Slow Getting Through Passport Control

[peter991]

Amazing Thailand! It took almost as long to fly from Australia to Thailand as it did to get through Passport Control the other morning. Thai Airways TG992 landed on time at 6.25am. Two other flights landed within 10 minutes of us.

Passport Control at Suvarnabhumi Airport has 7 control counters for 'Thai Passport' and 15 control points for Foreign Passport.

At 6.30am, all 7 Thai passport counters were open - only 6 of the 15 Foreign control points were manned.

Result: It took 1hr and 45 mins of queueing before we were able to 'enter Thailand.' Foreunaely my BF was through in 3 minutes and was able to retrieve our bags from the luggage carousel.

Suggestion to Airports of Thailand: Eliminate the Thai/Foreign Passport discrimination - and call it Passport Control ... and make sure ALL the control points are manned.

Then it will really be: Welcome to Thailand.

Peter

[bkkandrew]

Bit of an exaggeration re. times...

If you walk further upthe terminal to the other immigration lines, you will note that they have employed a new system of 1-line for about 20 desks, regardless of Thai/Non-thai. Result, quick processing. I was through in 10-minutes...

[cclub75]

Result: It took 1hr and 45 mins of queueing before we were able to 'enter Thailand.' Foreunaely my BF was through in 3 minutes and was able to retrieve our bags from the luggage carousel.

Oh my god.

It all depends of :

-the period of the year (may is obviously low season compare to december for instance)

-the time (mornings and evenings are rush hours indeed for airport)

-staff problems (sick leaves, holidays)

-and... landing schedule

If 3 B747 are landing within a short period of time, Immigration can be totally flooded.

However, do not forget that there are 2 immigration zones at Suva. When you are on concourse D, planes behind you, the first one is on the left (closer to concourse E). The second one, in the middle of concourse D is bigger.

So, in your case, it could be bad luck : several big planes landing near concourse E, F and G. And all the passengers flowing toward the first immigration zone... Plus the fact that it was early in the morning (officers start their work).

However, you're right : the immigration process is very slow. And even more now (they have added the webcams for image processing). Plus the new visa regulations (= more calculations to do, and sometimes checking of every pages of traveler's passeport).

I mean, they should take example on the french immigration officers. I saw many times some tourists coming from a B747 and seing only... 2 officers in the booth at Charles de Gaulle... with the color of their face going blank...

But the audacious 2 officers are so fast (just one glimpse at the passeport in some case) than they can process the whole airplane in a very short period of time.

So much for "security" of course... But highly "efficient".

Edited June 17, 2007 by cclub75

[Krub]

Amazing Thailand! It took almost as long to fly from Australia to Thailand as it did to get through Passport Control the other morning. Thai Airways TG992 landed on time at 6.25am. Two other flights landed within 10 minutes of us.

Passport Control at Suvarnabhumi Airport has 7 control counters for 'Thai Passport' and 15 control points for Foreign Passport.

At 6.30am, all 7 Thai passport counters were open - only 6 of the 15 Foreign control points were manned.

Result: It took 1hr and 45 mins of queueing before we were able to 'enter Thailand.' Foreunaely my BF was through in 3 minutes and was able to retrieve our bags from the luggage carousel.

Suggestion to Airports of Thailand: Eliminate the Thai/Foreign Passport discrimination - and call it Passport Control ... and make sure ALL the control points are manned.

Then it will really be: Welcome to Thailand.

Peter

Nearly as bad as what I have to endure at Sydney airport when arriving early morning......

As others have said better move along to the other zone where desks might be empty

Welcome back to Thailand to both of you !

Edited June 18, 2007 by Krub

[bkkandrew]

So how did this thread get a 5-star rating after 3 posts?

[Levent]

The last time I entered Thailand it took one hour to get through passport control. This was at 1 pm on a Sunday. I suppose the main issue that makes processing times longer now is the new visa rules. While it is understandable why the new rules were implemented, they don't have the tools to enforce them in an efficient manner. How prehistoric is it having to count the number of days in the passport of someone without a visa?

I mean, they should take example on the french immigration officers. I saw many times some tourists coming from a B747 and seing only... 2 officers in the booth at Charles de Gaulle... with the color of their face going blank...

But the audacious 2 officers are so fast (just one glimpse at the passeport in some case) than they can process the whole airplane in a very short period of time.

So much for "security" of course... But highly "efficient".

Sure, but the reason they let someone through with just one glimpse at the passport is probably because it is a EU passport. People can say what they want about the European Union, but the ability to travel freely and live and work anywhere you want in the EU is a true bliss.

[cclub75]

Sure, but the reason they let someone through with just one glimpse at the passport is probably because it is a EU passport. People can say what they want about the European Union, but the ability to travel freely and live and work anywhere you want in the EU is a true bliss.

