Feed Back Please.

[marshbags]

Can members pass on the any useful tips and advice gleaned from your recent travels while using the domestic / international facilities.

I like many others in the outbacks would appreciate knowledge from your first hand experience to assist us in our forthcoming journeys.

Shuttle buses, taxis, baggage tranfers, actual times you may have taken between the airports ect. ect.

Thank You in advance.

marshbags

Edited April 5, 2007 by marshbags

[lomatopo]

It would help if you provided more details re: your itinerary: day/date/routing/airlines/flights/time of day. etc.

In general your best bet is to retrieve your bags and take a taxi bewteen airports.

I assisted one family member recently arriving BKK on Eva Air from LHR, connecting to a TG flight to KKC ex-DMK. I met her, we took a taxi, she checked in, etc. All was good.

[marshbags]

It would help if you provided more details re: your itinerary: day/date/routing/airlines/flights/time of day. etc.

In general your best bet is to retrieve your bags and take a taxi bewteen airports.

I assisted one family member recently arriving BKK on Eva Air from LHR, connecting to a TG flight to KKC ex-DMK. I met her, we took a taxi, she checked in, etc. All was good.

Thanks for your welcomed imput Lomatopo,

I must apologise for misleading you on the main objective of my O.P.

I thought it might be a good idea to have a thread whereby all members who have already experienced / used the facilities between the airports, could kindly post the positives and negatives on what,s actually happening on the ground and hopefully offering advice we could all benefit from.

I haven,t seen any imput apart from the odd comment so i feel sure it would be appreciated if we could refer to a common thread.

I,ve scrolled the forum relating to the new airport to glean information but couldn,t find much on this.

I added what i for one would find useful in relation to certain areas re:-

" Shuttle buses, taxis, baggage tranfers, actual times you may have taken between the airports ect. ect. "

I,ve enquired at the travel agents and the local Thai airways but apart from basic comments, i couldn,t plan my schedule on what i was given and offered my personal experiences based on the lack of useful information as an example.

I,ve also looked at the AOT websites but there is no updated news on these important issues. ??????

Why they haven,t thought about the tourists concerns is beyond me.

Thanks for your advice regarding the taxi and i am now thinking along those lines myself.

Is the fare controlled via meter and how long did the transfer actually take please ?

Your reply is exactly what i hoped the O.P. would generate.

Whereby you found a solution to transfering via you personal experience and gave us the benefit of what you found to be a positive one.

Apart from the chosen airports ( 3 I think ) going direct to the new facility, most of us will have to go old to new and vice versa so please fellow members can you offer your feed back to assist us all.

Thanks again........

marshbags

Edited April 8, 2007 by marshbags

[Benlucky]

It would help if you provided more details re: your itinerary: day/date/routing/airlines/flights/time of day. etc.

In general your best bet is to retrieve your bags and take a taxi bewteen airports.

I assisted one family member recently arriving BKK on Eva Air from LHR, connecting to a TG flight to KKC ex-DMK. I met her, we took a taxi, she checked in, etc. All was good.

Thanks for your welcomed imput Lomatopo,

I must apologise for misleading you on the main objective of my O.P.

I thought it might be a good idea to have a thread whereby all members who have already experienced / used the facilities between the airports, could kindly post the positives and negatives on what,s actually happening on the ground and hopefully offering advice we could all benefit from.

I haven,t seen any imput apart from the odd comment so i feel sure it would be appreciated if we could refer to a common thread.

I,ve scrolled the forum relating to the new airport to glean information but couldn,t find much on this.

I added what i for one would find useful in relation to certain areas re:-

" Shuttle buses, taxis, baggage tranfers, actual times you may have taken between the airports ect. ect. "

I,ve enquired at the travel agents and the local Thai airways but apart from basic comments, i couldn,t plan my schedule on what i was given and offered my personal experiences based on the lack of useful information as an example.

I,ve also looked at the AOT websites but there is no updated news on these important issues. ??????

Why they haven,t thought about the tourists concerns is beyond me.

Thanks for your advice regarding the taxi and i am now thinking along those lines myself.

Is the fare controlled via meter and how long did the transfer actually take please ?

Your reply is exactly what i hoped the O.P. would generate.

Whereby you found a solution to transfering via you personal experience and gave us the benefit of what you found to be a positive one.

Apart from the chosen airports ( 3 I think ) going direct to the new facility, most of us will have to go old to new and vice versa so please fellow members can you offer your feed back to assist us all.

Thanks again........

marshbags

[Benlucky]

Monday I flew from Chiang Mai to old airport, arrived 11:40am went to first floor taxi booth metered taxi's

asked where I wanted to go, said new airport, driver started out with meter on, then asked if I wanted to pay

500 baht he would pay all toll charges, I agreed he paid 60 0r 80 baht in toll's. took 35 minutes to reach airport

Have no idea what meter would have cost me, plus the toll's.

