Seat capacity on routes into Chiang Mai rose 18% quarter-on-quarter, the steepest gain since 2019, according to filings lodged with the regulator this week. Two low-cost carriers added a combined nine weekly frequencies, restoring a corridor that had run thin since the pandemic.
Fares, for now, have held. Median lead-in economy round-trips out of Bangkok sit broadly flat on the quarter, a lag that historically closes within six to eight weeks of a capacity step like this one. Travellers weighing a northern trip have a short, quantifiable window.
The regulator framed the additions as a seasonal restoration rather than a structural shift. The numbers behind the filing suggest otherwise: load factors on the route have run above 80% for three consecutive months.