Went through donmuang just few days ago . Packed. Have signs chinese right, all others left. Naturally Chinese all go left . Mind you signs in chinese so no excuse for stupidity but no one did a thing and only every second desk manned . 

I travel internationally on a monthly basis, been living and working in Thailand 31 years... etc, etc.    It was you that refuted the other poster's point about Thailand being like East Germany, I made some appropriate comparisons.    It has everything to do with crowded airports as the fingerprint and biometrics (part of the current clampdown on personal freedoms) are what i causing the long delays, and the fact that there are convicted criminals and sons of convicted murderers in this military government who are intent on collecting this information.  

But you just carry on, nothing to see here. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Then you should know that almost EVERY COUNTRY IN THE WORLD DOES THE EXACT SAME THING SOME ARE A LOT MORE STRICT THAN Thailand. And a lot of airports are a lot more crowded than others all over the world. You’re not the only one who has traveled all over the world so have I [emoji23][emoji23][emoji23][emoji23]    

 

But I understand everyone else is wrong except you

 

 

 

 

39 minutes ago, Jip99 said:

Expats with extensions, entering on a re-entry permit, should be fast-tracked.

Tax paying expats in other countries get same priveleges as locals but not in Thailand. Not only you get double pricing, they will squeeze every single baht from you.

If any of you come from Europe, I reckon just stay there: no border controls within it, no queues. And forget about coming to Thailand. Like that, you’ll help the environment by flying less, as well as the Thai Immigration officers by giving them less work. Simple. But if you must absolutely come to Thailand, why not use Vientiane to land and then catch a bus to .. wherever it is you are going. Afterall, you are on holiday, aren’t you ? 

7 hours ago, Hawkman said:

 

Well said. Heathrow is a nightmare, but not like this.

 

Surely they could improve things? For example, if they have to do EIGHT things, why not delegate it? Employ more people, two officers, let's say who work themselves up the queue and do the passport and visa check and interview. If anything not right, send them to another queue for further enquiry. That will leave the officers with about a ten second job and relieve the stress for the officers too.

Saigon too...but st least they have every available booth "manned". And last time I was there no biometric system

...between 12 and 2 pm ??? Only 8 booths manned!

 

He should know better than to arrive at that this time which is sacred to Thais! iiiiittttt's somtam time! Nothing can keep Thais from their somtam or noodle soup!

I travel the world frequently and  Suvarnabhumi is by far the worst. I dread the trip. After nearly a day traveling to line up for 90mins plus is hell. So many empty desks !!

Simple solution, stop coming here.

I travel all over the world, and I have never,never, seen queues like Suvarnabhumi. It’s a disgusting welcome to tourists of all ages who have just travelled 12 hours and more, and proves that Thai authorities are not capable of managing an international airport. 

Simple solution, stop coming here.

Or stop whining about it and keep coming here all you want it’s a beautiful country here

7 hours ago, webfact said:

Immigration officers have to do 8 things in 50 seconds," he said. These are passport check, visa check, face recognition, blacklist check, scan, interview, take a picture and stamp. 

I think there are 9 things to do: looking at your mobile and chatting with friends.

(8 things to do,.......but it's only ONE click on the PC...)

3 hours ago, spoon1967 said:

Yes it can be a nightmare, go and have a coffee, and come back, or just wait, or go business class.  Nobody likes to see this when you're just off a long flight, but don't go on social media, especially if you work in Thailand and slag off the county/system/immigration, too many expats seem to think this is a good idea...wrong.

But if clients don't complain, nothing will change. Before the internet and social media, services could ignore the client but now they have to pull up their socks. People do not have to fly business class so if this new government and tourism minister want to promote Thailand, they have to provide first class service as soon as the plane stops on the tarmac.

2 hours ago, rayjed2 said:

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!!

 

Tourism is dying..... When the number of people every year increases..... Yes of course... 

What about everyone  stays home, the world would be a better place Pucking tourist piss me off (oh yes, I don't live in The land of smiles now)

7 hours ago, webfact said:

But it's the front door to the country

Exactly,

those queuing people will not enter Thailand a second time probably (and hopefully). It should be a sting to Thai politicians if less tourist are coming. Maybe the day is not so far that they discover having made some mistakes....but wait...they would lose face.....so this day will never come...!☹️????????????????

7 hours ago, darksidedog said:

I spent many years flying all over the place and while I have seen some bad queues in lots of places, Thailand has REALLY bad ones way more regularly than anywhere else I have ever seen.

