Unacceptably Long Lines At Immigration!

[bendix]

It's only available to citizens of APEC countries so i doubt if the UK guy has one - perhaps something similar, but not APEC for sure. It's certainly not available for PRs. Also, Myanmar isnt APEC so they wouldnt get one.

Not sure about Singapore, but Hong Kong Permanent Residents, regardless of nationality, are eligible for the APEC card:

http://www.immd.gov.hk/ehtml/hktraveldoc_4.htm

I've got a few mates there that use it that aren't APEC citizens.

Then I stand corrected. I guess it must be a country by country thing; Given the importance of PRs to HK, I guess they have the right to be issued a card, especially as a fair proportion of them would be regular business travellers.

I can't imagine NZ, Australia or - heaven forbid - Thai PRs having the same rights as those in HK

[hotgeekus]

Just got back from Macau with Air Asia. Went the normal way, and the lines were as long as I expected, all the way to the hallway.

Then I just went to see if the other side is just as packed, as not many people go through.

So, in front of baggage claim 18-24 belts, the immigration had 8 lines open and not more than one or two people in each, I was through and eating my Pad Thai before the other lines (I think International 'B'?) were through.

Let it be told, the airport is not the problem, it needs to be used correctly. Next time try it, walk the extra 100 meters, saves you about 1 hour wait...

[yorkman]

However threads like this only serve to lessen the real problems and bad experiences people have with Immigration services at the new airport and childishly mock those with real grievances.

What 'real problems and bad experiences with Immigration' would those be? Could you elaborate?

I think what he saying is that positive threads like this tend to balance out the impression of the new airport and counter the usual whinge threads.

The majority of my encounters have been good and the place functions well, but I still don't much like the building but that's not why I go there.

No, what I was saying is threads like this mocking the grievances of others are childish.

yes yes Emperer.... and who would pick such a childish name.

Just accept that you you looked like a target for a scam. Maybe it was the Safari Suit. Who knows?

But try to accept, even if you shotgun post, nobody cares, got it?

[bendix]

Im still waiting to hear what the very real grievances other have had at the hands of the Immigration people. The emperor seems remarkably reluctant to tell us more about them.

[jackspratt]

Im still waiting to hear what the very real grievances other have had at the hands of the Immigration people. The emperor seems remarkably reluctant to tell us more about them.

If I remember correctly Bendix, you were placed on Tud's exclusive "Ignore" list, as was my goodself, for daring to ask pertinent questions or making salient points on one of the Emperor's previous rants relating to those awful, awful rogue customs officers.

Alas I am also awaiting answers to a couple of questions.

And of course, we are all still waiting for the responses from Thai Customs which Tud promised some time ago.

[onethailand]

It's only available to citizens of APEC countries so i doubt if the UK guy has one - perhaps something similar, but not APEC for sure. It's certainly not available for PRs. Also, Myanmar isnt APEC so they wouldnt get one.

Not sure about Singapore, but Hong Kong Permanent Residents, regardless of nationality, are eligible for the APEC card:

http://www.immd.gov.hk/ehtml/hktraveldoc_4.htm

I've got a few mates there that use it that aren't APEC citizens.

HK Permanent Residents are considered "citizens" of the HKSAR. You must qualify for Right of Abode in order to be granted PR status. You do not need to hold a HKSAR passport, however - this is basically where the exception is. Many RoA statusholders actually hold passports from other countries - most of them HK people who emigrated overseas in the 80s.

But anyone who legally resided in HK for a 7 year or longer consecutive period before 1997 and has not been out of HK for more than a 36-month consecutive period, or people who can prove and claim Chinese (including Taiwan) ethnicity and citzenship of their parents at the time of their birth, AND having legally resided in HK for a consecutive period of 7 years at any time, can qualify for RoA status.

The part bolded above is why many gweilo are able to claim PR in HK.

[bendix]

Im still waiting to hear what the very real grievances other have had at the hands of the Immigration people. The emperor seems remarkably reluctant to tell us more about them.

If I remember correctly Bendix, you were placed on Tud's exclusive "Ignore" list, as was my goodself, for daring to ask pertinent questions or making salient points on one of the Emperor's previous rants relating to those awful, awful rogue customs officers.

Alas I am also awaiting answers to a couple of questions.

And of course, we are all still waiting for the responses from Thai Customs which Tud promised some time ago.

I couldn't resist viewing your posts on this thread as you both seem to appear co-incidentally in tandem whenever I post on this section of the forum.

You were both put on my ignore list (and still are on my ignore list, incidentally) because you became abusive, tried to threadjack, tried to disrupt the discussion and could not conduct yourselves in an adult manner on another thread, specifically the thread about my experience of being harassed and bullied by some unidentified men in uniform at Suvarnabhumi Airport entitled Warning! Rogue Customs Officials At Suvarnabhumi Airport, Intimidation and threats from "Illegal Police"

I have had no response from either Thai Customs or Thai Excise to the several emails I have sent.

