A friend on FB is translating this picture as saying Lion Air to fly from Udon to Hat Yai.

The website airline-safety.net has mentioned some info that first time flyers on Lion air may not be aware of,also saw a tripadvisor report when googling

pomps wrote:The website airline-safety.net has mentioned some info that first time flyers on Lion air may not be aware of,also saw a tripadvisor report when googling

I expect that you mean aviation-safety.net.

Apologies for that,was also looking at airlineratings website and speedposted the wrong info.

OTOH, Lion Air is the airline with the worst safety record, according to the Jet Airliner Crash Data Evaluation Centre in Hamburg, which calculates safety and ranks airlines based on fatalities per rpm (well, terameters, actually, not miles).

Here's the link to the Jet Airliner Crash Data Evaluation Centre statistics. They make an interesting read.

http://www.jacdec.de/safety-ranking-2014/

Of the 60 ranked airlines, Air New Zealand are ranked top (safest) and Lion Air bottom. Malaysia Airlines are 34th safest which might suggest Lion Air are already flying from Hat Yai to Udon but haven't made it yet. Thai Airways International ranks 47th.

The bottom four are Air India, China Airlines, Vietnam Airlines and Lion Air.

pomps wrote:Apologies for that,was also looking at airlineratings website and speedposted the wrong info.

No need to apologise,pomps,as its very public spirited of you trying to warn unknowing Udon farangs of the dangers.
Also,I see,that British Airways have said that they will continue to fly over Iraq......maybe something to ponder.

Actually,Hat Yai and the beach resort of Songkhla,25 kilometres away,make for a nice little break.
Hat Yai is Thailands 3rd largest city.People go there for the cheap shopping and delicious food,both seafood and Malaysian style curries.
At weekends,single men from Malaysia and Singapore flock to Hat Yai to improve their Thai speaking skills with the many young ladies available......Sunday to Thursday is pretty quiet so,maybe,a good time for the hansum farang ?
Also there is a plethora of massage parlours in the city touting for business,including a couple of "soapy suds" places.
For those that dont know a "soapy suds" massage includes getting into a soapy tub with a naked young lady who proceeds to give you a good scrub down.
For those of you anxious about this it should be pointed out that the young lady is initially wearing a nice cocktail dress,so it makes sense for her to take it off to avoid it getting wet.
Likewise the farang is expected to remove his attire including socks,sandals and incontinence pants (if worn).
Hat Yai is a bit short on tourist sights but there is a nice park about 7 kilometres out of town that has a boating lake,gardens,cable car,temples and ice palace.
The park is over a huge area and very hilly,so be sure to retain the services of your tuk tuk driver,as it would be physically exhausting to try to walk around.

Hat Yai should be used in conjunction with the beach resort of Songkhla,about 25 kilometres away.The beach isnt fantastic but there is miles of promenade you can walk around.Songkhla is surrounded by water on 3 sides.The sea on 2 parts and Thailands largest lake (about 53 kms long)on the third.
A good way to see the city is to use the free tram tour which is hourly from 9am to 3pm.(stops for lunch at mid-day).
Songkhla has a zoo and water park and you can get the funicular for 30 baht up to the top of Tang Kuan hill where there are great views of the ocean and the city.
There are some nice seafood restaurants,right on the beach,at Samila beach and for those wanting farang food there is an Irish bar/restaurant called Buzz Stop on Chaiya Road which serves excellent Western food and draught Guinness....also a couple of other places in the vicinity that do farang food.
Also on Samila beach there is the famous Golden Memaid statue,which is the symbol of Songkhla.Folklore has it that if you massage her breasts it will bring you good luck.I saw a couple of Muslim chaps rubbing them vigorously so I did sneak up to give her breasts a bit of a fondle .but its not brought me good luck,only a warning from the local constabulary.(joking)
A couple of days in Hat Yai and a couple of days in Songkhla make for a good break,imo.

For those more adventurous it is possible to go further south from Hat Yai into the province of Pattani,about 100kms away.In the town of Pattani itself there is a lovely hotel called the CS Pattani,between 4-5 star.Its got a swimming pool,gym,nice grounds,good restaurant,lovely rooms etc.
Rooms are really cheap from 900 baht to 3000 baht,which gets you a suite.
But be aware that Pattani is part of the area where there is trouble with the muslim community.I believe that the hotel has twice had small incendiary devices placed around its perimeter but security is very tight now.
No need for the many ex American Special Forces or ex SAS in our Udon community to worry !

