Laos Airlines ATR72-600 to Luang Prabang

Checking in for my flight last night on the Laos Airlines website, a prominent advertisement seeking an ‘international airworthiness adviser’ greeted me. Not sure this is what you want to see before flying with an airline - but I guess it shows they are seeking to be airworthy?

Hotel reception said it would be heavy traffic in the morning, so I left with 2 hours to spare before departure. It took 8mins to get there 😂. Checking in just as they opened was very quick before heading up to the domestic terminal departure hall. Interestingly had to go through immigration for a passport check, off for a domestic flight.

The domestic terminal has one cafe cum convenience store charging outrageous airport prices (still cheap by global standards). One of the check in staff wandered around the terminal showing photos of luggage asking “Is this yours?” Fortunately not mine.

Boarding involved a nice walk across the terminal where I saw my bag being loaded just before a cage of birds. Once airborne we headed north, with lovely river views before the clouds thickened and blocked the view. A quick cabin service consisted of a bottle of water, enough for the 45min flight.

Following the river into Luang Prabang we descended over the town, before landing on time. A quick baggage reclaim and a local version of Uber ride to my beautiful hotel where I got a free upgrade to a suite. So in summary, a short, comfortable flight even if they are looking for a safety advisor 😂Read more