richard_smith237

8 hours ago, ronster said:

Why are the taxis not randomly pulled over for checks to the meter by the transport department or police and make the fine 10,000 bht or more plus points on licence and car impounded for a month if caught using a dodgy meter.

Answer: because that takes effort... real police work... 

13 hours ago, mstevens said:

No Thai drivers licence and worse still, you got behind the wheel after you'd had a few drinks. Funny how these things happen....

Not having a Thai DL should not be an issue if he has a DL from his home country (in English)...

As far as moving the car while drunk - Yes, very silly, but its not the 'horrendous crime' some are making it out to be, its not as if he took a joy ride into the city while hammered.

Simple points which really needed mentioning in the Op.

1) Does the Brand new Ducati have Insurance ?

2) Does the Car have insurance ?

If neither have insurance why should the Op be on the hook for others not being responsible for the things they own?...  Yes, he made a completely idiotic mistake.... but thats what insurance is for in the first place.

22 hours ago, Sandboxer said:

From the way he wrote it, it sounds like the insurance company already knows who drove the car and subsequently denied coverage?!

If thats the case, all parties involved were dumb....   It would have been extremely easy for them to just state that the licensed Wife drove had the accident. 

Additionally, the Op's home country license (if in English) should be valid for use in Thailand... i.e. IF the Op is from the UK and has a UK licence, then that is also valid in Thailand.

No mention of 'cracking down' on the rental shops renting out motorcycles to those without licenses.... 

.... only 'verifying renters’ driving licences'.....   translated: Getting tea money from all those tourists renting motorcycles, but nothing being done about the rental shops which illegally rent out motorcycles to those without a licence.

As always - the Police operate in an 'upside down' manner...    IF they don't want tourists without licenses renting out motorcycles - target the actual shops doing the renting.

16 hours ago, geisha said:

On 6/11/2024 at 3:39 PM, richard_smith237 said:

 

How long are you waiting for your baggage... 

 

As pointed out - I'm usually through and in the baggage hall within 10mins of the air-craft doors open. 

 

I rarely wait more than 10 mins...   but if it were 20 mins I'd still think that no unreasonable. 

 

 

Thus, I am curious... how long do you think its taking you...  from plane docking / doors opening to receiving baggage ? ... as it seems your complaint is about waiting a long time for baggage which doesn't mirror my experience of approximately 8 arrivals per year.

 

 

 

 

 

Expand  

Often around 30 mins waiting at the belt .  I  arrive  with Emirates at 13 h, or Swissair 11 am. if that makes a difference.  I’m retired so traveling is my preferred hobby, and always when staying around 4 months in Thailand I do get bored and have to go wandering. I’ve been doing this since 1984,I’m lucky to have had  a career that gives me my EU winter season free 5 months a year,  and I’ve mostly been a snowbird in Thailand. The airport , in my opinion, has had huge problems , beginning around 7 to 10 years ago. Before that it was much better due to less tourists. Thailand is suffering from overload in all the domains, we are seeing the results. Crumbling infrastructure and bad service.

Yup... thats a long time for the baggage to come through....    If taking 10-15 mins from the doors of the plane opening to get to the baggage hall, then waiting a further 30 mins - thats a total of 40-45 mins for the baggage to come through - thats too long.

That said: I often arrive at similar times (Emirates / Qatar) and have not noticed long waiting times...  

I just haven't noticed the same issues as you...  IMO the only issues the Airport has had recently (past few years) is slow Immigration (which is being resolved as per this Op) and being extremely busy... Some of that is resolved with the Satellite terminal, but check-in is still extremely busy.

3 hours ago, Photoguy21 said:

You may need an arrival stamp if stopped by the police so they can see you are legally in the country.

Not true....  (and a common misconception) - Only Immigration Police can check your Immigration Status, in and around the country, or upon arrival and departure - The 'conventional' police force 'should' not be able to do this, though they can ask for Government Issued Photo ID which is commonly our Passport, or another form of Photo ID issued by a Government Authority of our home nation or Thailand. 

5 minutes ago, Georgealbert said:

So if I want to stop that silly buzzer, I just put the belt behind me.

 

What is it going to save the cabin crew? They still have to check, window blinds, tray tables, baggage stowed under seats, no baggage on window exit seats, babies/young kids are strapped in, overhead lockers are closed, arm rests are down and seats are upright.

Sure... and people do and will continue to do that - thats their own issue / fault. 

My In laws do that in their car, even though when in my car they put their belt on without asking.

Some will break laws, think regulations don't apply to them etc... we can't apply perfect legislation for all..  BUT... IF people are stupid enough not to wear a seatbelt when 'sat' thats their own issue. 