Needless to say if there is a response it will be posted in its entirety on this branch. You can be rest assured of that.

As to Bendix's "pertinent question", there are many threads available for viewing that highlight grievances with Immigration at Suvarnabhumi. If you are so eager to view them I suggest using the search function available on this website.

And now we can add sexual harassment to your long list of grievances about the airport. My my - you DO have a bad time there, dont you? If I were you, I'd never leave the house.

But, of course, you can't read this can you because I'm ignored :-)

[hotgeekus]

Moderator -

While I have no issue with the personal flaming on this topic, it serves no purpose.... can we close this topic so that we actually discuss the airport and not why someone disagree's with someone else's view of what the airport, and then their comments from those comments??

All comments are welcome in my book and actually encoraged. But when someone starts to make comments why each other is on their ignore list, I think we can close the topic....

[Onnutrd]

What is the world coming to??

Upon leaving Thailand via the royal orchid first and business class area there were SIX people in front of me.

SIX people. I had to wait FIVE minutes. This is clearly unacceptable.

WHAT IS THE WORLD COMING TO???

Have a great Christmas break all. See you in the new years.

Whinger! If you don't like it you should just go home.....

Oh wait, right, I forgot, you are Thai. You are home.

Never mind

Amen.

[tattoodrob]

IMMIGRATION....WHAT IS IMMIGRATION.

i arrive at departure drop off area in my stretcth complimentary limo where im duly picked up by a stretched electric leather seated cart and driven straight to my private jet (engine running ofcourse).....though this is where it all goes tits up...i have to physically walk up the 4 steps to my sumptious lazy boy chair and away we go,u may not believe and thats up to you and some will wonder how.......well i will tell you....i once bumped into a thai chinese guy called thaksin in a bar in patpong a few years ago..well we got talkin and drinkin as you do and had a fantastic night and met up and got drunk (and other stuff) for the next 3 nights which bonded our friendship forever ..anyway he gave me a thaksin privelige card that only him and a few close members of his family have...and of course me .it gives great benefits hence the v.i.p treatment at his airport,also just to make you even more jealous i also get 100 sms free everymonth(local of course)

[nothingleftbutfaith]

I arrived today at 7.p.m.

The 3 immigration zones were packed with queues of at least 30 people everywhere.

A complete mess.

I took my chance, went to the diplomatic/official counter , and smiled to the immigration officer, who accepted me .

By comparison, I have used the new Terminal 3 at Changi airport this week.

It is everything BKK should have been, but unfortunately never will.

[AlexLah]

Tried to catch a flight this morning.

Huge huge waiting linesd for all major airlines.

I tried to check in 45 minutes before departure but the check in lady told me better take the next flight as you will never make it in time.

I only had this once before.

Lady told me better come three hours before, as it is holiday season now so lots of travellers.

[Journalist]

Many thanks for that link.

This looks great ! The APEC card is HK$427....i.e about THB 2000, and has 3 years validity.

However, I don't always see an APEC booth open in Thailand.....in that circumstance, can one use the Diplomatic Channel or Thai booths?

[backflip]

"The 3 immigration zones were packed with queues of at least 30 people everywhere..."

Thirty people in line is hardly an "unacceptable" number.

[nothingleftbutfaith]

"The 3 immigration zones were packed with queues of at least 30 people everywhere..."

Thirty people in line is hardly an "unacceptable" number.

I meant 30 people per line . Since it takes around 1.5 to 2 minutes to clear one passenger, you can work the maths...

[Crossy]

Tried to catch a flight this morning.

Huge huge waiting linesd for all major airlines.

I tried to check in 45 minutes before departure but the check in lady told me better take the next flight as you will never make it in time.

I only had this once before.

Lady told me better come three hours before, as it is holiday season now so lots of travellers.

Oh dear, another one who turns up on the dot of check-in closing (apologies if you were seriously delayed on the journey to the airport).

The minimum acceptable time to join the queue for a domestic flight is 1.5 hours before departure, for international it's 2.5 hours. I always aim for being in the airport 2 hours before a domestic and 3 before an international, I've never missed a flight There's always the possibility of delays on the way to the airport etc. Better to be sitting in the bar airside than panicking in the immigration line.

[cclub75]

"The 3 immigration zones were packed with queues of at least 30 people everywhere..."

Thirty people in line is hardly an "unacceptable" number.

Of course it is. At least, in Thailand, where usually one passport is processed in 2 minutes...

In Paris, one passport takes ... well... let's see, 5 seconds. Even with "exotic" countries...

A B747 can be processed by 2 officers (this is what you get at CDG early in the morning, when the TG flight arrives from BKK for instance).

