The pic in the article says more than words can do...

1 hour ago, Thumbs said:

If you haven't got enough staff at the airport then take from the provinces, last year at my marriage visa extension I had 5 officers turn up at my house to do the home visit

I've never had less than three turn up for my home visit out of Jomtien. The little boss man seems to do all the paperwork while the others loiter. Maybe they're there to snoop.

1 hour ago, Srikcir said:

Try LAX and MIA.

Plan for overnight stay instead of same day domestic connection.

Some overseas travelers to USA prefer to enter Canada first. The immigration lines are faster in Canada. Then they can get the US flight the same day or next day. In doing so, they clear US Customs and Immigration in the Canadian airport and the flight lands in LAX, MIA, JFK etc., as a 'domestic; flight. No queues (or shorter lines via the Canadian airports). Air Canada's non-stop flight BKK-YVR (Vancouver) is the only non-stop from Thailand to North America - and it's very popular. So it would be quite easy to take that flight then connect in Vancouver airport and clear US immigration there, arriving as a domestic traveler in the US.

Sorry to say, from someone who lives in Thailand for many years, in some aspects of public service, Thailand

is still somewhere in communist, stone age, when the need to get the game going and not just complain

on a drop of tourist's numbers.

9 minutes ago, ezzra said:

Sorry to say, from someone who lives in Thailand for many years, in some aspects of public service, Thailand

SoutheastAsians & Pacific Islanders

is still somewhere in communist, stone age, when the need to get the game going and not just complain

on a drop of tourist's numbers.

Maybe, but at least the Thais have public services, well-staffed in most cases. A bit backward with too much paperwork and unneccessary procedures, but still when you go to a government service they are there and you get what you want usually the same day. Try that in UK, USA, Canada, Europe. (UK "Sorry" "I can only apologize" - and they always want you to phone 0345 xxx xxx xx and sit on hold for hours and when you do get through they are often useless...). Canada's public service is almost a comedy or parady. No one answers a phone, you often can't even walk into a government office, and they're always making mistakes. In the US, Trump is dismantling the public service (so he can give the money to Israel and the weapons industry)

Edited July 17Jul 17 by ronnie50

2 hours ago, Thumbs said:

If you haven't got enough staff at the airport then take from the provinces, last year at my marriage visa extension I had 5 officers turn up at my house to do the home visit

I hope you hand drew them a map of how to get to your house....Imigration have never heard of smartphones or digital maps....

Edited July 17Jul 17 by redwood1

1 hour ago, Rumpelstilskin said:

This business of charging handicapped people for wheelchair access is cruel and inhumane, sad really. All persons requiring help and seniors can exit on the right hand side and have a minimal wait.

I agree but there is , I suspect , a valid reason for this . Unless you are a user of a wheelchair you will probably not know . The reason is ---- there are many users of wheelchairs at airports who do not need them but they are lazy and are looking to get priority passage through immigration . When I was wheelchair bound I had to request the assistance and had to wait for the next available chair and assistant , in a dedicated location . I used to watch able bodied people blag their mobility issues ( no medical cert needed ) to gain an easy ride through the airport . Outside of arrivals they are walking quickly and carrying luggage . Airports have a limited amount of wheelchairs and no way of knowing if a wheelchair is really needed , so hence the fee which may deter some cheats . Predominant blaggers are fat middle aged Indian women .

They sure picked the right picture to go along with this topic.

1 hour ago, sunrisecoconuts said:

You don't get it at all either do you? This is not a 'accident' or 'mistake', they are doing a nazi style raid on every arrival, that is the cause. Anyway, it is over after today as already known since a week by the proper connections, the safe entries continue too.

It is as i said so many times already a exact repeat of 2014-2015, 1:1 with everything, except this was a judicial coup without tanks. The EU/USA should be ashamed for themselves for no even seeing this, or pretending to not see it. it's factually proven.

