I was the first person to check in for my Flight to Chiang Rai on an Air Asia flight last night. When I checked in, they had no departure gate assignmed so I took my time going down to the pre-departure area. Sure enough, by the time I got there the departure gate had been assigned (A1C). So I went through the security checkpoint, had my handcarried items X-rayed, was patted down by the airport security and settled down at the pre-departure lounge to wait for my flight right in front of the A1C gate.

Soon after than an airport personnel in a dark (indigo) uniform ask for my boarding pass and passport - which I promptly presented. She checked my boading pass - and then handed it back to me. No problem.

I was wondering whether the flight was going to be nearly empty. A group of Americans who hand arrived the airport at about the same time I did also saw the A1C departure gate assignment but not go into the departure lounge where I was - A1C - which I thought was rather unusual.

After almost two hours waiting and getting anxious, I heard my name being hailed. They had changed the departure gate to B2!

I just realized that they do not have the departure information at the departure lounge. But they had about 5 plasma screens within 50 meters of where I was. None of them carried this vital information.

Fortunately, I was able to jog to the right departure gate without delaying the flight. We were five minutes early in arriving at Chiang Rai.

Wouldn't it have been much easier for ground crew and passengers to read this information of a screen at each departure lounge? Save them the trouble of finding lost passengers....

Changed it on me going to Singapore between checking in and actually getting to the gate !

Was there only you or others who had the same peoblem on that flight?

Fortunately, I was able to jog to the right departure gate without delaying the flight. We were five minutes early in arriving at Chiang Rai.

Wouldn't it have been much easier for ground crew and passengers to read this information of a screen at each departure lounge? Save them the trouble of finding lost passengers....

What I was wondering about is the fact that there was no departure information in the pre-departure lounge. This problem would not have occured if there was updated information posted on at least one of the 5 plasma screens at the pre-departure lounge.

To answer your question, yes, I was the only one. I was the first to check in to the lounge. The PA system was hardly audible at the A1C PD lounge.

Looks like this has already happened before as Torrenova reports a similar incident.

Was there only you or others who had the same peoblem on that flight?

Fortunately, I was able to jog to the right departure gate without delaying the flight. We were five minutes early in arriving at Chiang Rai.

Wouldn't it have been much easier for ground crew and passengers to read this information of a screen at each departure lounge? Save them the trouble of finding lost passengers....