Out Of Control Immigration Lines

[FarmerJoe]

I flew into Suvarnabhumi yesterday at noon and made my way to immigration and I couldn't believe what I saw. The entire Immigration hall had spilled out onto the terminal floors. It was total chaos. One look at this and people started turning away shaking their heads knowing they would not get through in one day. After calling my wife and telling her I would probably have to spend the night in the airport, I saw a group of girls find a small opening through a barrier and followed them. Thereby getting ahead of about 7 or 800 people. And those were the ones that couldn't even make it to the hall. Tensions were flaring between the officers and the people. Especially those with children. Many had to lose their place in line because they had to use the restrooms. After 2 1/2 hours of waiting in an unorganized line I asked the Immigration official how many people he thought were waitng and he put the number between 2,000 to 2,500. I usually come at the same time each trip and there are usually only about 150 people waiting. Anyone hear what was going on? The Immigration official would not tell me anything. If this is what it will be like each time I think I will have to find a way to fly directly to Chiangmai.

[samuibeachcomber]

well thats amazing,obviously not enough immigration officials made available.have never had to wait longer than 20 minutes.

[Musongman]

I have experienced the same thing at Sydney airport. Sometimes things go pearshaped for no apparent reason. We have to live with it occasionally. Suvarnabhumi is no exception, but is generally not too bad, I like it as far as airports go.

[FarmerJoe]

Thing is, all the posts were manned.

[Musongman]

I experienced a similar delay in ( we do everything so precisely ) Singapore, last year. Not all desks were staffed and the difference in attitude of the staff member of the few that were open, slowed my line, while the others moved more quickly. Ninety minutes was the scandalous result!

[nonthaburial]

There are more than one immigration halls, Have often found if one is jammed try the other

[moe666]

Arrived at midnight once behind a flight from china needless to say they didn't know how to fill out the immigration card, no english or thai. Finally spotted a line not very long. Believe it or not it's not just Thailand.

[needforspeed]

There are more than one immigration halls, Have often found if one is jammed try the other

Yes most people use the first entrance to the immigration, next time walk 1 minute further and right hand site you have the second entrance.

Had same thing a few time, first entrance waiting average 18 Minutes, second entrance 7 minutes.

[Briggsy]

2 and a half hours!!

Sounds like an IT problem, or failing that, a new directive that proved difficult to implement. But I'll go with an IT problem.

[Meridian007]

Farmer Joe, are you talking about the customs and immigration booths on the 4th floor departure level, or on the 2nd floor arrival level? You said that the masses of people had spilled out into the terminal area, which combined with your saying that you were flying on to CM, makes me think you mean the departures level. You also said that you flew into Suvarnabhumi, so that makes me wonder if you mean the arrivals level? Sorry, but I'm a little confused.

Both areas are bad bottlenecks, but I always hate waiting in line after a flight on the arrivals floor. If a few planes get in at the same time, it always makes a mess there, which combined with the queue jumpers (don't get me started on them), always makes me dread arriving at Suvarnabhumi.

Nonthaburial stated that there are other halls that can be used, so I'm curious if he means arrivals or departures as well. I've looked at the maps for both floors that you can see in the links above, but I don't see alternative halls for either floor. If you mean the departures level, I thought that the two separated groups of booths were for domestic and international respectively, and that you could only use the one for your type of flight. If this is what you are talking about, and we can use both, then this is useful info!

I don't like waiting to get through customs on the departure level, but I've never found it to be as bad as the arrivals.

[PhilHarries]

I flew into Suvarnabhumi last Friday, about 4pm, and it took an hour to get through immigration. One problem is that some lines feed two desks and some only one (if one desk is closed). It's difficult to know which line to join when you arrive at a packed hall. Maybe they should use a single queueing system?

But 2 1/2 hours? Must have been a system problem as Briggsy says.

Outbound on Sunday morning, circa 9:30, there were longish queues at passport control but I still got through to the shopping mall in less than 30 minutes.

