Airport queues: Immigration chief at Bangkok airport, meeting planned for Thursday

[spidermike007]

There is zero justification for extremely long queues at the airport. Someone arrives after a very long flight, and the last thing in the world they want to deal with is an hour long line to get your passport stamped. They have plenty of lines. They have plenty of immigration staff. They simply need to be organized enough to study the incoming flight schedules, and man up. They need to have enough agents on hand to deal with this. This is kid stuff. A 13 year old could do a better job of managing immigration at Swampy. 

 

This is urgent. Do not have the meeting on Thursday. Have it at 6pm today. There is no time to waste. 

[hansnl]

3 hours ago, sotsira said:

Confused!

 

I keep reading how tourist numbers are down and it's so 

quiet in all the tourist destinations around Thailand.

 

Now the airport is overrun with long queues due to so many 

arrivals, IO's will need to do overtime and increase their output

by 30%.

 

So which is it?

Both, actually.

Less incoming tourists means less desk officers needed.

More business with the TM30 means less desk officers available.

All together more problems with the TM30 and more problems with long waiting times at the desks.

Goal seems to be to get rid of all those tourists.

 

[Vacuum]

4 hours ago, webfact said:

Sompong ordered all available manpower to man desks and said that overtime was needed to plug up the gaps. 

He could also order them to leave their phones at home, before going to work.

[Globe Trotter]

4 hours ago, sotsira said:

Confused!

 

I keep reading how tourist numbers are down and it's so 

quiet in all the tourist destinations around Thailand.

 

Now the airport is overrun with long queues due to so many 

arrivals, IO's will need to do overtime and increase their output

by 30%.

 

So which is it?

The long lines are not due to extraordinary numbers, from what I can gather it is how they are processing them. The fingerprint scanning part of it that is fairly new is taking a whole bunch of time. 

[fvw53]

4 hours ago, andre47 said:

There are priority lanes processing people aged?

I never saw them. How old you have to be to use them and are they also for farang?

I did not fly the last 12 months and I used without problems the priority lane upon arrival and departure (I am now 75)

If this facility has come to an end for the elderly than I am going to ask for a wheelchair because pain in the lower back prevents me to stand more than 15 minutes

[leither69]

Waited 40 minutes last week to leave Thailand!! Came back a week later, 30 minutes to enter.  It's a farce.

[DPKANKAN]

4 hours ago, NCC1701A said:

the white people think things are slow. they are not.

just go where Chinese go. very busy. hua hin is very busy now.

the customer base is changing.

Hua Hin. Busy??? Have a mate lives there and a few others just been down there for golf. Said its like the song from 'The Specials'...... "This town, is coming up a ghost town"!!! 

[Joker Man]

A little bird just told me now that, all the officers can speak English flawlessly... and I said what? in this day and age.

[KKr]

4 hours ago, sotsira said:

Confused!

 

I keep reading how tourist numbers are down and it's so 

quiet in all the tourist destinations around Thailand.

 

Now the airport is overrun with long queues due to so many 

arrivals, IO's will need to do overtime and increase their output

by 30%.

 

So which is it?

Nothing confusing. The number of actions at immigration was increased.

Wonder what would happen if tourist numbers were up ?

[scorecard]

48 minutes ago, spidermike007 said:

There is zero justification for extremely long queues at the airport. Someone arrives after a very long flight, and the last thing in the world they want to deal with is an hour long line to get your passport stamped. They have plenty of lines. They have plenty of immigration staff. They simply need to be organized enough to study the incoming flight schedules, and man up. They need to have enough agents on hand to deal with this. This is kid stuff. A 13 year old could do a better job of managing immigration at Swampy. 

 

This is urgent. Do not have the meeting on Thursday. Have it at 6pm today. There is no time to waste. 

 They get it right at Shanghai airport with many many more incoming flights, no reason why they can't do it here.

[Surasak]

4 hours ago, andre47 said:

There are priority lanes processing people aged?

I never saw them. How old you have to be to use them and are they also for farang?

Yes they are. I have used them a few times.

[scorecard]

20 minutes ago, fvw53 said:

I did not fly the last 12 months and I used without problems the priority lane upon arrival and departure (I am now 75)

If this facility has come to an end for the elderly than I am going to ask for a wheelchair because pain in the lower back prevents me to stand more than 15 minutes

from 70 and for any nationality or gender and for folks accompanying folks 70 and up. And generally very polite and helpful.

[Katipo]

4 hours ago, Maverell said:

Yes there are at Suvarnabhumi. 70 years and up - same desk as arriving Thais use. On the far right side as you look at the desks. This info is correct as of 6 months ago.

And outward bound passengers over 70 can use the priority queue for BOI, Diplomats, Aircrew etc. The whole process is conducted on one floor, without having to go up and down elevators, and will save you a ton of time.

[Jip99]

1 hour ago, spidermike007 said:

There is zero justification for extremely long queues at the airport. Someone arrives after a very long flight, and the last thing in the world they want to deal with is an hour long line to get your passport stamped. They have plenty of lines. They have plenty of immigration staff. They simply need to be organized enough to study the incoming flight schedules, and man up. They need to have enough agents on hand to deal with this. This is kid stuff. A 13 year old could do a better job of managing immigration at Swampy. 

 

This is urgent. Do not have the meeting on Thursday. Have it at 6pm today. There is no time to waste. 

 

 

Your final paragraph sums it up. Until Thai Immigration see at as a service issue (which they never will) little will be done to manage it properly - God forbid that they would listen to outside advice.

 

Although you say there enough staff, I rarely see all desks manned even queues are down the concourse.

 

I do sympathise with the regard to the huge increase in international arrivals - and remember, Don Muaeng can be worse with the hordes of Chinese coming in through there. However, it does not take a genius to realise that increased numbers and better organisation is required to resolve the issues.