-----

What about the staff...   Thats a risk they take when flying... not much more can be done about that.

What about the people sat in the business air-bar (if there was one) - thats their own risk.

What about people waking to the bathroom or in the bathroom - thats a difficult one, as we can't have our seatbelt attached all the time....  we also can't 'hold it'... thus...    do we just have to accept the risk ? - I think thats about all that can be done.

It may be argued that compensation is 'chump change' - but I'm of a position that there was no negligence, so no compensation is warranted. 

As far as crew are concerned - the Airline should have insurance for such circumstances - to compensate crew, pay disability benefits etc.

45 minutes ago, impulse said:

 

I don't know that the idea is that far out.  There have been several times that I thought I was strapped in, but the buckle didn't catch.  Having a little flashing light overhead warning me would have been helpful.  Also in cases where the seatbelt sign goes on...  People just aren't thinking, and a little warning light above their seat would remind them.

 

It would also reduce workload for the flight attendants who have to check everyone's crotch area before landing to make sure we're all strapped in.  They've gotta love that part...

 

Expensive?  I'm sure it is.  But worth evaluating.

 

Valid point....     it can't be that hard to have a light that shines' when the seatbelt is not attached... 

But, it does involve the re-design of all cabins - perhaps that's an easy addition on 'new-Aircraft'...  But, the industry is Global, and thus requires international agreements. 

Perhaps the seriousness of this incident will trigger such agreements. 

15 minutes ago, TroubleandGrumpy said:

Absolutely true - that is what all the 'white hatred' is based upon, and some of it is justified. We (Christina societies) went around the world and 'converted' all the natives we could in the name of our religion - just look at Sth America.  But the truth is that was wrong, and in a lot of cases we have 'handed back' (especially after WW2) - yes they were damaged, but we handed them back.  Yes we were wrong and we should have been deported or banned (like in Japan and China) - but our technology was vastly superior and the natives had no chance.  Islam is still in that faze and has been since 800AD - that is what some people are failing to see. Islam no longer 'takes over' through conquest like we and they did in the past, bow they take over though immigration and trade and family growth. I forgot his name but an Islamic cleric addressed the UN decades ago and said "we will conquer Europe through the wombs of our women".  

 

There are 10 million people in Sweden and about 1.5 million are Muslim. Swedes are leaving/dying and they have 1.2 kids per family.  More Muslims are arriving (Immigration, Refugees and Family Reunion programs) and they have 5-6 kids per family. The end result is inevitable - same as Indonesia and Malaysia - just a matter of time. 

Here it is... not from a 'Westerner'.... But from a Muslim, the UAE Foreign Minster....  

3 hours ago, Georgealbert said:

The airlines are realistic and know making seat belts mandatory is not practical.

 

So are you also saying the cabin crew, should be strapped in all the time also? Or you think their safety is not to be considered or a cabin crew member thrown in the sir will not injury anyone else? If crews are to be strapped in at all times, then no food or drinks!

 

These types of events are rare, as on an average day there are over 98000 commercial flights. You have not considered deep vein thrombosis (DVT) or first and business class flights with access to onboard bars.

 

Pilots base their judgement, if turbulence is expected, on instrumentation and weather radar, pre flight weather reports and forecast and additional information on unexpected turbulence, often passed between pilots and ATC (Air Traffic Control).

 

 

IATA (The International Air Transport Association) have developed a new data exchange platform called ‘Turbulence Aware’ which is designed to provide airlines with better information for flights. 

 

https://www.iata.org/en/services/statistics/safety-data/turbulence-platform/

So no I have not missed the point, I have considered the details and not just a simplistic solution, which the airlines themself have dismissed.

 

 

You are gaslighting....    everyone knows keeping your seatbelt fastened while seated and at all times its practical to do do so, i.e. when not doing to the toilet etc...   is sensible. 

If people want to ignore recommendations and use the bar in business class etc...  thats their risk. 

Should they be 'compensated' for having a drink in business class when the risk of entering 'clear air turbulence' is something we are all aware of ? (most of us).

DVT can be mitigated with flight socks, inflight leg exercises and pre-flight medication (i.e. Heparin - for those in high risk groups)...

Pilots cannot 'base use any of their judgement' for CAT - its something that is unforeseeable and unexpected, it doesnt come up on a radar...

It seems you are blaming the airline for the passengers not fastening their seatbelt - this is 'almost' in alignment for blaming the taxi company for your injuries in an accident when you are not wearing your seatbelt and another car hit the taxi you are travelling in.

