By Saurav Bora
GUWAHATI/ BANGKOK: Convenience, time and affordability are driving people from North East to squeeze in a short, easy-on-the-wallet yet fun-filled foreign trip in their holiday itineraries.
Thanks to Nok Air, a premium budget international airline which launched twice-a-week direct flights from Guwahati to Bangkok ahead of the festive season, a quick and hassle-free getaway to the Land of Smiles, as Thailand is referred to, has become a reality now for a region craving for international connectivity.
Sample this: A budget trip in less than three hours to a bustling Southeast Asian city from Guwahati, the gateway to North East, with complimentary hot meals served with water and free baggage up to 20kg. There is a helpful cabin crew, too, in case of assistance required.
Now that is enough reason why one should not think twice before planning an overseas trip to a place closer to home, having cultural connections with myriad temples, serene beaches, street delicacies and sea food on a platter, buzzing nightlife and, of course, warm and welcoming people.
A joint venture of the Thailand-based Nok Airways Pvt Ltd and Gurgaon-headquartered Group Concorde, the Nok Air aircrafts, with their exterior colourfully painted to resemble a Nok (bird in Thai), are already running full capacity to and fro since its launch in Guwahati last month, as passengers, tourists, traders, students, professionals, et al from the Northeast head to the South East Asian tourism and hospitality hub.
Even as inbound tourism still has scope for improvement, Nok Air, being the only airline offering direct connectivity from Guwahati to Bangkok, now allows travel operators to woo more people to North East, thereby opening new vistas for people-to-people contacts and trade between the two countries to flourish.
“The best season in Bangkok is just a few weeks away as temperatures drop several notches to mid twenty degrees by November. We generally have the most number of tourists in the winters, which are pleasant here,” said Anan, a travel guide in Bangkok.
And what’s more, the early morning arrivals in both Bangkok and Guwahati allow tourists the entire day from the time of landing. Passengers from Guwahati land at the Don Mueang International Airport in the Thai capital by 6am (local time) while those returning or coming to Guwahati arrive at the LGBI Airport about 40 minutes past midnight.
This is just the tip of the iceberg though as Nok Air and Group Concorde aim to leave no stone unturned to make it a daily service between the two cities.
For its part, Not Air serves the largest number of domestic routes within Thailand.
Experience to savour
Apart from convenience of time, the USP of Nok Air is the all-round experience, from smooth check-ins to a cushy waiting period prior to boarding. The Nok Air check-in counters, both at LGBI Airport and Don Mueang, are convenient to queue up to as well. In Guwahati, the non-rush hour timing allows hassle-free pre-flight formalities.
Post landing in Bangkok, if you are quick enough to disembark and among the first to head to the immigration counters at the Don Mueang Airport, access to visas on arrival become that much easier and quicker.
Then again, prior to the return journey, the courteous staff at the Nok Air sales counter at the Don Mueang international departure terminal are there for guidance.
What’s more is the waiting period at the spic and span Don Mueang International Airport, is an experience to savour with cushy lounges and global snacking outlets such as Starbucks, McDonald’s to name a few for passengers to get refreshed and stay awake for the late-night flight.
Not just that, once the immigration procedures are over, there are duty free shops for shopaholics to indulge in and carry home the best of premium world class brands, from Swiss chocolates to perfumes to liquor and more.
Thai hospitality
Passengers are warmly greeted and made to feel at home inside the aircraft that has over 180 seats, three each in either row. Spacious overhead luggage cabins and reasonable legroom for people with standard Asian height, add to the convenience factor.
Then there is Jibjib, the in-flight magazine, mostly Thai content with pictures and a safety manual to browse through before the take-off. Once the flight settles down, passengers are served a complimentary Indian vegetarian meal with water before they snuggle into cat-nap mode.
The early morning hangover, thereafter, subsides soon with a breath-taking view of suburban Bangkok as the aircraft gradually descends for the landing.
As the Nok Air catchphrase goes, We Fly Smiles. For now, North East is smiling as tourist-friendly Bangkok gets nearer for people in the region.
