josephbloggs

I find it a tad ironic that after so many, many posts complaining about the absence of a pedestrian link for the last 3 years - perhaps 1/3 of all posts in this thread have been about this issue - not one person has yet posted a comment or an evaluation of the new link now that it has finally opened last month!

Was it all much ado about nothing......???

One of the impressive aspects of the link project and perhaps to justify the nearly $3m budget is the large area which has been lawned and landscaped between the CAT and Ratchada rd. I only hope that it is maintained and survives beyond a few months!

Hi LG,

I've used it a few times and I have to say, as bendy slopey, zig-zaggy elevated walkways go, this is up there as one of my favourites. It's definitely in the top three anyway.

Cheers.

Matt

You're so eager to pick a fight and spout your venom, that you missed the entire point. It is far too early to decide the cause of this incident, be it landing gear malfunction or human error or other. Airbus will want a say in an open investigation, since their aircraft has been blamed. This is not "condescending, smug/superior' but reasonable and logical.

THAI is claiming a failure in the aircraft's right landing gear. Airbus will want to send a team to investigate, and will want the results of the investigation to be factual and open. THAi won't be able to wiggle out of that one, unless they admit they were being Thai and blaming the aircraft for human failure.

So you know that it was human error do you? It couldn't possibly have been a landing gear malfunction because there were Thai people flying the plane - must have been their fault/their stupidity......typical Thais.

Horrible, condescending, smug/superior attitude some people have, it's quite sad really.

Airbus will want to send a team to investigate, and will want the results of the investigation to be factual and open. THAi won't be able to wiggle out of that one, unless they admit they were being Thai and blaming the aircraft for human failure.

Oh, I see. You were simply saying that should Airbus investigators deduce that it was human error that - 1km after touch down - caused the nose of the plane to suddenly plummet to the ground and the aircraft to subsequently veer off the runway, then Thai won't be able to get out of that unless they admit they were simply being Thai and blaming someone/something else for their failures (as Thais do I infer). It also seems like you have already deduced it was human failure and there would therefore be something for them to wriggle out of.

You're right, nothing smug or superior about that, my mistake. Please carry on.

I noticed Thai airways were quick to paint over the tail logo on the plane to blank it out. Never seen them move so fast!

How long do you think that it will take to release the findings of the investigation.

I suggest it will never be publicly released if a person or persons is found to be responsible for the accident.

"we mustn't hurt their feeling must we not" TIT

THAI is claiming a failure in the aircraft's right landing gear. Airbus will want to send a team to investigate, and will want the results of the investigation to be factual and open. THAi won't be able to wiggle out of that one, unless they admit they were being Thai and blaming the aircraft for human failure.

So you know that it was human error do you? It couldn't possibly have been a landing gear malfunction because there were Thai people flying the plane - must have been their fault/their stupidity......typical Thais.

Horrible, condescending, smug/superior attitude some people have, it's quite sad really.

I stumbled across this SARL timetable app. I cannot vouch for accurate it is. It looks like it uses the published on-line schedule, and the clock to estimate the next available trains?

Obviously an app. which was linked directly into the SARL real-time database would be cool.

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.pprajak.arl&hl=en

I downloaded it and had a chance to test it today, going from Hua Mark to Makkasan. For the incoming train it was pretty accurate (within less than a minute), but I'm sure it just counts from the timetable. Having said that though, it said the train before mine was at 9.00am. Mine was at 9.19. The next one was 17 minutes after that, then the next one was 9 minutes after that. Maybe the App is updated every hour? Or maybe that just is the timetable, weird and irregular as it is (I haven't checked with the published timetable).

Useful app though.

Or if they could drop the passengers on one platform then change tracks and pick up on the other platform like the bts trains do at national stadium.

I know there's no cross over point beyond the station but there's one just before it. A bit fiddly but it could be done.

Was In the news about 10 days ago, they had just started repairs to many pot holes in the swampy runways and parking spots, repairs estimated to take 3 months. Delays expected.

Maybe this affected your Qatar flight.

I doubt that. That is scheduled work and shouldn't cause flights to be redirected, especially considering they flew back to BKK a little later. I'm guessing it was probably due to weather.

