Island Marine Excursion 

IMPORTANT: 

Students aged 14 years or younger at the time of the GLA program may be required to travel as an unaccompanied minor, depending on the airline policies. 

Read about these specific airline policies here.

Arrival & Departure Guidelines

• Fly into and out of Koh Samui, Thailand (Samui Airport, airport code: USM)

• Arrive before 17:00 (5 pm) on the day your program begins 

  • 1. To arrive on the program start date, most will need to depart their originating airport at least the day prior

• Depart before 17:00 (5 pm) on the day your program ends

**If you are considering flights with a layover in Bangkok (BKK) on the way to Koh Samui (USM), be sure to allow at least a 2-3 hour layover for time to go through Thai immigration & customs in Bangkok. 

Suggested Route:

The suggested route - usually the most direct, with the least number of stops, always leaves from a US gateway airport. Often times, multiple students from the same program will be on this flight, simply because it is a popular route to take. We cannot guarantee that other students will be on this flight, but very often, there are. You do not have to take the suggested route, it is just one option. You may take any flight you wish that falls within the flight parameters above.

Suggested Route

Option 1:

• • Cathay Pacific - Los Angeles (LAX) to Hong Kong (HKG)

Hong Kong to Bangkok (BKK)

Bangkok (BKK) to Ko Samui (USM) 

• • Cathay Pacific - Ko Samui (USM) to Bangkok (BKK)

Bangkok (BKK) to Hong Kong (HKG)

Hong Kong (HKG) to Los Angeles (LAX)

Option 2: 

• Cathay Pacific - San Francisco (SFO) to Hong Kong (HKG)

Hong Kong (HKG) to Bangkok (BKK)

Bangkok (BKK) to Ko Samui (USM)

• Cathay Pacific - Ko Samui (USM) to Bangkok (BKK)

Bangkok (BKK) to Hong Kong (HKG) 

Hong Kong (HKG) to San Franscisco (SFO)

Note: All flights connecting between Bangkok and Ko Samui will be operated by Bangkok Airways 

Suggested Route for Unaccompanied Minors

• • Read more about unaccompanied minors here. 

Recommended Travel Agency Partner

If you are looking for some guidance in booking flights, GLA has partnered with StudentUniverse in order to simplify the process. Regardless of how you plan on booking your flights, we recommend you speak with our travel agency partner first to ensure that you are getting the best deal and that you are booking the correct itinerary per GLA requirements and airline policy. 

StudentUniverse 

• • REQUEST: Click Here 

  • QUOTES: 1-2 Business days

  • HOURS: Monday to Friday 9:00 (9am) to 18:00 (6pm) EST **Closed on weekends. 

  • SERVICE FEES: Booking Fee $30 USD

Please do NOT book your flight until you've received the go-ahead! This will come either in the email titled, "Welcome Aboard! Save this Email!" or in a subsequent email.