Bangkok has been one of the most popular destinations for travellers from the Netherlands for years. Whether you are making a tour through Thailand, visiting the city for business or looking for the islands in the south: Bangkok is often the first stop. For this route, many people choose a direct flight, but if you look further, you will see that flights with a stopover are often cheaper. In addition, they offer the opportunity to travel with companies that are known for extra comfort or interesting transfer locations.
Why would you choose a stopover? Sometimes the price difference is considerable, and in other cases a comfortable stopover makes long journeys much more pleasant. There are also travellers who consciously choose a stopover to catch a glimpse of cities such as Istanbul, Dubai or Singapore.
In this article you can read all about the main airlines that fly from Amsterdam to Bangkok with a stopover. You will get insight into flight schedules, transfer times, prices, advantages and disadvantages.
Overview of companies and transfer locations
Turkish Airlines
- Stopover: Istanbul (IST)
- Number of flights per day: 2 to 3
- Transfer time: 1 to 5 hours
- Total travel time: average 15 to 18 hours
Benefits:
- Istanbul Airport is modern and well-equipped with shops, restaurants and lounges.
- Turkish Airlines scores high on service, even in economy.
Cons:
- Long transfers possible, depending on the connection.
Price indication: from €600 return.
Additional information: Regular offers outside the high season. Turkish Airlines has an extensive network to Southeast Asia.
Qatar Airways
- Stopover: Doha (DOH)
- Number of flights per day: 2
- Transfer time: 1,5 to 4 hours
- Total travel time: average 14 to 17 hours
Benefits:
- Hamad International Airport in Doha is one of the best airports in the world.
- Qatar Airways offers one of the best economy and business class products.
Cons:
- Sometimes higher prices than other companies.
Price indication: from €650 return.
Additional information: The airline won awards for best airline worldwide several years in a row.
Emirates
- Stopover: Dubai (DXB)
- Number of flights per day: 2 to 3
- Transfer time: 2 to 6 hours
- Total travel time: average 15 to 19 hours
Benefits:
- Known for luxurious service on board, even in economy.
- Possibility to book a stopover and explore Dubai.
Cons:
- During the summer months, Dubai is extremely hot, which can make transferring less pleasant.
Price indication: from €630 return.
Additional information: Often affordable upgrades to premium economy available.
Etihad Airways
- Stopover: Abu Dhabi (AUH)
- Number of flights per day 1-2
- Transfer time: 2 to 5 hours
- Total travel time: average 16 to 19 hours
Benefits:
- Good value for money.
- Modern airport in Abu Dhabi with smooth transfer options.
Cons:
- Fewer daily frequencies than competitors.
Price indication: from €580 return.
Additional information: Regularly affordable packages with free hotel accommodation for long layovers.
Lufthansa
- Stopover: Frankfurt (FRA) or Munich (MUC)
- Number of flights per day: multiple combinations via hubs
- Transfer time: 1 to 4 hours
- Total travel time: average 14 to 18 hours
Benefits:
- Efficient and reliable connections via Germany.
- Fast transfers possible, especially via Munich.
Cons:
- Service on board is experienced as decent but basic.
- Less luxurious compared to the golf companies.
Price indication: from €620 return.
Other companies
Besides the big names you can also choose from:
- Finnair via Helsinki
- Cathay Pacific via Hong Kong
- China Eastern via Shanghai
- Air France via Paris
These companies often offer competitive prices, but have less frequent connections or longer travel times.
Here is a quick comparison table of the major airlines flying from Amsterdam to Bangkok with a stopover:
| Aviation- society | Between- stop | Number of flights per day | Switch- time | Price from (return) | Benefits | Cons |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Turkish Airlines | Istanbul (IST) | 2-3 | 1 to 5 hours | €600 | Good service, modern airport | Long transfers possible |
| Qatar Airways | Doha (DOH) | 2 | 1,5 to 4 hours | €650 | Luxury service, modern airport, short transfers | Slightly more expensive than other options |
| Emirates | Dubai (DXB) | 2-3 | 2 to 6 hours | €630 | Comfortable, many facilities, stopover options | Long transfer times possible |
| Etihad Airways | Abu Dhabi (AUH) | 1-2 | 2 to 5 hours | €580 | Good value for money, modern airport | Night transfers sometimes impractical |
| Lufthansa | Frankfurt (FRA) / Munich (MUC) | Depending on hub | 1 to 4 hours | €620 | Reliable, fast European transfers | Service is decent, but less luxurious |
| KLM + partners | Paris (CDG) / other EU hubs | Depending on partner | 1 to 4 hours | €700 | Fast through Europe, reliable network | Usually higher prices and less luxury than via the Middle East |
| Finnair | Helsinki (HEL) | 1 | 1,5 to 3 hours | €600 | Efficient route via the north, often shorter travel time | Less frequent supply, depending on the season |
| Cathay Pacific | Hong Kong (HKG) | 1 | 2 to 5 hours | €640 | Comfortable company, excellent transfer facilities | Long total travel time towards Southeast Asia |
| China Eastern | Shanghai (PVG) | 1 | 3 to 6 hours | €580 | Affordable rates to Asia | Less popular transfer hub, longer travel time possible |
Practical example: what are the benefits of switching?
