Delayed flights cause passenger surge and extended queues at Suvarnabhumi airport

[scorecard]

3 hours ago, hotchilli said:

Any international airport should be able to handle a few extra passengers.

 And they know in advance what flights are coming in.

 

But planning seems to be a no no.

[khunjeff]

1 hour ago, PETERTHEEATER said:

I suspect the reason for IOs wanting to see the BP is to record which airline was the carrier for some 'commercial' reason.

 

1 hour ago, mikeymike100 said:

Presumably, immigration want to see where the passenger is coming from, just in case they need to send them back?

 

Thai airports have been getting electronic Advance Passenger Information (API) since 2015. Information on EVERY incoming passenger is sent to Thai Immigration before the flight departs the origin airport, so they already know exactly which flight every person was on. (By the way, you pay a fee of US$1 on every international flight ticket for this fine service.)

 

"Thai Immigration Bureau will pre-process every passenger arriving, departing or transiting through Thailand and reply back to airline with boarding directive Such as, “Board if DOCS OK” or “Do not Board”."

 

https://dcs.aero/product/thailand-api/

[bamnutsak]

15 minutes ago, scorecard said:

 And they know in advance what flights are coming in.

 

But planning seems to be a no no.

 

The authorities seem to be deflecting this argument by saying it is someone else's fault because the flights were delayed.

 

This excuse seems lame to me, the flights were scheduled and everyone knows the load factors a week plus in advance.

 

In reality, staffing during the year-end period is probably strained, and they need an excuse.

[Cadan]

Peak season - 40 min is still pretty good - 

[Bangkok Barry]

1 hour ago, NanLaew said:

4 hours ago, Bangkok Barry said:

1 - Does anyone have any experience of having to show their boarding card to immigration anywhere else in the world?

 

1 - Each country has their own immigration regulations.

 

Doesn't answer my question, does it. The correct answer is either yes or no.

[petermik]

2 hours ago, dogfish180 said:

I seem to recall the chief of immigration announced that no one would wait more than 5 minutes, just recently 🤔🤣🤣🤣🤣

Yes but they were referring to a particular spot....move along the corridor quickly please

[PJ71]

4 hours ago, Bangkok Barry said:

1 - Does anyone have any experience of having to show their boarding card to immigration anywhere else in the world?

2 - Do the airlines when preparing to land instruct their passengers to retain their boarding pass and not leave it on the plane?

3 - How does showing your boarding pass 'expedite the immigration process'?

4 - Why do these ''documents' (boarding passes) 'need to be registered by immigration officers'?

1 - Yes

2 - Yes

3 - Don't know

4 - Don't know

[arithai12]

5 hours ago, hotchilli said:

Any international airport should be able to handle a few extra passengers.

starting with airports in UK and US where I had the most horrific airport experiences

[NanLaew]

1 hour ago, Bangkok Barry said:

 

Doesn't answer my question, does it. The correct answer is either yes or no.

 

I recall many years ago, I needed to show it for visa-on-arrival at Baku, Azerbaijan.

 

But regardless, does it really matter if any other country's immigration doesn't care to see the inbound passenger's boarding pass stub? Unless of course it's just for another easy but vacuous pop at [insert Thai entity here].

[NanLaew]

21 minutes ago, arithai12 said:

starting with airports in UK and US where I had the most horrific airport experiences

 

Got that right. Anyone gurning about BKK or DMK, either inbound or outbound, obviously hasn't had the pleasure of travelling via LAX... either inbound or outbound.

[spidermike007]

5 hours ago, 2baht said:

I breezed through on Monday, always show the boarding pass, they want to know where you've come from, easier than the form previously required! Here's a tip, fly business class! 

Another tip, if you have a gold card on any of the airlines even if you're not flying business class, you can get away with using the express business class VIP lane, I've done it many times. 

[mokwit]

5 hours ago, Bangkok Barry said:

1 - Does anyone have any experience of having to show their boarding card to immigration anywhere else in the world?

2 - Do the airlines when preparing to land instruct their passengers to retain their boarding pass and not leave it on the plane?

3 - How does showing your boarding pass 'expedite the immigration process'?

