thairookie Posted May 27, 2016 Share Posted May 27, 2016 I have become quite an expert after hoping in and out of Utapao for the past few months. You have 3 options: 1. AirAsia mini van 2. Crane Travel mini van 3. Five-Star Taxi mini van AirAsia scores well in safety, punctuality and availability. Crane Travel fails big time in safety unless you like to imagine you are in a Ford Mustang. I am glad I made it to Utapao the last time. The other problem with Crane Travel is they don't pick up the calls. You need to SMS them instead. Five-Star Taxi will try to out muscle you on availability and try every tricks in their bag to persuade you to take a private taxi with them instead of sharing a mini van. They will agree the timing with you, but on the day of your travel they will try to squeeze you into an earlier slot, and if you think it's too boring to be sitting for 4 hours at Utapao, and prefer a pick up time that is nearer to your departure time, that is when Five-Star will spring into full action. They will hard sell you their private taxis and tell you sob stories about not having enough passengers to fill a mini van for your preferred timing. AirAsia has a fleet of vans that now serve EVERY flight, not just AirAsia flight. So availability is no longer an issue. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
topt Posted May 27, 2016 Share Posted May 27, 2016 Can the OP share what the cost is of the 3 options? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
angy Posted May 28, 2016 Share Posted May 28, 2016 I'm not english but I understood what he said, the nonsense is only that he didn't mention any of his 100 alternatives. Maybe one is the baht bus on Sukhumvit and a motorbike for the last kms Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thairookie Posted May 28, 2016 Author Share Posted May 28, 2016 Can the OP share what the cost is of the 3 options? The standard from Utapao to Pattaya is 250 baht on a minivan. From Utapao to Pattaya, the standard is not always standard. The good ones will stick to the 250 baht standard, and the rest will try to persuade you to pay 300 baht or 350 baht because "not enough passengers". You know it's a rip off especially if it's a last minute "change of heart" from the service provider. AirAsia used to depart at Central Festival, and that was when the service was still "new". But with more passengers using AirAsia via Utapao, now the AirAsia minivans will pick you up at your hotel or condo - same same 250 baht. Crane Travel charges 250 baht and they pick up from your hotel without question. The only problem is you don't get to speak to a real person as they don't pick up calls, and you can only SMS them. The driver will of minivan will call you on the day itself and you have to leave the rest to providence. Five Star is best for sob stories, "blian jai boy dwei" (means change of heart often). Their service from Utapao to Pattaya was excellent - safe driving. But what puts me off was last minute changes - call you up hours before departure to say that they cannot make it, but will squeeze you into an earlier slot OR .... drum rolls.......use our private taxi. I guess AirAsia minivans are obligated to AirAsia and will have to meet a higher standard of service, especially with their fleet of minivans donning AirAsia colors. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rimmer Posted May 28, 2016 Share Posted May 28, 2016 A couple of posts that add noting to the topic have been removed Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sawaz455 Posted May 28, 2016 Share Posted May 28, 2016 Hi - Some questions: How do you book the Air Asia mini van - if you book a flight on the internet - is there provision in the on-line booking or do you call (if so can you provide the contact number) I live in the Ambassador City area - would you know if the Air Asia van will pick up and drop off ? Cost ? Thank you Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thairookie Posted May 28, 2016 Author Share Posted May 28, 2016 Hi - Some questions: How do you book the Air Asia mini van - if you book a flight on the internet - is there provision in the on-line booking or do you call (if so can you provide the contact number) I live in the Ambassador City area - would you know if the Air Asia van will pick up and drop off ? Cost ? Thank you When you arrive at Utapao, after stepping out of the baggage collection area, you will be greeted for a few counters offering vans and private taxis to Pattaya. The counter on the extreme left away from the exit door is the AirAsia van. They will give you a name card with the telephone number for you to call them on your return trip. They will pick you up at Ambassador City. It's clearly on the way to Sattahip, so I don't see any problem. Fare will remain the same at 250 baht. The contact number for AirAsia - 08-1578-2991. Call them, and if it doesn't work, come back to me again. I will give you the direct number of the boss. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thairookie Posted May 28, 2016 Author Share Posted May 28, 2016 Hi - Some questions: How do you book the Air Asia mini van - if you book a flight on the internet - is there provision in the on-line booking or do you call (if so can you provide the contact number) To clarify on booking on the internet. If you book flight to Downtown Pattaya, it will factor in the charges for the minivans. If you book flight to Utapao, it will not be included. They both land at Utapao Airport, though. There is no booking for "van only" via the Internet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wallich Posted May 28, 2016 Share Posted May 28, 2016 Recently travelled to Pattaya via Air Asia, minibus at Utapao no problem, 250 Baht to Hotel. However getting return transport to Utapao to catch a 0615 departing flight was a different story. For pickup at the hotel at 0500 all I could find was a 600 Baht Taxi. More than the airfare!! Regards Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jacko45k Posted May 28, 2016 Share Posted May 28, 2016 Where does one catch this Air Asia van? (oops sorry, I see you answered that in another