Phuket Flights 2026: Trip.com Deals & Mileage vs. Cash

I had a lot of Asiana Airlines miles,

and some were expiring by the end of the year,

so I initially planned to book my Phuket trip using mileage tickets.

September and October are Phuket's rainy season,

and lately, I've been traveling to Vietnam more than Thailand,

so luckily, seats were available on my desired dates.

The problem, however, was fuel surcharges and taxes.

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They amounted to over ~$292!

Imagine having to pay over ~$292

even after deducting miles!

I figured it would be better to just buy a regular ticket instead.

So, I checked the prices for regular tickets:

Asiana round-trip to Phuket: approximately ~$365

Korean Air round-trip to Phuket: approximately ~$387

No wonder people only use miles for business class or higher...

So, I just bought my Phuket flight ticket.

As someone who's traveled during Thailand's rainy season before,

I'm hoping the rain will be brief this time too!

✍️ LaidBack Travel Writer, Nanna

Comparing Flight Prices is Always a Must!

Even for the same route,

flight prices can vary quite a bit depending on the date.

When I bought my ticket, it was in the ~$365 range,

but now, if I search, it has dropped to the ~$350 range for the same departure and arrival dates.

(I feel like I missed out!

And I booked just two weeks in advance, which is pretty last minute...)

Since it's always great to save money,

I always check Skyscanner, Naver Flights, and Kayak.

However, I avoid using platforms I've never heard of.

That's because dealing with changes or cancellations for flights

can be much more complicated than for hotels or tours.

Ultimately, I stick to two main sites!

They are MyRealTrip and Trip.com.

This time, the fares for my Phuket flight were almost identical on both sites.

Is Around ~$365 a Good Price for a Phuket Flight?

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A direct round-trip Asiana flight to Phuket for ~$365

for a roughly ten-day itinerary spanning the Chuseok and Gaecheonjeol holidays.

Of course, during the off-season, you can find tickets in the ~$219 range,

but compared to the usual direct Phuket flights being in the ~$292 to ~$365 range,

it's cheap despite being during a holiday!

But Phuket, Khao Lak, and Krabi are my absolute favorite Southeast Asian resorts!

Soon, come November, they transform, almost like Europe,

as people from all over the world, especially Europeans, flock there!

If you haven't made your holiday plans yet,

I highly recommend visiting Phuket!

As I mentioned earlier,

November to next April is the absolute peak season,

with flights costing between ~$511 to ~$730,

and hotels increasing by more than four times compared to the off-season.

So, booking now will help you save money.

And especially when fuel surcharges are as high as they are now,

I highly recommend comparing mileage redemptions with outright purchases.

Asiana's fuel surcharge for the Phuket route

is ~$124 in September but exceeds ~$146 in October (one-way).

So, it's a good idea to buy your ticket in advance

before both flight prices and fuel surcharges go up.

(The price is based on the booking date, not the departure date.)

🔻🔻🔻

👉 Check Phuket flight prices on Trip.com

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On both sites, you can simply enter your route and dates

to compare flight prices by date.

How to Book Flights from Incheon to Phuket

I chose Trip.com because I'm a premium member and wanted to use up my TripCoins.

I saved about ~$36.

By combining my Samsung Skypass Amex card (which earns miles) with my TripCoins, I saved over ~$36,

meaning I snagged tickets for two at around ~$686 total – a pretty good deal!

1) Access the Trip.com app

(Click here to connect directly)

and select "Flights."

2) Select One-way, Round-trip, or Multi-City (if your departure and arrival cities are different),

then enter the cities, dates, and number of passengers.

3) Select your desired itinerary

When choosing your outbound flight, the amount displayed next to it is for a round trip.

Depending on which return flight you choose,

there might be no additional cost or a surcharge.

(I paid in the ~$365 range, but now it looks like it's in the ~$350 range!)

4) Choose your fare (payment method)

The fare may vary depending on the payment method.

I chose my Samsung card with mileage benefits,

and it was ~$353 per person.

(Mine was ~$366.)

5) Enter your passenger information.

