File photo for reference only

 

Thailand's Department of Airports has raised the passenger service charge, known as the "airport tax," for outbound travelers at six regional airports. Both domestic and international passengers will face an additional fee of 25 baht per person. The airports affected include Krabi, Surat Thani, Ubon Ratchathani, Khon Kaen, Nakhon Si Thammarat, and Phitsanulok.

 

International travelers will see the fee increase from 400 baht to 425 baht, while domestic passengers will now pay 75 baht instead of the previous 50 baht. These changes are included in the ticket price. As reported by local media, the revised tax amount is already being reflected in the "fees and taxes" section for flights between domestic airports, following the implementation of the changes on Wednesday.

 

This increase is specific to department-operated airports that have recently adopted three new technologies aimed at streamlining passenger processes. These include automated boarding pass checks, self-service check-in kiosks, and self-service baggage drop systems, allowing travelers to manage their own luggage.

 

Experts suggest that while the fee increase is modest, it reflects the broader trend of incorporating advanced technologies to enhance passenger convenience and operational efficiency. However, some travelers have expressed concern over the cumulative cost of air travel, particularly when factoring in other associated fees and charges.

 

Looking ahead, these adjustments will likely set a precedent for similar updates in other regional airports as technology continues to evolve. The Department of Airports may monitor passenger feedback and system performance to assess the effectiveness of these changes and consider further enhancements.

 

Key Takeaways

• Airport service charges increased by 25 baht at six Thai airports.
• New passenger processing technologies are being implemented.
• Travelers express concerns over rising air travel costs.

 

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  Adapted by ASEAN Now from Bangkok Post 2025-10-02

 

 

I hope they raise the fees at Chiang Mai too, so I can tell off the rude taxi drivers who try to stop me from using Grab to back off since I’m paying even higher airport tax anyway.

Waiting for the 'I'm moving to 'Viet Nam' crowd........

21 minutes ago, sungod said:

Waiting for the 'I'm moving to 'Viet Nam' crowd........

They already moved 😉

22 minutes ago, sungod said:

Waiting for the 'I'm moving to 'Viet Nam' crowd........

No' no Vietnam, but 25 baht raise? that's it, I'm not flying anymore....

1 'Confidence declines as foreigners avoid Thailand'

2 'Alarm on strong baht'

 

Two of the most read headlines in BP this morning.

The 25 THB will not be of any influence for the tickets, but the fact that there fake reasons to do it... There is still a threat that there will be a 300 THB entrance fee coming up, the lack of a decent immigration.. Last time I came back from a trip and there were only 13 of the 40 desks open with long queues of tourists, and when a new officer came to open a new desk, she first had to talk with a another officer, drink her coffee, before she even started..And than the people waiting were not allowed to enter as they had to make a line first... Why went things so smoothly in Europe?? My partner with a Thai passport went through within 7 minutes, as there were queues too, but everything is going much quicker and friendlier... No wonder tourists choose other destinations. 

 

 

57 minutes ago, sungod said:

Waiting for the 'I'm moving to 'Viet Nam' crowd........

and the  "final nail in the tourism coffin" brigade

Why is it always "Vietnam" when they could go anywhere in the world??

1 hour ago, Artisi said:

They already moved 😉

 

Nah, they moan about it and stay.......... 🙂

Everyone now jumping on the bandwagon of service charges! Will it ever end?!

Like many Industries they want to charge customers extra to pay for their cost of doing business. They need to upgrade their service to meet the current demand but instead of investing their own money to be competitive they want to charge customers those costs in addition instead of charging the vendors that also provide services there and make money and absorb it as a cost of doing business. 

 Service Charges for Travelers,

 

How good is that . charges are going up .

But we have now  , automated boarding pass checks, self-service check-in kiosks, and self-service baggage drop systems, allowing travelers to manage their own luggage. 

Are they for Real? What's the Service than? they should Ban the Service Charges .

If it is used properly to provide staffing and efficient operation then most people will be ok.  When nothing changes you wonder what you are getting in return for your payment.

4 hours ago, ikke1959 said:

The 25 THB will not be of any influence for the tickets, but the fact that there fake reasons to do it... There is still a threat that there will be a 300 THB entrance fee coming up, the lack of a decent immigration.. Last time I came back from a trip and there were only 13 of the 40 desks open with long queues of tourists, and when a new officer came to open a new desk, she first had to talk with a another officer, drink her coffee, before she even started..And than the people waiting were not allowed to enter as they had to make a line first... Why went things so smoothly in Europe?? My partner with a Thai passport went through within 7 minutes, as there were queues too, but everything is going much quicker and friendlier... No wonder tourists choose other destinations. 

