There is no airport on Koh Chang island itself. On the mainland, approximately 20 KM from the pier for Koh Chang, is Trat Airport. This airport is served by Bangkok Airways only, and there are flights to Bangkok only - nowhere else. As a consequence of this monopoly, flights are relatively costly - ranging between 2,000 and 3,500 baht one-way. When you add the 450 baht cost of a minibus transfer between the airport and your Koh Chang resort, you could be paying almost 4,000 baht in total.
You might think that it's worth paying this premium for the time saving. In reality, there is not a large amount of time to be saved, when compared with minibus, or taxi service.
Some cost and time examples:
1. 1 passenger on the 13:45 pM flight to Bangkok.
- 10:30 Pickup from your resort by minibus to the airport. 12:00 Arrive at Trat Airport. Cost - 400 Baht.
- 13:45 Flight scheduled departure time. 14:35 Flight scheduled arrival time. 15:45 expected time to be outside airport. Cost 3,500 Baht.
- Total travelling time was 5 hours 15 minutes. Total cost was 3,900 Baht.
2. 1 passenger to Bangkok airport by joining minibus.
- 09:30 Pickup from your resort by minibus to the airport. 16:00 Arrive at Bangkok International Airport. Cost - 900 Baht.
- Total travelling time was 6 hours 30 minutes. Total cost was 900 Baht.
3. 6 passengers on the 13:45 pM flight to Bangkok.
- Total travelling time was 5 hours 15 minutes. Total cost was 23,600 Baht.
4. 6 passengers to Bangkok airport by private minibus.
- Anytime pickup from your resort by minibus to the airport. 6 hours later, arrive at Bangkok International Airport. Cost - 5,500 Baht.
- Total travelling time was 6 hours 00 minutes. Total cost was 5,500 Baht.
The time saved in flying to Bangkok can be merely one hour. By minibus, a single passenger would save 3,000 baht. A group of 6 could save around 18,000 baht by travelling by minibus.
Please note, the flight prices used in these examples is at the high end. Flights can be booked for around 2,000 baht at certain times of year. Minibus prices quoted include ferry ticket and highway charges in all cases. Please look here for more private transfer prices.
