How Long To Clear Immigration & Customs

[wileycoyote]

On average,how long does you think to clear Immigration & Customs at Suvarnabhumi ,arriving midday on Saturday ?

Wiley Coyote

[sjaak327]

Busy time, count on 45 minutes.

[Richie1971]

On average,how long does you think to clear Immigration & Customs at Suvarnabhumi ,arriving midday on Saturday ?

Wiley Coyote

[/quote

20 mins if you get a good run off the plane

[Jeff1]

Busy time, count on 45 minutes.

You can double that trying to leave.

[bendix]

Or it can take 5-10 minutes. It depends on how many planes are arriving at the same time and how quickly you get to the immigration section.

It always amazes me that people get off planes, dawdle along aimlessly through the airport, stop off for a pee or to pick their nose, browse through the duty free shops, stand stationary on those moving walkways as if they're admiring the freakin view, and then wonder angrily why the rest of the plane is waiting in front of them in the immigration queues.

Well . . duhhhhhhhh

[Crossy]

Yep ^^^ it really is "how long is a piece of string". I've gone from literally five minutes (including waking the dozing immigration chap at 4AM) to close to two hours

I agree with Bendix and hurry (too old to run) from the aircraft past all the dawdlers, I use the loo whilst waiting for the bags.

Don't forget there are two main immigration arrays, if the first one you get to is full the other may be empty. NOTE that if you get a remote gate and arrive at the terminal by bus you'll be inbetween the two sets of counters pot luck whether you go left or right.

[sjaak327]

He is arriving Midday, that's probably the busiest time of the day, last time I arrived around noon, the rest of MY plane was not going to make one bit of different. Indeed there are two main immigration areas, both were fully packed, It' not going to be 5-10 minutes at that time for sure.

Arriving at around 6 PM is much better, sometimes out in about 10-15 minutes, last time arrived at 5 am, out in less then 5.

[BigSnake]

On average,how long does you think to clear Immigration & Customs at Suvarnabhumi ,arriving midday on Saturday ?

Wiley Coyote

All depend on how many flights they are processing at the time. Let than 30 mins would be great.

[wileycoyote]

Tks all

I will get the young coyotes to put on their trainers for a sprint

Wiley Coyote

[sjaak327]

Make sure you catch up

[Zpete]

Wiley Coyote,

If ya interested in how congested things may be, check arrivals here.

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=103992

Arrivals and departures sites addys are posted.

May help.

My average would be less than 30 mins across 20 or so arrivals at Swampy.

[tw25rw]

Ultimately, it doesn't matter too much how long the queues are if you still have a 30 minute wait for your luggage to appear on the belt.

[kangeroo]

might have a little bit to do with what time you arrive . i know i arrive 6 am from aus so no problems from plane to taxi outside.......... 30min.

cheers

[wileycoyote]

Many Thanks to everyone,arrive Saturday midday 12.30 ex Amsterdam KLM.

Have told the young coyotes to run,with Mum & I'm putting Grandma on a skateboard !

(Not joking !,but she doesn't know yet)

Wiley Coyote

[sjaak327]

That was the same flight I arrived on some 6 months ago, Prepare for a long wait. They guy that sat next to me, had to catch an onward flight to Samui on Bangkok Airways, We were waiting so long, that on my advice he just asked people to move in front of the queue, I doubt he made it though, as he only had 30 minutes.

Happy skating

[SaigonDaze]

Yes, that time is quite busy. There is also an Emirates 777 and Korean Air flight that arrive at that time, along with Thai from HCMC. It's always about 45 minutes.

[cclub75]

Yes, that time is quite busy. There is also an Emirates 777 and Korean Air flight that arrive at that time, along with Thai from HCMC. It's always about 45 minutes.

Well as stated by somebody else : it's the lottery.

For one very simple reason : planes can be late... Often. Therefore, any theorical schedule is useless.

If, bad luck, 2 777 or 2 747 are arriving at a few minutes interval... like a group...just before your own plane... then you can start to think about the blue ocean or your girlfriend : because you'll have time to do so.

And this is precisely why it's stressfull : you can't make any forecast.

[Theo007]

I flew in late last month at 4.30 pm and could not believe my eyes, nobody in line and five people on duty!

[Krub]

There are not 2 but 3 areas for immigration incoming queues.

The middle one is very very narrow but has generally 5-6 desks open.

It is the one nearest to the arrivals by bus gates and is almost always empty when

I arrive around 2pm although the other 2 main areas are full

[sendbaht]

If I am with my Thai wife.....4 minutes. I get to go with her to the thai citizen line, but 30 minutes give or take alone.

[Jale]

If I am with my Thai wife.....4 minutes. I get to go with her to the thai citizen line, but 30 minutes give or take alone.

I wished I had known that before! Is it always allowed? Does it work when you leave the country as well?

[GOWER]

just what i wanted to know,

do you think i will make for my pb air flight which leaves at 16.00, when i land at 15.05 form eva air ???/

thx

[sjaak327]

That gives you 55 minutes, to clear customs, collect your bags, proceed to the PB air check-in counter, so you would be extremely lucky to make it.

[cobra]

Consider also the agonizing decision process of choosing which line to que up in,

Karma, intuition, statistical analysis, ...

Line Dynamics 101

Law #1: The line that appears to be moving the fastest will screech to a crawl once you join it

Law #2: The line you leave for another will immediately become the fastest.

[operator]

The last Eva Air flight i was on in February landed slightly late, but the immigration queues were pretty long. Not helped by Eva having hardly any immigration arrival cards on the flight. Then i seem the have the knack of always picking the wrong queue. Couldn't work out why the queue i was in was so much slower than the others. As i got near the front realized that the immigration counter for our queue had only one immigration officer, the rest had two. If i remember my timings correctly, the plane was scheduled to arrive at 15.35. Landed about 16.00.

Didn't pickup my case until about 17.15.

[grtaylor]

I arrived last Friday, around 11:45am on the Air Asia flight from KL. Immigration (the easterly one) almost empty. I think there were 10 desks or so manned, and one person being processed at one desk. Quickest ever! An hour later, a friend arrived on a China Airlines flight from Taipei, and immigration was packed. . . . . .

[peter991]

Line Dynamics 101

Law #1: The line that appears to be moving the fastest will screech to a crawl once you join it

Law #2: The line you leave for another will immediately become the fastest.

Law #3: When you are almost at the front of the queue, the person at the Immigration Counter will not have filled in their TM9 card properly. You look around and all the other queues have tripled in size.

Peter

[stiffoak571]

Sunday 23rd March 3.30pm- arrived on Heathrow flight had 2 people in front and done in 5 minutes - bag arrived and out into main area 1/2 hour after leaving plane