"Suvarnabhumi is hell" screams Thailand's most famous English teacher

[Jai Dee]

A couple of argumentative troll posts and replies have been removed.

[CanterbrigianBangkoker]

4 hours ago, tjo o tjim said:

Maybe if everything wasn’t a jobs program they could streamline the process.  Go the Kiosk route like the rest of the developed world to reduce officer workload and automate the stuff.  If you still want to keep the antiquated data on the TM6 then go for it, but it adds zero value to the process.

 

'Go the Kiosk route like the rest of the developed world to reduce officer workload' - that's the issue really, isn't it? Thailand has not yet developed to a point whereby they comprehend such systems or justification for installing them. The willingness of the authorities to improve the current system isn't there - especially not with regard to visitors to the country (aka tourists) that 30% of their economy is reliant on ????. There's lots of shiny new toys in a small section of Thailand (namely BKK, Pattaya, CM and a few other major cities) but it's always seemed clear to me that the majority of people charged with operating said tech/infrastructure are more often than not woefully inefficient and incompetent. So you can have a nice new glistening airport but if it is managed by workshy halfwits with an inability to effectively time-manage anything, the result is what we see all too often at Suvarnabhumi and DM.

 

And as any expat knows all too well, the airport is just the first in a long line of irritations and inadequacies to be endured at the hands of the locals. There's undoubtedly some lovely, genuine and intelligent people in this beautiful country of theirs, but generally speaking they aren't the sharpest tools in the shed and the #1 problem has and maybe always will be that they don't listen, not to each other and certainly not to suggestions or advice from foreigners! Perish the thought! ???? The reaction by (I'm willing to bet) many of the Thai posters criticising Biggs, is all too predicatble. Say absolutely anything negative or critical about Thailand (even if it's constructive) and they lose their s**t. Children in adult bodies.

 

[masuk]

4 hours ago, Orton Rd said:

Typical Thai over reaction to justified comments, he was not calling Thais or Thailand hell, just the ludicrously long immigration queue. Obviously this has been a problem since the scanning of fingers was introduced, needs looking at again.

Countries which require fingerprinting manage to do this by scanning the forefinger of each hand.   I can see NO REASON for scanning ten fingers.   Maybe the Thais mis-read this as "four fingers".   

[Mel52]

Yes, I do know what East Germany was like, because I passed over into it on a regular basis during the 1980s. Everywhere you go, register here, register there, and beware you don't read the wrong material or you could be taken in for "attitude readjustment."  

I respect your opinion if you were actually there but if you were actually there then you should know better that it’s not as bad as East Germany. I mean come on you were actually there you know there’s no comparison but I respect your opinion.

[holy cow cm]

11 minutes ago, clokwise said:

I'm surprised Thailand has not yet implemented a "Club Mobay" scheme like they do in Jamaica. Arrivals queues in Jamaica are notoriously bad and it seems rather than attempt solve the problems, they've privatized and capitalized on the mess to make more cash. This seems like a perfect Thai solution to the problem as well.

 

You book in advance of your arrival/departure for $80. You're met when you exit the plane and guided to a lounge and they take your passport and you can relax with complimentary drinks and food while they process your passport. then you're guided through luggage and customs. In and out in just a few stressful minutes, meanwhile your cabin mates on the same flight are sweating it out for another hour at the airport.

They had a program you could pay 800 baht and get met at the plane and then go through the Fast track lane. Loved it but then they changed it to only business class ticket holders. I only fly business sometimes. $80 is a little steep, but I would be all in for $30 or possibly $40.

[arithai12]

14 minutes ago, Cereal said:

I spent 10 years of my life as cabin crew and BKK is the worst, most inefficient airport I have ever seen.

Then you haven't see many. And if you were going through the crew lines for immigration/luggage/customs, you probably don't know much of what it is for the regular passengers.

Want an inefficient airport? LAX e.g., where I had to spend hours going through immigration (with idiotic and illiterate officers btw)/luggage/customs/re-checkin/re-immigration just for an international transit.

 

[Seismic]

So with 7 unmanned booths during the 44 flight rush hour and "All available staff deployed" It would seem that Immigration at the airport is understaffed by at least 14 officers, and that is just at the booths, then there are many other areas where they have to work at the same time.  I can fully understand why some are not always smiling !!

[Bayrat]

JFK - average of 160,000 arrivals per day, 58+ million a year and almost completely automated.  My Thai wife usually beats me thru immigration every time we go visit. At most 10 minutes to process visitors.   So........................... 

 

management>>>>>>>>  hahahahahahahahahahahaha

[the guest]

2 hours ago, aqua4 said:

Does not seem to stop Thai's from becoming 'German' or 'American'? Do they look in the mirror or at the cuckold West. 

Maybe other countries who accept multiculturism, but Thailand is different and Thai people have never accepted foreigners as Thai. It goes on race, and you have to be an Asia, and have Thai parents.

 

If you have lived here for some time, then you would know this. 

[holy cow cm]

9 minutes ago, candide said:

Departures are more crucial as one may miss a flight. Be careful guys.

