A prominent Thai YouTuber has criticised staff at Suvarnabhumi Airport’s X-ray checkpoint, alleging discourteous behaviour towards passengers. The comments, published on 23 February 2026 by Manager Online, quickly sparked widespread discussion online. Many social media users echoed the concerns, saying they had experienced similar treatment.

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Sunny from the travel-focused page “BACKPAEGER Backpacker”, which has more than 440,000 followers on Facebook and over 1 million subscribers on YouTube, posted a short message questioning the communication skills and emotional control of airport screening staff. He wrote: “Staff at the Suvarnabhumi X-ray baggage checkpoint are all stern. Why not provide better training in communication and emotional control?”

The post referred specifically to baggage screening procedures at Suvarnabhumi Airport and described encounters with staff perceived as speaking harshly or displaying poor manners. According to the report, the behaviour disrupted the atmosphere of travel for passengers. The post immediately became a trending topic online.

Following publication, numerous netizens and travellers commented in response. Many stated they had faced similar situations at the X-ray checkpoint. Several comments acknowledged that security work is serious but argued that staff should distinguish between “strictness” and “aggression”.

Some responses called on Airports of Thailand (AOT) to investigate and improve the soft skills of operational staff. Commenters noted that the X-ray checkpoint serves as a frontline point of contact and influences the country’s image. This was highlighted as particularly significant as Suvarnabhumi Airport seeks to elevate its status to meet global airport standards while facing repeated complaints about staff conduct.

The incident adds to ongoing criticism of operations at Suvarnabhumi Airport. Observers are now watching to see whether the relevant authorities will issue a clarification or introduce concrete measures to address communication training for staff.

Key Takeaways

• A YouTuber with over 1 million subscribers criticised X-ray staff at Suvarnabhhumi Airport on 23 February 2026.

• Many online commenters said they had experienced similar behaviour at the baggage screening checkpoint.

• Calls have been made for Airports of Thailand (AOT) to improve staff communication and emotional control training.

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Adapted by ASEAN Now MGRonline 24 Feb 2026

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Before the frothing begins it should be noted that the YouTuber is a thai person.

Never experienced any rudeness there.

Travel through LAX if a person wants rudeness.

I suggest Sunny get a job at the airport and try dealing with all the Chaos. Probably wouldn't last more then a few days before he cries back to You Tube.

It is a tough job to deal with passengers. But passengers can also be nervous, tired before or in transit for a flight. Never hurts anybody, be it a passenger or a airport staff, to be smiling, nice, polite and courteous.

1 hour ago, Georgealbert said:

“Staff at the Suvarnabhumi X-ray baggage checkpoint are all stern. Why not provide better training in communication and emotional control?”

Swampy is far from the worst place I have been through, more surly grouches are to be found elsewhere a plenty.

1 hour ago, bkk6060 said:

Never experienced any rudeness there.

Travel through LAX if a person wants rudeness.

I suggest Sunny get a job at the airport and try dealing with all the Chaos. Probably wouldn't last more then a few days before he cries back to You Tube.

I flew out of LAX last week and most of the TSA screeners (they operate the X-ray machines) were professional but not friendly. I expected the worst because they were not being paid. As an international flyer for over 30 years I do not expect anyone invloved in aviation security to have "soft" skills.

1 hour ago, bkk6060 said:

Never experienced any rudeness there.

Travel through LAX if a person wants rudeness.

I suggest Sunny get a job at the airport and try dealing with all the Chaos. Probably wouldn't last more then a few days before he cries back to You Tube.

Same, no complains, leaving Thailand the last few years have been an effortless experience from check in to through immigration.

But 3 weeks ago, going through Munich, worst and slowest I have experienced for a long time.

Security is not hospitality... Just like immigration, across the globe, airport security staff at scanning stations are often indifferent or brusque - and frankly, it is hard to blame them. It is a grinding, thankless job. Day after day they face rushed travellers, confused passengers, rule-benders, and tan abundance of outright fools. That kind of constant friction would test anyone’s temperament.

I have found security staff to range from mildly surly to simply detached. It feels more noticeable in places like Thailand, where general service culture is exceptionally warm. But people forget - these are not hospitality staff. They are security personnel. Their role is risk management, not reassurance. Their duty is compliance, not charm.

Could they be more consistently polite? Yes. Better training and a routine “please” and “thank you” would go a long way. I have noticed that gap before. But the same is true in airports worldwide. The job is repetitive, high-pressure, and rarely rewarded with gratitude - and it shows.

This is hardly worthy of an entitled Karen YouTuber having a little attention-seeking dummy spit.