Then this happening the second time in under 12-15 years time, it's time to pack up and leave, just from a moral point of view.

And go where? Which government are you putting forth as being moral, efficient and uncompromised?

I arrived this morning from India. Took 2.5 hours to get through immigration. Very annoying to see only about half the immigration booths with an officer in. This is more the reason for the horrendous delays. Not staffing check points

57 minutes ago, wensiensheng said:

The scary thing is that it is currently low season. One shudders to thi arrival card. It’s pretty much stone ages stuff.

I won’t go on about my experience in Singapore immigration because I have done so in other threads. Suffice it to say, it is technologically miles ahead of Thailand.

For Bali it is eGates with no queue and then short queue for customs. Almost up to Sg speed.

5 hours ago, Jim Waldron said:

You only get one chance to make a good first impression.

If you really want a bad experience, try JFK as a foreigner!

My first JFK trip I was queuing outside the terminal. True.

Answering another comment.

Every EU airport is a mess currently. 😕

5 hours ago, ikke1959 said:

The priority lane is not a few hundreds of THB but at least 1700THB which is of course very very expensive, just to enter the country. There must be a reorganization and more immigration officers.. It is now low season and the queues and waiting time is long. What would it be when it is high season??

https://limousine.in.th/fast-track-immigration.php 1299 Baht. You got ripped of.

25 minutes ago, redwood1 said:

I hope you hand drew them a map of how to get to your house....Imigration have never heard of smartphones or digital maps....

You know... Thai immigration likes paperwork, the more papers the better...

20 minutes ago, JRG23 said:

I arrived this morning from India. Took 2.5 hours to get through immigration. Very annoying to see only about half the immigration booths with an officer in. This is more the reason for the horrendous delays. Not staffing check points

Indeed, because they don't open all boxes, the queues are growing and also the delays, which will not be solved. Policy of Anutin probably as we all know he discouraging foreigners

2 hours ago, impulse said:

Arrived at BKK 10:30 PM on Wednesday. Took exactly 22 minutes in the immigration queue. Less than one minute from the time I handed over my documents to getting stamped in. 3 guys ahead of me in the queue got sent back to the TDAC kiosks, and this time there was no long discussion or argument like there were in the past.

It was my 40th consecutive monthly arrival, and quite an improvement over the previous 2 or 3 when there was a queue of between one and 2 hours. Luck of the draw, I guess.

My wife arrived one day after you (Thursday). There was a queue into the walkway/hallway with expected waiting time between 2 and 3 hours. That was at 10pm. Luckily she's Thai and can use a different queue

The baggage claim area must be a mess with unclaimed bags sitting around for hours. Perfect climate for bag thieves.

6 hours ago, Jim Waldron said:

You only get one chance to make a good first impression.

If you really want a bad experience, try JFK as a foreigner!

Only travelled through FK once and that was enough. Never again.

3 hours ago, Srikcir said:

Try LAX and MIA.

Plan for overnight stay instead of same day domestic connection.

BS....LAX has greatly improved and the world cup proved it.

2 hours ago, wensiensheng said:

The scary thing is that it is currently low season. One shudders to think what high season will bring.

I arrived at Phuket yesterday from Singapore. There was a queue for foreigners, but about a third of what I usually see in high season.

I was with my Thai wife so we could go straight through the Thai channel. She pointed out to me a single automated gate sitting tucked away at the far left of the Thai channel. It’s for Thai’s only but since there is never more than 1/2 people in the Thai queue, not used.

So in Phuket at least, there is no automation. The web based arrival page simply replaced the old written forms and the new app simply replaces the old web based arrival card. It’s pretty much stone ages stuff.

I won’t go on about my experience in Singapore immigration because I have done so in other threads. Suffice it to say, it is technologically miles ahead of Thailand.