 

Monday morning it took me one hour to go through the security check and the immigration check. Luckily the airline check-in before was quick.

Thanks for the heads up. Have a trip coming up real fast.

[JimmyTheMook]

Biggs a Savage 

[Traubert]

6 minutes ago, masuk said:

Countries which require fingerprinting manage to do this by scanning the forefinger of each hand.   I can see NO REASON for scanning ten fingers.   Maybe the Thais mis-read this as "four fingers".   

Me neither seeing as how the average human only has eight fingers.

 

Maybe it's a provision for inbred mutants from Alabama.

[Orton Rd]

2 minutes ago, JimmyTheMook said:

Biggs a Savage 

I thought he was Australian!

[Sheryl]

Hardly "screamed".

 

tweeted about a very long queue.

[Guderian]

" In its defence, a spokesperson for immigration sought to explain why there were such long midweek queues at Suvarnabhumi saying officers have EIGHT things to do in 50 seconds."

 

Well, there's your answer then, instead of adding needless and time-consuming things, like fingerprinting everybody when they arrive, perhaps they should instead look closely at streamlining the nightmarish bureaucracy of the Thai immigration process.

[elgenon]

I thought that when people see a crowd of people they are intrigued by the thought of experiencing something amazing?

[Mel52]

Yes, I do know what East Germany was like, because I passed over into it on a regular basis during the 1980s. Everywhere you go, register here, register there, and beware you don't read the wrong material or you could be taken in for "attitude readjustment."  

Like I said I do respect your opinion I really do but if you were actually there then you should know better that it’s not as bad as East Germany. I mean come on you were actually there you know there’s no comparison but I respect your opinion because I understand what it feels like when people question your own personal experiences.

[mackayae]

Simple.

[Sheryl]

A trolling post has been removed

[Mel52]

Isn't it?
 
You have to report everywhere you stay within 24 hours or you are committing a crime.
 
There are hotlines for reporting foreigners.
 
There are publicised crackdowns and arrests of hundreds of foreigners, mostly for minor visa issues like overstay.
 
The military run the country and martial law (Section 44) is still in effect (even if they are saying it isn't).
 
Everywhere around the country there are Police checkpoints, roadblocks and stop and searches.
 
Locals are being beaten and locked up for expressing an opinion.
 
Now go back and think about what you posted again.
 
 

No actually you try traveling through a lot of other airports in the world even Dulles in the states and then come back and talk to me. You can go on and on about the status of the current government but that doesn’t really have anything to do with crowded airports all over the world.

[Bantex]

The last time I arrived @ Suvarnabhumi only 1/3 of the Immigration desks were manned with over 5000 people queuing, many with very young children but that was before fingerprints were being taken. Almost 3 hours waiting.

[TEFLKrabi]

How about getting a stamp saying you’ve previously been finger printed so you go to a different, quicker line.

[webfact]

Suvarnabhumi immigration police deny closing counters during rush hours

By The Nation 

 

 

In response to celebrity English-language teacher Andrew Biggs complaining about the long queues at Suvarnabhumi Airport, the Immigration Bureau has clarified that it had already mobilised more personnel to facilitate immigration clearance.

 

On Wednesday, Biggs, the owner of Andrew Biggs Academy and co- director of andrewbiggs.com, an English language-learning website for Thais, posted a Twitter message: “Suvarnabhumi hell for tourists. Look at queues today. Never seen this long.”

 

He posted another Twitter message: “Several counters are closed during rush hours. Don’t understand.”

The posts were made in Thai.

 

On Thursday, Biggs posted another Twitter message in Thai: “Suvarnabhumi is not hell but it is the gateway to our beloved Thailand. Yesterday, I was very dissatisfied with what I saw because I was worried about Thailand’s image in the eyes of foreign tourists who have just arrived. I would like to ask the authorities to consider this issue and I believe we could solve it.”

 

Later on Thursday, Pol Colonel Choengron Rimpadee, deputy commander of Immigration Police Division 2 and spokesman of the division, said he ordered an inquiry into the issue.

 

Choengron said their inquiry found that Biggs had got off a plane when 44 flights with 4,500 passengers arrived between noon and 2pm.

 

The spokesman said the Immigration Police Division 2 always mobilises all its immigration officers to be stationed at all counters in all zones to speed up clearance of arriving passengers when many flights arrive at the same time.

 

Each immigration officer is in charge of carrying out seven steps for immigration clearance: checking each passenger’s face with the passport photo, checking visas, checking possible blacklisting, scanning fingerprints, taking a photo, stamping the entry approval, and interviewing the passenger. He said each immigration officer took about 50 seconds to handle a passenger’s clearance.

 

During rush hours, the immigration counters at Suvarnabhumi Airport could clear about 2,000 passengers within an hour, but the immigration officers also had to be on alert for foreign criminals trying to pass themselves off as tourists, and many passengers were not allowed to enter the Kingdom, Choengron added.

 

He said their inquiry found that Biggs had waited for about an hour to pass through an immigration counter.

