Worried about transfer from Bangkok

[thailandadevnture]

Hi, I'm going on holiday to Thailand and my first stay is in Krabi. I land at Bangkok International Airport at 15:45 and the flight to Krabi (booked separately) is at 18:25. There's 2 hours and 40 minutes between flights and I'm worried this isn't enough time to go through customs, collect bag and re check in for the next flight. Starting to feel anxious I've made a mistake with timings and unsure what to do. I'd be really grateful for some advice? Thanks

could you arrive in Bangkok airport a little earlier? Or book your onward flight a little later?

Thanks for responding. I'm in the process of trying to change the second flight but still only gives half an hour more time.
Does anyone have experience of changing at Bangkok and how long it's likely to take?

It’s quite tight as you have to go through security, grab your suitcase , check it in and go through security again. You might make it or you might not. Is there not a later fly in the day with the different airlines ?
I’ve never done this , I do remember in 2016 it took me a while to go through security.
in your shoes if not more flights in the day maybe leave it like that. Knowing you might risk the second flight and might have to sleep In a hotel and get an early fly to krabi the day after

The queues at immigration can deffo be long but they are organised and move along. It’s a really organised airport and a huge hub. I think you’ll be fine, particularly with the extra 30mins. Just be ready for elbows at dawn when you get off that plane and speak to airport staff if it gets tight - I’ve always found them really helpful.
Have a brilliant time.

Is The second airline a low cost one? If not it may well be possible to check the bags the whole way through even on different airlines. (Not done it in Thailand , but have in China where the last leg was on Virgin!).

Will you have boarding passes for the second.flight?
Could you pay for extra hand baggage?

I did this last year and it was fine. Security took minutes, it was very efficient. You have to go to the domestic departures section but the staff are very helpful and will tell you where to go. I had 3 hours between flights but did the actual transfer bit in about 30 mins so had lots of time waiting in domestic.

Genius level advice

I think last time we went to Bangkok about 18 months ago it wasn't too bad, it took maybe just over an hour from landing to have collected luggage. We might have been lucky though. I remember spending a lot more than an hour in the queue for immigration at Phuket airport on a previous trip.

Personally I think that’s fine. I wouldn’t worry about it too much as when we went through immigration etc at Bangkok in October last year it was super quick.
If you’re worried do hand luggage only.
Also flights from Bangkok to krabi are plentiful and cheap as chips (though there are two airports so beware of that) so even if you miss it you can pick up another flight relatively easily! We picked up on the day before for £35 each.
Its the overnight train that gets booked up quickly!

These responses are so helpful! Really appreciate the advice and sharing your experiences 😊

If your flight is on one ticket all the way through to Krabi it's absolutely fine.
If it's 2 separate tickets with 2 separate airlines it's tight but most likely still fine.

Are you landing into and taking off from the same airport?
Suvarnabhumi Airport (BKK) is the larger one but there is also Don Mueang International Airport (DMK). There is a shuttle bus between them which takes about 50mins, or a taxi 35mins- on a good day!

Personally, even if its the same airport, it would be cutting it too fine for me if the 1st flight has any delays at all. There is also alot of walking from A to B. You 'might' be able to get assistance due to having the kids, but this may not guarantee one of those golf buggies to wizz you from A to B.

I want to go! When / where are you going?

Thanks for all the responses. I contacted the airline today for the first leg of the journey and booked the second flight from Bangkok to Krabi through them. They've said my bags will be automatically transferred to the next flight so whilst the time is the same I don't have to collect my bags and re check them. Hopefully all will be straightforward! I'm going to Krabi, Khao Lak and Bangkok 🛫

OOOH I love Khao Lak

Which airline have you used?

It was a while ago, approx 2007, but I did this exact transfer with kess time and it was fine. My bags were transferred and I don't recall any hold ups. I remember I landed in the morning local time. Don't know if that makes any difference.

"Which airline have you used"?

Eva Air

That’s really good! Never been to khaolak but krabi is amazing! Just take care with the jellyfish. One of them loved me too much last year :)