4 - Why do these ''documents' (boarding passes) 'need to be registered by immigration officers'?

I think it is to be absolutely sure of the flight for repatriation/deportation purposes if necessary and I have also been told that it is to stop people coming in from a side door to be stamped in as arriving from overseas (having been stamped out similarly).

[Bangkok Barry]

1 hour ago, NanLaew said:

 

I recall many years ago, I needed to show it for visa-on-arrival at Baku, Azerbaijan.

 

But regardless, does it really matter if any other country's immigration doesn't care to see the inbound passenger's boarding pass stub? Unless of course it's just for another easy but vacuous pop at [insert Thai entity here].

 

I might have done in Baku too, but I don't think so. I was just curious if anywhere else had such a rule, if that's okay with you. That's how we learn things, by asking questions. Most countries don't, in my experience of something like 35 borders. so I was wondering why Thailand finds it necessary.

Edited December 27, 2023 by Bangkok Barry

[Bangkok Barry]

1 hour ago, NanLaew said:

 

Got that right. Anyone gurning about BKK or DMK, either inbound or outbound, obviously hasn't had the pleasure of travelling via LAX... either inbound or outbound.

Twice in a row I arrived at LAX and had a two hour wait, missing a connecting flight. The IO said that didn't matter.

[Bangkok Barry]

35 minutes ago, mokwit said:

I think it is to be absolutely sure of the flight for repatriation/deportation purposes if necessary and I have also been told that it is to stop people coming in from a side door to be stamped in as arriving from overseas (having been stamped out similarly).

I'd imagine 'side doors' would be alarmed, wouldn't you? But then, we

re in Thailand.... I remember at DM someone was able to walk through an 'alarmed' door and get on the tarmac.

[NanLaew]

39 minutes ago, Bangkok Barry said:

 

I might have done in Baku too, but I don't think so. I was just curious if anywhere else had such a rule, if that's okay with you. That's how we learn things, by asking questions. Most countries don't, in my experience of something like 35 borders. so I was wondering why Thailand finds it necessary.

 

I recall when they started asking for boarding pass stubs years ago when BKK was newly opened and it being reportedly due to some nefarious foreigners simply slipping into the air-side after checking out of the country, lurking there for a few hours, and then re-entering without actually leaving the country. Maybe that was a cheaper option than a burned AirAsia r/t to Cambodia? Who knows? Anyway, that was before the ICQ (?) channels were enabled to make sure those who had come from Thailand's other international airports and truly were in 'international' transit didn't clog up the BKK and DMK immigration lines when they didn't need to.

 

I agree that most countries don't and probably, with better immigration and security in place, BKK and DMK doesn't need to do it either, but you know that old habits die hard in this enchanted realm.

[Sydebolle]

Apart from that endless merry-go-round on the visa issue here in Thailand this is yet another reason to do a major clean-up of the immigration. Most passports are machine-readable and the immigration posts of Thailand are online connected with each other and that includes very remote border posts like Pudu, Huay Kon or Buengkan. 

Based on the reading the screen could pop up the authorized stay in Thailand by showing a date and that is, what Somchai has to stamp into the passport.

Given the selection of possible days of stay being 15, 30, 60 or 90 days - apart from open end for PR holders and Thais, the process would take up the better of 15 seconds per entry. The selected few with non-readable passports could be treated at separate counters. 

[charmonman]

6 hours ago, alex8912 said:

When you have an appropriate visa then you DO NOT need a return ticket to show an airline. You don't need to return to your original destination either. 

Tell that to Korean Airlines please.

[Uttaradit farang]

Getting through Immigration at Suvarnabhumi is enough to raise anyone’s blood pressure,  Except for the wife who casually strolls through and proceeds to collect our luggage. 🙄
 

[Keeps]

9 hours ago, Sig said:

40 minutes? Not bad! I remember arriving to a mess of people in the middle of the night, exhausted from 18 hours of travel, and it took 2 hours to get through! 40 minutes would be like a dream.... Glad to hear that 40 minutes is considered a major overflow these days!

This is assuming the reporting is accurate and the wait time was indeed 40 minutes. I am very sceptical that this was actually the case.