You'll need your English name spelling exactly as it appears on your passport, passport number, passport expiry date, and date of birth.

If you're currently in the process of getting your passport,

make sure your English name spelling is absolutely correct,

and you can temporarily enter your passport number and expiry date, then update them later.

You can also enter your mileage card number for airlines like Asiana Airlines, Korean Air, China Eastern Airlines, and more.

If you enter it this way, your reservation will immediately show up on the airline's website too!

6) Assign your seats.

This is another super convenient feature,

because you don't even need to go to the Asiana homepage or call them –

you can choose your seats right when you make your booking!

I had a feeling it might not be a full flight, so dreaming of a "lie-flat economy" experience,

I chose seats towards the back.

I searched to see if I could request Asiana in-flight meals too, but

it seems you have to call them.

There wasn't even a request menu on Asiana's website.

7)Purchase ancillary services – Lounge access, insurance, etc.

If you have a credit card with free lounge access, you won't need this, but

if you don't and need it, you can buy it much cheaper than purchasing it on-site.

Since I'm a Trip.com Diamond member, I had two free lounge passes, so

I applied for them this time.

Just a heads-up, it wasn't the Matina Lounge but the Sky Hub Lounge, and

it's about ~$24 per person, and I got two of those for free.

Woohoo!

Alright, once you've entered all the details,

all that's left is to wait for your ticket to be issued!

If you have Trip Coins, like I do, you can use them just like cash during this process.

Why buying flight tickets from Trip.com is a great idea

Well, for starters, you get accommodation discount vouchers issued!

They offer up to 25% discount vouchers, plus monetary discounts for 2-night and 3-night stays.

On top of that, you can get discounts on airport pick-ups and car rentals.

Plus, they act like your personal travel assistant,

offering services like travel essentials (TDAC) and real-time flight schedule notifications,

to ensure

even first-time international travelers can board their flight without a hitch.

Whether it's Thailand, the US, Europe, Southeast Asia, Japan, or China,

if you're looking to buy tickets while prices are good, for anywhere,

👉 Buy international flight tickets on Trip.com

What if your plans change?

For flight tickets, you really need to check the cancellation and change conditions more carefully than you would for hotels.

First off, Trip.com fully refunds cancellations made within 24 hours, including the ticketing fee.

Beyond that,

you'll need to check the fare rules for the ticket you selected and Trip.com's cancellation policy during the booking process.

There are refund and change conditions set by the airline's fare itself, and

the policies of the platform you booked through might also apply.

That's why when I buy flight tickets,

I also consider if the platform is easy to deal with if issues arise, rather than just choosing the one that's a few dollars cheaper.

If you'd rather not bother searching for Phuket flights and hotels separately,

And if you find it a hassle to look up hotels when buying your flight tickets,

you might love the option below.

You can purchase your flight and hotel at the same time!

Just enter your arrival and departure dates as shown below,

and you can choose your flights and accommodation.

With filters for price range, location, type, and more,

it's incredibly convenient to pick exactly what you want.

If you include a hotel in Patong Beach in your purchase,

a 3-night, 5-day itinerary in mid-November could be yours for around ~$876!

When you don't feel like searching around,

check out the link below!

👉Search Flight+Hotel packages

For the lowest hotel prices in Phuket, Thailand: Agoda or Trip.com?

I apologize to Trip.com, but

Agoda often has the lowest prices for hotels in Phuket, Thailand.

However, if you book through Trip.com,

special discounts apply, and sometimes there are discount coupons, so

I recommend checking both platforms if possible before booking your hotel.

Please refer to the price comparison table below for the three hotels I plan to visit

on this trip.

The links are embedded, so feel free to book your hotels directly.

Prices may vary depending on your membership tier and stay dates.

Keep in mind that prices are especially high from December to March.

Prices for non-members & based on weekday rates in mid-November

For more on Thai travel, currency exchange, and ATM fees, check out the post right below~

How to Exchange Thai Baht Cash in Phuket | ATM Withdrawal Fees for Woori EXK and Toss Bank GLNblog.naver.com