Our Review of Phuket Airport (HKT)

Our Review of Phuket Airport (HKT)

At Plan Your Trips, we’ve analyzed airports worldwide to understand what travelers expect. Our guide aims to simplify and enhance your airport experience, providing quick, reliable information for busy passengers.

Phuket International Airport, Thailand’s third-busiest, serves as the gateway to one of the country’s most popular tourist destinations. The airport has seen significant improvements, including a new International Terminal in 2016, increasing capacity and enhancing passenger experience.

Key Points:

• Location: Conveniently situated 32km from Phuket Town, close to popular beach resorts.
• Facilities: Offers a range of services, including shopping and dining options, though quality and pricing can be inconsistent.
• Immigration: Can be a pain point, with long queues during peak times despite efforts to streamline the process.
• Transportation: Well-organized with various options, but travelers should be cautious of potential overcharging.
• 24/7 Operation: Accommodates late-night arrivals and early morning departures, a significant advantage for long-haul travelers.

While the airport has improved its infrastructure and services, it still faces challenges during peak seasons, particularly in managing crowds and improving passenger processing efficiency. Despite these issues, it generally serves its purpose well as a gateway to Phuket’s tropical paradise.

Our guide highlights both strengths and weaknesses, offering practical tips and insights to help you navigate the airport efficiently. We also provide information on delays and on-time performance to give you a comprehensive understanding of what to expect when flying through Phuket International Airport.

Pros and Cons of Phuket Airport (HKT)

PROS:

• Location: Phuket International Airport serves as a gateway to one of Thailand’s most popular tourist destinations.
• Modern facilities: The airport has undergone recent upgrades, particularly in the International Terminal, offering improved amenities.
• 24/7 operation: The airport operates round the clock, providing flexibility for travelers.
• Connectivity: Good transportation options are available to and from the airport, including taxis, rental cars, and public buses.

CONS:

• Overcrowding: During peak seasons, the airport can become extremely busy, leading to long queues and delays.
• Immigration issues: Travelers often report long wait times and chaotic scenes at immigration, especially during busy periods.
• Staff service: Some passengers have reported encounters with rude or unhelpful staff, particularly at security and immigration.
• Signage and navigation: The airport layout can be confusing, with poor signage making it difficult for passengers to find their way.

Mini-Guide of the Airport (2' Guide)

• Three Terminals: Phuket Airport has three terminals - Domestic, International, and Terminal X for charter flights.
• Transport: Various options are available including taxis, rental cars, and public buses. The airport is accessible 24/7.
• Check-in Areas: Located in both Domestic and International terminals. Be sure to confirm which terminal your flight departs from.
• Amenities: The airport offers a range of services including currency exchange, ATMs, luggage storage, duty-free shops, restaurants, and lounges.
• Passenger Services: Special services are available for passengers with reduced mobility. The airport also provides free Wi-Fi.
• Lounges: Several lounges are available, including The Coral Premium Class Lounge in the Domestic Terminal, offering comfortable seating, local cuisine, and even massage services.
• Security and Immigration: Be prepared for potential long waits, especially during peak travel times. Consider arriving early to navigate these areas.

Other Reviews.

How we calculate On Time Performance

On various pages of our website, you will encounter a metric widely utilized in aviation and other forms of transportation known as OTP (On Time Performance). We believe that providing this metric assists passengers in planning their trips and exploring alternatives before purchasing their flight tickets.

We calculate the On Time Performance for all flights and airlines, when we have enough data to do so. In certain instances, it may not be feasible to accurately compute the On-Time Performance for a specific flight or airline due to inadequate or non-representative data, which could result in misleading conclusions.

Our calculation of On Time Performance and delay information solely relies on arrival times. This approach is chosen over calculating departure delays, as we consider arrival punctuality to be of primary concern to passengers.

The On Time Performance displayed on our website is calculated as follows:

• On Time: Flights that arrive within 15 minutes of their scheduled arrival time, or earlier. In the absence of data for a specific flight, we assume the flight arrives on time, to avoid penalizing airlines for data unavailability.
• Moderate Delay: Flights that arrive with a delay of 15 to 30 minutes.
• Significant Delay: Flights that arrive with a delay of 30 to 60 minutes.
• Major Delay: Flights that arrive with a delay exceeding 60 minutes.
• Average Delay: The average delay is calculated by considering flights that arrive early as having a delay of 0 minutes. Early arrivals do not contribute to reducing the average delay calculation

Some Stats

Airlines with more flight operations (last 3 months)

Airlines with best on-time performance at Phuket Airport (last 3 months)

Routes with more flights from Phuket Airport (last month)