Suvarnabhumi Airport arrivals dive

By The Nation

 

 

The arrival zone at Suvarnabhumi Airport is nearly empty today (March 10) as the number of passengers from other countries has plummeted due to worries over the spreading Covid-19 coronavirus.

 

 

And it's not just foreigners: many Thai tourists have also decided not to travel to public places with crowds.

 

The situation has seriously affected the economy and tourism.

 

 

 

 

Source: https://www.nationthailand.com/news/30383776

 

-- © Copyright The Nation Thailand 2020-03-10

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I wonder if TAT are still trying to stick to their suggestion that tourists will only drop by 6 million in the year?

Pictures taken at 5.30am?

 

Like the ones taken of the Chinese airlines check in zone last week that claimed to be immigration?

Waiting for the spin doctors to come out and say it's ok to travel, Thailand only has 50 infected with the Covid-19, of which 31 have gone home, 18 in recovery and doing well with mild symptoms and one died.

I came back though swampy to london 2 weeks ago and you could hear an echo more staff than travelers it was very pleasant indeed ????

1 minute ago, Traubert said:

Pictures taken at 5.30am?

 

Like the ones taken of the Chinese airlines check in zone last week that claimed to be immigration?

Clock shows 11:05. It looks like daylight outside - so 11:05 am.

8 minutes ago, ThreeEyedRaven said:

I wonder if TAT are still trying to stick to their suggestion that tourists will only drop by 6 million in the year?

I bet it will be true.

It is similar to a recession which creates built up demand.

When this ends and it will, there will be a flood of Chinese and other tourists like no one has ever seen.

Record numbers I bet the airport will be then, way way over capacity.

3 minutes ago, 4MyEgo said:

Waiting for the spin doctors to come out and say it's ok to travel, Thailand only has 50 infected with the Covid-19, of which 31 have gone home, 18 in recovery and doing well with mild symptoms and one died.

That will be the ministry of corona personas job surely ???? 

4 minutes ago, bkk6060 said:

I bet it will be true.

It is similar to a recession which creates built up demand.

When this ends and it will, there will be a flood of Chinese and other tourists like no one has ever seen.

Record numbers I bet the airport will be then, way way over capacity.

That assumes the effects of the virus don't hit economies and seriously reduce travelers' budgets.

All thanks to China 

1 minute ago, sammieuk1 said:

That will be the ministry of corona personas job surely ???? 

I don't know, seems every minister wants to weigh in on "spreading" the news, unless shut down by the head honcho spin doctor who said he had it under control 110%

Last saturday afternoon the place was almost deserted. Usually that is a busy time but now there were no queues in immigration or security at all. I wonder how much the IOs still insist that arriving passengers 'come here too much'.

if you had just arrived or wanted to travel and had the idea to buy a mask as a precaution............. sorry sir no hab!!

 

All masks have been acquired by our ministers and their cronies..............for special distribution but not to hospitals or the public or tourists in this country.

Edited March 10, 20206 yr by sapson

41 minutes ago, Traubert said:

Pictures taken at 5.30am?

 

Like the ones taken of the Chinese airlines check in zone last week that claimed to be immigration?

Maybe you should study the pictures before comment. The is a clock on two of them, where you clearly can see the time. If you then take the insight from the light outside, you will hopefully soon realize it´s a little bit after 11 daytime. I hope that was helpful.

Been backwards and forwards from Swampy and Don Muang with my daughter last 10 days with both international and domestic flights.

Returned from DM to Khon Kaen this morning.  The departures board at DM at 9.30am showing flights until 12.30 (lunch ), out of 60 flights 23 had been cancelled across all airlines, screen changing very often with more departures cancelled.
My flight was 50% empty, only one person in the front rows.

 

50 minutes ago, timendres said:

Clock shows 11:05. It looks like daylight outside - so 11:05 am.

Fair comment.

 

Could be  one of those clocks that's set to Sydney time thou......sorry, sorry, too much time spent on here. ????

My wife and her sister were going to Roiet ,now cancelled ,her sister was then off to Japan for a few days holiday ,she has cancelled that as well ,no refund on fares ,but as she said better safe than sorry ,actually its the aircraft confined space is the worry ,not the destinations .

Terrible for immigration...no more foreigners to harass ....

Sad for the official taxi crooks....no more foreigners to argue, cheat and refuse the meter from the Airport.....

 

And they better get used to these doomsday empty airports...as it will continue even after the virus, as long as the Thai Bhat is overrated and artificially so strong....maybe it'stime to respect and be more easy going with the expats and retirees who are residing in Thailand, if it's not too late ?

 

Edited March 10, 20206 yr by observer90210

1 hour ago, Traubert said:

Pictures taken at 5.30am?

 

Like the ones taken of the Chinese airlines check in zone last week that claimed to be immigration?

Of course, you're right. They must/should match the headline.

1 hour ago, Traubert said:

Pictures taken at 5.30am?

 

Like the ones taken of the Chinese airlines check in zone last week that claimed to be immigration?

clock in photo depicts 11: 05

1 hour ago, Traubert said:

Pictures taken at 5.30am?

 

Like the ones taken of the Chinese airlines check in zone last week that claimed to be immigration?

Lots of clues there. But if I was a betting man I would say it was about 11.05 am

Edited March 10, 20206 yr by Swimfan

37 minutes ago, sapson said:

if you had just arrived or wanted to travel and had the idea to buy a mask as a precaution............. sorry sir no hab!!