post.....) Oh and thanks for that OP. I was thinking to simply drive there and park while away for 3-4 days, anyone care to comment on whether there are problems with that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nongsangcity Posted May 28, 2016 Share Posted May 28, 2016 Hi - Some questions: How do you book the Air Asia mini van - if you book a flight on the internet - is there provision in the on-line booking or do you call (if so can you provide the contact number) I live in the Ambassador City area - would you know if the Air Asia van will pick up and drop off ? Cost ? Thank you book your flight to go to central pattaya and the mini van will be waiting for you at the airport....on the way back book your flight from central festival ,,get there at 6 am and they will take you back to the airport....simple.....dont book to the airport book to your destination central festivwl pattaya,,or down town pattaya... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thairookie Posted May 28, 2016 Author Share Posted May 28, 2016 Recently travelled to Pattaya via Air Asia, minibus at Utapao no problem, 250 Baht to Hotel. However getting return transport to Utapao to catch a 0615 departing flight was a different story. For pickup at the hotel at 0500 all I could find was a 600 Baht Taxi. More than the airfare!! Regards Who did you call ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cnx355 Posted May 29, 2016 Share Posted May 29, 2016 Is there someone that flew with Kan Air ( Chiangmai-U-Tapao ) It seems they have their own van service. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johng Posted May 29, 2016 Share Posted May 29, 2016 I thought Kan Air was having some difficulties and stopped their U-Tapao services. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jacksam Posted May 29, 2016 Share Posted May 29, 2016 OP thanks for this post. Excellent info. Will look online. Wondering which places AA fly in out from U-tapao. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thairookie Posted May 29, 2016 Author Share Posted May 29, 2016 OP thanks for this post. Excellent info. Will look online. Wondering which places AA fly in out from U-tapao. It's easy. Just go to AirAsia website, choose Thailand Pattaya UTP as your Origin and you will be prompted with a list of Destination. I know for a fact that AirAsia fly from UTP to Chiangmai and Macau. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
siam2007 Posted May 30, 2016 Share Posted May 30, 2016 Recently travelled to Pattaya via Air Asia, minibus at Utapao no problem, 250 Baht to Hotel. However getting return transport to Utapao to catch a 0615 departing flight was a different story. For pickup at the hotel at 0500 all I could find was a 600 Baht Taxi. More than the airfare!! Regards with some common sense applied, you could have expected that. Even the big Jomtien-Suvarnabhumi Buses from the Thepprasit/Thappraya corner don't start running before 7.00 am Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
siam2007 Posted May 30, 2016 Share Posted May 30, 2016 OP thanks for this post. Excellent info. Will look online. Wondering which places AA fly in out from U-tapao. It's easy. Just go to AirAsia website, choose Thailand Pattaya UTP as your Origin and you will be prompted with a list of Destination. I know for a fact that AirAsia fly from UTP to Chiangmai and Macau. AirAsia from UTP: - Chiang Mai - Udon - HatYai - Kuala Lumpur (not daily) - Singapore (not daily) - Macau - Nanchang (not daily) - Hangzhou (not daily) - Nanning (not daily) not all destinations bookable on the AirAsia website are non-stop flights from UTP - many are served via KUL Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
balo Posted May 31, 2016 Share Posted May 31, 2016 Another question, how much do they charge to park the car at the airport for lets say 1 week ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bcgardener Posted May 31, 2016 Share Posted May 31, 2016 Parked the car there about two weeks ago when we went to Singapore for the weekend. The parking appears to be run by the military with young soldiers collecting the fees an issuing receipts . Parking from Friday 4pm to Sunday 11pm was 140 baht , so about 70 Baht a day. It used to be 25 Baht but as passengers and flights ramped up so did the prices. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ketchup Posted June 4, 2016 Share Posted June 4, 2016 I would like to fly from Central Festival to Kuala Lumpur. However, when I checked the Air Asia website I found that a Central Festival pickup is not available for the flights to KL. Shuttle pick-up does seem to be an option for flights going to various places in China however. Does anybody know why this is the case? What are my options for getting to UTP if I have a flight to KL? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thairookie Posted June 4, 2016 Author Share Posted June 4, 2016 I would like to fly from Central Festival to Kuala Lumpur. However, when I checked the Air Asia website I found that a Central Festival pickup is not available for the flights to KL. Shuttle pick-up does seem to be an option for flights going to various places in China however. Does anybody know why this is the case? What are my options for getting to UTP if I have a flight to KL? You should view Downtown Pattaya (Central Festival) as a flight destination in its own right, and if it does not fly to KL, it's just like you can't fly direct from Utapao to Timbaktu. KL is not the only flight destination that is not on Downtown Pattaya's radar. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ketchup Posted June 7, 2016 Share Posted June 7, 2016 I have done some more research. Much of the information on various internet postings is now outdated. From what I can tell there is no longer a bus service from the terminal on Pattaya North. The Crane Company still operates a minivan service for 250 baht. The phone number is 081 377 2778. I called them during local business hours and they answered. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