 

Scrap TM6's they are pointless. Who cares where anyone on visa exempt entry is staying (the TM30 process should cover that anyway), the Erewan bombers would not have been honest with a TM6!  Fast-track anyone entering on a re-entry permit or a Non-Immigrant visa. As in the UK, don't split up families - if you have a Thai wife/partner with whom you are traveling you should be actively encouraged towards the Thai only desks............ it is little use you wife getting through 45 minutes before you...

Edited August 19, 2019 by Jip99

[Kinnock]

Scrap the pointless TM30 reports, reallocate staff to airport immigration.

 

Two birds, one stone.

[Benmart]

Two weeks ago, I flew in after a short jaunt from Malta. Full house, but got through in 25 minutes. I smiled and greeted in Thai. No smiles from the officer, but then again, none needed. Stamped and back in.

[moto77]

4 hours ago, andre47 said:

Yes, Chinese are everywhere and here in Pattaya also many Indians (men :))

For those who know Cabbages & Condoms Hotel/Restaurant in Pattaya (it is not really cheap):
I went there yesterday and I was shocked how many Chinese customers were eating there. The tables were overflowing with food. Thailand is changing very quickly (unfortunately).

The whole world is changing. It’s just that the places closer to China are changing first. But there were plenty of Chinese in Romania, Bulgaria and Croatia last summer. Just not enough to change the character of the place. Yet.

 

Meanwhile, Thailand will continue down the path it has been on for the last 10 years at an ever accelerating rate. I’d say “it will get worse before it gets better” except that it’s not going to get better (if better to you means “as it was before the rise of China”).

[Chongalulu]

1 hour ago, dluek said:

Bangkok Post reported today that Samui tourism is way down first half this year, and that is a mainstay on the Chinese tourism circuit. All reports are that tourism is lagging overall, so still begs the question, why the long queues? 

Long queues do not correlate to a healthy tourist industry. All you need is an imbalance caused by a badly run immigration department.

[cnx355]

What about starting to use e_arrival card on some flights ( 5 Airlines in the system now ) as they do in Singapore.  No more paper arrival card as the travelers fill in online before his flight in Singapore Immigration web site

 

On arrival the Immigration Officer just scan you passport and stamp you in.

I guess that would save a lot of time in Bangkok as to process 1 passenger would be very fast.  And no more piece of paper to staple  in the passport.

[BobBKK]

This is a secret strategy to fool us into thinking how busy they are.

[legend49]

5 hours ago, colinneil said:

Heres a thought, why not put all those lackies who are prancing around behind Sompong to work on the desks.

That would help reduce the waiting.

And help them to get fit, some babies in the making in some of those stomachs

[legend49]

 

Naew Na reported that an improvement of 30% was needed.

 

LOL his maths are wrong. 130% is closer to the figure. I dare them to benchmark against Changi Immigration in Singapore.

[edwardflory]

5 hours ago, andre47 said:

There are priority lanes processing people aged?

I never saw them. How old you have to be to use them and are they also for farang?

Yes for farang.  Aged are 70+

 

If I am not mistaken, Marriage and Retirement extension holders can also use.

 

Last time I went thru, the Thai line was empty, I asked the "help lady" at the entrance if I could go thru Thai line - I showed my retirement stamp in passport, she said yes

Edited August 19, 2019 by edwardflory
addition

[phantomfiddler]

Thailand,s main airport is an absolute disgrace, and clearly shows the disregard that Thais have for visitors. For many people, it would be their first impression of the rampant lack of facilities afforded to tourists, and clearly the lack of staff behind desks is a major factor ????

Edited August 19, 2019 by phantomfiddler
spelling correction

[Totoandlilly]

1 hour ago, darksidedog said:

I flew out of Suvarnabhumi late last week and the queues for people departing were just shocking. After a crafty last minute ciggy, I went to immigration at 10 am for an 11.40 flight. Got to the gate at 11.25. Flight was delayed for half an hour as many were still stuck in the queues, and they weren't using the fingerprint scanners, which would have taken more time. Of 10 possible desks, six were open. I am really not looking forward to my flight back again in a couple of weeks. When I arrived at Heathrow I was through in less than a minute. All desks open and very efficient. You really can't put the problems at swampy down to anything other than pure incompetence.

Everytime I arrive  Norway from Thailand at Oslo airport there are long queues there same as Suvarnabhumi...

[mlmcleod]

I think they should allow tipping again. On a piecework basis their pay would be based on the number of immigrants processed.  I am sure that would speed up the process for a while.

[buanmeerugsaa]

5 hours ago, NCC1701A said:

"Chief, if Farang stand in line for 24 hours do they need to do TM30 form?"

"Yes"

 

It’s not hard!

[sawadee1947]

5 hours ago, andre47 said:

There are priority lanes processing people aged?

I never saw them. How old you have to be to use them and are they also for farang?

I use them all the time. Perfect 

[sathornlover]

3 hours ago, Stocky said:

Why the Thai system needs to fingerprint all 10 digits is beyond me. Malaysia & Singapore seem happy enough with a pair of index fingers, that requires a single scan. Thailand needs 3 scans; 4 fingers right, 4 fingers left, and thumbs together. Trying to explain that in broken English to people who probably only speak broken English is just asking for trouble.

NO sir these are user errors, the same as with the tm30 app where some registrants sometimes have to wait a bit longer for the access data ...

[Jimbo53]

5 hours ago, andre47 said:

There are priority lanes processing people aged?

I never saw them. How old you have to be to use them and are they also for farang?

Fast Track Lane for Seniors age 70 yrs of age,and above,and for Farangs.