You've obviously not been to CDG in Paris recently, then. In both of the last couple of years of my having to endure the indignities of that particular dump of an airport I have had to endure chaotic, disorganised and lengthy immigration queues which were far, far worse than anything I've ever experienced at BKK.

I am very concerned about the ten-digit finger scan when I next have to enter Thailand.  I have a condition called Dupuytren's Contracture and the ring finger and little finger of my right hand are bent into the palm and cannot be straightened.  The ring finger of my left hand is also bent, but not so severely, at a ninety degree angle.  I can probably scan that one, but with some difficulty.  What is immigration going to do when I cannot scan all ten fingers?

These brain dead halfwits, couldn’t run a piss up in a brewery.

7 hours ago, darksidedog said:

Yes, but it's not as if those flights suddenly turned up as a surprise is it? They know what flights are coming in and when, and ought to be capable of providing sufficient immigration staff to deal with these rushes. I spent many years flying all over the place and while I have seen some bad queues in lots of places, Thailand has REALLY bad ones way more regularly than anywhere else I have ever seen.

so .. knowing busy .. 7 booths unmanned ... .. 

Hmm, so Thailands most wellknown teatcher of the Enghlish language have critisis the ques on the airport and the Thais says look what a good life we have get you. If you not like it go back. If he have had a better life here, noone of us could say, but for sure he has give many Thais a better life, so maybe you should thank him instead, but that would of course be very "unthaish" to thank a farrang. Realise that the country is a developing country and be thankful for every help you get.  

I thought tourist numbers were down.Ive always been lucky as i go in Thai passport lane with my Thai g/f but ive seen queues and and hell is not far off.

7 hours ago, ezzra said:

Frankly i'm surprised at this Andrew guy who by all account should have known better, what response was he expecting from Thai people other than 'if you don't like it go back home' and 'you are biting the hands that fed you all those years you ungrateful farang'... now Once and for all, Thai people in general do not give a stuff how a foreigner/farang feel or being treated in this country and it's futile to complain or try to make a point of it...

You would have thought he was in the US at a Trump rally ...

They need automated immigration clearance kiosks just like the ones Thai Passport holders use. Thai Passport holders can use the ones at Sydney airport so why can't Australian Passport holders use the ones in Thailand? Special express lines for the Chinese? Next will be special express lines for those rich Indians that are coming soon?

I recently went through a que like that when I came back from the states recently. It's the worst I've ever seen it. It took a full 40 minutes to get through. Is tourism really down? 

18 minutes ago, sawadee1947 said:

Exactly,

those queuing people will not enter Thailand a second time probably (and hopefully). It should be a sting to Thai politicians if less tourist are coming. Maybe the day is not so far that they discover having made some mistakes....but wait...they would lose face.....so this day will never come...!☹️????????????????

My brother and his wife , recently on Hong Kong for a wedding, came to Thailand for a week en route home ,but on my recommendation ! They said never again .. life is too short for putting up with the nonsense and hassle  they encountered. I was in Manilla recently and it took all of 5 minites to clear Immigration.  I think I will cancel my usual taxi pick up as that would not be fair on any driver waiting for an arrival. 

Flying from KL or Singapore directly to Chiang Mai airport many times over the years, only short queues.

Why does nobody talk about immigration queues in Dubai? It took me 1.5 hrs to get through. They can't even be bothered to open Fasttrack most of the time.

Not only BKK has queues.

14 minutes ago, Caine said:

These brain dead halfwits, couldn’t run a piss up in a brewery.

Couldn't get a shag in a brothel. Sorry I forgot there are no brothels in Thailand or prostitutes according to Thai officials.

6 minutes ago, reargunnerph3 said:

Couldn't get a shag in a brothel. Sorry I forgot there are no brothels in Thailand or prostitutes according to Thai officials.

yes they arrested all 3 of them in Pattaya

Bottom line Suvarnabhumi airport has always been one of the top 10 most crowded airports I’ve ever seen in the world since I first started coming here 10 years ago. It has absolutely nothing to do with the issues with the current government situation. Now I’ve been retired here for over 5 years and each day is better than the last I love it here. It’s just another crowded airport in another major world city it’s not some mass government conspiracy almost every country in the world has similar procedures at the airport if not exactly the same procedures, although I do think Suvarnabhumi airport ought to build at least a few new terminals to accommodate the massive amounts of people who come here everyday.