Let's say you book a flight with Emirates via Dubai. You leave Amsterdam in the afternoon, have a 3-hour layover in Dubai (plenty of time to relax in a lounge) and land in Bangkok early the next morning. For around €630 you have a comfortable travel experience with good food and an extensive in-flight entertainment system.
If you choose Turkish Airlines, you can fly via Istanbul for sometimes €50 to €100 less. The transfer time in Istanbul can vary from 2 to 5 hours, but the airport offers many facilities such as showers and rest areas.
Tips for booking a flight with a stopover
- Please note the total travel time: a short transfer seems convenient, but offers less leeway in the event of a delay.
- Consider your comfort level: Airlines such as Qatar Airways and Emirates are known for their on-board service.
- Look at stopover options: Some airlines offer free hotel stays for long layovers.
- Travel outside the high season: Prices are often lower from May to October.
- Check the transfer airport: is it an efficient airport or rather complex? Doha and Munich, for example, are known for fast transfers.
Conclusion
Choosing a stopover to Bangkok can save you a lot of money and make for a more pleasant journey. Airlines such as Qatar Airways and Emirates excel in comfort, while Turkish Airlines and Etihad offer attractive prices. Ultimately, the best choice depends on your preferences: do you go for luxury, speed or the lowest price?
Want to clearly compare all options? Consider a chart that shows travel time, price and transfer airport next to each other. This way you can quickly make the choice that best suits your travel plans.
Poll
Give your opinion and vote:
|I have indeed flown with a number of these companies. But that is a pre Buss Class.
And in that I found Qatar and Emirates the best. But this year on 3 Jan I had to book a ticket urgently and ended up with Air India BClass for a reasonable price. Very pleasant, a lot of space and good care. The lounge in New Delhi was also very good. Maybe a good alternative for the future.
I also flew with Air India once. Never again!
It started at Schiphol. The flight was delayed by 4 hours. That's why the connecting flight to Phuket had already left. I was then rebooked to a night flight. 17 hours of waiting at the airport. When we finally got on board, the plane had engine problems. So I got out and waited for another plane. Because of this, I arrived a day later. Fortunately, the hotel understood the situation and I could still get my booked room.
You think, “It can’t get any worse.” Yes, it can!
1 day before the return flight message via the air India app. Your return flight from New Delhi has been cancelled. A number of alternatives are then offered. I then chose Emirates. So from Phuket to New Delhi. There I had to wait 4 hours at some counter for the ticket and the voucher for a hotel stay and dinner and breakfast. Then from New Delhi to Dubai and from there to Schiphol. Another whole day of delay.
So never again Air India!!
In the 'grey past' I also flew with Air India once. Because it was so long ago I don't remember all the details. What I do remember is that the service and the food were lousy and the interior was definitely in need of renovation. I also didn't feel safe in that plane. What poverty! What I do remember is that after this experience with Air India I had decided never, but really never to fly with Air India again.
drama is the word that best describes air india, it can't get much worse
Lufthansa has not been flying directly from Frankfurt to Bangkok for a long time. You can fly from Frankfurt, you will always have to transfer in Munich. And in principle you can fly to Munich from any place in Germany.
but don't forget that with most European companies you have to book your suitcases separately (80-100 euros return), so they don't work out that cheap.
And I have seen with Finnair that you really have to be careful because you have to check for each flight whether you have booked the outward and return journey with suitcase
I would recommend China Eastern. Transfer in Shanghai. You can use this for a day trip to this very interesting city where you don't come every day. Or, for Skyteam members, spend 3 hours in the beautiful lounge in the new Terminal I, with good food and drinks. Also no punishment. And above all perfect service at a super low price. No French company (KLM) can compete with that.
I booked for 22-04-2025 with china eastern return Bangkok - Amsterdam for just over 2000 euros business class. Both times with a short transfer. KLM was more than 1000 euros more expensive and then for a stripped down BC, I am curious how everything will go.
Good detailed article, nevertheless I have questions about a stopover.
Possible benefits for me:
– the price: how much are we talking about? 50,00€ .. 100,00€ it won't be much more
For me the disadvantages:
– longer transit time, so time erosion of your holiday
– extra (brutal) manipulation of luggage
– greater risk of baggage loss
– take-off and landing are critical points in flights, so they are doubled or not?
