josephbloggs

Good job the video had those big red circles otherwise I wouldn't have noticed anything.

On 15/03/2018 at 2:33 PM, siam2007 said:

 

 

The Airport rail link truly is a disgrace for Thailand, and the entire hapless SRT management needs to be kicked out.

That is what tourist encounter upon arrival at Swampy:

- waiting up to two hours at immigration

- then proceeding to the Taxi counter and wait for another 30 minutes sometimes

- then being told by the Taxi driver that the 20 Km ride to downtown costs 800 Baht and no Meter will be used

- then jumping out of the Taxi exasperated to use the ARL instead

- then being squeezed near to unconsciousness  on board the ARL

Do you want to be a bit more dramatic?

I fly in and out very frequently.  I have never waited anywhere near two hours at immigration.  Flew in today and the queue was all the way out of the snake and down the ramp.  It took 40 minutes.  40 minutes is still way too long but two hours is ridiculous.  Quite often - more often than not in fact - I am through in less than 5 minutes.

Taxi queue is normally very quick.  Never waited 30 minutes, ever.

I have never ever, not in any of my trips through Suvarnabhumi since it opened, never been ripped off by a taxi or had one that didn't use the meter.  Not once.

Never jumped out of a taxi exasperated to use the ARL.

I totally agree the ARL is very overcrowded at peak times and unacceptably so - I use it for commuting most days - but an exasperated tourist boarding at the airport will most likely get a seat.  It gets busier and busier as it goes down the line.  Also agree that the SRT management is the worst in Thailand and utterly incompetent.  But please cut out the melodrama.  All your post was missing was the "final nail in the coffin of the tourist industry" line....

2 minutes ago, vaultdweller0013 said:

Nope, they won't.

 

Personal experience on SIN <-> BKK <-> KKC, which I do about once per month.

 

I would be very happy to be proven wrong, as it would make my life much easier.

Wow, that's is very surprising, or perhaps not so surprising actually.  Definitely not doubting your first hand experience, it just seems totally illogical.  But there you go.

8 minutes ago, vaultdweller0013 said:

Although Thai owns Thai Smile, its technically not the same airline.

 

In my experience, Thai/Thai Smile cannot issue tickets for the other, even if the trip is booked as a single itinerary. Along these lines, I have never been able to get bags checked through between the two, and I have Gold status with Thai, so if it were possible, they should have done it for me. 

If you go to the TG website you can book a single ticket right through from KK to LHR.  Even though the domestic leg is Thai Smile surely they can offer you a single itinerary as Thai Smile is a wholly owned subsidiary.  I can't believe they can't check your bags all the way through.

I am pretty sure bags would be checked all the way through from KK to London but you would need to clear immigration and pass through security again in Bangkok.  This wouldn't mean exiting and checking in again but using the transfer counters.  Would be interested to hear from the OP is this is/was the case (I am not saying this is definitely correct).

On 08/03/2018 at 9:16 PM, robsamui said:

I never knew that - I simply thought it was an option that you could chose, and nobody (in 21 years) ever spelled it our for me, or published it via any government information channels. Thanks for putting me right!

 

 

Lucky that you haven't already had a hissy fit and quit your job!  Wait.......oh.

I have gone through with baby food and formula before.  They were quite understanding and just made us drink some in front of them.  This was may be five years ago now, but that was well after the liquids / gels / 100ml ban.  So yeah, my experience may not be relevant, but I'm sure they would still have lenience for baby stuff as long as you can prove it by ingesting some in their presence.

However my experience is old and anecdotal.  May be helpful, may be not.  Take it as you will, and good luck.

5 hours ago, bridge2bridge said:

You must not have been to many airports.

ALL the ones i have been to charge more than outside shops.

Yes, I know.  I was pointing out that most airports do this.  It is an airport thing worldwide and can't be attributed to the "Thai Greed" our other poster so wishes it could be.

5 hours ago, 1337markus said:

THAINESS!

So an airport charges high rents and so items cost more than in the city.  That is pure THAI GREED!!

Doesn't happen in any other airport around the world because that wouldn't equate to THAI GREED!!  (Don't forget the CAPS)!

6 hours ago, Luckysilk said:

That's the one, the one that is easy to get to but hard to get back to arrivals or departures as one and only escalator is for airport staff only and passengers have to cram into a small lift to go back upstairs.

 

Why are the escalators in the terminal are not for passengers is beyond me it is ridiculous.

It's not that it's a special escalator just for staff to annoy people like you or that Suvarnabhumi is so backward they don't let passengers use escalators;  that escalator you refer to goes straight into the arrival area where there is a constant flow of passengers coming out.  For the same reason that (quite large) lift doesn't stop on that floor either, nor can you enter the airport on that level from doors 4-6 as you'd be clashing with the flow exiting the area.  It actually makes sense.  You can enter the arrivals hall at either end of the airport so you there isn't chaos with people coming in where thousands of people are flowing out.

At least that's what I think you're referring to.  Apologies if you are talking about somewhere else.

9 minutes ago, oldlakey said:

Oh dear

My first Post was POST 36 which was in reply to YOUR POST 34

Who you initially replied to I dont know but it was not yours truly 555555555

Ah yes.  I didn't check the names, I just assumed you were the one who originally replied to me.

As you were.

3 minutes ago, oldlakey said:

You replied to a post that mentioned Prince Philip as the only thrust of that particular post

I doubt Boris served in the Royal Navy during WW2

 

 

I don't want to split hairs but I replied to a post in a thread about Boris Johnson that said people should be judged by their actions not their words, thereby implying that Boris' words were not important - rather his actions should be.  Nowhere in your post did you mention the Royal Navy or WW2.

