"Airport mafia" set to be hit as Fast Track scheme stopped at Bangkok's main airport

[webfact]

"Airport mafia" set to be hit as Fast Track scheme stopped at Bangkok's main airport

 

Picture: Manager Online

 

From July 1st only first and business class passengers and those with special needs like the handicapped will be able to use the Premium Lane (Fast Track) service at Suvarnabhumi airport. 

 

The move comes after Thai media revealed that a major scam was netting "airport mafia" millions of baht. 

 

Fast Track tickets - sold by Thai Immigration and handled by VFS Global Group - were finding their way into the hands of tour groups and other individuals who were selling on the tickets for vast profits. 

 

Tickets that started costing 18 baht were trading for anywhere between 200 and 1,000 baht. 

 

Sutheerawat Suwannawat of the Airports Authority of Thailand at Bangkok's main airport said that his personnel would be keeping a close watch on Premium Lanes from July 1st. 

 

Only first and business class passenger and those with special needs would be able to use the service from then on. 

 

Manager said that the story that broke on "360 Ongsa (degrees)" showed the extent of millions of baht profit in the scam. The airport mafia would be hit by the new regulations, they said. 

 

Source: Manager Online

 

 

-- © Copyright Thai Visa News 2019-06-24

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[worgeordie]

Some people are going to lose a lot of easy money...time to

think up another scam.

It was the perfect business model create a problem,then

sell a solution.

regards Worgeordie

[geoffbezoz]

Wasn't this something that Big Joke wanted to put an end to before he was removed ?

[darksidedog]

I somehow suspect the "airport mafia" will find a way round this, or come up with some new scams fairly soon.

[WinnieTheKhwai]

Is there any reason to call this 'airport mafia' instead of 'the utterly corrupt immigration police' ?

[NCC1701A]

could you imagine how advanced Thailand would be if they put as much time and energy into...

 

never mind.

[WinnieTheKhwai]

2 minutes ago, geoffbezoz said:

Wasn't this something that Big Joke wanted to put an end to before he was removed ?

YES!

[NCC1701A]

9 minutes ago, webfact said:

a major scam was netting "airport mafia" millions of baht. 

why the quotation marks?

 

 

 

 

[ezzra]

Boggle the minds to read that in this day and age and in a very busy and important airport such outright blatant shenanigan can and do happened in view of everyone to see, but you wake up and your realize that THIS IS THAILAND and in Thailand, everything is possible...

[4MyEgo]

This no doubt will be putting a huge smile on Big Jokes face

Edited June 24, 2019 by 4MyEgo

[holy cow cm]

I actually liked buying the fast track but on line before they ended it about sometime Q4 last year. Made me so mad and I lost 1000 baht because of them refusing me.

[wisperone]

7 minutes ago, WinnieTheKhwai said:

Is there any reason to call this 'airport mafia' instead of 'the utterly corrupt immigration police' ?

Exactly...lets not give the mafia a bad name.

[ThaiBunny]

11 minutes ago, WinnieTheKhwai said:

Is there any reason to call this 'airport mafia' instead of 'the utterly corrupt immigration police' ?

I'd have thought it's correct - the corrupt immigration officials are merely one branch of a mafia that has fingers in the pie of everything that goes on at the airport. Only a few years ago the talk was of the airport mafia controlling the airport taxi queues

Edited June 24, 2019 by ThaiBunny

[cooked]

Is this the same as what I call the priority (elite) lane? Being over 70, which I am, let me use this lane for free.

[Matzzon]

4 minutes ago, ThaiBunny said:

I'd have thought it's correct - the corrupt immigration officials are merely one branch of a mafia that has fingers in the pie of everything that goes on at the airport. Only a few years ago the talk was of the airport mafia controlling the airport taxi queues

It´s those bloody taxi guys again. Before Suvarnaphumi, they at least had a name that told everybody what was going on "Don Muang" Capo di tutti Capi (Sincerely hope that was spelled correct)

[ThaiBunny]

4 minutes ago, cooked said:

Is this the same as what I call the priority (elite) lane? Being over 70, which I am, let me use this lane for free.

You now need to head to one end of the general Immigration hall where the counters are designated as "senior/families". The downside is you share the queue with mewling infants and ankle-biters

[scorecard]

45 minutes ago, darksidedog said:

I somehow suspect the "airport mafia" will find a way round this, or come up with some new scams fairly soon.

And AOT not smart enough, not proactive enough to have rethought the whole thing years back. Plus anybody caught gets the usual 500Baht fine and nothing more. 

How come they don't have these problems at Changi airport etc., etc? 

[potless]

37 minutes ago, scorecard said:

How come they don't have these problems at Changi airport etc., etc? 

Suvarnabhumi bought exclusive rights.

[HaoleBoy]

Sutheerawat Suwannawat of the Airports Authority of Thailand at Bangkok's main airport said that his personnel would be keeping a close watch on Premium Lanes from July 1st. 

Why are they waiting until July 1st?  They have to get their last collections done first???

[mercman24]

agree on the iarport taxi mafia, did not one have to buy a *queue* ticket, at BKK, probably all airports, those of us in the know went to the top floor and caught a taxi going back empty, they even put a turnstile gate to stop this, (easy overcome)

[petermik]

8 hours ago, NCC1701A said:

could you imagine how advanced Thailand would be if they put as much time and energy into...

 

never mind.

peeing into the wind with that idea...........thai,s know best....

[Pilotman]

Bangkok Limousine Fast Track service is still in operations, 1,500 per person to use Fast Track. 

 

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

Edited June 24, 2019 by Pilotman

[ThaiBunny]

1 minute ago, Pilotman said:

Bangkok Limousine Fast Track service is still in operations, 1,500 per person to use Fast Track.

I look forward to an update after 1 July

[quandow]

56 minutes ago, Pilotman said:

Bangkok Limousine Fast Track service is still in operations, 1,500 per person to use Fast Track. 

 

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

I returned to Swampy 11 June using these folks, not realizing the service was already included in a business class ticket. I was met immediately after disembarking the plane and the rep stayed with me every step of the way. I got the feeling that her primary duty was to get me to use one of their expensive vans for ฿3,500 Bangkok-Jomtien. When I tried to negotiate a lower price knowing full well what the standard rates were, they wouldn't budge. The FastTrack alone is worth the price of a business class ticket, I was the first in the queue from this flight.

[Katipo]

No mention of who this mafia actually is. It's not like it's a highly secure area tightly controlled by government officials who..... oh, wait, never mind ????

 

[overherebc]

3 hours ago, ThaiBunny said:

You now need to head to one end of the general Immigration hall where the counters are designated as "senior/families". The downside is you share the queue with mewling infants and ankle-biters

Still better than normal lines if a couple of planes land just before yours full of 'didn't fill in the landing card idiots'.

[hotchilli]

3 hours ago, WinnieTheKhwai said:

Is there any reason to call this 'airport mafia' instead of 'the utterly corrupt immigration police' ?

If the cap fits !

[justin case]

that sounds like THAI AIRWAYS losing billions because so many FREE tickets for cronies

[dsj]

I solved my problem as I got an APEC card from Canada and it cost me about 2,000 Baht and good for 5 years until I have to renew it, and it allows me to use the Fast Track lane in all APEC Countries Airports.

[MartiniMan]

As usual

No one responsible

no one fired

no one named

Business as usual again within 24 hours or so