[Bangkok Barry]

2 hours ago, NanLaew said:

lurking there for a few hours, and then re-entering without actually leaving the country

 

A bit like those who have wondered about using the border at Mukdahan and not actually entering Laos, but hanging around for a few hours and then crossing the road to re-enter.   

[it is what it is]

9 hours ago, Bangkok Barry said:

1 - Does anyone have any experience of having to show their boarding card to immigration anywhere else in the world?

2 - Do the airlines when preparing to land instruct their passengers to retain their boarding pass and not leave it on the plane?

3 - How does showing your boarding pass 'expedite the immigration process'?

4 - Why do these ''documents' (boarding passes) 'need to be registered by immigration officers'?

 

india

india

dunno

dunno

[Keeps]

3 hours ago, spidermike007 said:

Another tip, if you have a gold card on any of the airlines even if you're not flying business class, you can get away with using the express business class VIP lane, I've done it many times. 

A gold card with Star Alliance/Eva Air will allow me to use the express immigration lane on arrival? Is this luck of the draw with the ground staff on the day or a confirmed rule? I know when departing Bangkok you need to be in a possession of a business class/first class ticket to utilise the express immigration lane. 

 

This will be good news if it is indeed the case. Thanks for the heads up.

[Pi Tao]

Rien de neuf.

[treetops]

55 minutes ago, Keeps said:

A gold card with Star Alliance/Eva Air will allow me to use the express immigration lane on arrival?

 

No.  It used to be the case that Gold or equivalent status would see you issued with a fast track pass on most airlines.  These were done away with years ago and if you turn up without a Business or First Class boarding pass you'll be turned away by the Immigration Officer unless you meet one of the other criteria for using these lanes (pregnant, over 70, monk etc).

[Keeps]

1 minute ago, treetops said:

 

No.  It used to be the case that Gold or equivalent status would see you issued with a fast track pass on most airlines.  These were done away with years ago and if you turn up without a Business or First Class boarding pass you'll be turned away by the Immigration Officer unless you meet one of the other criteria for using these lanes (pregnant, over 70, monk etc).

Thanks for clarifying. That is what I thought. Seems to contradict what spidermike007 says.

 

Luckily, I am a 71 year old pregnant monk so I should still be ok.......

[DJ54]

I’ve flown extensively for 25+ years… only asked once for from the boarding card stub…. I told them it was in the seat pocket of aircraft… nothing more was said…

[Dave0206]

When you fly into most airports in the west the locals ie European or British the largest % of the passengers arriving have usually got a fast track method biometric gates ect.

In reverse you arriving in Thailand largest % of passengers are us foreigner hence slow procedure 

[Muzzique]

7 hours ago, spidermike007 said:

Another tip, if you have a gold card on any of the airlines even if you're not flying business class, you can get away with using the express business class VIP lane, I've done it many times. 

 

You can always book mobility assistance. I do that if the airport might have long immigration queues or if i'm in transit in a big airport like Schiphol or Chicago. Normally I book it for all nearly all flights but mostly for USA, Bangkok, LHR flights, or transits through Schiphol or Dubai airports.

 

You get boarded first and on arrival go straight to the front of the immigration queue and then dropped off to collect your bags. You are free to roam the airport for shopping during transits or boarding.

 

People don't realise mobility assistance is not just for the ancient, pregnant and disabled. Its also for people that can't deal with a possible long walk from plane to immigration or a 1 to 2hr stand in a queue. You can book mobility assistance without any questions of why from any airline. You don't have to have a physical impairment or disability. I'm simply getting on and cant cope with the same things I could when I was in my 20's. But I have no physical impairment but struggled walking for 45 mins, standing for an hour in an immigration queue and then waiting for my bags without being able to sit down to rest. I wished I used it earlier. Now I'm off the aircraft and out in about 25 mins and I get to sit during the whole process.

 

 

 

Edited December 27, 2023 by Muzzique

[ripstanley]

12 hours ago, mikeymike100 said:

Presumably, immigration want to see where the passenger is coming from, just in case they need to send them back?

They need to know what flight they were on so they can enter them into the system. It will save them having to ask as some passenger will not know the flight number.