Suvarnabhumi Improves Services Amid Thailand’s Tourism Rebound

[webfact]

 

by Natthaphon Sangpolsit

BANGKOK (NNT) - The Ministry of Transport has instructed Suvarnabhumi Airport to urgently address the issue of long immigration queues and wait times at baggage carousels in order to better facilitate the entry of international travelers amid Thailand’s tourism rebound.

 

Serving as the country’s main port of international arrivals, Suvarnabhumi Airport last month saw a total of 4.3 million passengers at an average of 138,287 daily passengers, representing 317% year-on-year growth.

 

The airport in January 2023 served 25,690 flights at a daily average of 829 flights. Some 2,000 of the flights that month - or around 80 flights per day - were from China, bringing in a total of 255,000 arrivals, or around 11,000 passengers a day.

 

The surge in arriving passengers has caused some issues at the airport, particularly congestion at passport control and long processing periods for baggage. Transport Minister Saksayam Chidchob said that while these issues have already been addressed, more work needs to be carried out to ensure the airport’s capacity for future growth.

 

The Ministry of Transport has ordered Airports of Thailand (AOT) to add 60 additional immigration counters at the airport’s passport control areas. This expansion, which is in the process of selecting contractors, is expected to expand the processing capacity at passport control to 3,000 people per hour.

 

On the baggage handling front, AOT has instructed the two ground-handling companies to increase the number of staff members and equipment in order to accommodate more flights. Some airlines have received temporary authorization to manage their own ground-handling at the airport, in an effort to help reduce delays.

 

The AOT is also in the process of selecting a third ground-handling company to serve flights at the airport, as this would enable the airport to more sustainably increase its growth capacity for flights and passengers.

 

Source: https://thainews.prd.go.th/en/news/detail/TCATG230212181713426

 

-- © Copyright NNT 2023-02-13

 

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[bbbbooboo]

Hmmm…. One might wonder why services werent improved before this ?They are shockingly poor at times

[StayinThailand2much]

28 minutes ago, bbbbooboo said:

Hmmm…. One might wonder why services werent improved before this ?They are shockingly poor at times

I've been to many countries, but the time a Thai IO needs for one passport is one of the longest I experienced. Not sure, whether the computer system is slow, or whether the IOs just have a 'sabai sabai' attitude... Doesn't help with the notoriously long queues, of course, esp. as only half the counters are manned usually.

[JensenZ]

3 hours ago, webfact said:

Serving as the country’s main port of international arrivals, Suvarnabhumi Airport last month saw a total of 4.3 million passengers at an average of 138,287 daily passengers, representing 317% year-on-year growth.

There's absolutely no purpose of a "year-on-year growth" statistic as the world is slowly recovering from a long covid-related tourism winter. I'd like to see year-on-year2019 statistics to get an idea of the real pre-covid numbers.

[hotchilli]

58 minutes ago, bbbbooboo said:

Hmmm…. One might wonder why services werent improved before this ?They are shockingly poor at times

A slow return to normality after the 2 year shut-down..

Many airports have the same issue with staffing levels after they were laid off during Covid.

[ThailandRyan]

4 hours ago, webfact said:

The Ministry of Transport has ordered Airports of Thailand (AOT) to add 60 additional immigration counters at the airport’s passport control areas. This expansion, which is in the process of selecting contractors, is expected to expand the processing capacity at passport control to 3,000 people per hour.

So in what year will this be completed, 2031? when they expect 200 million to arrive....

[zzaa09]

1 hour ago, StayinThailand2much said:

I've been to many countries, but the time a Thai IO needs for one passport is one of the longest I experienced. Not sure, whether the computer system is slow, or whether the IOs just have a 'sabai sabai' attitude... Doesn't help with the notoriously long queues, of course, esp. as only half the counters are manned usually.

The always, and quite a few, unmanned counters are largely for show. 

Guarantee that is the way it's been since Swampy opened for business in '06. 

Long queues have been a matter of course for ages.

[Tropposurfer]

A fully automated passport scanning system for citizens returning (you simply place your passport in the doc and away you go to claim your bags), and for permanent residents too would help, larger capacity luggage scanning (I heard from someone at Elite when we discussed the large queues recently seen as we made our way to our dedicated IO station) that they have too few of these by international standards and not enough staff to man them) and that the huge check-in and I.O. queues were due to staffing levels and slow (overloaded) I.T. systems mainly.

More automated electronic sniffing devices, more sniffer dogs, and maybe a better trained customs staff milling and observing amongst the passengers in the halls would relive some of the issues with returning folks at the least. As for the IO passport checks, it seems from my experience travelling for a log time that Thai I.O.'s are about the same as e.g. U.S., Aussie I.O.'s for non-citizens (strict examination of documents).

[jaywalker]

23 minutes ago, zzaa09 said:

The always, and quite a few, unmanned counters are largely for show. 

Guarantee that is the way it's been since Swampy opened for business in '06. 

Long queues have been a matter of course for ages.

Yes.

 

The restrooms at the Mo Chit bus station are 3 times the size of those at Swampy as well.

[daveAustin]

1 hour ago, StayinThailand2much said:

I've been to many countries, but the time a Thai IO needs for one passport is one of the longest I experienced. Not sure, whether the computer system is slow, or whether the IOs just have a 'sabai sabai' attitude... Doesn't help with the notoriously long queues, of course, esp. as only half the counters are manned usually.