I'd be interested to know how long the flight from DMK to BKK took.

I flew back to England with them for Christmas with my wife and two young kids. I was dreading it but I have to say it was a really good flight. Plenty of room, new aircraft, decent service, beer whenever you ask for it.

I will echo what others said about Doha airport though. The bus transfers are a pain and take quite a long time each way. Then when you get to the terminal there is hardly anything there apart from the motorway cafe.

I would be happy to fly them again.

Aside from poor signage,rip off duty free ad ganster car parks taxi touts insufficient wifi and toilets whats not to like ,you may even be held hostage as this can be done with impunity and no consequences an utter failure.

Yes, be careful you don't get taken hostage as this happens all the time!! Literally every day!! Thanks for speaking out! Stay safe.

No surprise, for a new airport it is a total failure. I suppose a fe people got paid well though from it, and it is functional for the scammers.

I use it regularly. I turn up, I check in, I go through security and immigration, I have a couple of beers, I get on a plane, I take off from a runway. Pretty much the same procedure as any other airport I visit.

When I come back I land on a runway, I get off the plane, I go through immigration, get my bags, leave the airport, sometimes get the train, sometimes get a taxi - both are very cheap.

Please explain to me why it is a "total failure" and where you get scammed. I'm obviously missing something, or maybe I'm just lucky.

So, please, I want to know why you describe the airport as a "total failure"? It seems to work when I go there. And please refrain from repeating old wives' tales about getting arrested for window shopping etc., Where did it fail you? When and where did you get scammed? (I'm willing to bet that you haven't actually been scammed but you just like to repeat the typical TV line).

The most pathetically obvious set-up you could ever wish to see. Just ridiculous. Why are people even commenting on it?

There is some detail here: http://www.suvarnabhumiairport.com/business_phase2_en.php

Increased capacity comes from the new/planned mid-field satellite 1 concourse which looks to have ~ 30 fixed gates. There are lots of remote stands already. Maybe best to just build satellite 2 (further to the south) at the same time? Not sure at what point two runways, with limited take-offs/landings starts to become the short-straw? They have, at most currently, dual operation (take-offs and landings) on one runway, and single operation on the parallel runway, at any one time. During dry season not so much an issue, but during rainy season things can get stretched out a bit.

I think there were some issues with one of the runways at DMK, which might require a significant repair. Does anyone know if they are using both runways at DMK currently? And i think the runways at DMK are too close together for simultaneous, dual operation?

HI Lomatopo,

Thanks for the info. Unfortunately two of your links (satellite 1 and satellite 2) take you to eBay. Don't worry, I haven't bid against you.

Not sure what you're on about? I only pasted one, single link which should take you to www dot suvarnabhumiairport dot com.

I did embed/upload two pictures (if logged in, you should see thumbnails), so maybe there is some problem with your PC, browser, internet, etc.?

edited to add: ThaiVisa does seem to have some sort of new, automated 'process' which seems to add hot-links for certain words and phrases, so maybe that is what it throwing you off?

Hmmmmm, how strange. In your post both the mentions of the word "satellite" are hyperlinks. Both take you to different sales items on eBay which are vaguely satellite related. (Satellite speaker stands and something else, although yesterday they were model spaceships). I'm using Safari. If I use Chrome they aren't presented as hyperlinks.

Either a strange new TV thing or a strange new Safari thing....

There is some detail here: http://www.suvarnabhumiairport.com/business_phase2_en.php

Increased capacity comes from the new/planned mid-field satellite 1 concourse which looks to have ~ 30 fixed gates. There are lots of remote stands already. Maybe best to just build satellite 2 (further to the south) at the same time? Not sure at what point two runways, with limited take-offs/landings starts to become the short-straw? They have, at most currently, dual operation (take-offs and landings) on one runway, and single operation on the parallel runway, at any one time. During dry season not so much an issue, but during rainy season things can get stretched out a bit.

I think there were some issues with one of the runways at DMK, which might require a significant repair. Does anyone know if they are using both runways at DMK currently? And i think the runways at DMK are too close together for simultaneous, dual operation?

