Bangkok Airways no longer has an exclusive air route flying from Bangkok to Siem Reap, Cambodia, gateway city to the historical Angkor Wat complex. With an agreement that took five years to forge, Thai Air Asia, beginning October 1, 2013, will now fly to Siem Reap, opening with a promotional fare that essentially amounts to roughly 1,000 baht (approximately $30 USD). After the promotional period, the fare is expected to stabilze at something like 3,000 baht ($100 USD). Bangkok Airways, never known as a low-cost airline, covered the route for approximately 14,000 baht round trip approx. $450 USD).

We here at WoWasis have always liked AirAsia, but there are the usual caveats. You must book online, and if you’re booking multiple flights to a given destination, you’d better buy their flight insurance. If you miss a leg because one of their planes is late, you lose out on airfare for your missed flight, even if it’s their fault. The insurance (last time we checked, it was $6 USD) is essential for multiple legs, but still a nuisance.

We love Bangkok Airways as well, a very good full-service airline, but they’re expensive. The lower-cost Thai Air Asia (TAA) initiative will undoubtedly increase tourism numbers dramatically (last year Siem Reap had 1.5 million foreign visitors). With this new move, Cambodia is really gearing up for the tourist trade, and we fear that Angkor Wat, like so many other wonderful sites, will soon be inundated by visitors. We’d suggest visiting Angkor Wat sooner than later. Today, you can have much of the sprawling site to yourself, an opportunity you may not have again in the very near future.