Suvarnabhumi 3 Months Later

[rogerdee123]

After three and a half months and passing thru Suvarnabhumi domestic and international as a passenger many times, I have the following observations:-

Positive:-

- Initial toilet shortage problems have largely been addressed

- Initial luggage fiascos have largely been solved

- There is now more reasonably priced thai food available

- More airline lounges have opened

- A few more seats are available

- Arriving vehicle traffic droping-off passengers is better organized

- Arriving planes now more often arriving at the terminal bridges

Negative:-

- Toilets still somewhat dirty and messy and out of order signs more frequent than should be (but not as bad as US airports)

- Luggage issues still exist (slow off loading and long - longer than Don Muang - waits at the carosel

- Still several airline lounges not yet opened

- Still not enough seating

- Still arriving planes must park on the tarmac (passengers bussed to terminal) much more frequently than Don Muang

- Confusion for hosts greeting arriving passenegers ... knowing which arrival door to wait at . Yes I know there are the signs which supposedly identify which door passengers will come thru ... but having met several passengers, I can testify that these signs are just as likely to be wrong as be right ... so perhaps 50% correct.

- Upon arrival getting transportation to the city is still not as easy or well organized as Don Muang

- Departure gates are generally not as comfortable as Don Muang

- It takes longer for a passenger to use Suvarnabhumi than it took at Don Muang

- All that glass is still dirty and getting dirtier

- This is a crowded airport, especially arrival hall

- During peak times, it's a real struggle.

Conclusions:-

- Because of it's huge size, Suvarnabhumi cannot ever compete with Don Muang in regard to getting in and out quickly (which is the main criteria by which I determine efficiency of an airport).

- Suvarnabhumi has improved in the last three months. I expect it will continue to improve. However some issues and realities cannot be improved.

- If tourism increases in Thailand and passenger load increases, Suvarnabhumi in it's present state will not be able to cope.

[somtaamgaiyang]

After three and a half months and passing thru Suvarnabhumi domestic and international as a passenger many times, I have the following observations:-

Positive:-

- Initial toilet shortage problems have largely been addressed

- Initial luggage fiascos have largely been solved

- There is now more reasonably priced thai food available

- More airline lounges have opened

- A few more seats are available

- Arriving vehicle traffic droping-off passengers is better organized

- Arriving planes now more often arriving at the terminal bridges

Negative:-

- Toilets still somewhat dirty and messy and out of order signs more frequent than should be (but not as bad as US airports)

- Luggage issues still exist (slow off loading and long - longer than Don Muang - waits at the carosel

- Still several airline lounges not yet opened

- Still not enough seating

- Still arriving planes must park on the tarmac (passengers bussed to terminal) much more frequently than Don Muang

- Confusion for hosts greeting arriving passenegers ... knowing which arrival door to wait at . Yes I know there are the signs which supposedly identify which door passengers will come thru ... but having met several passengers, I can testify that these signs are just as likely to be wrong as be right ... so perhaps 50% correct.

- Upon arrival getting transportation to the city is still not as easy or well organized as Don Muang

- Departure gates are generally not as comfortable as Don Muang

- It takes longer for a passenger to use Suvarnabhumi than it took at Don Muang

- All that glass is still dirty and getting dirtier

- This is a crowded airport, especially arrival hall

- During peak times, it's a real struggle.

Conclusions:-

- Because of it's huge size, Suvarnabhumi cannot ever compete with Don Muang in regard to getting in and out quickly (which is the main criteria by which I determine efficiency of an airport).

- Suvarnabhumi has improved in the last three months. I expect it will continue to improve. However some issues and realities cannot be improved.

- If tourism increases in Thailand and passenger load increases, Suvarnabhumi in it's present state will not be able to cope.

CANNOT COPE ALREADY!

[samtam]

Has anyone had experience of checking in with TG (economy and without frequent flyer cards) recently? I understand it was chaotic and remained so for several months, but I'd appreciate knowing whether that's improved. Thanks.

[rogerdee123]

Has anyone had experience of checking in with TG (economy and without frequent flyer cards) recently? I understand it was chaotic and remained so for several months, but I'd appreciate knowing whether that's improved. Thanks.

It depends upon the time you check-in. If it's a peak period time, it's still chaotic and you can expect long lines. If it's a slack period, it's fairly straightforward and easy.