HI Lomatopo,

Thanks for the info. Unfortunately two of your links (satellite 1 and satellite 2) take you to eBay. Don't worry, I haven't bid against you.

I

New rolling stock from 2014

The SRT was granted money in May (4.2 billion baht) to purchase 7 new 4-car Cityline trains and if they ordered them on time they should be in service by 2014.

A year on and the purchase has been delayed due to the NESDB stating that the purchase price was too high - I also just noticed that I previously wrote 4.2 billion when it should have been 5.2 billion! Apols.

NESDB suggest purchasing cheaper CNR rolling stock but that would mean replacing the signalling system which is Siemens specific. Thus, Siemens has offered 10, 3 car sets at the same price (essentially 2 extra cars for the same price).

We'll see what the final decision is but highly doubtful that there will be any new rolling stock prior to early 2015 at this rate.

Hi LG,

Thanks for the info. I'd say rolling stock is the least of their worries though. I haven't used the system since I became frustrated with the slow speed but it appears they are still operating at 80 km/h. Is there any end to the track problem in sight? Obviously it will take some time if they have to replace the turnouts (points?) or grind the whole length, but will the speed eventually have to be reduced further if nothing happens to improve the track condition?

And how come I haven't seen anything about this in the press at all? Surely a cock-up on this scale is newsworthy? Even the letters pages of the papers haven't seen mention of it and people are normally not slow to grumble.

By stating the numbers charged have increased more than last year does not absolve the overall lack of policing. And I will bet these numbers are deliberately understated as those in critical condition whose demise may follow will not hit the list.

they count only the deads on the spot,the injured dying 10 minutes later in a taxi or hospital are not counted!

How do you know this? Please tell.

I understand your problem.

I have lived in Don Meuang for the past six years and even now, when I tell someone where I live, I sometimes get a blank look back. Pronunciation has to be spot on, otherwise you might as well be talking Swahili.

That's a ridiculous statement. It clearly wasn't a misunderstanding, the evil cabbie was trying to rip off the foreigner because that's what all Thais do, don't cha know? He asked for the airport and got taken to........the airport. Obvious conspiracy, obvious scam. Detestable Thais.

Honestly reading some of those comments makes me almost pity the posters.

You are absolutely correct in that in Thai, if your pronunciation is a little off, they genuinely don't understand you. Why do people on this site see conspiracies and rip-offs everywhere when often they clearly don't exist?

Travel a couple of times a month through it... It definitely improved 200% since the budget crap has been moved out.

It's a breeze, takes me about 20 minutes getting out of the taxi all the way through immigration.

Internet check in...quick check at the scanners...10 minutes max at immigration.

Consistently, every time.

For me, real winner now compared to a year ago.

20 minutes? What about when they bus you from a parked plane in the middle of nowhere?

What about when the plane does park at the very far end of the airport? I was at a gate last week that I've never been to and I'd swear I took every possible tread to get to immigration.

Once I got to immigration, the queue of Chinese and Russian tourists were weaving all the way through the line guides. It would have been atleast an hour.

Fortunately I saw a Thai friend of mine and jumped in with his group and went through the Thai queue.

Point is that the immigration lines are the holdup. Sometimes if you run quick, you can get in a queue with just 3-4 people. Late night landings are the worst as there is always a queue.

Waiting for luggage? Good luck getting out in less than 45 minutes.

Singapore, Hong Kong, always on time, always clean, and people movers (ie trains)

Why the AOT would even bother accepting this award from a no-name website is beyond me. Maybe someone's bonus hinges on it?

Honestly I don't understand how some people can whinge so much about things that really are not whingeworthy at all. It's not as though walks and occasional queues are exclusive to SVB and don't afflict other airports. And last time I was in the airport they did have moving walkways. Have they been removed now?

I flew in a week or so ago and was greeted by a long snaking queue at immigration and I feared the worst but - if you'd stuck around - you'd have seen that it moves pretty swiftly these days and I was through in less than 20 minutes. It looked like an hour's worth of queue! There are also people checking everyone's forms now BEFORE they reach the desk so that weeds out the inexperienced and helps keep things moving. From what it used to be like how about giving credit where it's due and say things are much much improved and that they've done a god job. But nah, we're on TV here, that can never happen.

