Don Mueang Airport (airport code DMK) serves as the budget airline hub for Thailand.
Domestic flights arrive and depart for all of the major cities, together with international traffic from surrounding countries such as China, Cambodia and Laos.
Amongs others, it is served by the following airlines, Air Asia, Nok Air, Thai Lion Air, Malindo Air, Scoot Airlines, Tigerair, V Air, Orient Thai Airlines, Siam Air Transport and Maldivian Airlines. Bangkok Airways uses BKK Suvarnabhumi Airport.
Located in the north of Bangkok, Don Mueang was Bangkok’s original International Airport before the opening of Suvarnabhumi in 2006.
Airport Lay-Out – Don Mueang Airport
Don Mueang Airport has 2 Terminals, Terminal 1 housing International Arrivals (Floor 1) and Departures (Floor 3) while the newly opened Terminal 2 deals with all domestic traffic, same set up of Arrivals (Floor 1) and Departures (Floor 3). You can walk from one Terminal to the next in around 7 to 8 minutes.
There are restaurants, coffee shops, car rental, mobile operators, ATMs, currency exchanges spread throughout the Airport and a very decent observation deck for the plane buffs on Floor 4.
Free wifi is available by selecting @AirportTrueFreeWiFi in your mobile settings and following instructions for registration.
Transport – To and From Don Mueang Airport and Bangkok
Public Taxis
From the Airport, the public taxis are at Door 8 Terminal 1 which now finds itself between the two Terminals. You pay 50bt extra for the Airport service and the taxis do use a meter. You can also find taxis at the very end of Terminal 2, ground floor of the 7 storey parking building.
If staying in Bangkok, the simplest way to get to and from Don Mueang Airport is by using a taxi, expect to pay around 250bt to 350bt from the center but always allow plenty of time as the traffic can be very heavy heading out of town.
Another option is to travel out from the city center with either the BTS skytrain to Morchit or MRT subway to Chatuchak Park, leave the stations via Exit 3 and you will find waiting taxis, 150bt or so down by the highway.
Shuttle Buses
From outside Door 6 Arrivals Terminal 1 and Door 12 Terminal 2, there are four shuttle buses, A1 to A4
- The A1 service goes via Morchit BTS and Chatuchak Park MRT stations to Morchit Bus Station, 30bt every 5 minutes 07.00 to 24.00.
- Going the other way, the A1 stop is located outside/away from the main concourse at Morchit Bus Station (ask at the central information booth inside the station). You can also travel out from the city center with either the BTS or MRT to Morchit/Chatuchak Park. From the BTS, leave the station via Exit 3 or if you have heavy luggage use Exit 1 which has a lift. Exiting from the MRT, use Exit 2. The bus stop is clearly marked for A1 (and A2, see below).
- From Don Mueang, the A2 goes via Morchit BTS and Chatuchak Park MRT stations to Victory Monument, every 30 minutes 30bt, 07.00 to 24.00. As above, you can join it going the other way at Morchit BTS/Chatuchak Park MRT.
- Use the A3 service to travel from Don Mueang to Lumpini via Din Daeng, Pratunam and Ratchaprasong, every 30 minutes 50bt, 07.00 to 23.00.
- Finally, the A4 service shuttles from Don Mueang to Sanam Luang (Royal Palace area) via Democracy Monument and Khao San, every 30 minutes 50bt, 07.00 to 23.00. If using this from Khao San, the stop is at Kong Salak on Ratchadamnoen Klang Road – just ask, it’s a couple of streets over and very well known.
Limobus
From 09.30 to 24.00, every 30 minutes, the Limobus runs to either Khao San Road or Silom. Price per person is 150bt which includes the expressway tolls. It leaves from either Door 7 Terminal 1 or Door 14 Terminal 2.
The return service starts at 11.00 and runs till 24.00, once again every 30 minutes. The Khao San Bus route leaves from Ratchadamnoen Klang Road (as above with the A4) heading via Democracy Monument to Phaya Thai BTS and then via the expressway to Don Mueang. The Silom route runs from Silom Road via Sala Daeng BTS along Ratchadamri Road and then again via the expressway, onto the Airport.
Reviews of this service are here at Tripadvisor – they are not great.
Train
One final fun thing to do if you are in no hurry; exit Don Mueang through the door to the Amari Airport Hotel, Door 5/6 Terminal 1, walk across the footbridge and cut down onto the railway platform. From here, it’s 5bt for the 50 minute journey to the main Hualamphong Station, with hourly trains pottering through the city and its local stations, a fascinating introduction to Bangkok.
Airport Rail Link
Both a monorail to the BTS at Morchit and a high speed rail to Suvarnabhumi and U Tapao Airports are slated for construction as of 2021.