[marshbags]

Monday I flew from Chiang Mai to old airport, arrived 11:40am went to first floor taxi booth metered taxi's

asked where I wanted to go, said new airport, driver started out with meter on, then asked if I wanted to pay

500 baht he would pay all toll charges, I agreed he paid 60 0r 80 baht in toll's. took 35 minutes to reach airport

Have no idea what meter would have cost me, plus the toll's.

Thanks for the info Benlucky, sounds good to me and only 35 minutes travelling time.

My only other concern is which of the 2 airports is better for passing a few hours relaxing time ?

I land at D.M. at 15.20 and don,t check in at Suk. until around midnight. " Oh well says me "

Next time i,ll think about spending a night in accomodation near to the new airport.

marshbags

[WapiJohn]

Regarding Taxi travel, check out my recent post in this forum regarding Taxi Touts Morchit.

I recently travelled in and out of the new airport for the first time.

I found the 'Duty free' shops a bit of a joke ! Most of the shops are very expensive and exclusive

' Rich Mans shops '. They do not cater for the average Farang, they only cater for the very wealthy tourist.

So do not go looking for bargains at airport duty free shops, do your shoping before you come to the airport!

The cost of eating and drinking at the new airport seems a lot higher than the old one.

So if you fancy a few beers before boarding your flight, bring plenty of money or bring your own beer with you!

The bar girls in Pattaya & Bangkok charge less for the drinks than the Airport bars !!

( and their service is better !! )

Also there are not very many eating places before passport control.

Seating at the new airport is worse than the old one, so expect your your luggage trolly to be your seat.

Passport Control and Customs are definately better than the old.

Luggage/ baggage claim is about the same.

I flew Thai, and the walk from the aircraft to passport control felt like 10 kilometres, but I am sure it was probably nearer 2 kilometres! Worse than Don Muang and Heathrow!!

The aircrafts ground run from the runway to the terminal building, seemed to take forever, and I am sure that was nearer 10 kilometres !!

The left luggage has also increased from 90 to 100 Baht per day.

I felt the new airport was OK ! NOT great, but OK.

Check up on new security measures !

As of 31st March 2007 Regarding Flights into and out of Australia. No liquids (Water, alchohol, etc.)

No aerosols, and NO Gels ( Toothpaste, etc. )

I had all mine confiscated at the boarding security gate, this included unopened and sealed Water, can of Coke, Toothpaste, Deodourant.

I am not sure if this is a new general rule regarding all flights.

[Krub]

Monday I flew from Chiang Mai to old airport, arrived 11:40am went to first floor taxi booth metered taxi's

asked where I wanted to go, said new airport, driver started out with meter on, then asked if I wanted to pay

500 baht he would pay all toll charges, I agreed he paid 60 0r 80 baht in toll's. took 35 minutes to reach airport

Have no idea what meter would have cost me, plus the toll's.

Was it all tollway ? 35 minutes is the time required (without traffic) from DM to city and city to Suv is about same so 35 minutes seems very very quick

[rycmai]

according to the bkkpost, there is supposed to be a bus every half hour between the 2 airports costing 34 baht (or so). i dont know of anyone who has actually taken it

i posted earlier asking bout what facilities had been re-opened at DM - like restaurants, the old 7-11, the food court between terminal 2 and domestic, airport express buses (esp. A2 to banglamphu)... so far, no one has replied.

re: new airport food. there is a good food court (good food, good prices) on the ground floor at the far end (past entrance 8). there is expensive restaurants on the 3rd floor plus one moderate priced one (no seats).

and one of the previous posters mentioned the duty free area. what a joke. u have to walk almost to the end to find a seat (not at a restaurant).... the cheaper food is at the far ends of the duty free (burger king, pizza, coffe shops). they are at both ends...

[Benlucky]

It was all tollway, driver first told me 1 hour drive when we arrived in 35 minutes I was amazed!

Also when at new airport, check out the two mini marts at each end of third floor they charge 35 baht for

can's of beer or same price's as 7-11 bought 5 can's of tiger for175 baht sat down on chair and watched

all the good looking women walk by.

[spacebass]

Last week I travelled to the new airport and back from Jomtien using the newish bus service from soi chairapruk (!) opposite police box a couple of kilos down beach road jomtien, no problems going 109 thb got some water, a biscuit and some funny milk in a box included. Dropped off at 'transport centre' and got shuttle bus from there non stop to domestic terminal .

Coming back no signs from domestic exit to shuttle bus stops , wandered out and my lady asked worker where to go, he pointed the way, would have been more difficult if alone, bus rolls up, not express bus, goes round houses a bit picks up loads of airport employees (about that time) and eventually got to terminal, but did not have the feel of 'international airport' bus, not any info clearly visible at bus stop giving options, not massive problem.

Big ticket window for Pattaya tickets, wait a while and bus left on time back to Pattaya.

Overall no huge problems, great value, have read that new guy in charge is going to permit pick up of passengers by buses at airport concourse, and move common taxis to floor now used by limos (rip off) as this is the most convenient floor for passengers leaving.