Perhaps the Airport should Ban the YouTuber from entering Suvarabumi Airport for trying to prevent security from doing their job by attempting to embarrass them publicly.

As a regular traveller - Suvarnabumi is a very busy airport - it does remarkably well IMO.

Been travelling to thailand at least 3 times annually for last 15 yrs.

Normally ok and no problem but last time met offiser very rude.

My problem: 60 day viss on arrival but stay at my thai house was not allowed, had to show "hotell booking".

When asked about "cash bringing along to thailand" and showing my thb 740 (most honest people use cards or thai accounts), he liked prohibit me to thailand 99 years..

"You never get a second chance to make a good first impression".

No normal politeness, just rudeness.

I guess Thailand is the least of the worst globally. I am not sure what they did to be rude but gruff orders to stand still etc don't bother me.

I always give a smile whatever and have never felt they were rude. Maybe the vast number of tourist, which the government encourages, can be tiresome for the staff but often it's the passengers who are rude. Anyone who has been in a line of tourists and seen the Chinese edge forward to get to the front will understand.

4 minutes ago, Olav Seglem said:

Been travelling to thailand at least 3 times annually for last 15 yrs.

Normally ok and no problem but last time met offiser very rude.

My problem: 60 day viss on arrival but stay at my thai house was not allowed, had to show "hotell booking".

When asked about "cash bringing along to thailand" and showing my thb 740 (most honest people use cards or thai accounts), he liked prohibit me to thailand 99 years..

"You never get a second chance to make a good first impression".

No normal politeness, just rudeness.

You clearly had an ayhole looking for a problem and didn't like your 'frequent visits'... .

Others have had similar experiences.

but note: You were not on a '60 day visa on arrival' you were on a Visa Exempt Entry granting 60 days.

Rules:

- Immigration does not require you to stay in hotel (a 'friends house' is perfectly acceptable)

- If asked, you need to show 20,000 baht cash (or currency equivalent - online / cards not sufficient)

- If asked, you need to show proof of onward travel out of Thailand within the permitted entry timeframe.

In that situation - with a difficult officer, you were stuck. You didn't have the cash and he could (and it seems did) prevent your entry on a technicality.

I'm not sure if they also asked you for onward travel - but if they'd decided the 'cash' issue was sufficient, you are stuck.

You 'could' have questioned the accommodation, but that is (was) somewhat moot without meeting the cash requirement.

This is not a common problem - but there are stories of people being refused entry for 'insufficient funds' when entering Visa Exempt and presenting a frequent visit history.

My technique is a smiley "good morning" to the x-ray operator, point at my case and to the belt, invariably resulting in a "no need" and a wave through.

The only time I've had a "problem" was arriving from India when I had a cardboard box which was clearly marked as a computer monitor: -

"What's in the box?"

"My monitor"

"Ah ok!", wave through.

Being nice to the immigration officer also doesn't hurt and costs nothing, they have a shitty job don't make it worse.

47 minutes ago, richard_smith237 said:

Security is not hospitality... Just like immigration, across the globe, airport security staff at scanning stations are often indifferent or brusque - and frankly, it is hard to blame them. It is a grinding, thankless job. Day after day they face rushed travellers, confused passengers, rule-benders, and tan abundance of outright fools. That kind of constant friction would test anyone’s temperament.

I stopped having family holidays in the USA because the airport staff were so unpleasant.

Countries that want tourists need to treat them politely.

32 minutes ago, richard_smith237 said:

Rules:

- Immigration does not require you to stay in hotel (a 'friends house' is perfectly acceptable)

- If asked, you need to show 20,000 baht cash (or currency equivalent - online / cards not sufficient)

- If asked, you need to show proof of onward travel out of Thailand within the permitted entry timeframe.

Pointless rules designed just to cause travelers trouble.

All immigration should need is to view the screen of your banking app.

2 hours ago, blaze master said:

Before the frothing begins it should be noted that the YouTuber is a thai person.

Ah, ok thanks. One of those "do you know who I am?" wannabes.

1 hour ago, jacko45k said:

Swampy is far from the worst place I have been through, more surly grouches are to be found elsewhere a plenty.

MAN terminal 2 outbound was as close to crossing the Berlin Wall as I wanted to get. They even had elevated podiums for snipers on the worst days.

Sunny should go visit Pakistan... x-ray staff at Islamabad airport I have found to be far ruder than those at swampy!

10 minutes ago, NanLaew said:

Ah, ok thanks. One of those "do you know who I am?" wannabes.

True. A million subs would bring out the ego of most.

I am sympathetic to David Mitchell's take on this.