[cclub75]

The arguing and the controversy are over.

It's official :shortage of staff , "queues very long", and complaints.

I must admit... coming from thai officials it's refreshing.

Recruits needed for immigration officer shortage at airport

BANGKOK, Feb 24 (TNA) – The Immigration Bureau Commissioner admitted Sunday staff shortage was one of the main reasons why passengers had to wait in extremely long queues at Suvarnabhumi Airport.

"The Immigration Bureau has a limited number of staff while Suvarnabhumi Airport is very spacious and comprised of so numerous (immigration) counters. That's why some counters are left vacant without staff and the queues are very long," Immigration Bureau Commander Pol. Lt-Gen. Chatchaval Suksomchit said after inspecting the international airport.

Concerned with mounting complaints, the Royal Thai Police is considering requesting immigration officers attached to the Immigration Bureau but working in other agencies to return to immigration. Also, a number of new immigration officers will be recruited to work in the airport, according to Pol. Gen. Chatchaval.

Meanwhile, he strongly recommended passengers arrive at check-in at least two hours before their departure time.

"Many passengers have missed flights after showing up at check-in less than one hour before scheduled departure. There isn't enough time for check-in and immigration procedures. In fact, after the check-in, about 45 to 60 minutes should be kept for immigration procedures," Pol. Gen. Chatchaval said.

Suvarnabhumi Airport serves some 100,000 passengers daily -- 40,000 departing, 45,000 arriving and 15,000 in transit. However, only 200 immigration officers are on duty per shift. There are four shifts a day. There are 80 counters serving departing passengers and 124 counters for arriving passengers.

It has been estimated that the arrival and departure counters are short of 400 immigration officers every day. (TNA)

Edited February 24, 2008 by cclub75

[Boca]

Immigration at BKK has become a joke, especially when compared to the likes of KLIA and Changi in Singapore.

I took the following snaps as I spent an hour standing after arrival at mid day on 18th Feb. Enjoy!

[grtaylor]

Immigration at BKK has become a joke, especially when compared to the likes of KLIA and Changi in Singapore.

I took the following snaps as I spent an hour standing after arrival at mid day on 18th Feb. Enjoy!

Arrived back from Bali on TG last Friday evening at about 8:15pm. Four people in one queue as I reached immigration, thats all. Its the luck of the draw how many flights there are I guess.

G

[thaigene2]

Yes I am also a bit bemused by this. For sure going out in the mornings can be a bit of a wait which is not good since you're off to catch a flight that won't wait for you. And I could never understand the big deal with people LEAVING the country..anyway, many 'control freak' countries are into this equal check on the way out.

But arriving? It's not that bad is it? I travel a lot and for me (touch wood) it's rarely more than 5 or 10 minutes. To me that's acceptable.

And they are always reasonably polite. I don;t expect them to wai and chat with me

[Krub]

Yes I am also a bit bemused by this. For sure going out in the mornings can be a bit of a wait which is not good since you're off to catch a flight that won't wait for you. And I could never understand the big deal with people LEAVING the country..anyway, many 'control freak' countries are into this equal check on the way out.

But arriving? It's not that bad is it? I travel a lot and for me (touch wood) it's rarely more than 5 or 10 minutes. To me that's acceptable.

And they are always reasonably polite. I don;t expect them to wai and chat with me

Same experiences with me.

If in the morning, I try to fly out as much as possible on TG business class to cut the lines.

Edited February 28, 2008 by Krub

[Shrubbery]

My wife (Thai) and I went through BKK ealy last month.

I was through immigration quicker than she was, albeit by a minute or so. Our arrival was around 17.00.

The immigration officer processing my wife even told her I could be processed with her in the Thai queue.

I may give it a go, if and when I encounter queues.

I have only encountered 1 long queue at immigration. From memory it tok around 20 minutes to be processed.

[Captain Chaos]

I'm flying out of BKK on a 07.45 flight next Monday morning and am surprised to read about heavy queues at early times of the day. Was planning on arriving at the airport around 06.00 - any opinions as to whether that's likely to be adequate or am I cutting it too fine?

Thanks.

CC

[TomnearCentral]

In my opinion you would be cutting it to fine. If I were you I would show up around 5:30am. But then again, I do not like to be in a rush....

Anyway, what I really fail to understand as a Frequent flier is how I can clear the immigration (inbound or outbound) in Singapore in 2 minutes max (never had more then 2 people in front of me at any time of the day), but at our great new Aviation Hub I takes most of the times at least 20 minutes ("best" was 90 minutes!)?? Ah, wait.....they admit they do not have enough immigration staff now, after more then one year of operation. But then again, if they say that we should keep "45-60 minutes for immigration procedures" I might have been lucky until now

[Captain Chaos]

In my opinion you would be cutting it to fine. If I were you I would show up around 5:30am. But then again, I do not like to be in a rush....