My bags took a further five minutes and I was on my way home. I have never been left waiting more than ten minutes for my bags, maybe I'm just lucky.

I do agree about being bussed to/from aircraft - I hate that - but that is up to the airline concerned. And, guess what, they also do that in Hong Kong!

Best? Maybe best in Indochina region but there is no way it can beat Korea......

I never been to Korea so I can't evaluate their Airport.....

What a fantastic comment, thank you.

Anything else you'd like to rate that you've never seen, experienced or been to?

I made another RT Saturday on ARL from Makkasan to Huamak....leaving around 10 am and returning around noon.

The City Line train was reasonably full on the way out, and packed sardine can full on the way back.

On one of the segments, while the train was moving at full speed between stations, there were two really loud and sharp metallic BANG sounds within a few seconds of each other. It kind of sounded like the train had run over something to make that noise.

And on a couple of the station departures, the train took a pretty good jolt as it transitioned from the station track area out onto the main track line.

Those two sharp bangs have always been there. They even have signs on the trains (small ones) to say not to worry about that noise because it's normal. In fact I asked about it here about a year ago but never got any satisfactory answer about what causes it. I'd still really like to know.

Here's the link.

www.irrawaddy.org/archives/9460

best article I have read on swampy, runway closures are major problem.

I have to disagree - I think it's a terrible article as it contains little of any substance. I'm no great lover of SVB but I use it often and I think it is "ok". I've been to many better airports and I've been to many more worse ones. But apart from the issue of cracks what does the article tell us?

"Some passengers were forced to wait up to four hours for their baggage to appear on the day it was inaugurated." Wow, some passengers waited four hours for their bags on a single day SIX years ago!! Check out what happened to Hong Kong airport on its opening day, likewise Heathrow Terminal 5. Seriously, putting something like that in an article shows extreme bias in my opinion.

Then they go on to quote some conjecture by an anonymous man on an internet forum - or "an engineer on the Thai Visa Forum website" as they put it. Again, irrelevant and exceedingly sloppy journalism. Whatever happened to checking your sources?

They then described an incident that caused four flights to be delayed.

The rest of the article is then devoted to passenger comments and some untrue statements. A passenger doesn't like it because there are long walks. Yes, it is a big airport. Believe it or not you also have to walk long distances at other large airports. Another passenger says the restaurants are not diverse enough and are "tucked away". Oh, poor him.

It then goes on to describe how a plane had to circle for an hour! The horror! SVB has two runways and does get very busy. On my last trip back to the UK I had to circle for close to 90 minutes but, guess what, nobody interviewed me about it. It happens.

Sorry, that was one of the worst articles I have read. Devoting so much space to conjecture, opinion and quotes from internet forums - especially this one! - is not a good example of journalism at all; far from it.

SVB does have it's problems and I do believe (not that I know) that the runways and taxiways were badly constructed. But this article is so slanted it should have been written in italics.

King power in so many cases are NOT duty free, local shops are cheaper, the rip off starts on arrival and ends on departure with them. What they want is serious competition. example 7-11 1 or 2 bht dearer but what a business they do, they stopped many overcharging.

Just to add Udon airport 1 bag of LAY--potato crisps marked at 20 bht (pepsi Co ) sold at 35 bht--the lady said it's because it's the airport Ha Ha. same as airport can of coke buy in at 11 bht---shop price about 15 bht airport price 50 bht, <deleted>

Yes, I agree completely. I remember retail prices at DMK used to be expensive so I was looking forward to a change and genuine competition when SVB opened........but the AoT in all their wisdom handed control of ALL commercial space to King Power. Ridiculous really.

Many years ago retail prices at Heathrow were much higher than Central London. Books, confectionary, beer etc. If I remember correctly a law was passed that effectively ended this practice. I would love such a thing to happen here but it is highly unlikely.

Why DMK? Because it isn't a great sterile shopping mall. Because when you arrive it smells like Thailand should smell rather than smelling like all the other 'international' airports.