[needforspeed]

I flew into Suvarnabhumi last Friday, about 4pm, and it took an hour to get through immigration. One problem is that some lines feed two desks and some only one (if one desk is closed). It's difficult to know which line to join when you arrive at a packed hall. Maybe they should use a single queueing system?

But 2 1/2 hours? Must have been a system problem as Briggsy says.

Outbound on Sunday morning, circa 9:30, there were longish queues at passport control but I still got through to the shopping mall in less than 30 minutes.

took an hour to get through immigration

But 2 1/2 hours? Must have been a system problem as Briggsy says.

If it takes u 1 hours they must have a problem as well, isn't tourist friendly to wait for 1 hour after a fleight of 12 hours(with children).

I maybe just lucky till now

[nonthaburial]

I am referring to the ARRIVAL immigration Halls

[Jdietz]

However bad for the travelers, this is actually good news for the tourism industry, ALL immigration posts occupied and still lines up to the planes.. Good times ahead.

[Meridian007]

I am referring to the ARRIVAL immigration Halls

Is there somewhere else to go than the three sets of booths before the bag carousels in this map? That area is always too crowded, so if there is somewhere else we can go, I'd love to know where!

[bkkjames]

Maybe the new security scanners did a Terminator 'Machine' type takeover of the entire IT system.

[Krub]

I am glad I'll be arriving first class with Thai International and will bypass any lines

[FarmerJoe]

I was coming in on arrivals. second floor. I did not know there are two arrival halls for international flights. Still, you would think they would have told people to go to the next one unless that too had a couple thousand jammed in there.

[Krub]

I was coming in on arrivals. second floor. I did not know there are two arrival halls for international flights. Still, you would think they would have told people to go to the next one unless that too had a couple thousand jammed in there.

There used to be 3 halls for arrival immigration booths

One on each side and one small one in the middle which was always 'empty'

I believe the middle one is restricted for airline crews & diplomats and cannot be used by others

[Meridian007]

According to the map, there is only one "hall" (by hall, I mean room or enclosed area) on the second floor with three sets of booths (the ones with the orange icons) at the entrance to the baggage claim hall. I think flights are serviced by all three booths, with most people being herded to the right-most and centre booths. I think first class goes through the green area on the furthest left. I might be wrong though!

If there are any other places where we get through easier, please let us know!

Edited January 29, 2010 by Meridian007

[nonthaburial]

This map showing immigration is not accurate. as mentioned previously by another, there are in fact three seperate enclosed immigration halls, two large ones seperated by the smaller VIP one. To try and simplify matters the two large halls empty out onto the two seperated baggage carousel, one hall to numbers 1-?? whilst the second hall to the higher carousel numbers

[IMA_FARANG]

I have experienced the same thing at Sydney airport. Sometimes things go pearshaped for no apparent reason. We have to live with it occasionally. Suvarnabhumi is no exception, but is generally not too bad, I like it as far as airports go.

I arrived on the 26th at about 0600 at the International Arrivals area. I was out meeting my pickup at about 0625. There are 3 immigration arrival areas, all connected but with three entranceways as I recall. Yes, sometimes you will find that the first area is nearly full. Often if you go on to the next area, there are fewer people waiting.

Not that this has any relevance to the topic, but the longest wait I ever spent going through immigration/customs was in Heathrow. The customs officers were on a "work to rule" as they called it. One person only working searching every single bag, no exceptions. Everyone else was out on a tea break About every 10 or 15 minutes a new customs officer would show up, and the current officer would take his/her tea break. I arrived about 0830 on a flight from Boston, Mass and had a 1345 flight to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. I was still sitting in the plane waiting on the arrivals apron when I saw that flight take off for Saudi Arabia. We finally got through customs/immigration at 1430. The fire/safety people would not let any more people into the customs/immigration area for part of that time as any more people would have been unsafe.

And that was my introduction to "work to rule" in the U.K.

[Richb2004v2]

I am in the airport now. The line to get through immigration was crazy. It went out of the actual hall and well into the check in area. I have no idea why as there seemed to be plenty of booths staffed and they were not doing any extra checks as far as I could see. The x-ray machines once through are relativley new but they didn't seem to be the cause.