Oh no... believe me, I go a lot through CDG. And sometimes, it's a pure joke. Even for real "foreigners" (non EU), with exotic look... I'm sure they don't even check the date of validity of their visa...

And even with a EU passport, they should check it (could be false papers). At some point, I could give them the passeport of my mother, i'm sure they wouldn't notice.

Actually, it's a shame and real security threat. The bottom line is : why do you think we have so many illegal migrants in Europe.... ?

[venturalaw]

I am scheduled to arrive in BKK from LAX at 6:10am. My flight via Thai Air from BKK to Chiang Mai departs at 7:45am. What are the odds of my making the flight to Chiang Mai? I really hope it can be done, but I have no idea.

Thanks

[scrunchielaura]

I am scheduled to arrive in BKK from LAX at 6:10am. My flight via Thai Air from BKK to Chiang Mai departs at 7:45am. What are the odds of my making the flight to Chiang Mai?

Your odds are quite good. The airport is fairly empty at that time of day.

I arrived on that flight last month. I walked from the gate, got through passport control, (skipped the baggage carousels as I had only carry-on,) wasted an hour exploring the land-side part of the terminal, caught the airport shuttle bus, and arrived at the bus depot just after 8AM.

[Soju]

If you're flying in on THAI, which I assume you are, based on your arrival time, you can have your bags checked through to Chiang Mai when you check in at LAX. Then when you arrive you can check in for Chiang Mai without passing through immigration/customs. You will be required to pass through immigration/customs in Chiang Mai instead. You'll have plenty of spare time if you do this. If you don't, you'll have to clear immigration in BKK, wait for your bags there, go through customs, then go check in for your flight to Chiang Mai. Still should probably not be a problem, but it's much easier if you do it in Chiang Mai rather than BKK.

[brahmburgers]

If you're acquainted with how Thai people think, you know that Thais MUCH prefer to deal with their own.

Besides the obvious language difficulties. Thais are easier to deal with - they comply, they don't ask questions of authority, their names can be typed in Thai (English typing is difficult for a Thai typist).

If the turnstiles for foreing entries aren't manned by enough Thai workers, it's for reasons of subjectivity, mainly. The few personnel who are qualified to deal with foreigners will try to find excuses for not manning the posts. So what if there are hundreds of travel-weary farang waiting in line. The other reason is lack of management acumen - which is an endemic problem throughout SUV airport.

[kiakaha]

Passport Control at Suvarnabhumi Airport has 7 control counters for 'Thai Passport' and 15 control points for Foreign Passport.

Peter

and 1 counter for diplomat/official...2 minutes max everytime...praise the lord

[venturalaw]

If you're flying in on THAI, which I assume you are, based on your arrival time, you can have your bags checked through to Chiang Mai when you check in at LAX. Then when you arrive you can check in for Chiang Mai without passing through immigration/customs. You will be required to pass through immigration/customs in Chiang Mai instead. You'll have plenty of spare time if you do this. If you don't, you'll have to clear immigration in BKK, wait for your bags there, go through customs, then go check in for your flight to Chiang Mai. Still should probably not be a problem, but it's much easier if you do it in Chiang Mai rather than BKK.

Thanks so much for the tip. I am arriving via Thai Air. My hesitation has been in trusting baggage handling at Suvarnabhumi Airport - to get the bags onto my Thai Air flight to Chiang Mai. I have heard horror stories. But I will take your suggestion.

Thanks again.

[chinthee]

If you're acquainted with how Thai people think, you know that Thais MUCH prefer to deal with their own.

Besides the obvious language difficulties. Thais are easier to deal with - they comply, they don't ask questions of authority, their names can be typed in Thai (English typing is difficult for a Thai typist).

If the turnstiles for foreing entries aren't manned by enough Thai workers, it's for reasons of subjectivity, mainly. The few personnel who are qualified to deal with foreigners will try to find excuses for not manning the posts. So what if there are hundreds of travel-weary farang waiting in line. The other reason is lack of management acumen - which is an endemic problem throughout SUV airport.

One of the things I REALLY miss about Don Muang is that if you spoke Thai, asked politely & smiled genuinely, you could usually get through the Thai citizen turnstiles while other farangs stood by with gaping mouths. That game was firmly shut at the new airport. no can do.

[samran]

just about every country preferences their own, basically cause the process is different in letting in home country nationals vs. foreigners.

Thailand: Thai PP queue: pretty good to use, though not always as fast as the foriegners queue, especially when arriving.

Australia: There is a special Queue for Australian and NZ citizens, due to the Closer Economic Relations (CER) agreement, which is basically our own mini-EU, without the parliament.

EU: Don't get me started on the EU only queue when as a poor plebby foreigner you are forced to wait in the ''others' line while EU passport holders whizz by.