The last time that I went through the Swampy x-ray machine with one of my telescopic ham radio antennas, the end cap came off and the antenns proceeded to extend itself (due to gravity), much to the amusement of the security staff, who ended up with a pole all of 7 metres in length! There was some discussion as to whether it could be a security risk if it extended whilst inside the airplane cabin, but some sticky tape put the end cap firmly back in place! I take radio transmitters etc through security and have only had politeness from the security staff, when the latter has been faced by coils of wire and strange-looking electronics equipment.

I can appreciate the surliness of BKK security staff when people queue for maybe 10 minutes and don't prepare for screening and gum up the works. This is mostly caused by women with their multiple bags, purses, boxes of Krispy Kremes (you now who you are), belts, bangles and other travel non-essentials.

I get tetchy when stuck behind these inveterate slowpokes, but I find when it's my turn, and the cranky security operative is loudly reminding me about phones, belts and what have you, catching their eye, smiling with a 'watdee comment tends to take the edge off. Especially on the infrequent occasions when I have been inattentive and forgotten to take off my Patek Philippe.

9 hours ago, richard_smith237 said:

This is not a common problem - but there are stories of people being refused entry for 'insufficient funds' when entering Visa Exempt and presenting a frequent visit history.

Reading this has got me thinking, i only ever bring whatever cash is left over from my last 90 day visit.

Is the 20,000 cash just for Visa Exempt or is that also a requirement for a 60 day SETV ?

It would be devastating to be refused entry over 20,000 cash when there is 100's of thousand Baht in my Bangkok Bank account.

3 hours ago, richard_smith237 said:

Security is not hospitality... Just like immigration, across the globe, airport security staff at scanning stations are often indifferent or brusque - and frankly, it is hard to blame them. It is a grinding, thankless job. Day after day they face rushed travellers, confused passengers, rule-benders, and tan abundance of outright fools. That kind of constant friction would test anyone’s temperament.

I have found security staff to range from mildly surly to simply detached. It feels more noticeable in places like Thailand, where general service culture is exceptionally warm. But people forget - these are not hospitality staff. They are security personnel. Their role is risk management, not reassurance. Their duty is compliance, not charm.

Could they be more consistently polite? Yes. Better training and a routine “please” and “thank you” would go a long way. I have noticed that gap before. But the same is true in airports worldwide. The job is repetitive, high-pressure, and rarely rewarded with gratitude - and it shows.

This is hardly worthy of an entitled Karen YouTuber having a little attention-seeking dummy spit.

Perhaps the Airport should Ban the YouTuber from entering Suvarabumi Airport for trying to prevent security from doing their job by attempting to embarrass them publicly.

As a regular traveller - Suvarnabumi is a very busy airport - it does remarkably well IMO.

I had to give you a laughing emoji for banning youtubers, and a thumbs up for the rest :D

2 hours ago, BritManToo said:

I stopped having family holidays in the USA because the airport staff were so unpleasant.

Countries that want tourists need to treat them politely.

The USA is terrible, including Customs. They are all union-protected in their jobs and it shows.

3 hours ago, Olav Seglem said:

Been travelling to thailand at least 3 times annually for last 15 yrs.

Normally ok and no problem but last time met offiser very rude.

My problem: 60 day viss on arrival but stay at my thai house was not allowed, had to show "hotell booking".

When asked about "cash bringing along to thailand" and showing my thb 740 (most honest people use cards or thai accounts), he liked prohibit me to thailand 99 years..

"You never get a second chance to make a good first impression".

No normal politeness, just rudeness.

Dont you have a house book? And Pink Card ?

1 hour ago, NanLaew said:

forgotten to take off my Patek Philippe.

Jus couldn't say 'watch' - No ???? :)

39 minutes ago, hughrection said:

Jus couldn't say 'watch' - No ???? :)

A Rolex is a 'watch'.

3 hours ago, Olav Seglem said:

Been travelling to thailand at least 3 times annually for last 15 yrs.

Normally ok and no problem but last time met offiser very rude.

My problem: 60 day viss on arrival but stay at my thai house was not allowed, had to show "hotell booking".

When asked about "cash bringing along to thailand" and showing my thb 740 (most honest people use cards or thai accounts), he liked prohibit me to thailand 99 years..

"You never get a second chance to make a good first impression".

No normal politeness, just rudeness.

That can happen when you go off topic too.

49 minutes ago, Hummin said:

Dont you have a house book? And Pink Card ?

If he has either, he shouldn't be using visa-exempt entries.

14 minutes ago, NanLaew said:

If he has either, he shouldn't be using visa-exempt entries.

I have, and used several visa exempt entries because I was travelling for work, and I didnt need visa when I worked 2 months stayed 3 months back in the days. Only when covid came I jumped on retirement visa.