Delayed flights cause passenger surge and extended queues at Suvarnabhumi airport

[bangkok19]

20 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's just a hangover from the COVID recovery era...  When we didn't have to fill out the arrival cards, but they still wanted to know our country of origin (not birth).

[spidermike007]

19 hours ago, Keeps said:

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.

I've tried it before and it worked. I just kind of flashed them my boarding card and they didn't really look at it, once they saw the gold card. Some have not even asked for the boarding card once they saw the gold card. It's always worth to try, what's the worst that could happen? They'll send you over to the normal line. 

[brfsa2]

Arrived on Saturday at around 4pm: the Immigration queue was a nightmare, It was so massive that it stretched out all the way to the corridor. total chaos! we dreaded going there, and luckily we asked if we could go to the Fast track with our 1year old child, they allowed. we would have done at least 2 hours on the queue. 

It's just ridiculous. I have been to massive airports all around the world, and none that I witnessed was like this

[MangoKorat]

On 12/27/2023 at 2:19 AM, NanLaew said:

 

1 - Each country has their own immigration regulations.

2 - No, but they should.

3 - See 1 above.

4 - See 1 above.

 

Quite agree, however, apart from the fiasco they made over quarantine/Covid time entries, many of the things we see as a bit crazy about Thailand are changing, albeit slowly. I've certainly seen improvements in many areas since I first arrived 21 years ago.  Some of the 'craziness' seems to be on ideas they've 'borrowed' from other countries but not fully understood and put their own slant on it.  Still, its their country.

[jacko45k]

On 12/27/2023 at 6:34 AM, 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'?

Yes, the clue is in the name, once boarded and in one's correct seat it should just be trash tucked into the seatback pocket. 

[Dante99]

On 12/27/2023 at 6:34 AM, 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. Just visited two SEA countries and immigration in both wanted to see the used boarding passes.  Seems common now with no entry forms to complete.

2.  I have listened to the landing announcements of 247 airlines and in 168 languages and have a published study of the results which you may purchase from dillerdoeselfplay.com.

 

3.  It is magic.

 

4.  Who says they are ever registered by immigration officers?  They just ask for them to mess with your head since it is so susceptible.

 

[Bangkok Barry]

31 minutes ago, Dante99 said:

1. Just visited two SEA countries and immigration in both wanted to see the used boarding passes.  Seems common now with no entry forms to complete.

2.  I have listened to the landing announcements of 247 airlines and in 168 languages and have a published study of the results which you may purchase from dillerdoeselfplay.com.

 

3.  It is magic.

 

4.  Who says they are ever registered by immigration officers?  They just ask for them to mess with your head since it is so susceptible.

 

 

Strange that in 40 years of travel on hundreds of flights I've never been asked for my boarding pass at any immigration anywhere. So it's far from common. I'm pretty sure that immigration know what flight you've arrived on by checking your passport, as that is entered into the system by check-in at departure, or even before if you book on-line as most people do. Everything is linked these days for security reasons.

 

Check passport, there's your flight number. No need for the passenger to keep anything that could be lost, left on the plane, deleted from a phone. As has been mentioned before, if the passenger doesn't have the boarding pass the IO just shrugs and you move on. So what's the point of it if they don't care anyway? Are they going to deny entry if you don't have it?

[Chris Daley]

Better check me one more time.  The British guy with no criminal record, the correct visa stamps, perfect airport clearance at all checks, no hold luggage, return ticket and a hotel.  Something not right there pull me out one more time.

[Hanuman2547]

I haven't ever been asked for my boarding pass at immigration.

It is nice not having to fill out the arrival card on the plane anymore.

On Wednesday, my flight to Taipei was delayed an hour due to the plane being late arriving in Bangkok.

[Woof999]

Your boarding pass typically also has your baggage tag attached to it. You go through immigration before you get to collect your bags. Not having that boarding pass with attached baggage tag will make it far more inconvenient should your baggage be lost / delayed.

 

I've also seen baggage tags asked for when leaving the baggage reclaim area, either by customs or by security. It's a quick way of ensuring people aren't stealing. Admittedly I've not seen that in Thailand.