Singapore immigration, as you mention is excellent, but even Indonesia, which is a true 3rd world country is ahead of Thailand with immigration. Most folks with bio-metric passports and a visa can use e gates both entering and leaving.

you need t

The excuse that an increase in passenger arrivals is one of the reasons for the long lines just won't fly--pardon the pun. Arrivals have been decreasing the past few years, not increasing, and this year is the same--down so far from last year. Hopefully the bad publicity will encourage better staffing.

Pay for fast track. Less than the cost of a shag with an ugly hooker.

6 hours ago, ronnie50 said:

I guess it means they are asking more questions of the traveler. Usually they say nothing. They just check the details of your passport and match it with the TDAC details on their screen. If all the same, they stamp you in and that's it. But if the IOs are questioning travelers now, I can see how that would add to the backlog,

A guess is not a good response to a disaster. That should be dealt with facts and why it occurred?

Is that new Thai App available where incoming visitors can complete the entry card on the mobile and if so should not that have, as it was designed to to do, speed up entry?

It seems that the "exceptionally" long lines are a recent experience. They seem to correspond to the Thai Airlines flight attendant that was muling heroin to Australia. They should make the airline crews wait in line for 2 hours while they check all their luggage. Make special lines for all the Chinese and lower continent folks that don't know how to fill out forms and Let all the other folks through in the remaining lines. These folks are the most likely coming in 20+ hour flights. Or have lines specifically for folks coming in from long connects. This could be easily checked if the person still has his or her boarding pass from their connections.

8 hours ago, Rockyroad said:

Tdac can be filled out 3 days prior so no need to wait until airport. They should have a different line for novices.

Is that for immigration officers or travellers 😉

8 hours ago, sunrisecoconuts said:

You don't get it at all either do you? This is not a 'accident' or 'mistake', they are doing a nazi style raid on every arrival, that is the cause. Anyway, it is over after today as already known since a week by the proper connections, the safe entries continue too.

It is as i said so many times already a exact repeat of 2014-2015, 1:1 with everything, except this was a judicial coup without tanks. The EU/USA should be ashamed for themselves for no even seeing this, or pretending to not see it. it's factually proven.

Then this happening the second time in under 12-15 years time, it's time to pack up and leave, just from a moral point of view.

Ohhhh dear having a bad day are we. 🤷🏼

2 hours ago, cynic1 said:

A guess is not a good response to a disaster. That should be dealt with facts and why it occurred?

Is that new Thai App available where incoming visitors can complete the entry card on the mobile and if so should not that have, as it was designed to to do, speed up entry?

No, I think it is because the IOs have been suddenly asked to use more on the spot scrutiny of incoming travelers. So that's slowing things down. Like I said, for decades I've never had more than a word or two uttered to me by a Thai IO at the airport of arrival. The whole thing takes 30-40 seconds. But now, if they are expected to do what most western countries do - ask things like: "so you're from Canberra, why are you here? How long are you planning to stay, what do you do back in Australia for a living?" it ads another minute or so for each traveler. This is SOP in western countries at ports of entry, but in Thailand it was very, very rarely the case and only if they had real suspicion would they start asking Qs. Now it might be routine. But yes, they'll need to deal with the backlogs is creates.

I don't think the queues are due top extra checking. A big part of the problem is scheduling all flights to arrive at the same time. Look at the photo--this is not one planeload.

14 hours ago, Georgealbert said:

15 hours ago, Georgealbert said:

create bottlenecks.

Now I know why BKK is known as swampy! Thousands of tourists swamping Immigration - reference Google

Swamping is the act of overwhelming, inundating, or flooding someone or something with an excessive amount of people, tasks, or water. It often implies being unable to cope with the sheer volume of whatever is coming in.

15 hours ago, Jim Waldron said:

You only get one chance to make a good first impression.

Wait until some old tourists has a medical episode whilst waiting in the queue and dies, and it makes the global news.

Potential first time tourists to Thailand will get their first impression of Thailand before they even get to Thailand. 🙂