 

All masks have been acquired by our ministers and their cronies..............for special distribution but not to hospitals or the public or tourists in this country.

The little store near my condo has plenty masks

hand-sanitiser, &c.

23 minutes ago, ivor bigun said:

My wife and her sister were going to Roiet ,now cancelled ,her sister was then off to Japan for a few days holiday ,she has cancelled that as well ,no refund on fares ,but as she said better safe than sorry ,actually its the aircraft confined space is the worry ,not the destinations .

Planes, if well cleaned aren't a problem. They have HEPA filters and replace entire air in the aircraft within 3-5 minutes. The top air supply feeders shoot down and the grilles at the bottom suck the air in to circulate it. About a third of the air gets recycled and 2/3 get replaced during each cycle. Both fresh and recycled air go through HEPA filters before returning to cabin. As such (in tests I've seen done) it's relatively hard to get infected from air circulation more than a row or 2 around the infected person (1.5-2m) without visible symptoms (sneeze, cough) on the plane. That's assuming the plane is properly disinfected between flights. There's some possibility in toilets, and when eating (on long flights) - from germs on plates, cups, table, and user's hands; most airlines only offered moist wipes but those weren't alcohol wipes hence would do nothing to kill virus. In reality, most of these could be overcome. And in worst case, food could be offered on the ground before boarding and all meals on the plane scrapped. Alcohol wipes issued with each drink, and those served in sealed plastic bottles to prevent spread of germs as with open cups touched by flight attendants.

 

I'd say that of all public transport vehicles, the airplanes, when properly cleaned and managed, represent the lowest risk for infection, and you're far more likely to get infected at the airport than in the plane. Unless you're unlucky and infected person sits right beside or behind you and keeps sneezing and coughing. Honestly - airlines should refuse boarding to those.

8 hours ago, tomazbodner said:

Planes, if well cleaned aren't a problem. They have HEPA filters and replace entire air in the aircraft within 3-5 minutes. The top air supply feeders shoot down and the grilles at the bottom suck the air in to circulate it. About a third of the air gets recycled and 2/3 get replaced during each cycle. Both fresh and recycled air go through HEPA filters before returning to cabin. As such (in tests I've seen done) it's relatively hard to get infected from air circulation more than a row or 2 around the infected person (1.5-2m) without visible symptoms (sneeze, cough) on the plane. That's assuming the plane is properly disinfected between flights. There's some possibility in toilets, and when eating (on long flights) - from germs on plates, cups, table, and user's hands; most airlines only offered moist wipes but those weren't alcohol wipes hence would do nothing to kill virus. In reality, most of these could be overcome. And in worst case, food could be offered on the ground before boarding and all meals on the plane scrapped. Alcohol wipes issued with each drink, and those served in sealed plastic bottles to prevent spread of germs as with open cups touched by flight attendants.

 

I'd say that of all public transport vehicles, the airplanes, when properly cleaned and managed, represent the lowest risk for infection, and you're far more likely to get infected at the airport than in the plane. Unless you're unlucky and infected person sits right beside or behind you and keeps sneezing and coughing. Honestly - airlines should refuse boarding to those.

All quite true. And there is a huge difference between a 1 or 2 hour flight, during which you can control many variables, and a 13 hour flight, where you have no choice but to share the restrooms with hundreds of other passengers, and are sure to be passed by by hundreds of passengers multiple times, as well as be exposed to all of their interactions with the flight crew, touching seats as they move about, etc.

9 hours ago, Speedo1968 said:

Been backwards and forwards from Swampy and Don Muang with my daughter last 10 days with both international and domestic flights.

Returned from DM to Khon Kaen this morning.  The departures board at DM at 9.30am showing flights until 12.30 (lunch ), out of 60 flights 23 had been cancelled across all airlines, screen changing very often with more departures cancelled.
My flight was 50% empty, only one person in the front rows.

 

Nice positive asessment "50% empty". Most would have said 50% full. Where's my glass?

 

Good to hear that your daughter was able to travel.

14 hours ago, Traubert said:

Pictures taken at 5.30am?

 

Like the ones taken of the Chinese airlines check in zone last week that claimed to be immigration?

Maybe if you look at the photos at beginning and end they show the glass windows and daylight outside. How did you make up 5.30 am when its dark until 6-30 am these days?

Maybe the arrivals area looks so empty because the people who have arrived are all stuck in the same Immigration queues, 3/4s of which are probably closed as they aren't expecting any more people to arrive anyways ?

We've seen what it's like when everything was normal (line-ups extending out into the hallways, half the Immigration counters not staffed, wait times of hours to get through). I can imagine that if the number of arrivals drops the first thing that will happen is Immigration will cut down on the number of IOs manning the counters to the point where the queues remain full at all times.
(That way it looks like there are more people arriving than actually are.)

Change the name to Mr. M. T !

15 hours ago, Traubert said:

Pictures taken at 5.30am?

 

Like the ones taken of the Chinese airlines check in zone last week that claimed to be immigration?

If you check out the shadows or sunlight streaming into the building  I would say between 10:00am and 2:00 pm.

6 minutes ago, RichardColeman said:

Change the name to Mr. M. T !

They'd be a fool not to do that !

 

Edited March 10, 20206 yr by Kerryd