounges, to name a few.

Members of the Star Alliance network will receive tremendous benefits from travelling with Thai Smile. The alliance network came into existence in 1997 as a global airline alliance network. The idea behind bringing forth such a network is to combine seamless services while offering excellent connectivity and a worldwide reach for an international traveller. A frequent flyer of Star Alliance' mileage club will be making quite a few heads turn at the airport with the benefits and facilities that will be at their service. As part of Thai Airways International, Thai Smile is also eligible to provide the benefits of Star Alliance to its customers and passengers. Right from the priority at the check-in counters to airport lounge access, a Star Alliance frequent flyer member can make the most of their membership. Flying from Thai Smile will also add to the miles earned, which can be utilised for a more expensive trip.

While some of the obvious perks associated with the airline's privileged programmes are available, its in-flight services and ticketing facilities are also quite good. Thai Smile's in-flight services are top-notch and in lines with Thai Airways International's standards set. You can book a Thai Smile Airways flight ticket on their website and even avail some discounts and combo deals. In fact, they do offer multitudes of travel deals on the website. Planning a trip to Thailand with Thai Smile would actually be more cost-effective than one can imagine. In case you are travelling with family, you can receive several discounts with respect to flight tickets and accommodations too. Further, the airline's website also enables web check-in to make the passenger's travel scenes more convenient. Travellers can also get updates on flight status and flight schedules from their website.