Edited April 14, 2007 by spacebass

[spacebass]

Monday I flew from Chiang Mai to old airport, arrived 11:40am went to first floor taxi booth metered taxi's

asked where I wanted to go, said new airport, driver started out with meter on, then asked if I wanted to pay

500 baht he would pay all toll charges, I agreed he paid 60 0r 80 baht in toll's. took 35 minutes to reach airport

Have no idea what meter would have cost me, plus the toll's.

With respect, it is pretty obvious a taxi driver is not going to make a deal that leaves him with less money, I would suggest in any urban area always insist on meter and pay tolls yourself, of course long distance is I believe is always negotiable.

I have never paid more than 150 bht on a meter and I have been on some pretty long journeys, they are unbelievable for farang!

[marshbags]

Called in at the local Thai Airways office yesterday and was given the latest information on airport transfers.

Thai Airways is running a free service between the airports until the 30-04-2007.

From the 01-05-2007 the Airport Authorities are beefing up a bus service that runs every 30 minutes

( should ? )

It is the number 555 and costs 34 baht.

It is airconned and the journey should be direct with no diverting.

The head supervisor kindly rang up to confirm this service was going ahead as planned.

They also gave her the above information, which she in turn passed on to me via my mobile directly after sorting it out.

If this is as stated then it shouldn,t be a problem to use the bus as it is suppoesed to be a dedicated service for transfers only.

It should be located just outside the D.M. arrivals hall, but i,m not sure of it,s location at Suk.

All Thai Airlines will also be using this service irrespective of wether they have an ongoing Int. Thai Air flight when i asked her this.

In my case i will be using Eva as my Int. carrier while flying into D.M via T. Air domestic but come under the latters consideration from my domestic booking.

( I feel more confident in their reliability than the budget airlines so do not mind paying extra to hopefully avoid any uncertaincies and possible baggage restrictions and consequent charges / hastle ect. )

Please post any further information / advice that can be of use to T.Visa members and their families ect.

Thank you

marshbags

Edited April 20, 2007 by marshbags

[billp]

The 555 has already been running for a while. It terminates at Rangsit. Bus 554 also travels the Don Muang-Suvarnabhumi route. Fare is 35 baht, I believe.

I've made it to Don Muang from Suvarnabhumi in about 30-35 minutes by taxi. No traffic tie-ups and driver really booting it all the way. But 45 mins to an hour would be more usual. Fare was 300 baht or so, tolls included, using the meter.

Edited April 20, 2007 by billp

[marshbags]

The 555 has already been running for a while. It terminates at Rangsit. Bus 554 also travels the Don Muang-Suvarnabhumi route. Fare is 35 baht, I believe.

I've made it to Don Muang from Suvarnabhumi in about 30-35 minutes by taxi. No traffic tie-ups and driver really booting it all the way. But 45 mins to an hour would be more usual. Fare was 300 baht or so, tolls included, using the meter.

Hiya Billip,

They told the Thai rep they where updating after the 30th of April ??????

They also said it was a direct service ????????

Going on your experience it would seem the inserted word " should " is definitely applicable.

Have you actually used the service and if so how did it compare with my latest observation on yesterdays feedback from T.Air ?

Thanks

I don,t mind the price differences and look for hastle free usage as a priority, the less the better as far as i,m concerned.

marshbags

[somtaamgaiyang]

Can members pass on the any useful tips and advice gleaned from your recent travels while using the domestic / international facilities.

I like many others in the outbacks would appreciate knowledge from your first hand experience to assist us in our forthcoming journeys.

Shuttle buses, taxis, baggage tranfers, actual times you may have taken between the airports ect. ect.

Thank You in advance.

marshbags

Taxis at Don Meaung are very difficult to come by. No limos available either. Best to pack an umbrella and flag one down on Vibhavadi Ragsit.

[marshbags]

Can members pass on the any useful tips and advice gleaned from your recent travels while using the domestic / international facilities.

I like many others in the outbacks would appreciate knowledge from your first hand experience to assist us in our forthcoming journeys.

Shuttle buses, taxis, baggage tranfers, actual times you may have taken between the airports ect. ect.

Thank You in advance.

marshbags

Taxis at Don Meaung are very difficult to come by. No limos available either. Best to pack an umbrella and flag one down on Vibhavadi Ragsit.

Thanks for that S.T.

I keep getting stories from local farang, some contradicting each other and also being ripped off, surprise! surprise !

You would have thought that something would have been organised by now after 5 weeks, wouldn,t you.

The downtown aircon buses provided before were brilliant and why they haven,t provided something similar, who is to know how their brains work ????

It would be worth paying extra to have such a service, reliable, a set route, baggage carrying facilites on board, friendly helpful staff and honesty via a set tarrif with no Hastle

Please keep posting so we can assist each other with updates and your actual experiences like S.T.

I hope by the 8th of May something more reliable is in position re transfers.

I,ve heard coming from the new airport to the old is o.k for taxis but like you say not the other way.

I,m totally confused about it all at present but hope as from the 1st of May when the porposed " updated " bus service 555 starts that things may be better. ????

I will make a point, of posting on my experiences when i get back to the U.K. ( after a couple of days sorting out my personal stuff )

It is much appreciated

marshbags

Edited April 21, 2007 by marshbags