 

He said Biggs used a Bus gate, coming by a bus from his plane to the arrival terminal at 1.01pm. He said Biggs started waiting in his queue at 1.06pm and he passed through the counter at 2:06pm.

 

Choengron said the hall where Biggs had waited for immigration clearance could accommodate some 500 passengers but some 20 flights arrived at nearly the same time and hence more than 1,200 passengers had to wait in queues in the hall, causing the lines to extend beyond the hall.

 

He added that officials managed to shorten the lines within 30 minutes.

 

He said all officers, including supervisors of the shift, were normally stationed at all counters to help speed up clearance, but sometimes supervisors had to leave their counters to solve problems of other officers and this might have prompted Biggs to think that the counters were vacant without officials, Choengron said.

 

He said Immigration Bureau acting commissioner Lt-General Sompong Chingduang had heeded Biggs’s messages and attached importance to the posts as they could affect the bureau’s image.

 

The spokesman added that the bureau had contingency plans to handle the overwhelming number of passengers arriving at the same time. For example, officials resting after their shifts are called in urgently to help, and volunteers are also called in to advise passengers on filling the immigration forms.

 

During rush hours priority channels are also opened for the disabled, young children, pregnant women and the elderly are also opened, Choengron said.

 

He said Thais and Hong Kong and Singapore citizens, who have registered online for the clearance process, can use the automatic clearance channels that take about 20 seconds. The bureau has plans to expand this automatic service for other nationals as well, he added.

 

He said the bureau had also consulted with the airport to deal with the increasing number of passengers, which increase by about 6 per cent each year. The bureau has recruited more personnel from police officers and outsiders to become immigration officers, and immigration officers who had requested transfers had been ordered to continue working until the end of Setpember, he added.

 

The spokesman said the bureau appreciated Biggs’s concerns and would invite him for consultation and his opinions would be referred to when the bureau consults with other concerned agencies on how to deal with long queues at the airport.

 

Source: https://www.nationthailand.com/news/30373244

 

-- © Copyright The Nation Thailand 2019-07-19

Follow Thaivisa on LINE for breaking Thailand news and visa info

[ChouDoufu]

4 hours ago, dcsw53 said:

IATA moved the goalposts. Fingerprints now required = more time required = need for more desks. Build them.

not really.  came in a couple weeks ago and wasn't slowed down at all by the fingerprint scanner. 

 

follow the directions, the machine runs automatic, don't need to wait for the officer to give the order.  fingerprints are done while the 8 other duties are completed.

[Denim]

Can't they just build a great big long wall to keep these pesky tourists out . And .............. make them pay for it !

 

 

 

 

[StayinThailand2much]

10 minutes ago, webfact said:

(...)

The spokesman said the bureau appreciated Biggs’s concerns and would invite him for consultation and his opinions would be referred to when the bureau consults with other concerned agencies on how to deal with long queues at the airport.

 

Source: https://www.nationthailand.com/news/30373244

 

-- © Copyright The Nation Thailand 2019-07-19

Follow Thaivisa on LINE for breaking Thailand news and visa info

Maybe he could teach the IOs some basic English skills...

[sahibji]

if we do not learn to accept constructive criticism gracefully do not blame other for things going wrong e.g. the tourism situation in some of the cities. criticism should be acted upon in good time and in good faith - that is win win for all.

[rayjed2]

This is NOT just to enter the "land of smiles" this is even if you are in transit. I fly  to Cambodia and like using Thia Air. I am a frequent flyer, but I will now use Malaysia Airways as the last few flights I have been held up by these long queues. Twice I have nearly missed my connection! in fact there was a family who pleaded with the Immigration Officers to let them through as their flight was leaving in 15 minutes, but there was no "smiles" then, and they were made to wait. They were just a few people in front of me and it took me nearly 50 minutes before I got through, so draw your own conclusions on the fate of that family!

I have flown many routes over the years and passed through many airports as a transfer passenger and have never had to pass through another security check such as this. Why are people who are in transit subjected to this in Suvarnabhumi airport?

No wonder tourism is dying in Thailand, just coming through immigration is enough to put a person off.

By the way, it takes me about 30 minutes to enter Cambodia via Phnom Penh, that is with collecting my bag, buying a visa and passing through immigration, go figure!!

 

[robert888d]

How dare he complain about the most perfect country in the world.

[spidermike007]

It is true that there are very long lines in other countries. In LA, I have been subjected to hour long queues, just getting out of the airport on international flights. For the most part, the TSA seems to be grossly underfunded and understaffed. Lately, coming in has been far better.

 

But, there is never a justification for the immigration lines to extend beyond the ramp where you turn towards immigration, coming into Swampy. Never. That is completely beyond the pale. They have plenty of lines to handle tourists, and most of the time more than half are closed. They have plenty of agents, and they have the schedules, so they know when additional agents are needed. All else is just an excuse, and very, very weak deflection from people who just cannot handle criticism on any level. Man up. Do your job correctly, and we will not complain. Otherwise, deal with it.