[bkkandrew]

If you're acquainted with how Thai people think, you know that Thais MUCH prefer to deal with their own.

Besides the obvious language difficulties. Thais are easier to deal with - they comply, they don't ask questions of authority, their names can be typed in Thai (English typing is difficult for a Thai typist).

If the turnstiles for foreing entries aren't manned by enough Thai workers, it's for reasons of subjectivity, mainly. The few personnel who are qualified to deal with foreigners will try to find excuses for not manning the posts. So what if there are hundreds of travel-weary farang waiting in line. The other reason is lack of management acumen - which is an endemic problem throughout SUV airport.

One of the things I REALLY miss about Don Muang is that if you spoke Thai, asked politely & smiled genuinely, you could usually get through the Thai citizen turnstiles while other farangs stood by with gaping mouths. That game was firmly shut at the new airport. no can do.

Yes, so do I. You could get away with it in the first month or so after the changeover, but then this was clamped down on. My attempt last month was met with quite a rude remark. I will avoid in future...

[chinthee]

If you're acquainted with how Thai people think, you know that Thais MUCH prefer to deal with their own.

Besides the obvious language difficulties. Thais are easier to deal with - they comply, they don't ask questions of authority, their names can be typed in Thai (English typing is difficult for a Thai typist).

If the turnstiles for foreing entries aren't manned by enough Thai workers, it's for reasons of subjectivity, mainly. The few personnel who are qualified to deal with foreigners will try to find excuses for not manning the posts. So what if there are hundreds of travel-weary farang waiting in line. The other reason is lack of management acumen - which is an endemic problem throughout SUV airport.

One of the things I REALLY miss about Don Muang is that if you spoke Thai, asked politely & smiled genuinely, you could usually get through the Thai citizen turnstiles while other farangs stood by with gaping mouths. That game was firmly shut at the new airport. no can do.

Yes, so do I. You could get away with it in the first month or so after the changeover, but then this was clamped down on. My attempt last month was met with quite a rude remark. I will avoid in future...

I tried the old trusty charm on two occasions and was told to f off basically. Maybe they have completely separate computers or something.

[samran]

If you're acquainted with how Thai people think, you know that Thais MUCH prefer to deal with their own.

Besides the obvious language difficulties. Thais are easier to deal with - they comply, they don't ask questions of authority, their names can be typed in Thai (English typing is difficult for a Thai typist).

If the turnstiles for foreing entries aren't manned by enough Thai workers, it's for reasons of subjectivity, mainly. The few personnel who are qualified to deal with foreigners will try to find excuses for not manning the posts. So what if there are hundreds of travel-weary farang waiting in line. The other reason is lack of management acumen - which is an endemic problem throughout SUV airport.

One of the things I REALLY miss about Don Muang is that if you spoke Thai, asked politely & smiled genuinely, you could usually get through the Thai citizen turnstiles while other farangs stood by with gaping mouths. That game was firmly shut at the new airport. no can do.

Yes, so do I. You could get away with it in the first month or so after the changeover, but then this was clamped down on. My attempt last month was met with quite a rude remark. I will avoid in future...

I tried the old trusty charm on two occasions and was told to f off basically. Maybe they have completely separate computers or something.

hehe. I can't wait till I come back through next month when I'll stick my Thai PP in their face.. I'll get one back for the team.....

[chinthee]

If you're acquainted with how Thai people think, you know that Thais MUCH prefer to deal with their own.

Besides the obvious language difficulties. Thais are easier to deal with - they comply, they don't ask questions of authority, their names can be typed in Thai (English typing is difficult for a Thai typist).

If the turnstiles for foreing entries aren't manned by enough Thai workers, it's for reasons of subjectivity, mainly. The few personnel who are qualified to deal with foreigners will try to find excuses for not manning the posts. So what if there are hundreds of travel-weary farang waiting in line. The other reason is lack of management acumen - which is an endemic problem throughout SUV airport.

One of the things I REALLY miss about Don Muang is that if you spoke Thai, asked politely & smiled genuinely, you could usually get through the Thai citizen turnstiles while other farangs stood by with gaping mouths. That game was firmly shut at the new airport. no can do.

Yes, so do I. You could get away with it in the first month or so after the changeover, but then this was clamped down on. My attempt last month was met with quite a rude remark. I will avoid in future...

I tried the old trusty charm on two occasions and was told to f off basically. Maybe they have completely separate computers or something.

hehe. I can't wait till I come back through next month when I'll stick my Thai PP in their face.. I'll get one back for the team.....

Just to rub it in, you should pretend you don't speak Thai. I think I read in one of your posts you are a dually - both US and Thai PP, right?

[samran]

australian and thai....with a blond haired blue eyed daughter also with a thai PP!

