Remember the process regarding the taxi.....

If the taxi drops someone off, they have to go around and get into the queue. I am not sure how long this queue is, but in my home country airport, they wait up to three hours.

The taxis will wait, as anyone using a taxi is around 200 baht minimum. If they drive back empty they get nothing.....

As of 01:00 on 23 May 2007, the official taxi queue's remain on level 1. Note that the authorities were aggressively restricting taxi access on level 4 this evening. Upwards of 30 security personnel and two AoT pick-ups with flashing lights and sirens were preventing everyone from getting a taxi on level 4. Drivers wanted to pick up pax but we not allowed to. I even saw someone getting pulled from a taxi.

So AOT bring full resources to level 4 to prohibit arriving passengers to jump into a taxi whilst themselves scam the same passengers with their limo trick to lure passengers into NOT finding the well hidden taxi booth on level 1 whilst they do allow the touts to hit you with their silly taxi? question when you set one foot in the arrivals hall.

As of 01:00 on 23 May 2007, the official taxi queue's remain on level 1. Note that the authorities were aggressively restricting taxi access on level 4 this evening. Upwards of 30 security personnel and two AoT pick-ups with flashing lights and sirens were preventing everyone from getting a taxi on level 4. Drivers wanted to pick up pax but we not allowed to. I even saw someone getting pulled from a taxi.

So AOT bring full resources to level 4 to prohibit arriving passengers to jump into a taxi whilst themselves scam the same passengers with their limo trick to lure passengers into NOT finding the well hidden taxi booth on level 1 whilst they do allow the touts to hit you with their silly taxi? question when you set one foot in the arrivals hall.

It's a blatent ripoff. The word is getting around and the tourism business will be about as busy as Nigerias when someone exposes the place for what it is. The Land of Scams.

I noticed a letter in the Bangkok Post yesterday questioning why they stated that the Taxi line will move to the right level and as of now they havent, not just TV questioning this

I bet there're a lot of well paid government officials over there at AOT.

Officially and unofficially paid, can I get a job there?

I was standing outside where the limos are parked for domestic arrivals on Sunday and watched the AOT touts with all their victims.

One well dressed Thai and his wife saw the AOT limos and asked where the meter taxis were. One of younger female touts pointed over the railing to where the meter taxi rank was.

As soon as that guy and his wife left for the meter taxi rank the other touts crowded round that honest girl and gave her a severe ticking off for losing a customer.

I bet there're a lot of well paid government officials over there at AOT.

Officially and unofficially paid, can I get a job there?

You'll have to take that up with the airport's main builder:

How much is the charge at toll booth on the expressway?

Are you supposed to give the taxi drivers some coin for this or did I get rolled last time?

Where do you go to get the meter taxi's, level 4?

Thanks guys.

How much is the charge at toll booth on the expressway?

Are you supposed to give the taxi drivers some coin for this or did I get rolled last time?

Where do you go to get the meter taxi's, level 4?

Thanks guys.

I usually give the driver a 100 Baht note, he pays the toll booth and gives me the change right away (there's only one toll booth for 30 Bahts on my way home).

There are 2 meter taxi ranks on the ground floor. If there's a queue at one, look down to the other end of the terminal and i've usually found there'll be no queue at the other rank.

The taxi driver should ask if you want to go via the tollway. The toll amount depends on where you travel to. You may have to pay 2 tolls depending on your destination. I think the first toll into town is 25b.

If you elect to take the tollway the taxi driver will ask for the toll money prior to each toll booth. You can see the amount displayed on the electronic display as you leave the toll booth. They usually hand you the reciept.

At the end of your journey you will pay the meter fare + 50b airport surcharge.

Taxis have signs in them showing the meter fares and other additional charges.

I arrived april 8. negotiated with a tout right outside baggage and went to pattaya for 1200. did not go downstairs like I did in november.

Don't worry. Just take your luggage and go to the ground level. There are enough taxis waiting.

However if everybody is heading to the taxi booths - if there is one in the arrival floor - you will be

quicker if you go down.

Markus

Say what!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

i thought that the 50 THB surcharge is meant to be an incentive for cab drivers to pick up passengers at the airport, and to compensate them for time lost as they queue up for passengers (sometimes for hours)... otherwise who'd want to pick up passengers at the airport? the AOT might get some income off the 50 THB surcharge but that is only a small percentage of it while the cab driver keeps the rest.

No, I think the surcharge is for the airport, not for the taxi drivers themselves. Who knows? Maybe I'm wrong. But the taxi drivers always seemed happy to pick me up at departures at Don Muang as they didn't have to go wait in line and I was happy as I didn't have to pay the extra 50 baht and wait forever. The 50 baht wouldn't have hurt me, but the waiting can be horrible.

If you know a better way, why not use it?

I was told by someone that works at airport that 10 baht goes to the airport and 40 to the driver from 50 baht surcharge.

Is that necessarily a bad thing?

Given that most of them have to wait a couple of hours to get a fare back into the city, it seems small compensation. Consider the alternative - you would find it impossible to get taxis agreeing to take you to the airport from the city if they had to sit there idly for 2-3 hours, waiting for a fare back.

Seems perfectly reasonable and sensible to me.

Oh no. Wait a minute. This is Thailand, so it must be a scam.

Is that necessarily a bad thing?

Given that most of them have to wait a couple of hours to get a fare back into the city, it seems small compensation. Consider the alternative - you would find it impossible to get taxis agreeing to take you to the airport from the city if they had to sit there idly for 2-3 hours, waiting for a fare back.

Seems perfectly reasonable and sensible to me.

Oh no. Wait a minute. This is Thailand, so it must be a scam.

Sounds fair to me, they do this in my hometown in UK to compensate taxi drivers for the long wait at the station.

I think this is common practise worldwide when taxi's Q for a long time.

Has anyone actually seen the Q for Suvarnabhumi where they wait at the bus station?

It is seriously long........... I'd want more than 40 baht to wait that one out.