I've enclosed some pics of Songkhla from October last year.

I wil take my chances with Lion air afterall Zid,you just sold me the whole Hat Yai experience,warts n all

Theres a good website done by an Englishman,who lives in Hat Yai,that tells you everything you need to know about Hat Yai and Songkhla.

Its a very interesting read.

Just google "phil.uk.net.hatyaipages" and manoeuvre around the site.

Here's the Lion Air schedule:

Two flights per day, with the first 2 showing Bangkok to Udon and the next two showing Udon to Bangkok.

In November, Lion Air will fly 3 times per day.....the photo shows BKK-Udon, then Udon-BKK

'ang about, I know I've missed me mid day nap, but wasn't this thread about Lion air flying Udon - Hat Yai

stattointhailand wrote:'ang about, I know I've missed me mid day nap, but wasn't this thread about Lion air flying Udon - Hat Yai

Yes. Here is the Udon - BKK thread:
http://www.udonmap.com/udonthaniforum/topic33723.html

A friend of mine who knows folks at the airport says Lion Air is beginning to fly Don Muang to Hat Yai at the end of this month.....but knows nothing about a Lion Air flight from Udon to Hat Yai.......unless the ad means to say Udon-Don Muang-Hat Yai.

Looking at the schedule it looks like it could be about 45 mins on the ground, so that might be right Parrot.

2 take offs and 2 landings each way

Hat Yai does tend to be prone to the occasional explosive device.

Zid,
You forgot to menton the delights of 'The Pink Lady' ; oh! and the dozens upon dozens of GIANT RATS that roam the streets at night!
Also that Hat Yai is used extensively by very well heeled Malaysian businessmen on generous per diem expense accounts so, unless prospective visitors from Udon are in receipt of a lucrative American pension , you are very likely to find yourself able only to look at, rather then partake of, the many truly delectable females to be encountered everywhere.
Never mind guys, you still have D&N, Nutty Par &, as a last resort, Mr. Tongs

stattointhailand wrote:Looking at the schedule it looks like it could be about 45 mins on the ground, so that might be right Parrot.

2 take offs and 2 landings each way

The marketing scam so not direct ,similar to Bangkok airways Udon to Samui

pomps wrote:

stattointhailand wrote:Looking at the schedule it looks like it could be about 45 mins on the ground, so that might be right Parrot.

2 take offs and 2 landings each way

The marketing scam so not direct ,similar to Bangkok airways Udon to Samui

And Udon to CM (via Loei)

At least if you get to BKK Pomps, you know you are not going to have to wait hours for your plane to arrive.

Wonder if Immigration will insist you get off the plane and show your passport as you are in a different Province

I cant understand Lion Air's strategy here.....
Bangkok Air reduce 1 flight from Udon to Bangkok because of lack of customers so Lion Air now introduce 3 extra !
Unless they are going to be so cheap that they will blow all the competition away ?
I would have thought,at the moment,1 flight Udon-Bangkok return daily and 3 PER WEEK DIRECT flights Udon to Hat Yai direct would be more viable.

Anyway,referring to the seasoned traveller,mat80's post......
The Pink Lady has been a well known entertainment venue for many years.Its,actually,one of the soapy massage places but also a hotel that has karaoke,traditional massage and a lounge that does "sexy VIP shows."
Its situated just a couple of minutes walk from the Centara hotel in the centre of town.
But the main soapy massage place,I believe,is Chaophya4 which is a similar format to many in Bangkok and Pattaya.
Airconditioned lounge where you can sit and have a beer and choose your lady who is sat behind a glass screen(fishbowl) in a cocktail dress.
For sure you will come out smelling of roses but make sure your wallet doesnt get too damp !
But for the more conservative farang there are many massage parlours and spas offering traditional treatments.
Also,in town abut 5 minutes walk from the Centara,theres a soi Th Thamnoonvithi which has places like The Swan for western food and The Pubb and Post Laser Disc for watching sports on TV and live music.
Just out of town is Central Festival Hat Yai which opened in December last year.It has the usual eating options like Sizzler,Pizza Co,and Santa Fe plus numerous Japanese restaurants.
Its shops include Marks & Spencer and Dorothy Perkins for nostalgic Brits.
As mentioned before,the park 7 kms out of town is worth a visit but make sure you have transport like a tuk tuk as its huge and too hilly to walk around.

Some pics....not taken by me...they are from the internet.