canopus1969 Posted June 7, 2016 Share Posted June 7, 2016 I have done some more research. Much of the information on various internet postings is now outdated. From what I can tell there is no longer a bus service from the terminal on Pattaya North. The Crane Company still operates a minivan service for 250 baht. The phone number is 081 377 2778. I called them during local business hours and they answered. Correct minibus 250 Baht - can tell driver when to stop - jump off and use a m/cycle taxi to take you home Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pattsman42 Posted June 10, 2016 Share Posted June 10, 2016 The pick up point at Pattaya Central Festival is; face the shopping centre on Beach Road with your back to the sea, walk down the alley way on the left side of the centre behind the taxi rank and you will see a taped off area with Airasia signs everywhere, its impossible to miss. Hang around there at least 15 minutes before departure time. A Thai man will ask for your name and check it against the list if you have already booked. When I took the van last week it arrived 10 minutes late and we stopped enroute to pick up at a hotel, then we changed over to another van just outside the city for the remainder of the journey. Arrival at the airport was still well ahead of schedule and we got through to the departure lounge very quickly. The fare was slightly cheaper if bought as part of the flight i.e. Pattaya Central Festival as the destination instead of Utapoa. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thairookie Posted June 11, 2016 Author Share Posted June 11, 2016 The pick up point at Pattaya Central Festival is; face the shopping centre on Beach Road with your back to the sea, walk down the alley way on the left side of the centre behind the taxi rank and you will see a taped off area with Airasia signs everywhere, its impossible to miss. Hang around there at least 15 minutes before departure time. A Thai man will ask for your name and check it against the list if you have already booked. When I took the van last week it arrived 10 minutes late and we stopped enroute to pick up at a hotel, then we changed over to another van just outside the city for the remainder of the journey. Arrival at the airport was still well ahead of schedule and we got through to the departure lounge very quickly. The fare was slightly cheaper if bought as part of the flight i.e. Pattaya Central Festival as the destination instead of Utapoa. The pick up point, to be precise, is the side entrance of Central Festival that is directly opposite the entrance of Baron Beach Hotel. I never did try AA with Central Festival as a destination. I used Utapao Airport instead. I have been told by the boss of the AA affiliated minivan service that Central Festival used to be the "terminal" for all their minivan service going to Utapao Airport. That is to say, they will send a minivan to pick you up at the hotel, but the van will bring you CF for transfer to another van. So CF is essentially the meeting point. But now with the business established, they will fetch you at your doorstep and move straight to Utapao Airport. Utapao Airport has only one gate hold area. The transit area is the gate hold area. What they really need is to install a water dispenser since whatever water you carry will be emptied after you passed through the immigration before stepping into the gate hold area. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pattsman42 Posted June 11, 2016 Share Posted June 11, 2016 Having Central Festival as the destination/origin adds about B230 to the fare compared to the B250 walk up price. This also has the advantage of a booked place waiting for you. There were only two other passengers to the airport, one was waiting at Central Festival with us, we picked the other up on the way. The en route pick up would need to have made a separate booking with the van operator as there is no facility on AirAsia's website to specify a different pick up/drop off location. The operators mobile number is on display at the meeting point if you want to arrange this. There are multiple departure times during the day for specific flights. 2-3 people may find a taxi a better alternative if arranged in advance from one of the taxi booths dotted around the town rather than standing at the rank with your suitcase in your hand. From 1 July there are some schedule changes for Pattaya flights e.g. to Singapore becomes a morning departure instead of an evening one. Don't count on the wifi working at the airport and refreshment availability is limited especially after security, no aerobridges so all boarding is via bus. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seizhin Posted July 12, 2016 Share Posted July 12, 2016 Hi - Some questions: How do you book the Air Asia mini van - if you book a flight on the internet - is there provision in the on-line booking or do you call (if so can you provide the contact number) I live in the Ambassador City area - would you know if the Air Asia van will pick up and drop off ? Cost ? Thank you When you arrive at Utapao, after stepping out of the baggage collection area, you will be greeted for a few counters offering vans and private taxis to Pattaya. The counter on the extreme left away from the exit door is the AirAsia van. They will give you a name card with the telephone number for you to call them on your return trip. They will pick you up at Ambassador City. It's clearly on the way to Sattahip, so I don't see any problem. Fare will remain the same at 250 baht. The contact number for AirAsia - 08-1578-2991. Call them, and if it doesn't work, come back to me again. I will give you the direct number of the boss. Thank you OP for posting this information. I had. A flight this evening and had well scheduled for pick up with them. Hopefully things is well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pdavies99 Posted July 12, 2016 Share Posted July 12, 2016 By the time you have finished mucking around getting a moped taxi etc to a mini bus you could have got a taxi for 700 Baht! http://www.pttaxiservice.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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