This is a full lowdown of what the Bangkok Airways and how it can save you money
So I was thinking about what to write next and I started to go back to what I did this summer and realized there are a ton of things I learned that I can bring forward for anyone looking to go to Asia in the future.
Over the next couple of weeks I’m looking to create some “Top 10” lists, summaries of each country and other super tips for saving money.
What I want to write about today is how you can save money on flights with the Bangkok Airways Discovery Airpass.
In This Article
- What Is The Bangkok Airways Discovery Airpass?
- How Does The Discovery Airpass Work?
- Possible Bangkok Airways Routes
- The Catch
- How to Get The Discovery Airpass
- What You Need to Do
- Additional Documents
- Closing Thoughts
- Bonus
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Read More About Southeast Asia
- Travel Resources For Your Next Trip
What Is The Bangkok Airways Discovery Airpass?
- Allows you to purchase a group of one way fares together by leveraging the Bangkok Airways and Lao Airlines network.
- Buy tickets at a fraction of regular prices
- Geared towards tourists
How Does The Discovery Airpass Work?
- You basically get a system of coupons (flight tickets) that allow you to fly domestic for a fixed fare or some international flights for a fixed fare.
- $88 USD for domestic
- $120 USD for international
Possible Bangkok Airways Routes
- Here for all official possible routes with the Discovery Airpass.
- There are a ton of possible routes as you can tell from the image below.
- Whoa is that Maldives, Japan and China in there too?
Fare Prices
- The full Discovery Airpass fare table.
- The table is pretty self explanatory but just keep your eye out for the exceptions which will cost more than their standard fare.
The Catch
- The catch is that you need to buy a minimum of 3 one way tickets up to a maximum of 6.
- Of course they only allocate a certain amount of seats for the Discovery Airpass so I would recommend buying this earlier rather than later.
- Taxes/fees are extra of course.
- There is of course all of the detailed terms and conditions.
How to Get The Discovery Airpass
- Now this was probably the trickiest part of our Operation: Find Cheap Tickets for Thailand that was part of my backpacking summer in Asia
- While I was working in the US I first figured out how to get someone in NYC to help me out. Her name was Maggie Liu ([email protected]) and I have to say that she was EXTREMELY helpful in setting everything up. I did everything mainly via e-mail and she was okay with that. Of course I needed to do all my research beforehand to let her know exactly what flights I wanted. She got me a quote pretty quickly and we moved from there. Some flights weren’t available so you just have to adjust your strategy accordingly.
- Being Canadian, what I really should’ve done was contact their Canadian office.([email protected]). This way perhaps we would’ve been charged the CAD version of the price instead of USD and going through my Canadian credit card.
- Anyways if all else fails, Maggie Liu is the person to reach. I know there are a bunch of other offices in North America that can handle this but I had such a great experience with her. The phone never seemed to work properly so just e-mail away.
- Once your itinerary information has been set, you’ll need to fax over a signed credit card authorization.
What You Need to Do
- By no means is this the cheapest way to go.
- On my trip I had to do some comparisons of ALL the flights to see whether it would be cheaper to buy a ticket via the Discovery Airpass or to buy it from some other low cost carrier like Nok Air, Air Asia etc.
- DO YOUR HOMEWORK
Additional Documents
This is a PDF document that summarizes everything pretty well.
Discovery Airpass Summary Sheet from Airline Marketing NZ
Closing Thoughts
Hopefully that’s a good tip for you guys looking to travel all around Thailand/Cambodia/Laos and wanting to save some money. Again the key is to do your research as I am definitely not advocating that this is the cheapest way but even if parts of your trip can be covered under the Discovery Airpass.
Bonus
Just for kicks, the lovely Bangkok Airways safety video that my travel buddy and I found hilarious and awkward for the flight attendants. Love the pilot dubbing. It’s hard NOT to pay attention to a safety video like this.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you buy the Bangkok Airways Discovery Airpass online?
You used to be able to but you can no longer do it on the Bangkok Airways website. Based on their own FAQ page, you have to “contact our sales representative in your country or travel agency for more information regarding Discovery Airpass”.
Read More About Southeast Asia
Travel Resources For Your Next Trip
If you’re in the process of planning your trip and putting together your itinerary, these are genuinely the best resources that the Going Awesome Places team stands by 100%.
Credit cards: Don’t get burned by hidden fees on top of terrible exchange rates. When we travel now, we use the Wise Card. Simply load it with the currency you need before you go and use it as a regular VISA or their digital wallet card. Use their free app to track how much you have and top up when you need to.
Flights: Of all the booking search engines, Skyscanner is the most helpful and easy to use thanks to their Everywhere feature. Kayak is also another that’s we will often check as well.
Car Rental: If you’re looking to save money, these car rental coupon codes will be a true game-changer. Otherwise, DiscoverCars and RentalCars are great places to start.
Rideshare: For new Lyft users, use code WILLIAM4825 to get 50% off your first 2 rides (max $10 USD per ride). Offer valid for 14 days after you take your first ride. For new Uber users, use code psuqbjg4d7rn for the same offer except it’s valid for 30 days.
Airport Parking: You’ll need a spot to leave your car at the airport so why not book a spot at a discount. Use code AWESOME7 to get at least $5 off at Airport Parking Reservations or Park Sleep Fly packages.
eSIM: Lately, we’ve really loved using eSIMs. We’ve tested several over the years and we have access to a few special promotions.
- AmigoSIM – Use GOINGAWESOMEPLACES to save 25% off. Code is re-useable.
- Gigsky – Use TANG149 to get $3 USD when you sign up, then use code GOINGAWESOME to save 20% on all eSIM orders.
- KnowRoaming – Use code GAP10 to save 10%.
- AloSIM – Use code GOINGAWESOMEPLACES to save 15%.
- Airalo – Use referral code WILLIA9500 to get $3 USD credit on your first purchase.
- Ubigi – AWESOME10 to save 10% on your first order.
Wifi Hotspot: We’ve been a huge fan of wifi hotspot devices such as PokeFi (use code GAP24300) because their rates are are hard to beat and it works globally. Solis is another that we recommend. Pros are that you can share the wifi with your whole group but cons are that you have to invest in a device and you have to charge it every night.
Hotels: Our go-to is Booking.com because they have the best inventory of properties including hotels and B&Bs plus they have their Genius tier discounts. Expedia is also worth using especially with their One Key rewards program which is basically like cash. The exception is Asia where Agoda always has the best prices. Always do a quick check on TripAdvisor as well.
Vacation Rentals: Your first instinct will be to check Airbnb but we always recommend checking VRBO as well if you’re looking for a vacation rental (now eligible for One Key).
Tours and Activities: When planning our trips, we always check both Viator and GetYourGuide to at least see what’s out there in the destination that we’re going to. They often have different offerings and prices so check both.
Travel Insurance: Learn how to buy the best travel insurance for you. This isn’t something you want to travel without.
- HeyMondo – Popular insurance provider for frequent travelers and comes with great coverage and special perks. By booking through our link to get a 15% discount (from June 19-29)!
- RATESDOTCA – Search engine Canadians looking for the cheapest insurance including multi-trip annual policies.
- SafetyWing – A perfect fit for long-term nomads.
- Medjet – Global air medical transportation.
- InsureMyTrip – Best for seniors, families, and those with pre-existing conditions.
If you need more help planning your trip, make sure to check out our Travel Toolbox where we highlight all of the gear, resources, and tools we use when traveling.