[Rinrada]

Has anyone had experience of checking in with TG (economy and without frequent flyer cards) recently? I understand it was chaotic and remained so for several months, but I'd appreciate knowing whether that's improved. Thanks.

On last visit departure on the TG morning budgie to London the Q appeared to be all the way back to Bagna Trad.As said with FF cards...ROCI gold we have a dedicated check in so not 2 bad.

Good idea to sling all the dom.cheapos back to Don M for a while which would hopefully free up a some space and maybe give them (AAT)time to say build a NEW domestic terminal adjacent to the Suwann Main Shed.

Incid K wifie just got a new Gold card...Ok for another 2 years and I got my Birthday offer ...fly for half miles over the next 3 months (got 100,00 in the bucket)...so roll on March...

Have they Fixed / Re newed the Bogs Yet?

[danone]

the worst? once you're in the boarding gate it takes quite an effort to - if you want a coffee - get a coffee.

security controls were a mess when i boarded the last intl flight in dec.

so each time you'd get a coffee you have to cross security again ...

hail singapore and the ease of its airport.

[Soju]

- Initial toilet shortage problems have largely been addressed

Have they? I didn't notice any changes as of last week when I was there. They promised to build more toilets, but I didn't see any, but perhaps just didn't visit those areas where they were built. For me, I haven't seen any problems with a shortage of toilets from day one till now. Always a free toilet when I needed one, but maybe I've just been lucky or I'm not visiting the same toilets as you.

- There is now more reasonably priced thai food available

The reasonably priced Thai food (Magic Food Court on Level 1) has been open since day one. No changes there that I can see. A few additional food outlets (more expensive than the Magic Food Court, but not too bad) have opened up on Level 3, as well as airside.

- A few more seats are available

I'd say more than just a "few". At least in the departure hall there are lots and lots of the old seats from Don Muang that they brought over. Plus they've put them in some places airside as well. No change in the seating at the gates that I've seen, which has always been more than adequate for all the flights I've ever been on, but which some report as inadequate.

- Arriving planes now more often arriving at the terminal bridges

Do you have any numbers with regard to this? The busing is still very prevalent but also very unpredictable and don't think any one passenger could determine accurately if this has really changed or not. I've heard some passengers that still almost always get a bus, whereas some almost always get a bridge. I'm still getting a bridge about 25% of the time, the same as I did back when Suvarnabhumi first opened.

- It takes longer for a passenger to use Suvarnabhumi than it took at Don Muang

Based on my experience, I have to disagree 100% with this comment. There is absolutely no comparison between Suvarnabhumi and Don Muang in my case. Suvarnabhumi is a dream with respect to getting in and out quickly. By far the best large international airport in the world, bar none (out of the airports I've been to). I've never had any queues at immigration on arrival, and none-to extremely small queues (2 or 3 people max) on departure. I have yet to have checked-luggage, so cannot comment on any delays there, but on the few times at Don Muang where I had checked-luggage, I waited anywhere from 30 minutes to over 1 hour, which seems to be more than the times reported currently at Suvarnabhumi. Check-in lines have also been small for me, though that depends greatly on which airline, time-of-day, and how long before the flight when you arrive - but I'd classify this as primarily an airline issue and not an airport issue. I'm curious as to how much time it took you at Don Muang vs. Suvarnabhumi, and where your bottlenecks are. For me, it takes me about 30 to 40 minutes from exiting the plane on an international flight to arriving at my home in downtown Bangkok (off Sukhumvit, near Emporium). This is for an arrival at off-peak times. At Don Muang, it was an hour on a VERY good day when arriving at the same time. Sometimes more than 90 minutes. Likewise on departures - at Don Muang I waited several times for 30 - 45 minutes in immigration queues, whereas at Suvarnabhumi haven't waited more than 5 minutes. The only place that might take a bit longer is the queue at the security checkpoint, where one time I had to wait about 10 minutes due to a long line, but most of the time is comparable to Don Muang.

- During peak times, it's a real struggle.

I haven't really found anything at Suvarnabhumi to be a real struggle, certainly not in comparison to Don Muang. There are lots of people, especially in the arrival hall, as you say, but just a bit of patience and you can make it out of there and into a more sane and less crowded area. The arrivals area seems to have improved, with the removal of some of the booths from the center of the hall, but the taxi touts do remain a big problem there in that they unnecessarily crowd the hall, making navigating the place a bit of a struggle. The same taxi touts and crowding were also present at Don Muang. Overall, I'd say the arrival hall is a bit worse than Don Muang, but not really a huge difference.

