Bangkok airport: Passengers up to 10K/day after test easing - crowds at Suvarnabhumi prompt action

[webfact]

Picture: Thai Rath

 

The chief of Bangkok's main airport Suvarnabhumi had to face something only previously a problem pre-pandemic.

 

Crowding at the airport.

 

Online posts had been made that it was overcrowded on the third floor at the meeting point between hotels and passengers. 

 

Kittipong Kitikhajorn said that the problems are caused by large numbers of passengers at peak periods.

 

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When the crowding happened 1,500 to 2,000 passengers had arrived in a single hour.

 

He said that since April 1st when RT-PCR tests before coming to Thailand were scrapped the daily passenger numbers have risen from 6,000 - 7000 to 9,000 - 10,000.

 

Thai Rath reported that peak periods at the airport are 5 - 7 am and 12 - 3 pm. 

 

More counters are being put in and an improved system is being adopted to help solve the overcrowding issues. 

 

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[RafPinto]

Here they come.
Russians, Scheinese, Indians.
Hand luggage full of 10,000$ notes

[RandiRona]

9 minutes ago, webfact said:

When the crowding happened 1,500 to 2,000 passengers had arrived in a single hour.

So a world renowned tourist place isn't able to handle 1500 to 2000 per hour? I guess that was the run rate for any massage parlor or Go Go precovid.... They need to hire right 'Specialists' for the job! 

[Gottfrid]

Yes! Eureka! We are up in 10 % of before, and can´t even handle that. 

[hotandsticky]

I suspect that this only for arrivals - where it will be a problem with all arrivals needing PCR tests.

 

 

Scrap the requirement for a PCR test on arrival and......."poof".......problem sorted.

[actonion]

Crowds ??

 

I've seen more people queuing at Pattaya Immigration

[webfact]

Opinion: Thailand needed national shame to reorganize airport mayhem

By Panithan Onthaworn

 

 

After a famous Thai Youtuber exposed to the world how lost tourists were at the airport upon their arrival in Thailand, causing national shame overnight, it took just a day for officials to address the issue.

 

Even worse, the officials claimed the photos of the crowded airport hallway were taken during rush hours, when most passengers were arriving.

 

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More travelers entered the kingdom this month as the government removed the mandatory pre-arrival RT-PCR test certificate under the Test and Go scheme.

 

Full story: https://www.thaienquirer.com/39369/opinion-thailand-needed-national-shame-to-reorganize-airport-mayhem/

 

-- © Copyright Thai Enquirer 2022-04-12

 

- Aetna offers a range of visa-compliant plans that meet the minimum requirement of medical treatment, including COVID-19, up to THB 3m. For more information on all expat health insurance plans click here.

 

- Follow ASEAN NOW on LINE for breaking COVID-19 updates

 

 

[poskat]

I imagine the meeting of the airport officials before the changes went a bit like this

 

Lower level official: "Ok, we can expect a lot more arrivals in the next few days. So should we revamp our system to reflect this?"

"Boss: No, its just tourists, they will be so overjoyed at being able to come to the best place on earth that they wont care about confusion and long waits..."

"Ok Boss"

[ikke1959]

Last week they claimed already that 10k tourist arrived now because of the non PCR test anymore before departure.. Now we are a week further and they teel us 9k-10k a day...So in a week time they could not prepare in case the real 10k should arrive.......Welcome to Thailand..... never prepared

 

Happily not the 300 THB entry fee yet... Probably also 2 places where you can pay it and get an old fashioned printed receipt. 

[KannikaP]

3 hours ago, webfact said:

Kittipong Kitikhajorn said that the problems are caused by large numbers of passengers at peak periods.

Would you Adam & Eve it?   LOL

[PJ71]

To be fair, with 3 x CoE and 3 x TP entries i have always found the organization very efficient upon returning to Thailand, no complaints at all.

[soi3eddie]

6 minutes ago, PJ71 said:

To be fair, with 3 x CoE and 3 x TP entries i have always found the organization very efficient upon returning to Thailand, no complaints at all.

