Old Bangkok Airport Could Be Back To Business If AoT Approves

[bdenner]

Tiger has started it's Udon - Singapore flights and I believe a Singapore - Perth route will soon commence. Bypass BKK!! - Thank the f#ck for small mercies.

Edited January 13, 2007 by bdenner

[onethailand]

Just because other "major" cities have two airports does not mean that Bangkok needs two airports. Major western metropolitan areas naturally have more than one airport because of the natural growth of the metropolitan area. But secondary airports such as some of those mention in this thread serve only domestic routes, and do NOT replace routes being flown out of the major airport.

In Thai Airways' case, they say they want to keep three routes. Which means anyone wanting to fly to Chiang Rai, Hat Yai, Krabi or any of the other domestic airports will no longer be able to do so without a tortuous transfer from Suvarnabumi on the east side of Bangkok, to Don Muang in the north.

There are no rail links to either airport. Which means you are left with helicopter, or bus or limousine. You're going to have to wait for your luggage, get into transportation, get to Don Muang (or vice versa), get in line and check your baggage again.

This has to be one of the most idiotic ideas yet, especially after such heavy promotion promoting Suvarnabhumi as one of the most modern airports in the world. I sure hope the transport minister prevails and blocks this ridiculous idea. This idea is no doubt the brainchild of someone whose wealth depended on the success of Don Muang.

The *only* way this can work is to maintain some flights for domestic connections at Suvarnabhumi, so that travellers connecting to other provinces are not unduly troubled. And if Thai has to maintain these additional flights since they are the national carrier, they will have a very quick change of mind.

If Nok Air, on the other hand, moves its operations to Don Muang, and gives up any international routes, that would not be bad at all since Nok Air is not normally used for international connections. And people who want to travel domestically may not mind this at all.

Whomever called the current ruling junta the "u-turn" government got it exactly right.

[Jet Gorgon]

Still ghosts and gremlins at the new airport, it seems. Should have the monks do daily blessings, perhaps.

[Johpa]

This has to be one of the most idiotic ideas yet, especially after such heavy promotion promoting Suvarnabhumi as one of the most modern airports in the world. I sure hope the transport minister prevails and blocks this ridiculous idea. This idea is no doubt the brainchild of someone whose wealth depended on the success of Don Muang.

What?!? You perhaps believed the nonsense that the Snake Swamp airport, AKA Suvarnabhumi, was going to be a world class, leading edge airport facility and regional hub on its first iteration? This airport has always been a construction project whose primary goal was to enrich contractors and those who issue the contracts first and serve the flying public second. The jostling for position to profit from the building of the Snake Swamp facility has been going on since the 1970s and the Khriangsak era, decades before Don Muang's capacity even became an issue.

It is standard operating procedure in Thailand for a contractor to fail to meet contract guidlines or even fail to complete a contract thus requiring the issueance of new contracts to complete a project.

In the meantime, Don Muang has had several major expansions. If the government could induce the Air Force generals to give up their golf course and their under utilized eastern half of Don Muang Air Field, then even further expansion, including a third runway, would have been possible. But the Air Force generals not only wanted the government to build them a new airport, where the generals themselves would be the ones to profit the most from issued contracts, but also wanted to the government to pay for "their" land at Don Muang. Chaiyo!

I think the re-opening of Don Muang was inevitable. Sure there are lots of people who would benefit from the re-opening, but Don Muang grew organically within a community over generations and many of those who would benefit from the re-opening are ordinary people living close by in the town of Don Muang and the surrounding areas.

As for making connections between Snake Swamp and Don Muang, the easiest solution would be a connecting helicopter flight; otherwise, an overnight transit in Bangkok or Chiang Mai might be needed for the very few people each day who wish to fly direct from overseas to the lesser destinations such as Chiang Rai. And if there were enough demand, I am sure Bangkok Air would initiate flights direct to Samui from the Swamp.

[onethailand]

What?!? You perhaps believed the nonsense that the Snake Swamp airport, AKA Suvarnabhumi, was going to be a world class, leading edge airport facility and regional hub on its first iteration? This airport has always been a construction project whose primary goal was to enrich contractors and those who issue the contracts first and serve the flying public second. The jostling for position to profit from the building of the Snake Swamp facility has been going on since the 1970s and the Khriangsak era, decades before Don Muang's capacity even became an issue.