31 minutes ago, bob smith said:

59 minutes ago, richard_smith237 said:

 

Do you have unusually large hands bob ?  

 

 

No.

 

But I have an unusually large Penis!

 

bob.

Ah... so he had exceptionally small hands.... 

2 hours ago, bob smith said:

why on earth would someone blurt out they have a micropenis to a complete stranger they just met less than an hour ago?

Do you have unusually large hands bob ?  

2 hours ago, Photoguy21 said:

So how would this work for persons that have overstayed their visa? Further, on entry if they were used how would your passport be stamped in?

Good idea if everyone plays by the rules but as has been demonstrated many times there are those who abuse the rules.

Who needs an arrival stamp ? 
People who can’t remember how long they’ve been in for ?

All info is in a digital database, any overstayers will be flagged if attempting to depart via the e-gates, just as they are in other countries. 

5 hours ago, Highlandman said:

 

Travelers need to exercise personal responsibility, not be forced to buy things.

 

While travel/medical insurance is a good idea, I don't think it should be forced.

 

Myanmar aside, which still requires Covid/medical insurance at least to apply for a visa, all other regional countries have scrapped insurance requirements. Why would/should Thailand impose such a requirement when even Singapore doesn't? 

 

Tourists would stop coming to Thailand and visit Laos/Cambodia/Vietnam instead.

I agree...    But its also somewhat of a conundrum... 

When a tourist rents a bike, no helmet, comes off his bike, smashes his scull, is taken to a private hospital, needs surgery, can't pay his costs, is transferred to a government hospital... and the bill comes to 500,000 baht....   then authorities complain that tourists are not paying their medical bills - the Optics look very poor for authorities.

I've argued in the past that the medical burden of tourists is a tiny amount of the income from medical tourism alone and a minute amount of the income from tourism in total - So perhaps the authorities should stop the 'bad tourists reports' of those who don't pay - which always looks very poor when read in the overseas press. 

Perhaps the better optics are 'I was so very well looked after following an accident in Thailand'...    

Additionally - some can't get travel insurance. Perhaps if there were a well priced 'option on arrival' to purchase cover and Thailand advertises that, it could be a good option.

3 hours ago, geisha said:

The baggage wait at the end is annoying. And that every time I arrive at Suvarnabhumi. 

How long are you waiting for your baggage... 

As pointed out - I'm usually through and in the baggage hall within 10mins of the air-craft doors open. 

I rarely wait more than 10 mins...   but if it were 20 mins I'd still think that no unreasonable. 

Thus, I am curious... how long do you think its taking you...  from plane docking / doors opening to receiving baggage ? ... as it seems your complaint is about waiting a long time for baggage which doesn't mirror my experience of approximately 8 arrivals per year.

12 hours ago, ChumpChange said:

I've been asked the same question many times over the years by both Thai men and Thai women from within mainstream Thai society. Many have even asked me if foreigners don't like white skinned women at all.
 

I try and be polite about it, but the truth is 80% of those relationships started in a bar and there are no light skinned Thai women available working in those bars. So it's not necessarily by choice. It's about availability and the least path of resistance for the foreigner who comes to Thailand for a week to find a woman to have some fun with.

 

Much easier for a middle aged white man in Thailand to find a dark skin woman working in a bar than to try and approach a lighter skinned one in a mall or public place when they are not living in Thailand and only have a short amount of time to hook up.

 

Some foreigners may even prefer the lighter skinned oriental look, but for most it again comes down to access, convenience and availability. 

Completely agree...     Then those guys will pull the wool over their own eyes and make some spurious claims...

... "She was just the cashier" being an old favourite....    Or... "She'd only just moved to the bar to join her Sister, I was her first customer" !!! 

.... Or... they met in 'spicy disco' (or some such place) after hours, so he plays the 'plausible deniability card' that his 'freelancer' was never a hooker 'cos she once worked at the reception of crappy hotel !!!! 

I've heard / read of some real humdingers in the past - but one thing is always clear, its easy to spot the hooker-farang couple and the foreigner in the mix never has a clue how obvious it is to anyone who's spent any length of time here.

4 minutes ago, KannikaP said:

On 6/10/2024 at 2:36 AM, webfact said:

This continuous flow system eliminates the need for passengers to go through checks one at a time.

Eh?

Yeah...  Someone used AI for that and input 'write an article on automated e-gates in the manner of a tampon advert' !! 

Continuous flow is obviously over egging it...   No e-gate system in the world is 'continuous flow'... you still have to stop, scan your passport, get your photo taken, place your finger prints, then when the system ID's you and matches your photo an fingerprints to your biometrics on record you get the green light - its a 30 second process at best, certainly not continuous. 

