Fast track immigration services?

[mockingbird]

I'm looking at using this crowd

https://www.limousine.in.th/fast-track-immigration.html?gclid=EAIaIQobChMI_tWll8OX3gIV0OJ3Ch121gZQEAAYASAAEgKic_D_BwE

 

Taxi to Pattaya + fast track immigration for 2500 baht.

They say that they have somebody meet you at arrivals, and assist you through immigration.

 

What exactly do they do? Is it worth it?

[KhunBENQ]

10 minutes ago, mockingbird said:

I'm looking at using this crowd

https://www.limousine.in.th/fast-track-immigration.html?gclid=EAIaIQobChMI_tWll8OX3gIV0OJ3Ch121gZQEAAYASAAEgKic_D_BwE

https://www.limousine.in.th/fast-track-immigration.html

 

Will you be flying on economy?

In this case I would inquire at them whether this statement on the website is still true:

 

Quote

This service can be used with any type of airplane ticket, not only business or 1st class tickets.

There was a statement recently that fast track service at immigration will be restricted to business or first class ticket holders.

 

If it's worth depends much on the hard to predict immigration queues depending on season of year and time of day. Set the price in relation to your ticket price.

I didn't find the price of 2500 to Pattaya all incl.

But this sounds really reasonable.

[ukrules]

They walk you to the fast track immigration entrance.

 

If you want someone to carry your cases you need the porter service as well.

 

My mother uses this, she gets the buggy, fast track and porter service and just sits back and relaxes. She doesn't get the associated taxi service, I usually either go to the airport myself or send someone to pick her up.

 

The way it works is literally described on the website and yes it works with economy, my mother would never fly any other way, she's pretty small though.

Edited October 21, 2018 by ukrules

[KhunBENQ]

6 minutes ago, KhunBENQ said:

In this case I would inquire at them whether this statement on the website is still true: 

Answering my own question.

Dated July 29 they confirm on their FB page that this service is still available to economy passengers!

https://www.facebook.com/FastTrackBangkok/photos/a.701259306565669/1973675989323988/?type=3&theater

 

[pee paub]

I've used these guys a couple of times and they were excellent. They took me to the aircrew immigration counter bypassing even the regular fasttrack line. Avoiding the normal immigration zoo is well worth the price for me.

[Pattaya46]

5 minutes ago, pee paub said:

// Avoiding the normal immigration zoo is well worth the price for me.

Below the "immigration zoo" with its long waiting queues at my last trip in June... 

You should try to know if there is usually queues for your fly hour before paying any useless "fast" service... IMHO.

 

[kane666]

45 minutes ago, Pattaya46 said:

Below the "immigration zoo" with its long waiting queues at my last trip in June... 

You should try to know if there is usually queues for your fly hour before paying any useless "fast" service... IMHO.

 

 

And that's the exit area...not the incoming immigration area...

 

 

[onera1961]

Does it work with perpetual tourists and people who are in and out of the country on tourist visas? If so, not a bad idea to avoid IO questioning.

[ukrules]

1 hour ago, onera1961 said:

Does it work with perpetual tourists and people who are in and out of the country on tourist visas? If so, not a bad idea to avoid IO questioning.

The fast track part avoids the queueing, you still go to an immigration officer so I doubt there would be any difference at all in that respect.

[theoldgit]

I booked a fast track service through them earlier this month, for an arrival at Don Muang, whilst we were away they emailed me to advise that they'd had to suspend the the service, my fee was prompty refunded.

 

A mate of mine was due to use them yesterday, I'll find out if the service is running again.

 

I don't know if they're still operating at BKK, they use the regular Priority Lanes there.

 

We've used their transfer service a few times, they're very good.

[Wiggy]

I have used this service twice, and both times it was excellent. I was met at the end of the air-bridge and escorted to the fast track immigration counter. Through in no time (five minutes maximum) and then had to wait for my bag and then escorted to an awaiting car. The staff have been very professional and polite each time and I've booked it again for next week. I use the service as it just takes the stress out of arriving.

 

I also have a credit card that entitles me to the same kind of service twice in a calendar year, but free of charge (I've used this up already this year hence booking the paid service for next week). The most recent time was in July and she said this particular free service had been/is being stopped, but when she saw the huge queues for immigration she seemed to take pity on me and managed to fast track me through anyway. I'm not sure if this is the service that others are referring to that may have been stopped already.

[Pattaya46]

11 hours ago, kane666 said:

 

And that's the exit area...not the incoming immigration area...

You are right 

Below is the entrance in Thailand Immigration area.

Even less people than at the exit 

 

[Wiggy]

5 minutes ago, Pattaya46 said:

You are right 

Below is the entrance in Thailand Immigration area.

Even less people than at the exit 

 

That's incredible. Is this a recent photograph?

[Proboscis]

11 minutes ago, Wiggy said:

That's incredible. Is this a recent photograph?

Was this taken on Oct 9th after the 747 skidded off the runway at Suvarnnabhumri and many intended arrival aircraft were held back at their airports of origin until they cleared it up about a day later?