Don Mueang Airport to Suvarnabhumi Airport
Between Don Mueang Airports and BKK Suvarnabhumi Airport, there is a free shuttle bus from 05.00 to 24.00. This leaves every 12 minutes, 08.00 to 11.00 and 16.00 to 19.00 or every 30 minutes otherwise.
At Don Mueang, the bus departs outside Door 6, Terminal 1 or Door 12 Terminal 2. Journey time is at least an hour, allow for 90 minutes.
You do need to show a boarding pass and/or have a printed airline ticket or itinerary for departure from BKK Suvarnabhumi with 24 hours, as well as a passport to use this free service.. The call centre number is +66 (0)2 132 9199.
You can also reach Suvarnabhumi Airport by getting to Morchit BTS (not Morchit Bus Station) by taxi or the A1/A2 Bus (Door 6 Terminal, Door 12 Terminal 2, 30bt). Once at Morchit, take the BTS to Phaya Thai and using Exit 5 change onto the Airport Rail Link (ARL), which is then 45bt all the way to Suvarnabhumi Terminal, 30 to 40 minutes.
From Don Mueang, there is also a regular public minibus, 555, 50bt which departs from the ATTA parking area – ask at Airport Information for directions.
Getting to The Koh Chang Islands from DMK
Private Transfers
Private transfers are possible direct from Don Mueang Airport to any of the Koh Chang islands.
As Koh Chang has car ferries, that service by either car (4,400bt, 2 persons) or minibus (5,400bt, 6 person) is door to door to your resort, with (fast) ferry tickets included in the price.
For Koh Mak and Koh Kood, which do not have car ferries, the service is to the piers only, Laem Ngop (Koh Mak) or Laem Sok (Koh Kood). The price to either pier is 4,200bt but does not include boat tickets.
At Don Mueang, passengers are met by the driver with a name sign at Door 5/6 Terminal 1 for International flights and Door 9/10 for Domestic flights.
With travel time at between 5 and 6 hours, you need to leave the Airport by 08.00 to 08.30 for Koh Kood (last boat at 15.00 in high season), 09.00 to 09.30 for Koh Mak (last boat at 16.00) and 12.30 to 13.00 for Koh Chang, last fast ferry (the one we use) at 19.00 and last slow ferry if needed at 19.30.
We do also offer transfers through the night, useful for some of the early morning arrivals from China.
Please do contact us for a private transfer quotation either direct from Don Mueang Airport or a hotel nearby.
You can also visit here for more information on our services provided.
Share Minibuses or Buses
There are no direct share minibus services (such as those offered at Suvarnabhumi Airport) from Don Mueang Airport to Koh Chang or Trat.
Please note there is also no longer a minibus service from Victory Monument to Koh Chang – this has been discontinued.
For budget travellers, there are still a couple of options. Firstly, you can head to Ekamai Bus Station in the east of Bangkok, the main departure point for transport to Koh Chang and Trat. Use a taxi or the A1/A2 bus to Morchit BTS and then travel all the way to Ekamai (same line, no changes 40 minutes+). See here for full Ekamai timetables.
The 2nd option is to head to Morchit Bus Station, the northern Terminal either by taxi (150bt) or the A1 shuttle bus, details as above. Please note that Morchit Bus Station is not the same as Morchit BTS and you cannot walk between the two as they are many kilometres apart.
At Morchit Bus Station, there are buses at 07.30, 11.00 (both fine for Koh Chang) and 22.00 to Trat from The Transport Co at Booth 21, 236bt per person. There is also the 05.30 or 17.00 buses operated by Cherdchai from Booth 44, 238bt.
In addition, you can find cheap minibuses across the road at the new Morchit Van Terminal. For Trat and Koh Chang, you want Terminal C, Line 9908. Minibuses to Trat leave at 05.00, 06.00, 09.30, 12.30, 13.30, 15.30 and 18.30, 270bt. Up until 12.30, you can use them for Koh Chang, as, though they are not direct, the operators will swap you to a songthaew taxi at the Saen Tung highway turn off for the ferries, an additional 130bt with the ferry ticket.
Koh Chang to DMK
If coming the other way from Koh Chang to Bangkok, you can still be dropped at Victory Monument, 800bt with ferry ticket for a share minibus with hotel collection on the island, twice daily, morning and lunchtime.
We also provide share minibuses, morning only, to DMK Don Mueang Airport at 900bt per person with ferry ticket, minimum 2 people. You arrive around 18.30 to 19.00, so only user this for flights leaving after 21.00.
Please do contact us to book and for more information.
Don Mueang Airport Hotels
For a good choice of Airport hotels, do please visit our partner at Agoda here.
For Koh Chang, we can also collect you from selected hotels with a share minibus, pick-up time at around 07.30, once daily only. You are first on the minibus but please note it then collects other customers from their hotels in Bangkok (around 90 minutes) before heading out.
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