Whether I believe it or not is not the issue. Suvarnabhumi was promoted that way throughout Thailand and Asia. I, for one, think it still shouldn't be open - but we're past that stage now and it is absolutely silly to suddenly say "Oh, we made a boo boo, maybe we should move domestic flights back to Don Muang."

(for the record, who would believe that nonsense anyhow? )

What they should have done is continued to use Don Muang, which was coping just fine, and completed Suvarnbhumi properly.

It is standard operating procedure in Thailand for a contractor to fail to meet contract guidlines or even fail to complete a contract thus requiring the issueance of new contracts to complete a project.

Again, not relevant. You and I know this is true. But as I have pointed out before, Suvarnabhumi is already open even though it shouldn't be - so for AoT to take a step backwards like this, with Thai Airways in full support of "saving 3.x billion" a year, is sheer nonsense.

I think the re-opening of Don Muang was inevitable. Sure there are lots of people who would benefit from the re-opening, but Don Muang grew organically within a community over generations and many of those who would benefit from the re-opening are ordinary people living close by in the town of Don Muang and the surrounding areas.

Of course - and it occurs to me that the only reason someone even promoted the idea of reopening Don Muang is because that someone stood to benefit from such an event.

As for making connections between Snake Swamp and Don Muang, the easiest solution would be a connecting helicopter flight; otherwise, an overnight transit in Bangkok or Chiang Mai might be needed for the very few people each day who wish to fly direct from overseas to the lesser destinations such as Chiang Rai. And if there were enough demand, I am sure Bangkok Air would initiate flights direct to Samui from the Swamp.

Helicopter would be nice - but not practical nor affordable. As for the rest, I do not agree that there are very few people each day who transit in Bangkok for upcountry destinations other than Phuket, Chiang Mai and whatever the last destination was.

Mae Hong Son, or Roi Et, maybe. But Hat Yai, Krabi, and Chiang Rai, I completely disagree. And if Bangkok Airways is moved back to Don Muang, then Samui gets added to the list - and we all KNOW that a lot of people transit to Samui.

Thailand has long been a tourist-friendly destination. Any move to relocate domestic flights back to Don Muang will have a negative impact on tourism, period.

[jumnien]

I really find it hard to imagine a complete collapse of tourism in Thailand just because some domestic flights to Buriram, Mae Hong Song, and Ubon Ratchachani are departing from Don Muang instead of the new airport. Many of us would actually prefer Don Muang for short hops to relatively obscure locales about the kingdom. I don't think the BKK - London route is scheduled around easy connections to Sakhon Nakhon anyway.

[steffi]

Can't for the life of me see why Thai Airways wants to keep the Khon Kaen flight at the new airport. It would be a big bonus for that flight to come back to Don Muang.

[Florin]

I doubt BKK Air would move flights to Don Muang...pretty much all their flights are 100% geared towards tourists and they do have interline baggage transferring...if this thing gets approved, I'm sure BKK Air is going nowhere. AirAsia, NokAir, yes, but not them.

[onethailand]

If you exclude Thai Airways from the equation, I think it's not a bad idea at all. No-frills carriers such as Air Asia and Nok Air and One-Two-Go can move back to Don Muang, as anyone flying no-frills should already be prepared for a bit of inconvenience, plus they are not normally tied to interconnecting international flights. Add Jet Airways, Tiger Airways, and the other non-Thai no-frill carriers, and Don Muang would have plenty enough business.

Thai Airways, however, has a responsibility as the national carrier to make connections to other domestic destinations convenient, in addition to code-sharing with its international partners - or else it should farm out those routes to Nok Air, or give them up completely if they feel they cannot make money on those routes.

I really find it hard to imagine a complete collapse of tourism in Thailand just because some domestic flights to Buriram, Mae Hong Song, and Ubon Ratchachani are departing from Don Muang instead of the new airport.

My mistake - I meant to say "Any move to relocate THAI domestic routes..."

Edited January 14, 2007 by onethailand