Anyway now we've sorted that out I think we're in agreement; Boris Johnson is an incompetent buffoon, a liar, a self interested shameless creep and should not be allowed anywhere near the political office he currently occupies.  Prince Philip did something good in WW2.  There we go.  Thank you.

3 hours ago, ezzra said:

Prince Phillip is very well known for his whimsical and starge remarks, should

we ask him to resign as well? people are measured with their quality of their deeds,

and not their tongues....

And the quality of his deeds are?

3 minutes ago, bluesofa said:

The article quotes, "making an offensive joke about sex tourism to Thailand – which has notoriously involved the abuse of children."

 

First of all, I am not defending the abuse of children.

But, for a journalist to talk about sexual abuse of children as though it was a problem peculiar to Thailand?

What about the girls who were sexually abused in Rotherham (UK) while the local council for years continually ignored the problem and ignored the multiple reports submitted to them about it? That's one sexual abuse problem closer to home that is now being ignored, in order to make a cheap jibe at the expense of Thailand.

 

Ah yes, good point.  So when they are reporting on his speech they should also point out what happened in Rotherham, makes sense.  No wonder I never made it as a journalist.

Thanks for posting, always nice to hear things like that.

3 hours ago, NoBrainer said:

This was a poor design from the beginning. Should have been Dual Track all the way. Running trains in both directions on a single track is a disaster waiting to happen, and severely restricts capacity.

 

It is basically useless as an Airport train. It is far too crowded most of the time, to even get standing room, and nowhere to put large amount of luggage.

 

If you need to catch a flight & your on a tight schedule, the last thing you need is to have to wait for 2 or 3 trains, because there is no way to get in.

 

The only people that like it now are the Taxi Drivers.

 

Should build a new set of tracks Directly from Don Muang to Central Bangkok (Maybe Maakasan, or somewhere better with less traffic, but easy connection to BTS/MRT) and then onward to Suvarnabhumi Airport.  Don't mix it with normal commuters.  Look st the Hong Kong Airport train for some guidance. 

 

Then the Existing Airport Link could be used as a commuter train.

 

But yes, additional cars are badly needed.

What on earth are you talking about?  If you had been on it you would know that it IS dual track all the way.  This is quite obvious because 1) you can see two tracks, and 2) you pass trains going in the opposite direction.

I find it quite useful as an airport train because it goes to the airport.  Yes it is way too crowded inbound in the morning rush hour(s) and outbound in the evening rush hour(s) - it really is horrendous at those times.  But the other times of day you can still get on any train - I know because I do.  And the only people that like it are taxi drivers?  Well then why is it so busy?

And by the way the Red line under construction will serve Don Muang and connect with Bang Sue.  Eventually the Airport link is supposed to connect to that too.

What a strange post, even for TV.

12 hours ago, Darcula said:

 

What happens at Suvarnabhumi. Not exactly a good benchmark, that.

 

Why not?  Do you actually use it or just going on TV stories from the usual people who complain about everything?

I travel in and out of Suvarnabhumi two or three times a month and I've been using the airport since it opened (lived here since 1995).  In the early days it used to be bad but these days it's a breeze.  Well organised, the queue system works well, it's generally quick and I have never, ever been refused a meter.  Never, in well over 100 trips.  

On 25/01/2018 at 10:46 PM, Lakegeneve said:

From my understanding 2 or 3 of the 4 old Express trains should have already have been converted by now? All 4 were finally meant to be done by early Feb.

Supposed to have been, but no, none of them have been (or at least I've never come across one and I use it pretty frequently).

It's definitely not sociably acceptable.  

11 hours ago, Lakegeneve said:

According to an article in the Post today, the Deputy Transport minister has reaffirmed that there will be no new ARL train order until the Eastern HSR line plans are finalised which will not be until at least mid 2018. So don't expect any decision on new rolling stock until the end of the year......sigh...

 

The ARL will start operating from 5.30am from Feb. when a new timetable is introduced.

Yeah saw that, very disappointing and short sighted.  Starting at 5.30am may help the overcrowding at 6am but how is it going to have any effect on the overcrowding at 8am or 9am (when you can't get on trains) or the same problem in the afternoon/evening?  

And does anyone know what is wrong with the track at Hua Mark?  The trains coming in to Hua Mark now have to slow to almost a complete stop to take the split in the track, especially going towards the airport.  It is so slow the approach to the station takes a good couple of minutes and once the split is completed (just before the station) the train then has to accelerate to reach the platform.  It is noticably worse and much slower now than it has ever been, so I assume there is some issue with the track / points.

On 04/01/2018 at 1:11 AM, TunnelRat69 said:

Pho 24 Resturant in the Emporium  -  Good Vietnamese food - forget Viet Cuisine on 7th fl MBK, not even a good facimile of Vietnamese food.  Ate there for the first time today, I don't recommend it.  The cook doesn't even speak Vietnamese  (haha)

A Pho 24 in Emporium?  Is it related to the Pho 24s in Vietnam?  If so that would be worth a try.

Agree with the rest of the comments that there is no good Pho in Bangkok otherwise.   Was quite interested when I saw a Pho place called PhotyNine open in Ekamai......but it was rubbish.

On 19/12/2017 at 5:15 PM, Thaidream said:

The Phaya Thai station on the BTS does not have escalators on either side of the station up to the track and even Pom Prong is missing escalators on one side. Most stations have an escalator from the street to the first platform but not all have escalators up to the train track.

The reason for this is simply because the operator refuses to spend any money on improvements because they know customers must have the transportation  and they don't care about customers.

 

That is utter rubbish.  Phaya Thai and Phrom Phong both have escalators on either side going up to the platform, as do all of the other stations.