– greater risk of additional delay at stopover port and/or strike and/or due to weather conditions
– possible additional expense at stopover port (so road advantage cheaper)
– extra control / queuing …
Unclear to me:
– catch a glimpse of cities like Istanbul, Dubai or Singapore.
– service on board, what is bad service for example? I would like to hear it
– Extra luxury: if they say 30 to 40 cm extra legroom then I agree, but is that true?
My conclusion:
– yes, there may be a difference in price, but you will lose that in terms of holiday time
– In the end, regardless of which company, you will be sitting in a chair with a TV in front of you and being served “something” you will never order at your destination.
– Granted, 6 hours in the air and then a few hours of stretching and back in the box for another 6 hours may be more pleasant for some than 11-12 hours in the same chair constantly.
For me the most important thing, read: pleasant or difficult, is the person next to you during the flight... usually normal, sympathetic people, but it can also be disappointing and then for a long period of time.
MVG
Philippe
I broadly agree with Philippe.
– With a transfer you double all the risks associated with a flight => so a major disadvantage
– The travel time is much longer => so a big disadvantage
– Regarding the chance of an annoying neighbor, it is much lower in premium economy or business class => so the chance of that possible disadvantage is small, if you choose that
For various reasons I never fly economy.
Sorry, but.. I fly May 20th and November 21st with Eva Air, direct, with 2 x 23 kg suitcases for €813 return. Why would I waste hours somewhere, arrive even more tired, to discuss €100?
Have you seen the new ticket rates of EVA Air? That's disappointing.
Harry,
Your message is not entirely correct
On May 20th you can fly directly from Amsterdam to Bangkok, but on Friday November 21st Eva air does not fly directly and you will have 1 transfer. So you will also be wasting your time (probably in Vienna).
Eva air flies only on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday direct. Current ticket price on these dates is 1015,5€.
I assume you booked quite some time ago, you should also check the return date, you could also be wrong and if you come back on either the 20th or the 22nd of November, there will be a direct flight.
If you go to Thailand for half a year, a few hours more or less don't really matter, and if it does matter, you just go a day earlier or later...
Arriving even more tired is a personal matter, I arrive more broken if I have been sitting folded up in a chair for 12 hours than if I have done that for 2 times 7 hours, preferably with one or two nights in between, but everyone has their own preferences of course
we don't want any other society
I miss Kuwait Air in the story, I read with a possible good transfer time (around 2 hours) to book and proportionally the same flight time between Amsterdam Kuwait and Kuwait Bangkok (something like 6,30 or so) but with the possibility to take 2×23 kg of hold luggage for free. The disadvantage is that they do not fly daily and therefore fill up quickly, I have never flown with them myself to be honest, but I did with Turkish Airlines, once but never again, the flight from Amsterdam to Istanbul landed and arrived at one of the outermost gates on one side of the airport and the flight from Istanbul to Bangkok departed from the outermost gate on the other side of the airport, I think that as a sixty-year-old I walked almost half an hour with hand luggage to get from one side to the other because the airport is not equipped with electric escalators that ensure that you do not have to walk, at Schiphol they shout at the end mind your step.
Another annoying thing is that those trays somehow slide off your table, they don't fit I can remember and those two materials on top of each other are extra slippery.
I have also flown with Emirates, Dubai is a screamingly expensive airport with filthy, smelly toilets (there toilet boys work in the men's department instead of the women's department (I think that is not allowed because of Islam or something), but those guys just don't do much I think.
I don't fly Finnair anymore either, there was something wrong with them too, but I don't remember exactly what it was, but I do know that that airport is even more expensive than Schiphol, so that says something.
I hope you stay in Bangkok and don't fly with Thai airline
Will cost you money 2 x 23 kilos
Thai society
Other rules with luggage
what you say is not correct.
I always fly direct from Bangkok and can take all my luggage for free.
Never had any problems with this, even when I couldn't fly until the next day due to a delay.
With a piece of paper from Eva Air stating the delay, a new ticket and luggage were no problem.
What you say is not correct - at least not in all situations. For example, if you arrive with EVA and fly on with Vietjetair, you will by definition have separate tickets, with also different baggage conditions. If you miss your domestic flight due to a delay at EVA, you will - unless you have a (very) expensive fully flexible Vietjetair ticket, simply have to buy a new ticket.
I honestly expect Eva air to cover these costs
that's why I had a letter from Eva air for compensation for thai smile.
This also applies to the overnight stay they gave me for free in Bangkok
If you book your ticket separately, you must pay extra attention to whether the conditions regarding baggage are the same.
I would advise against doing this by the way. If you have all flights in one ticket, and one flight is delayed in the zipper, then it is the duty of the company to rebook you.