Anyway, what I really fail to understand as a Frequent flier is how I can clear the immigration (inbound or outbound) in Singapore in 2 minutes max (never had more then 2 people in front of me at any time of the day), but at our great new Aviation Hub I takes most of the times at least 20 minutes ("best" was 90 minutes!)?? Ah, wait.....they admit they do not have enough immigration staff now, after more then one year of operation. But then again, if they say that we should keep "45-60 minutes for immigration procedures" I might have been lucky until now

Wow! OK, thanks for that - looks like an 05.00 start which means getting up at 04.30 on Monday ... wibble ...

[mrtoad]

Flew out of Swamppy on Wednesday morning and it lef a bad taste in my mouth.

On cjecking in, no problem other than I had to take my bag to oversiz luggage , funny that as I have used this bag on numerous trip with no problem before. On walking over with my bag, I was continulaly pesterd by some moronic ground staff asking for a tip. I eventually politley told hime ot get lost.

On getting to immigration, the lines were spilling back out into the check in area, total chaos and a 50 minute wait in line to get out of the country.

In my opinion they still have a long way to go if they think that they are a world class airport. On arrival in S'pore a 2 minute wait and through, to collect the luggage which was already waiting and no hassle from touts etc

[mrtoad]

On getting to immigration, the lines were spilling back out into the check in area, total chaos and a 50 minute wait in line to get out of the country.

Had exactly the same experience on Monday morning. Queues were spilling back out of the Immigration area, staff checking boarding passes were overwhelmed by the volume of passengers and it took approximately 30 to 40 minutes to get stamped out of the country. Total chaos.

Unacceptable.

The thiNg is, this happened the Last time I flew to S'pore a few months back. Clearly they haven't managed to or can't be bothered to deal with the problem. It's all well and good having the biggets terminal and highest control tower, but as a passenger we just want things to be orderly and efficient. I'm not sure if it is any better during other times of the day, but this was around 6.30am, as I usually take the 07.45 flight out of BKK to S'pore.

[pansted00]

On getting to immigration, the lines were spilling back out into the check in area, total chaos and a 50 minute wait in line to get out of the country.

Had exactly the same experience on Monday morning. Queues were spilling back out of the Immigration area, staff checking boarding passes were overwhelmed by the volume of passengers and it took approximately 30 to 40 minutes to get stamped out of the country. Total chaos.

Unacceptable.

The thiNg is, this happened the Last time I flew to S'pore a few months back. Clearly they haven't managed to or can't be bothered to deal with the problem. It's all well and good having the biggets terminal and highest control tower, but as a passenger we just want things to be orderly and efficient. I'm not sure if it is any better during other times of the day, but this was around 6.30am, as I usually take the 07.45 flight out of BKK to S'pore.

Flew out today on MH at 5 pm.

Immigration queues spilling out of the immigratioon area into main terminal, at all immigrations areas ( except TG biz check in area, which I couldn't use even if flying C on a TG ticket code share with MH).

Out of 16 available immigration counters, in the area where I was , only 7 were manned,and 3 of them for Thai passports only.

Simply ridiculous and unacceptable.There are at least 3 747's leaving BKK at around 5 pm for Sydney only....

With one runway partially closed ( Mind you, they are still using it for take off of small airplanes, although 1/3 is closed for repairs and loaded with trucks and resurfacing equipmenst...), this airport is fast becoming nothing but a big lump of shit ( on the face of Thai people, who do not seem to mind, judging from the hero's welcome last week).

Appaling.

trucks and resurfacing equipmenst...) this airport is fast becoming nothing mor ethan a big luilp of shit on the face of the Thai peol

[jeffer]

I was at the airport last Wednesday morning. No waiting at Jetstar, processed in 2 minutes. Wander over to immigration at 7.50am to see a mass of people not far off overflowing into the main hall. As a rough guess I'd say there would have been 18 immigration staff working, each line had 25-30 people waiting. Even the diplomatic line was just as long which is the one many Thai Visa members use... Took about 35 minutes for me to get attended to.

Surprisingly in Singapore it took about 15 minutes to get stamped in, longest I've ever waited. Seems everything is at a crawl in Singapore due to the escape of a terrorist. Truck drivers at the land border are being finger printed and the newspaper was reporting waits of 15 hours for them to cross.

Returning on Saturday night immigration was deserted but it was still taking a minimum of 3 minutes per person to be processed.

Taxi touts are still out in force. I must be getting old as they were all offering to take me to Pattaya and I wasn't even wearing a football shirt!

If anyone wants to see how good Suvarnabhumi could have been then you need only go to the new Terminal 3 in Singapore. Now that's how you set up a world class airport.