 

TLDR; Bin your boarding pass only after you've passed through customs with all of your belongings.

[retarius]

Nonsense. Delayed planes are a routine feature of air travel. A high of flights are delayed. Come up with a strategy to deal withy the inconvenience, instead off adding to it by incompetence of the immigration authorities. Get some booths that can deal with 'chipped' passports. Do away with the moronic habit of doping fingerprint checks, and let the 1 in a million passengers who are criminals get into the country. 

[treetops]

38 minutes ago, Woof999 said:

TLDR; Bin your boarding pass only after you've passed through customs with all of your belongings.

Another good reason to keep it is as evidence if you have to retro-claim frequent flyer miles/points.

[fondue zoo]

On 1/1/2024 at 1:04 PM, Chris Daley said:

Better check me one more time.  The British guy with no criminal record, the correct visa stamps, perfect airport clearance at all checks, no hold luggage, return ticket and a hotel.  Something not right there pull me out one more time.

 

Suspicious looking haircut?   

 

[mancub]

On 1/1/2024 at 8:13 AM, jacko45k said:

Yes, the clue is in the name, once boarded and in one's correct seat it should just be trash tucked into the seatback pocket. 

Agree, although I guess most pax on long=haul have checked-in baggage, the receipt being stuck on the back of the boarding pass. giving half a chance of keeping it at least until baggage reclaim ! Which is where the warning to show the boarding pass should be, rather than too late at the immigration counter.

[NanLaew]

On 12/27/2023 at 6:06 AM, Bangkok Barry said:

 

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.   

 

I think inbound Thai immigration would expect to see a Laos entry/exit stamp, no? Other land borders do.

[NanLaew]

On 1/2/2024 at 12:57 AM, mancub said:

On 12/31/2023 at 10:13 PM, jacko45k said:

Yes, the clue is in the name, once boarded and in one's correct seat it should just be trash tucked into the seatback pocket. 

Agree, although I guess most pax on long=haul have checked-in baggage, the receipt being stuck on the back of the boarding pass. giving half a chance of keeping it at least until baggage reclaim ! Which is where the warning to show the boarding pass should be, rather than too late at the immigration counter.

 

Like the spandex and lycra idiots disembarking at Bali Denpassar DPS the other day, pushing and shoving their way through the visa-on-arrival booths and getting as far as the immigration desks only to be asked for their boarding passes that they'd decided was trash to be "tucked into the seatback pocket." That may go toward explaining why it took some passengers well over an hour to clear immigration.

 

Then there were the really clever ones that found their bags on the wrongly numbered baggage carousel. Note that at Indonesia's tourism jewel international airport, it takes upwards 45 minutes from disembarking the plane to 'first bag' on the carousel. That's OK if immigration is backed up, but they clear the carousels faster than they load them so then it's hunt the baggage stacks, a bit like Lagos.

 

The real champions though are those that didn't need VoA, found the 'hidden' immigration desks, got their bags off the correctly numbered carousel only to encounter the epic fail of not having gone online and got the QR code for pre-clearance of their baggage with Customs.

 

Me? First time arrival in Bali and I was in my hotel within about 90 minutes of touchdown. I feel sorry for those that didn't prepare well (no I don't).

 

BKK, DMK, UTP, CNX, CRX, HKT and KBV are ALL a walk in the park compared with DPS.

 

 

 

[Bangkok Barry]

1 hour ago, NanLaew said:

 

I think inbound Thai immigration would expect to see a Laos entry/exit stamp, no? Other land borders do.

Correct.

[jacko45k]

19 hours ago, NanLaew said:

Me? First time arrival in Bali and I was in my hotel within about 90 minutes of touchdown. I feel sorry for those that didn't prepare well (no I don't).

When no Visa was required I had more issue finding my ride in the midst of all the cheats and touts quoting me millions for a short ride into Kuta. My first ever trip I had to do the laborious VOA you mention, it was slow, poorly organized, and for a place so tourist dependent, a shambles. Being prepared is usually by prior experience, Fisrt timers may well be confused.