After launching Krabi and Mandalay routes, Bangkok Airways (www.bangkokair.com) has announced it will start operating direct flights between Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport and Udonthani from Nov 29. For the uninitiated, Udonthani is North Isaan’s largest commercial hub and is only a short trip from the Thai-Lao border and Vientiane. That’s the reason why Udon’s malls and growing range of cool hangouts are packed with newly-minted Laotians every weekend. A roundtrip ticket is from B3,580.