[Briggsy]

I encounter an empty immigration area similar to the photo about 1 in 3 times I arrive. It simply depends on how many IO's they put on, what full large planes have landed in the last hour and which of the 2 immigration areas most people are being herded to. The photo is thus in my opinion entirely reflective of the situation around 30% of the time.

[onera1961]

Most of the time the immigration crowd is OK. At most 15 minutes to clear the immigration. However, on a few occasions I noticed it gets very crowded, specially when a few large Chinese airlines land from Beijing and Sanghai. Chinese people have a habit of making multiple lines where one is expected and friends and family members will queue up in multiple lines and then keep changing from line to line. One time I got so annoyed that I have to tell them not to change from line to line because it is not family festival. They apparently got annoyed and looked at me as if I have done some grave mistakes. However, they were not frightening and let me go ahead in the queue. 

[elgenon]

14 hours ago, KhunBENQ said:

Answering my own question.

Dated July 29 they confirm on their FB page that this service is still available to economy passengers!

https://www.facebook.com/FastTrackBangkok/photos/a.701259306565669/1973675989323988/?type=3&theater

 

Do you know what CIP Fastrack means?

Is that the lane an older person would use?

[Wiggy]

25 minutes ago, Briggsy said:

I encounter an empty immigration area similar to the photo about 1 in 3 times I arrive. It simply depends on how many IO's they put on, what full large planes have landed in the last hour and which of the 2 immigration areas most people are being herded to. The photo is thus in my opinion entirely reflective of the situation around 30% of the time.

I've arrived at Swampy 42 times and I have never seen it like that, hence the reason I started using the express service. I guess I'm just unlucky.

[Wiggy]

14 minutes ago, elgenon said:

Do you know what CIP Fastrack means?

Is that the lane an older person would use?

I'm pretty sure CIP means "Commercially Important Person."

[sfokevin]

I have used the exact service the OP linked (stand alone espresso Immigration - without limo service)... numerous times - They meet you just before Immigration as stated - walk you thru a no wait line works great... Though the last time I came thru I could see the regular Immigration entry was deserted so my vip treatment was really for naught... 

[seancbk]

45 minutes ago, elgenon said:

Do you know what CIP Fastrack means?

Is that the lane an older person would use?

 

CIP means Commercially Important Person.   Versus VIP which means Very Important Person.

CIPs (Commercially Important People) is an old euphemism for top-tier elites (or even a subset of those), ie your best customers who the FAs are no doubt trained to treat particularly well. They will normally be identified by the sales department.

VIPs are of course political leaders and others of such standing, who maybe don't fly on the carrier much but nevertheless need to treated with even more kid gloves than the CIPs. They will be identified by either the PR department or the airline CEOs office.
 

[Michael Andersen]

They have a similar service in Phuket, however the fast track service part is "temporarily unavailable" ...... They will only say that "sorry we can answer only we have been ordered to temporarily suspend our fast track service."

Anybody know the reason for this??

[GinSkipper]

2 hours ago, onera1961 said:

However, on a few occasions I noticed it gets very crowded, specially when a few large Chinese airlines land from Beijing and Sanghai

They recently introduced the dedicated Fast Track lanes solely for Chinese tourists arriving with pre-arranged visa. I had to stand and watch them all trundling through at about 4 times the pace of the standard immigration entry queues.

[lemonwaterjoe]

seems like that service is suspended and now only available for 1st/business class traveler

[longstay]

Sorry, but  are those pictures not from departing immigration and not from arrivel. 

[ukrules]

2 hours ago, lemonwaterjoe said:

seems like that service is suspended and now only available for 1st/business class traveler

What makes you think this ?

[Letseng]

23 minutes ago, ukrules said:

What makes you think this ?

 

3 hours ago, lemonwaterjoe said:

seems like that service is suspended and now only available for 1st/business class traveler

 

Yes, only for premium travellers now. Apparently a limo service as well as Expedia still offer fast track. Costs quite a bit more than with BFS in the past.

[ukrules]

 

There's more than one company, apparently this one is still operational. The above company is not BFS.

 

Edited October 22, 2018 by ukrules

[adammike]

20 hours ago, Briggsy said:

I encounter an empty immigration area similar to the photo about 1 in 3 times I arrive. It simply depends on how many IO's they put on, what full large planes have landed in the last hour and which of the 2 immigration areas most people are being herded to. The photo is thus in my opinion entirely reflective of the situation around 30% of the time.

Is that true in high season say January 15?

[Pattaya46]

9 hours ago, longstay said:

Sorry, but  are those pictures not from departing immigration and not from arrivel. 

First pic (post #6) is departure. You can see the down-stairs from security hall in the back. The check-in hall is on the right.

Second pic (post #12) is arrival. Access from planes on the right. Access to baggage on the left.

 

Not often is arrival so empty , but I mainly arrive 09-11AM and very rarely have more than 5-10 minutes to wait. Seems that big queues often happen late afternoon .

 

Edited October 23, 2018 by Pattaya46