AoT Launches Measures to Manage Traveler Surge

[Parker2100]

Just means that Immigration will return to the policy of picking and choosing who can enter Thailand with a preference for rich Chinese. (Which there are fewer of, these days)

 

 

[Purdey]

Singapore airport is possible the standard by which all airports pass or fail. Have not been there for a few years but it is a pleasurable memory, unlike JFK where my Indian colleagues were dragged off for additional questioning because the Americans can't tell the difference between Indians and Arabs.

I feel one of the issues that slow down incoming passengers in Bangkok is the time it takes for immigration to check and double check passports. That is the key to what makes Singapore a pleasure. They have computers to tell if a passenger is wanted for a something, yet in Bangkok they continue to flick back and forth, looking for goodness knows what. They ought to recognize a fake passport by scanning it, surely?

To summarize, it is the human element that slows everything down, not the digital element.

[SpanishExpat]

Well..thats a good thing to have a Thai wife, allowing me to use the “Thai National” booths when I travel with her and mostly fast track, due to business class, when I travel alone????crazy and I’ve seen both Thai Nationals and thai-western couples queuing at the “International” booths. But it’s up to them, if they dont value their time.

[bang saen guy]

49 minutes ago, SunsetT said:

.......k i n g farang tourists...555.

 

What time did u arrive?

A friend sent it mid-day

[ThailandRyan]

1 hour ago, SpanishExpat said:

Well..thats a good thing to have a Thai wife, allowing me to use the “Thai National” booths when I travel with her and mostly fast track, due to business class, when I travel alone????crazy and I’ve seen both Thai Nationals and thai-western couples queuing at the “International” booths. But it’s up to them, if they dont value their time.

That's why I used to fly Business/First class, but now no need as I can use the fast track lanes with my LTR Visa......yet I still have to wait for the damned baggage, unless I fly with just a carryon.

 

[Kalasin Jo]

8 hours ago, Tropposurfer said:

baggage emerges first.

In theory. Recent experience in early January as a business class passenger was the fast track immigration lane was fine but then had to hang around for ages at the baggage claim.

Same, not business, at the domestic baggage carousels. A very long wait there for "1st bag" to light up back in December.

Next up the taxi queue for " long distance " looked horrendous but I only needed short distance on both occasions. You are given a number by a smiley chap in a booth and then that is called out, in Thai. 555. I didn't have to wait long this time for a driver. Worse back in December and last July.

[nigelforbes]

2 hours ago, Parker2100 said:

Just means that Immigration will return to the policy of picking and choosing who can enter Thailand with a preference for rich Chinese. (Which there are fewer of, these days)

 

 

The evidence is that over 75% of international visitors to Thailand are from ASEAN and East Asia, wealthy Chinese live in many places in the region.

[metisdead]

Off topic posts about arrivals in the USA and Trump have been removed  as well as the replies. 

[zzaa09]

Nonetheless, all this reasoned and hearty discussion and the robust yet rhetorical Thai authority-speak regarding the promotions and upgrades is all for not if they don't implement the practices that they're preaching. 

 

Airport, and other, authorities have a history of talking grand but really don't fulfill any such appointed and practical tasks. Usually amounts to one step forward and two steps back. 

 

I suspect nothing will change in the near or distance future, as it appears that they don't what they're doing or aren't sure of how they want to do it........adding to the misery will be the convoluted Thai bureaucratic and the seemingly paranoid mindset which usually inquires as to which way is up. They want it, in theory [or perhaps they don't] - yet, haven't figured out how to attain it. 

 

Unfortunately, any way they approach such issues will amount to a clusterphuck. 

[Spilornis]

5 hours ago, Purdey said:

Singapore airport is possible the standard by which all airports pass or fail. Have not been there for a few years but it is a pleasurable memory, unlike JFK where my Indian colleagues were dragged off for additional questioning because the Americans can't tell the difference between Indians and Arabs.

I feel one of the issues that slow down incoming passengers in Bangkok is the time it takes for immigration to check and double check passports. That is the key to what makes Singapore a pleasure. They have computers to tell if a passenger is wanted for a something, yet in Bangkok they continue to flick back and forth, looking for goodness knows what. They ought to recognize a fake passport by scanning it, surely?

To summarize, it is the human element that slows everything down, not the digital element.

Most foreign entries into Singapore these days use the egates.

Time for Thailand to do the same.

Malaysia has plans to introduce e gates for foreigners (hopefully later this year)

[fusion58]

Maybe less commercial space and more operational space would be a good idea?

[geisha]

12 hours ago, Tropposurfer said:

If you've got the $'s you could upgrade their flights to business this way they get to use the priority lane for I.O. and baggage emerges first.

Maybe you might be able to upgrade for part of the leg from the US (I'm not personally familiar with these routes) ... this way you'll not expend as much as if you upgrade for the entire route?

I fly business and my luggage never comes out first , in fact seems to be at the end of the roll out !! You’re baggage goes in the plane with all the other passengers baggage. There’s no business class container.  

Edited February 21, 2023 by geisha
Mistake

[geisha]

12 hours ago, Tropposurfer said:

If you've got the $'s you could upgrade their flights to business this way they get to use the priority lane for I.O. and baggage emerges first.