[bendix]

I dunno what the fuss is about. If there are queues, it's usually only because there are a few periods each day when several flights land at the same time. As another poster said, try arriving at Sydney between 6-7am in the morning!

I've landed at the new airport around 15 times since it opened. On around 8 of those times I've walked straight up to immigration with a maximum of one or two people ahead of me. Other times, bar one, the queue has been 8-10 people and it's taken no more than 10-15 minutes. Only once (when my flight was late arriving and we hit a busy period) was there a significant queue, and it took around 30 minutes to get through).

That's not a bad record.

Incidentally, on the subject of Thai counters being manned by people not wanting to deal with farangs, utter nonsense. When I arrived back from Manila yesterday, there were queues for foreigners, but the Thai counters were initially empty. Several Thai counters were swiftly changed to foreign counters and the queues disappeared quickly.

I sometimes wonder if I live in a parallel universe to other people.

[chuchok]

I dunno what the fuss is about. If there are queues, it's usually only because there are a few periods each day when several flights land at the same time. As another poster said, try arriving at Sydney between 6-7am in the morning!

i've never had a prob at the new airport here.Normally quite quick,however there is no excuse for any Customs department anywhere to have problems.They have schedules and they have staff.It's that simple.More planes=put on more staff.

When I fly into Auckland,if there are large queues,I always make a point of telling a customs officer (not one of thoses part time baffoons either) on how well they are managing customs control and what a great impression they must be giving first time visitors...

[chinthee]

I dunno what the fuss is about. If there are queues, it's usually only because there are a few periods each day when several flights land at the same time. As another poster said, try arriving at Sydney between 6-7am in the morning!

i've never had a prob at the new airport here.Normally quite quick,however there is no excuse for any Customs department anywhere to have problems.They have schedules and they have staff.It's that simple.More planes=put on more staff.

When I fly into Auckland,if there are large queues,I always make a point of telling a customs officer (not one of thoses part time baffoons either) on how well they are managing customs control and what a great impression they must be giving first time visitors...

Yes, the new BKK airport is MUCH improved over Don Muang in this respect. Most of the time you can go through quite quickly now. They're not Singapore yet, but doing better.

[Soju]

I dunno what the fuss is about. If there are queues, it's usually only because there are a few periods each day when several flights land at the same time. As another poster said, try arriving at Sydney between 6-7am in the morning!

I've landed at the new airport around 15 times since it opened. On around 8 of those times I've walked straight up to immigration with a maximum of one or two people ahead of me. Other times, bar one, the queue has been 8-10 people and it's taken no more than 10-15 minutes. Only once (when my flight was late arriving and we hit a busy period) was there a significant queue, and it took around 30 minutes to get through).

That's not a bad record.

Incidentally, on the subject of Thai counters being manned by people not wanting to deal with farangs, utter nonsense. When I arrived back from Manila yesterday, there were queues for foreigners, but the Thai counters were initially empty. Several Thai counters were swiftly changed to foreign counters and the queues disappeared quickly.

I sometimes wonder if I live in a parallel universe to other people.

Like you, I've been through many times and have yet to have to wait in any long queues. The maximum has been one or two people in front of me, and more than half the time nobody at all. Certainly there have been queues at times of 10 or so people, but there's always empty slots if you just walk down a bit. There may be some odd times when there are long queues, but the certainly are the exception to the rule, unlike Don Muang where they were the norm in my case.

[tijnebijn]

The last time I arrived there was no queue at all ,so lucky maybe .

On the other hand I found the new airport a delight , compared with the old one , especially that the check -ins for domestic and international flights are in the same Hall .Looked similar as Kuala Lumpur .

I have no complains at all for the new airport for a change .

[bruceboy]

The new system is so slow.

[bendix]

The new system is so slow.

Could you expand on that well-thought out proposition, bruceboy?

[bruceboy]

The new system is so slow.

Could you expand on that well-thought out proposition, bruceboy?

It was just an observation based on my experiences of the new system. It was meant to be a constructive criticism not an afront to anyone. I apologise if you thought otherwise.

[sjaak327]

I agree with most, that the queues at Suvarnabhumi are not bad at all. I can only think of one time (out of 4) that I had to wait longer then 5 minutes, and that was around 6PM comming from KL. For the rest it was very quick indeed, and indeed quicker then before at Don Muang.

Try and go to Capetown, I have passed there three times, one time I was through in 40 minutes, the other two times it took an hour...

[bendix]

Seriously? You find it slower? How many times have you been through the new system? Most observers have found it much quicker as this thread suggests.

Perhaps you arrived at a bad time when lots of the SexTourist Airways flights were arriving :-)

That's usually around 10-12midnight. All the flights from Australia, US and Japan tend to converge around then.