Phuket to Koh Samui

Bangkok Airways runs seven to eight nonstops a day between Phuket (HKT) and Samui (USM), spread from about 07:30 to 19:30, on turboprops that make the crossing in under an hour. Because the airline owns Samui's airport, no budget carrier can compete, and fares carry the same premium as the Bangkok–Samui route: roughly ฿1,900–2,500 booked a few weeks out, ฿3,000–3,500 closer in, higher in peak weeks. As with all Samui flying, the fare includes a checked bag.

The math against the overland: the flight costs ฿400–2,000 more than a Lomprayah through-ticket and saves six to nine hours. Unless the budget is genuinely tight or you enjoy overland travel for its own sake, that's a trade most itineraries should take — especially mid-trip, when a lost day costs more than the fare gap. Connecting via Bangkok (฿3,490 and up, 5.5–12 hours) makes sense only when the nonstop is sold out.

The overland corridor runs from Phuket across the peninsula to Surat Thani's coast, then out by ferry — either Lomprayah's fast catamaran or the Donsak car ferries. Lomprayah's 2026 through-tickets: from their Phuket office at 09:30 (฿1,300), or with hotel pickup from the main beach zones at 07:30, or airport pickup at 10:00 (both ฿1,500, plus ฿150 if you want dropping at your Samui hotel rather than Nathon pier). All variants land at Nathon around 15:45. It's a coach-and-catamaran product, reasonably comfortable, and one booking covers the lot.

The budget tier does the same geography with more patience: Phantip's 06:30 departure reaches Samui at 16:30 for about ฿780, and the cheapest bus-bus-ferry combination runs about ฿555 (06:00–16:00). Two practical notes from recent riders: bus-terminal check-ins levy small cash fees (~฿100) per extra bag, and the Samui-side hotel-transfer marshalling at the pier can be chaotic in high season — keep your through-ticket handy and expect an unshaded queue.