For example, if you book a return flight to BKK with KLM and a separate ticket with NokAir or something similar to Phuket and KLM is delayed, causing you to miss the connection to Phuket, then NokAir doesn't have to do anything. You will 'simply' lose the ticket.
You are right that it has advantages to book all flights at once, preferably with the airline itself.
The disadvantage is often that these tickets are considerably more expensive than booking a separate ticket, so it is also a matter of weighing things up.
I often find it pleasant to stay in Bangkok for a few nights before travelling on, and then you don't have that problem at all.
However, it is often not possible to book local flights at all, and then you have to do this yourself.
Then you should indeed pay attention to the baggage rules, and Thai Air is usually the best choice because the budget airlines have to cut back somewhere.
my choice of a stopover is because i find direct flights too long and there is no balcony to smoke. besides that i find the price incl. luggage also important. i am not in such a hurry that 2.5 hours extra makes a difference
Singapore Airlines is not mentioned in the article, but is of course also a possibility. I have used it several times. Often a bit more expensive, but qualitatively at a high level and one of the best airports to transfer.
I usually fly with EVA air direct, but it has happened to me twice that the flight on that day was not direct and so I had to fly via Heathrow, result suitcase did not arrive and 2 days later I arrived in BKK, the 2nd time via Frankfurt and again the suitcase was not there, it does arrive but is very annoying, so the transfer still has a risk of your luggage being left behind.
With ETIHAD Airlines the price is without checked baggage, and with Qatar Airline you can also book a transfer to visit Qatar even without a visa.
Like many other airlines, Etihad has prices without checked baggage, but also prices including checked baggage, it just depends on which offer you choose.
The cheapest option is often without checked baggage and without seat reservation, but for very little more we had 30 kg of checked baggage and seat reservation last time.
With Etihad you can also book cheap tickets including luggage, and the first 2 nights of a stopover in Abu Dhabi are at Etihad's expense.
Dutch citizens do not need a visa for the United Arab Emirates, but Thai citizens do.
I prefer to fly Etihad, actually just because of the music.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G71kaqooAbk and judge for yourself.
Enjoying it, I get on the plane, looking for a seat. Where he flies to, I find less important. Remarkably, he always lands in Thailand.
I'm not the only one. Reviews on YouTube:
This music invokes images of the desert and starlit skies….gorgeous.
Still, the BEST boarding music I have ever heard. I will never forget that flight with Etihad.
Etihad must get an award for their boarding music.
This theme is one of the most sophisticated themes I have ever heard in my life. Thank you Etihad
This is sick. I feel excited and calmed at the same time!!!
I'd fly Etihad just to hear this.
The best boarding music ever…. kept me relaxed while boarding…… memories.
indeed lovely music
Usually it's about food and the different choices therein. Or the legroom.
Because of the music, there is a different angle 😉
Or the price of course
Fly BKK BRU tonight with Thai Airways (TG934) direct, depart 12.30pm arrive 7.05am, so flight time 12.35hrs
One way ticket price today 490 euros, days before and after 620 euros….
Luggage 25 kg included.
We usually choose Qatar Airways or Emirates with a slight preference for Qatar. As mentioned above, because of the excellent inflight service. In addition, you can then save points via their Avios program, which you can exchange for a discount on a subsequent flight. This may also be possible with other airlines, but each company has its own rules. We have such cards from EVA, Qatar and Emirates.
Another note: Emirates does not (yet) fly with a premium economy configuration on the AMS-DXB-BKK route.
I don't know of any company that doesn't have a points system.
An advantage of KLM for example is that they are affiliated with SkyTeam. You can then also use the points you have saved with other companies (AirFrance, Delta, KoreanAir, etc. etc.).
If you fly regularly with Lufthansa, you can use the StarAlliance network.
If you fly once or twice a year, these points won't help you much. After a few years, you might be able to book a suitcase for free.
An advantage of Etihad is that their miles system also offers the option to exchange miles for, for example, internet on board.
Since that costs fewer miles than you earn on the flight, you have free internet.
What I miss here is the once popular with the Dutch China Airlines. This company has priced itself completely out of the market with ticket prices of approx. 1200 to 1500! euros Economy Class. With a transfer in Taipei. Then you would say that nobody chooses CI anymore. And they are not that exaggeratedly luxurious either.
Previously flew with China Airlines when they still flew via Bangkok. After that always went with Emirates. Good service, good food and entertainment. We like the stopover of a few hours. Just stretch your legs and have a drink. Before you know it you can go to the gate again.
We always take a flight with a stopover.
It's wonderful to stretch your legs and take a walk after a few hours.
What I don't hear anyone talking about is the risk of thrombosis when sitting for 12/13 hours.
Well, luckily everyone has their own preferences, but the price difference of over 200 euros means you can eat very well.