6 hours ago, geisha said:

It’s not only the departure , the arrival in a country is your first welcome to thousands of passengers daily !  At the moment it is a horrendous experience for most, the queues and then the disorderly baggage belt.  Why oh why do the suitcases take so long, I have often waited 20 to even 30 minutes ! And for those who say “ fly business “ , I can assure you I already do and it doesn’t make any difference to the belt wait . ( I fly Emirates and Swissair) . I go through Heathrow at least once a year and I have never had a wait . Even Bali where the airport is from an other era is very reasonable.The airport authorities should do a complete retrain of their staff, miserable lot and often downright rude , they should sort out their methods and their technology, for goodness sakes, get some experts on the job !  Stop with the nepotism and cronyism. It should be made illegal. ( don’t laugh). 

True story coming up...   At one of the US airports a common complaint came up - the wait for baggage was too long.

A 'marketing genius' at the airport resolved the issue by moving the 'arrival gate' further from the baggage area, the baggage arrived at the same time, but as people had a longer walk, they waited less for the baggage and complained less. 

I find the 'baggage handling' and timing at Suvarnabumi airport pretty decent, I get fast-tracked through Immigration etc with Thai Elite so am usually one of the first waiting - I'm therefore well aware of the 'wait times'.... 

Now that there is a satellite terminal, 'some' will take longer to arrive at the baggage hall and be incredible impressed at their reduced wait time because they've taken an extra 10 mins to get to there. 

Thus - the solution to your 'waiting for baggage' is not to fly business, but to travel economy, sit at the back of the plane, you won't have to wait for your baggage !!... 

Realistically: I'm often in the Baggage hall in less than 10mins from the air-craft doors opening - so a 10-20min wait for baggage is quite reasonable, certainly no worse than many other Airports IMO. 

I know Suvarnabumi enjoys a bashing from many on this forum, but travelling around a lot, its one of the better airports, and if the regular Immigration queues which have blighted arrivals can get resolved, this will make a huge difference for many. 

It's good to see AOT concentrating on the right thing.

Its also good to see the 300 Baht tourist charge not being added, as this was potentially going to cause further choke points unless they could achieve a way for streamlining that and avoiding choke points. 

Now they have to address the 'insurance' issue with so many tourists arriving without health / emergency insurance (travel insurance) and their hospital bills are not covered - it would be good for Thailand to find a way in which arrivals can either show they have insurance or purchase cover that ensures they get treatment without the controversy and negative optics that we see in the news.

22 hours ago, renaissanc said:

I'd like to see a digital stamp put on the passports of people who have a one-year visa so that they can use the passport machines at the airport.

Entering and departing could rely on biometrics and tied to your Immigration Profile - just as it does in many other countries. Finger Prints & Photo taken on arrival and departure, just like many other countries.

There's no need for any stamps - everything is already linked to your Immigration Profile - you should know already how many 'days you get'... over stay and the system flags it upon departure. 

I now enter many countries without an entry stamp, just using the e-gates.

People with long term Visas, & extensions of stay based on residency visas such as Non-Immigrant (based on work, Marriage, Guardianship, Retirement etc)... Could easily be issued a 'Card'...   that could be used in conjunction to enter and exit, everything is digital and stored on the card - this card could then be carried as ID to comply with the legal requirements to carry 'Government issued ID' in lieu of a Passport.

25 minutes ago, ChumpChange said:

Real question is why would anyone even want to get drunk?

Because its fun.

25 minutes ago, ChumpChange said:

Wake-up in the morning feeling like shiit with a pounding headache, all your cash is gone, awful taste in your mouth.

Not if you don't get so 'trolleyed off yer face' that a hangover is moderate at worst....  

Not if you drink in better company and don't get so 'pie-eyed' that you don't blow all yer wedge on lady-drinks....

Not if you drink the bootleg swill most bars serve and still to sensible amounts.... (and hydrate before sleeping).

25 minutes ago, ChumpChange said:

Why not just stay home, chew up some thousand Baht notes, and hit yourself over the head with a blunt object? Same thing innit. 

Each to their own...  but I think even a Chang tastes better than a note !!....   beers are refreshing.

Wine's are excellent with food... Whisky' is thoroughly enjoyable at the end of an evening...

So no...  not same thing at all really, not even close.

30 minutes ago, MalcolmB said:

I find the younger generation can’t hold their grog as well as us middle aged. 
They are a bit over sensitive these days 

I find the older generation to make a lot of unfounded, uneducated sweeping generalisations with no basis in fact but simply projecting flawed bias...