Flights from India to Thailand: routes, carriers and booking windows

Direct routes worth knowing

Bangkok is served non-stop from Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Chennai, Kolkata and Hyderabad, with seasonal or newer services from Ahmedabad, Kochi, Guwahati and Gaya. Phuket has direct services from Delhi and Mumbai at peak season; Chiang Mai is almost always a connection through Bangkok.

The carriers

• IndiGo — the widest Indian network into Bangkok and Phuket. Cheapest base fares, paid bags and food on most fare types.
• Air India and Vistara-operated services — full-service cabins, checked baggage included, useful for onward domestic connections in India.
• Thai Airways and Thai AirAsia — strong Bangkok schedules and better connections onward to Thai domestic destinations.
• Gulf carriers — Emirates, Etihad, Qatar and Oman Air connect smaller Indian cities to Bangkok in one stop, often for less than a direct fare from a metro.

Two Bangkok airports

Suvarnabhumi (BKK) takes most full-service and long-haul flights. Don Mueang (DMK) handles most low-cost traffic including many AirAsia and Nok Air services. They are roughly an hour apart in traffic — never book a self-transfer between them with less than four hours.

When to book

• Peak — mid-December to mid-January, and Indian school holidays in May and October. Book eight to twelve weeks out.
• Shoulder — February to April and September. Four to six weeks out is usually enough.
• Green season — June to August has the lowest fares.

Fares from Kolkata, Guwahati and Gaya are structurally cheaper than from Delhi or Mumbai because the sectors are short. Positioning on a domestic flight can be worth it.

Baggage and the details that cost money

• Low-cost fares from India commonly include 15kg checked; Thai domestic connections may include less. Buy the allowance online, never at the airport.
• Duty-free liquid bought in India and connecting through Bangkok must be in a sealed tamper-evident bag with the receipt.
• Many fares are sold as separate tickets when a domestic sector is involved. A delay on the first leg is your problem, not the airline''s.