[tigerfish]

something you may want to try.

if you have a thai wife/gf try going into the line for thai national passport holders.

about 5 years ago had exaclty the same problem, thought sod this for a game of soldiers. nabbed the wife and went up to the immigration official who was serving no-one, at the thai pasport holders desk. the wife asked if i could go through with her, the official checked both passports to clarify that we where infact married and stamped my passport with a 1 month visa.(sweet as a nut)

been doing it ever since! he who dares rodney, he who dares!

[tonywebster]

the amount of people in each arrivals immigration depends on which gates are being used when planes land. people automatically just walk into the first one they get to. if it is busy walk to the next one. it is the same for departures, there is another immigration at the end of the airport 9the other end to the thai counters). I was there last week and I noticed monitors showing the queue, I at the time thought they are showing the queue at the other departure immigration. the furthest one is better for gates E,F.G

[Bucko]

There are more than one immigration halls, Have often found if one is jammed try the other

Yes most people use the first entrance to the immigration, next time walk 1 minute further and right hand site you have the second entrance.

Had same thing a few time, first entrance waiting average 18 Minutes, second entrance 7 minutes.

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when passengers dis-embark----do they all walk the same way to immigration---or is it depending on what airline you fly in with ???--and may approach immigration from the opposite direction ??

Bucko----arriving soon

[Krub]

There are more than one immigration halls, Have often found if one is jammed try the other

Yes most people use the first entrance to the immigration, next time walk 1 minute further and right hand site you have the second entrance.

Had same thing a few time, first entrance waiting average 18 Minutes, second entrance 7 minutes.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

when passengers dis-embark----do they all walk the same way to immigration---or is it depending on what airline you fly in with ???--and may approach immigration from the opposite direction ??

Bucko----arriving soon

The terminal at Bangkok is now a H shape immigration is in the middle bar of the H. You all walk in the same direction but you 'hit' a different arrib\val hall first depending if you arrive from the left or the right part of the H towards the middle. You can walk further to the other immigration area to see if the lines are less crowded.

Good luck

[AsiaCheese]

Thing is, all the posts were manned.

In this day and age of rampant political correctness, isn't there a better term for "manned"? Like "personned" or something?

[mgjackson69]

I flew into Suvarnabhumi on 23 Jan mid-day, and the arrivals hall was packed, with the lines that everyone seems to join (right at the top of the 'ramp') extending onto the ramp a bit. I hung left up the ramp, went all the way to the end (adjacent to the highest-numbered baggage carousels) and found slightly shorter lines there, although it was still a ~25 minute wait anyhow. At least my baggage was up and waiting for me when I cleared Immigration.

It seems that every time I get lucky and my inbound flight arrives early, that 'win' is erased by either a delay at Immigration or a wait for baggage...sometimes both.

[MJo]

Swampy immigration is one of the worst in the region. Even Jakarta you get thru faster. Lately they have more staff and desks open but still not nearly enough. It takes average one hour to get into taxi from the time your plane hits the runway. First one kilometer hike to immigration, half an hour waiting, wait for your bags and walk to taxi which is in the other end and wait some more to get going. Singapore has similar if not bigger volumes and never it has took me more than 30 mins to be on my way. So it is doable.

Biggest issue is that there is three sections in immigration but one of them is reserved for crew and thai air first class passengers. So effectively 30% of the capasity is not being used. The same applies on departure, immigration section in the middle is not in use. Only occasional diplomat might go thru. So only 70% of capasity in use and this creates massive waiting times in peak hours (morning departures and arrivals from europe and US come in same time).

At least now Thai seems to have get their act together regards to check-in at 8am flights. It used to be more than one hour que for check-in since they opened Swampy but lately it is better. They have more desks open and probably re-scheduled some flights as well to ease the load...

So only solution would be to open all three sections to public and leave one desk in each for the VIP's. Off peak hours just close desks evenly in all three and peak hours keep all desks open in all 3 sections.