 

 

in many countries  the immgration is much smother , than in thailand  yes ..... but do not tell in europe its better !!! mavbe if you have eu passport and egate 

I dont think I will stop coming to Thailand from Cambodia over a $1.

 

But I get to insert my irrelevance into an airport topic:

 

Im 70 and get to use the old peoples line at Immigration. 🙂

27 minutes ago, lapamita said:

in many countries  the immgration is much smother , than in thailand  yes ..... but do not tell in europe its better !!! mavbe if you have eu passport and egate 

I don't claim EU is better, it going smoother and with more advanced technology, while in Thailand the conservatism and laziness are amazing.. Why only 13 out of 40 boxes of immigration open at 13.30???? And why are the immigration officers take their time to open a new box?  Even at my immigration office .. It happens that after the lunchbreak of 1 hour the officer is coming back. takes his cell phone and start to message on it, than goes to the kitchen and get coffee and after that to the the toilet..After checking his phone again it is almost 14.00 before he can handle his first case.. I am always wondering what he did in his lunchbreak..

19 hours ago, ikke1959 said:

Last time I came back from a trip and there were only 13 of the 40 desks open with long queues of tourists, and when a new officer came to open a new desk, she first had to talk with a another officer, drink her coffee, before she even started (...)

 

Anywhere I've been in Asia and beyond, there seem to be more counters manned, and the time the IO needs per passenger shorter than in Thailand... Why does it take that long? Is it hard to read from the screen? It always feels like an eternity at arrival...

On 10/3/2025 at 7:01 AM, sungod said:

Waiting for the 'I'm moving to 'Viet Nam' crowd........

Whatever. What peeves people off is the two tier pricing. It will always be that way here because you are an alien. In your country, they will probably be given preferential treatment. 

I as well as many of you older folks will remember when departing Bangkok we had to go to a kiosk and put in 500 baht.  Then they got rid of that and somehow folded that departure fee into your ticket price so it was already paid.  Is this latest fee going to be automatically included in the ticket price at those airports that are adding the fee?

On 10/3/2025 at 2:16 PM, digger70 said:

 Service Charges for Travelers,

 

How good is that . charges are going up .

But we have now  , automated boarding pass checks, self-service check-in kiosks, and self-service baggage drop systems, allowing travelers to manage their own luggage. 

Are they for Real? What's the Service than? they should Ban the Service Charges .

Maybe it to help cover the cost of and maintaining all the self-service facilities that makes your life easier. 

On 10/3/2025 at 3:51 PM, ikke1959 said:

I don't claim EU is better, it going smoother and with more advanced technology, while in Thailand the conservatism and laziness are amazing.. Why only 13 out of 40 boxes of immigration open at 13.30???? And why are the immigration officers take their time to open a new box?  Even at my immigration office .. It happens that after the lunchbreak of 1 hour the officer is coming back. takes his cell phone and start to message on it, than goes to the kitchen and get coffee and after that to the the toilet..After checking his phone again it is almost 14.00 before he can handle his first case.. I am always wondering what he did in his lunchbreak..

Slept. 

2 hours ago, gk10012001 said:

I as well as many of you older folks will remember when departing Bangkok we had to go to a kiosk and put in 500 baht.  Then they got rid of that and somehow folded that departure fee into your ticket price so it was already paid.  Is this latest fee going to be automatically included in the ticket price at those airports that are adding the fee?

It's literally in the second paragraph. Can you not be bothered to read? Just a headline is all you can manage?

"These changes are included in the ticket price."

On 10/3/2025 at 7:01 AM, sungod said:

Waiting for the 'I'm moving to 'Viet Nam' crowd........

And the "Every time I come to Thailand there is a six hour wait, one immigration desk open and he's playing on his phone, my luggage always take three hours, I get stabbed by a taxi driver and robbed, yet they want to charge 25 baht extra? Thai greed, money number one. In literally every single other country in the world there is no wait at all, no walking, your bag is there and a man carries it to your house."

Oh, I see ikke1959 has already been there.

6 hours ago, Artisi said:

Maybe it to help cover the cost of and maintaining all the self-service facilities that makes your life easier. 

I would think that with all these services automated now they would actually save a lot of money on staff costs as less staff should be needed but instead they just use it as a justification to raise fees.