Never had an issue coming in, dozens of times. Those lines do suck though... worth having a kid just to go through the Thai lane lol.

[Hawaiian]

Add more immigration counters will not help if they are not manned. 

[PB172111]

2 hours ago, bbbbooboo said:

Hmmm…. One might wonder why services werent improved before this ?They are shockingly poor at times

Because, as in everywhere worldwide, there has been a staff shortage due to the epidemic. 

[jacko45k]

1 minute ago, PB172111 said:

Because, as in everywhere worldwide, there has been a staff shortage due to the epidemic. 

If they were laid off in 2020 as Covid raged, where did they go... all retired? I grasp replacements need some training and it takes time....

[AhFarangJa]

Is it the poor English writing, or are the numbers all made up..................................

6 hours ago, webfact said:

Serving as the country’s main port of international arrivals, Suvarnabhumi Airport last month saw a total of 4.3 million passengers at an average of 138,287 daily passengers

ok, 138,000 passengers per day.................

6 hours ago, webfact said:

This expansion, which is in the process of selecting contractors, is expected to expand the processing capacity at passport control to 3,000 people per hour.

Now, in my book, at  3,000 per hour will take 45 hours to process the 138,000 daily passengers.....

Let's hope he means by another 3,000 extra................

[ignore it]

I thought they solved this (again) a couple of weeks ago.

[worrab]

How many times have they come out with this? These supposed improvements in service is the same old same old we keep hearing about but as usual, nothing changes. TIT. 

[crazykopite]

Was there on Saturday mid morning it was absolutely ridiculous standing in line for more than 30 minutes plus just to get into the departure area totally unacceptable 

[happyinthailand]

Many countries do not bother with outward immigration checks, leaving the onus to the airline to report the names and passport numbers of departing passengers. I am sure there are ways to therefore streamline checks for outward passengers. One suggestion is not require photo and fingerprint if the immigration officer believes all papers to be legitimate? My 2 cents worth!

[1happykamper]

Another question would be why do the IO ALWAYS read every page of my passport like it was a drama novel? 

 

I present the passport open to my Non O visa... It's disregarded and they start flipping pages... Why? 5555 5555

[brianthainess]

7 hours ago, webfact said:

to add 60 additional immigration counters at the airport’s passport control areas.

Will they stay unmanned too?

7 hours ago, webfact said:

This expansion, which is in the process of selecting contractors

Will that meeting go ''OK, all here with contractors in the family please put your bids in now, brown envelopes only''

[Sydebolle]

Two Kodak-moments:
September 1988, flight Rangoon-Bangkok (Don Meuang), 45 minutes, queue at Thai immigration 130 minutes. The seasoned traveller went for a leak prior to landing to avoid losing the place in the queue. 
January 2023, flight Udon Thani-Bangkok (Swampy), flight 42 minutes, queueing at the baggage carousel 70 minutes.

I hence assume that nothing has changed. If you don't wait at the immigration (like after a domestic flight) then they have you poking noses at the baggage belt ????. 

[Bangkok Barry]

9 hours ago, webfact said:

The AOT is also in the process of selecting a third ground-handling company to serve flights at the airport, as this would enable the airport to more sustainably increase its growth capacity for flights and passengers.

Next month's headline:
Rival baggage handlers clash at Swampy airport. Three shot and baggage trolleys set ablaze. AOT apologises to amazed passengers for their singed suitcases. Three committees set up to investigate. Chuwit accuses airport staff of corruption in choosing company linked to Chinese mafia figures living in Thailand with false visas. 'Big Joke' promises action. PM says it is fake news as no Thai would ever do such a thing.

[Bangkok Barry]

I flew to Dubai in December. It took me nearly two hours to check in and clear immigration and security. It took 40 minutes just to drop off my suitcase after I'd already checked in on-line. Even the Fast Track line had a long queue through the terminal.

 

When I left Dubai, it took me less than that 40 minutes to get from my hotel to the airport and clear all the formalities there. Flying from Swampy makes you lose the will to live.

[brianthainess]

 

9 hours ago, webfact said:

Transport Minister Saksayam Chidchob

Oh we have a transport Minister, what a shame he only ever blathers on about frigging airports, and does absolutely naff all about, (a) the pathetic driving 'test' (b) Highway police never doing road patrols. (c) stupid low fines and that stupid Point(less) system. Lets the deaths continue on HIS watch. Meh. 

[Letseng]

4 hours ago, jacko45k said:

If they were laid off in 2020 as Covid raged, where did they go... all retired? I grasp replacements need some training and it takes time....

Many will have found alternatives. Same situation in other countries.

[alexlm]

So it's back to normal?

Once I had to wait ~3 hours standing to get that entry stamp.

 

I have a French handicapped priority card (CMI Priorité) now.

Do they care about it there?

[PETERTHEEATER]

8 hours ago, jaywalker said:

Yes.

 

The restrooms at the Mo Chit bus station are 3 times the size of those at Swampy as well.

Do they have more beds?

[lavender19]

I was there a couple months ago and the departures was just as bad. They had the security check at the top of the escalator. People backing up and getting stuck on the escalator. Very dangerous 

[lavender19]

Shouldn't the  headline read might improve services 

[terryofcrete]

And that's just getting in ..... Leaving is a nightmare too on many days and nights .