BEEN THERE DONE THAT

1st floor, OSC Building 99 Moo 5, Kingkaew Road, Racha Thewa, Bangpli, Samut Prakan 10540 - Tel: 02-315-9825 - Fax: 02-315-9804 - Website: www.airasia.com

Bangkok remains the country's biggest, busiest and most important transportation hub. Most flights, both domestic and international, offer services to and from the capital.

However, growing traffic has pushed airline operators to offer services between other significant destinations as well, skipping the busy and congested Suvarnabhumi International Airport.

Flights on the Chiang Mai-Phuket route are surprisingly popular among foreign tourists who want to get a glimpse of Phuket after exploring the northern mountains, as well as northern people who want to enjoy the sea.

Since November 2009, Air Asia has provided services on the Chiang Mai-Phuket route, twice daily, by 180-seater Airbus A320-200.

The first flight leaves Chiang Mai at 1.10pm and arrives in Phuket at 3.15pm. The second flight leaves Chiang Mai at 10.45pm and arrives 12.50am.

The service allows passengers from the North to hit the Andaman beach within two hours, compared with 23 hours by bus or two-day self-drive.