Routes
Fly, and check the direct one first: Bangkok Airways flies U-Tapao to Phuket once a day and it saves the whole Bangkok transfer. If that single slot does not fit, go through Suvarnabhumi, where the same journey has about a hundred and fifty departures a week instead of seven.
587 km airport to airport, and over a thousand by road
Direct flight from U-Tapao
Bangkok Airways is the only airline on it, flying an ATR turboprop in economy only. U-Tapao is about 45 minutes south of Pattaya, which is the part that makes this work: no Bangkok traffic at either end. One flight a day also means a cancellation costs a day rather than an hour.
Via Bangkok
Two hours by road to Suvarnabhumi, then ninety minutes in the air. Longer and far more flexible, and the only option if you are not travelling in the direct flight's afternoon window. Give the road leg more time than it needs.
Overland
Over a thousand kilometres, because the road has to go up around the gulf and back down the isthmus. It is here so the option is accounted for rather than because anybody should take it.
These times and fares come from booking agents and route aggregators, not from operator timetables. Most Thai ferry and minivan operators publish no English schedule. Treat every figure as a planning range and confirm it before you build a day around it. Last read on 3 September 2026, from FlightConnections, UTP to HKT and FlightsFrom, UTP to HKT.