Maybe you might be able to upgrade for part of the leg from the US (I'm not personally familiar with these routes) ... this way you'll not expend as much as if you upgrade for the entire route?

I fly business and my baggage has never come out first , in fact I think it’s often been towards the end of the rollout as you can see the crowds leaving bag in hand. There is no priority for the baggage in business , it does in with all the passengers bags. Frustrating, last year I think I waited 30 + minutes ! 

[treetops]

5 hours ago, geisha said:

There is no priority for the baggage in business , it does in with all the passengers bags.

Who do you fly with?  I've had priority tagged baggage arrive first with several airlines arriving in to BKK.

[scorecard]

19 hours ago, zzaa09 said:

Here?

Well.......sometimes. 

????

Naah. The brakes failed. 

[Parker2100]

21 hours ago, nigelforbes said:

The evidence is that over 75% of international visitors to Thailand are from ASEAN and East Asia, wealthy Chinese live in many places in the region.

Keep dreaming.  

 

Wealthy Asians can only eat a few times a day and stay in one hotel room a night.

 

Now, there are fewer rich Asians after COVID.  

 

The Thailand Elites are looking for any excuse to limit Western tourists.  Thailand will NEVER be Singapore! As I said, keep dreaming and the poor Thais will be poorer and angry!

 

 

Edited February 22, 2023 by Parker2100
Added information

[sqwakvfr]

Went through and back at BKK recently and just saw this posted:

*For International Flights 4 hours might not be enough

 

[proton]

On 2/21/2023 at 6:36 AM, mikecha said:

buy a fast track no need to stand hours

I did that once, then waited two and a half hours for the bag to show up on the carrousel 

[Mavideol]

no need for any extra measures..... the "expected/desired" ones are not coming in masses  555

 

Arrival of Chinese Tour Groups Still Unexpectedly Low in Thailand, Says Leading Thai Tourism Association

 

[mikecha]

On 2/22/2023 at 7:16 AM, proton said:

I did that once, then waited two and a half hours for the bag to show up on the carrousel 

Thats Life 

[mikecha]

Just now, mikecha said:

Thats Life 

Travel light  no need wait   

[zzaa09]

On 2/21/2023 at 10:06 PM, sqwakvfr said:

Went through and back at BKK recently and just saw this posted:

*For International Flights 4 hours might not be enough

 

What might be suggested and that of practice will be two different monsters. 

[Gknrd]

Only ones I see having problems is the India folks, Chinese with 10 bags stuffed to the brim. Experienced travelers go to Thailand with a pair of shorts a tee shirt and a couple of pairs of shoes.  Get out of the tourist traps and have a good time. 

[geisha]

On 2/21/2023 at 7:14 PM, treetops said:

Who do you fly with?  I've had priority tagged baggage arrive first with several airlines arriving in to BKK.

Emirates mostly or recently Swiss air due to the rise in prices. 

[geisha]

6 hours ago, mikecha said:

Travel light  no need wait   

I’m a female, need my shampoos and creams etc that are not allowed in carry ons, also we ladies usually like a good choice of clothes , especially if your a snowbird like myself. The clothes on offer in Thailand are awful for ladies, they’re ok for men tho. 
 

[treetops]

On 2/26/2023 at 4:40 PM, geisha said:

Emirates mostly or recently Swiss air due to the rise in prices. 

I can vouch for Emirates priority baggage being delivered first on multiple occasions.  No experience with Swiss.

[Skipalongcassidy]

On 2/21/2023 at 7:22 AM, zzaa09 said:

Here?

Well.......sometimes. 

????

 

[SuperSilverHaze]

On 2/21/2023 at 8:49 AM, BigStar said:

Or maybe it's just the unreasonable and confounding ANF Poster mindset that usually misses the boat. COVID was supposed to have been the last nail in the coffin for Thai tourism after all the other nails, owing to the intolerable mistreatment of tourists and especially expats.

 

And let's not forget the announcement of the construction of Suvarnabhumi itself was greeted with the usual chorus of sneers. Thailand already had a perfectly good airport, and Only One's Needed. The runways were all going to sink and never be maintained. And it'd never be completed anyway. Then when it was completed, it was deserted, proof that it wasn't needed in the first place, heh heh.  

 

Maybe we should adopt a reasonable and less stupid mindset than usual and just wait and see. 'Course, that would spoil the fun and the piling on.

 

I'd argue it's basically the same devil may care lot of working class stiffs that have always visited. The ones that take a holiday out of entitlement and desire rather than what their finances dictate.

 

No savings

 

Shonky job

 

Spotty paycheck

 

No future

 

Sure, have a holiday

[SuperSilverHaze]

How much it's related to tourism I'm uncertain but I'm starting to see / hear Chinese returning to north central Bangkok. May be early retirees, long term visa holders, condo owners.

[hotchilli]

On 2/20/2023 at 5:04 PM, snoop1130 said:

AoT disclosed that it has implemented measures to reduce delays at baggage claim areas and passenger service times as the number of complaints has been increasing over the past month.

More trained staff maybe the way to go...

lots of graduates leaving schools soon looking for employment.