Conclusions:-

- Because of it's huge size, Suvarnabhumi cannot ever compete with Don Muang in regard to getting in and out quickly (which is the main criteria by which I determine efficiency of an airport).

- Suvarnabhumi has improved in the last three months. I expect it will continue to improve. However some issues and realities cannot be improved.

- If tourism increases in Thailand and passenger load increases, Suvarnabhumi in it's present state will not be able to cope.

We both have the same criteria for determining the efficiency of an airport, but have totally different opinions of how that criteria plays out at Suvarnabhumi. I've been through the airport more than 25 times since September 28, and at various times of the day, both peak and non-peak times. Other than opening day and the first few days after, I simply don't see the delays that you are.

Edited January 15, 2007 by Soju

[roswell43]

Has anyone had experience of checking in with TG (economy and without frequent flyer cards) recently? I understand it was chaotic and remained so for several months, but I'd appreciate knowing whether that's improved. Thanks.

It depends upon the time you check-in. If it's a peak period time, it's still chaotic and you can expect long lines. If it's a slack period, it's fairly straightforward and easy.

This is the different a well manage airport with proper crowd control and a badly manage airport with little or no crowd control.

There was once when l was flying back from Singapore via Singapore Airline. Due to the extremely long queue at Singapore Airline check-in counter, the airport staff together with SIA staff open up extra counter at Silkair check in counter to assist the check-in process.....This is what crowd management is all about....

[Fielder]

Thats SIA for you. One of the best airlines in the world.

[samtam]

Has anyone had experience of checking in with TG (economy and without frequent flyer cards) recently? I understand it was chaotic and remained so for several months, but I'd appreciate knowing whether that's improved. Thanks.

It depends upon the time you check-in. If it's a peak period time, it's still chaotic and you can expect long lines. If it's a slack period, it's fairly straightforward and easy.

Thanks, but how do I know what is and isn't a peak period?

[Soju]

Has anyone had experience of checking in with TG (economy and without frequent flyer cards) recently? I understand it was chaotic and remained so for several months, but I'd appreciate knowing whether that's improved. Thanks.

It depends upon the time you check-in. If it's a peak period time, it's still chaotic and you can expect long lines. If it's a slack period, it's fairly straightforward and easy.

Thanks, but how do I know what is and isn't a peak period?

For TG, I've seen the standard domestic counters with some long lines early in the morning, when they first open. The staff starts arriving about 05:00, but not all the counters are staffed and not all the staff arrives at the same time. If you get there early, you'll see the monitors showing "economy", but you'll have no idea which counter will get staffed first, if at all, so it's real hit-and-miss. Once a counter is staffed, everyone rushes over to that line and if you're not lucky to get there quick, you'll either have to stand in your current line and hope someone comes soon, or opt to go for the longer line but be guaranteed you'll eventually be processed. Not nearly as orderly as the international check-in, but within an hour or so the queues are much smaller and it isn't so bad. I've not seen long queues there at any time of day except opening time.

For international, I saw a long queue also early morning when they first open up, and also at the end of the day, I'm guessing about 22:00 and onwards. I haven't seen a long queue at other times of the day. Regardless of the long queue, it looks worse than it is and goes pretty fast. A hint for those who don't have any checked baggage - there's one counter where you can go to, as indicated by the monitor above, which usually has nobody or only a few people in line, and could be much faster than the big single queue.

Naturally other airlines will be very different, depending on the times their flights leave.

[LindsayBKK]

PLUS the tarmac is breaking up. Never ending story.

I saw the CEO of Nok Air this morning on BBC and he was saying that the reason Nok Air was moving to Don Muang was because of overcrowding. He failed to say the real reason, which is what the government has said that part of the building structure was unsafe and they needed to use Don Muang until repairs had been done. Could be a long time I would think.

Let's pull down Suvarnabhumi Airport and start again shall we?

[somchai jones]

Thats SIA for you. One of the best airlines in the world.

Agreed. Without a doubt my favourite airline. Singapore Airport superb too.

In SE Asia IMHO Malaysia comes a very close second both with their airline MAS and KLIA airport.