Ah, yes, Don Muang smelt like Thailand and not like an airport. Of course. Food stalls, grilled chicken, traffic fumes, sewage....all of those things noticeably absent from the airport that had some trolleys and duty free shops to smell.

I stick with the nostalgia explanation - your post just backs that up for me.

Cheers.

Yes! Love Don Muang.

There are numerous posts like this. I just don't understand why people harp on about the good old days with DM being a far better airport. How quickly people forget. It was a horrible, dreadful airport. Too far away, horrible parking facilities, no mass transit option (I'm not counting Don Muang railway station), dark and dingy, terrible food and beverage outlets. It was awful.

In every respect SVB is a far superior airport. Seriously, why the love for DMK? (I'm willing to bet that at least half the people on here who slate SVB and wish for the good old days of DMK used to slag the hell out of DMK when it was our sole airport).

Perhaps it's because the Thailand we were flying into was simpler & more-exotic, less overcrowded & overpolluted, than it now is. And we'd love to go back to those days. Simple nostaligia in fact.

I certainly feel that way myself, without for-a-moment begrudging the Thai people the material-benefits, of modern 'civilised' life.

I think you've hit the nail on the head. Of course it is entirely subjective but for me it is nostalgia plain and simple. Any logical arguments (not that I've seen any yet) just don't stack up.

I've lived here over 18 years and I used to hate DM - I couldn't wait for SVB to open. For me DMK was one of the worst airports of any major capital I'd been to.

But, each to their own.

Yes! Love Don Muang.

There are numerous posts like this. I just don't understand why people harp on about the good old days with DM being a far better airport. How quickly people forget. It was a horrible, dreadful airport. Too far away, horrible parking facilities, no mass transit option (I'm not counting Don Muang railway station), dark and dingy, terrible food and beverage outlets. It was awful.

In every respect SVB is a far superior airport. Seriously, why the love for DMK? (I'm willing to bet that at least half the people on here who slate SVB and wish for the good old days of DMK used to slag the hell out of DMK when it was our sole airport).

I have many fond memories of DMK, that great bar on the 1st floor,they brewed their own beer, Swampy always feels threatening, with it's frighteningly designed stainless steal ceilings. I never slagged DMK off and used to travel too and from there for more than 15 years. I LOVE DMK!

I will definitely agree with you on the microbrewery. At the end of Terminal 2, it was a great place to have a few pre (or post) flight beers. The Billy Bentley between the two terminals was also a pretty decent place to have a drink. SVB definitely lacks a good pub.

Having said that, once you went through immigration there were pretty slim pickings.

Yes! Love Don Muang.

There are numerous posts like this. I just don't understand why people harp on about the good old days with DM being a far better airport. How quickly people forget. It was a horrible, dreadful airport. Too far away, horrible parking facilities, no mass transit option (I'm not counting Don Muang railway station), dark and dingy, terrible food and beverage outlets. It was awful.

At least you didn't have to walk 2 miles through a shopping mall to get to your gate. WiFi actually worked in the gate area. Air conditioning actually worked in the gate area.

Sorry but the "shopping mall" thing does not stack up as an argument. DMK had plenty of duty free shops back in the day - run by King Power no less - and pretty much every major airport in the world is littered with them. SVB is no different in this respect.

You didn't have to worry about a fake arrest/extortion scam if you were window shopping while waiting for your flight.

Ah, yes, that old chestnut. Before I go on, has anybody here ever fallen victim to this "scam"? Does anybody know anybody who has? I read the same story you did about the old couple who were "arrested" and seemingly extorted. I'm not saying they weren't extorted - they almost certainly were. But didn't King Power release CCTV footage which actually showed them shoplifting?

Again, I'm not saying the scam didn't happen - I can easily believe it did - but making it sound as though it's something that happens regularly to people is simply ridiculous. It doesn't. Oh, and King Power - the people who extort people for window shopping in your mind - also run (and ran) the duty free outlets at DMK, so please explain how that makes DMK a better airport.

Let's not forget the taxi mafia was far far worse at DMK - you were practically swamped with people hassling you when you exited. It was awful.