I've arrived on 3 Thai Pass entries since November. Last arrival on 25th March was a shambles and huge crowds at Thai pass check but worst was the hotel meeting area. No surprise to this chaos after relaxation of predeparture test and atk instead of pcr on day 5. Thailand needs to do away with this Thai pass and test and go nonsense immediately otherwise tourists will have a horrible experience and never return here. 

 

[PuaSai]

How long are the hotel stays now after arrival?

[Dialemco]

Sure massive arrivals because PCR Test delayed until arrival with all consequential expenses is unlikely to increase international tourism. Let's see what happens after Songran holidays. 

[Photoguy21]

The ORAT people should have given the workers a refresher course as it is crazy that they cant handle a few thousand people

[RafPinto]

4 hours ago, RandiRona said:

So a world renowned tourist place isn't able to handle 1500 to 2000 per hour? I guess that was the run rate for any massage parlor or Go Go precovid.... They need to hire right 'Specialists' for the job! 

2000 for a massage parlor?

Probably a sign outside saying: Guaranteed happy.... for free.

[topt]

25 minutes ago, PuaSai said:

How long are the hotel stays now after arrival?

Test n Go is still one night - or no nights if you get the result early as you can leave if negative.

[Guderian]

It sounds very similar to what's happening at British airports. Many staff were laid off during the pandemic and haven't returned to work so the airports are very short-staffed with slow service and over-crowding. Ten thousand passengers a day is less than 10% of what was routinely handled at Swampy before Covid, but it will take time to get all the systems running properly again and sufficient staff available to deal with the increasing numbers. It's still a lot better than Manchester airport, though, where the delays and queues are so bad today that passengers are queuing out into the car park!

 

https://www.bbc.com/news/av/uk-england-manchester-60776547

[Tracyb]

Ya.  Wait till they start ATK tests for all intl passengers landing there!

[Jimbo2014]

Nice crowds for spreading the Coof!  Then go to the Hotel Jail for 24 hours and have your holiday for 14 more days in said hotel - fly home.  Ripper.

[TheFishman1]

Get rid of the pass and all the ridiculous stuff and then they will come TIT

[Sydebolle]

Either stuff all those jabs up yours ........ or do, what most Europeans, Caribbean, African, Central and South American countries are doing = nothing. No test, no nothing.

Either above listing of continents will prove that 50% of the population will be extinct in a few weeks or ...... the clowns of clowns will have to come up with some better jokes. 

Yet another reason not to travel into/from Thailand anytime soon ......... 

[bkk6060]

The whole world is coming so be ready.

[malibukid]

5 hours ago, RafPinto said:

Here they come.
Russians, Scheinese, Indians.
Hand luggage full of 10,000$ notes

and hansum man

[ThaiFelix]

5 hours ago, RandiRona said:

They need to hire right 'Specialists' for the job! 

Yes but the problem is the right members of the appropriate families are not all that special to be 'specialists'....they do what they can with what theyve got......or are you suggesting they hire someone outside of the family and risk disloyalty??

[hotchilli]

5 hours ago, Gottfrid said:

Yes! Eureka! We are up in 10 % of before, and can´t even handle that. 

Out of practice I guess.

[San Fran Dan]

1 hour ago, PuaSai said:

How long are the hotel stays now after arrival?

1 night if you arrive after 1800 maybe 2 night or 36 hours 

[bstafford214]

Let's not plan before it happens, typical. Wait until there are problems, no pro-active planning?

[bstafford214]

1 hour ago, Guderian said:

It sounds very similar to what's happening at British airports. Many staff were laid off during the pandemic and haven't returned to work so the airports are very short-staffed with slow service and over-crowding. Ten thousand passengers a day is less than 10% of what was routinely handled at Swampy before Covid, but it will take time to get all the systems running properly again and sufficient staff available to deal with the increasing numbers. It's still a lot better than Manchester airport, though, where the delays and queues are so bad today that passengers are queuing out into the car park!

 

https://www.bbc.com/news/av/uk-england-manchester-60776547

This is so typical, why can't managers think of the problems that will arise before they do?

[moe666]

6 hours ago, RafPinto said:

Here they come.
Russians, Scheinese, Indians.
Hand luggage full of 10,000$ notes

If you read a few here no one is suppose to be coming