Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi Ranked 24th In Customer Satisfaction Poll

[phetaroi]

I guess over the years I went in and out of Don Muang about 24 times (internationally...more domestically). I thought it was a decent airport, though certainly nothing special. Of course, on those rare daytime flights that I took it was quaint to take-off or land in the middle of a golf course. For many of those years the traffic to and from Don Muang was horrendous, although as they improved the expressway it improved a bit. Everyone used to moan an groan to no end about the high prices at the Airport Hotel there...or have you all forgotten? I often had to deplane to a bus. Then there was the long walk from the international to the domestic terminal. And, in many places in the airport, a rather dark and dreary appearance. That dreariness was included in the bathrooms. In my view, Don Muang was -- at best -- a very average airport. Why some of you have this long-standing love affair with it, I don't know.

Suwannaphum. Admittedly, only been in and out of it 3 times since I now live here. Overall, better than Washington National, better than Dulles International, better than Detroit, Memphis, certainly better than LAX, better than JFK by far. Orlando and Tampa were okay, though also nothing special. Denver -- well, actually pretty good. Salt Lake City very average. Phoenix, nothing special. It's been years since I've been to Jakarta, but at the time I would describe the airport there as "unique" and the 3 hour trip from downtown horrendous. I know there's a new airport since I've been to KL by air, but when I was there the old airport was "functional". Changi was very nice when I was there...unless your taxi delivered you to the wrong terminal and it was during the time when the shuttle was not operating and you had to walk outside between terminals...in the rain; but of course, that too was a long time ago. My 3 experiences at Suwannaphum have been flawless. I found the bathrooms easily and quickly after deplaning. I only had to wait 5-10 minutes at immigration. Check-in was as swift as anyplace I've ever been. For me, at least, travel to and from downtown has been convenient and swift, even during morning rush hour. I guess the only flaw that I personally experienced was having multiple "meeting places", making it confusing to find those waiting for me.

On the one hand, I think Thailand's wanting to be a hub is a little pretentious, but I expect that in those terms they'll be ahead of every country in SE Asia except for Singapore. But, I think many of your expectations are unreasonable. Number one, you're in the third world and you want everything cheap. Number two, it's just an airport; something to fly in and out of. A few of you who complain the most then go and stay in some dive hotel and travel around the country by bus. Nothing wrong with pointing out Suwannaphum's shortcomings, but why are you so obsessed about it?

[philliphn]

The King Power retail group are without ethics. I always make sure never to stop at any store at the airport for any reason. I don't want to end up being accused of shop lifting and being held hostage in some sleazy hotel. Until I am forced to pay a ransom for my release.

[Starrysky]

Gee, what a surprise? Suvarnabhumi will never get a top spot and it all starts from its name (Suwannaboom, spell it like it sounds). Other reasons?

1. From the chest up the airport is strikingly modern, but from the chest down, all run down with floor tiles from like, the 70's?!

2. Terrible bathrooms and locations. Looks like the AOT ran out of money, so had to use old materials. Basins are horrible, urinals leak, etc.

3. The architect definitely designed it to be a monument of a metro city hub airport, but forgot about usability.

4. The AOT staff are not at all friendly or approachable and always tend to avoid conversation. Because they can't speak English?

5. The King Power controlled vendors are just as sloppy as they were in Don Muang. Everything in your face, no flow to the experience (like Changi).

6. King Power induced prices (poor vendors need to pay high per-meter rent) are way too high. At one time I thought AOT said they were going to follow Changi's lead in keeping pricing as found in the city? WRONG!

7. Curbside unloading is very inconvenient. They perpetually block unloading from the middle sections of the road (I believe 3-8?).

8. International arrivals is totally the same as Don Muang. What an inconvenient mess! Same stupid handwritten sign holdings, terrible signage (easy to get confused whether to go right or left upon exiting customs), tight walkways. Funny thing seeing tour and shuttle vendors being held within their little pig pens or taped areas.

9. Installation of jumbotrons? Great, so you have to get through the maze of people staring up at the jumbotrons to get to your exiting guest.

10. Constantly changing taxi areas. Now you have to go down to level 1 to catch a real meter taxi.

11. AOT running their own shuttle service. Aren't government agencies supposed to help keep the rules and support local private industry? Isn't it against a government's protocol to have a competing business against private companies? It's like the TAT having their own online travel reservations business. Oh yeah, they have that too.

12. Cleaning staff: lazing around waiting areas with contaminated buckets of water with mops sticking out slapping passersby on the face? Sure, only at Suvarnabhumi.

13. Hand written signs. Sure would love to work at the AOT graphics department where making airport signs only requires a piece of paper, any big pen (one color of course), and some Scotch tape.

14. The fact that the airport seems to always be under repair?

15. For a modern airport to still having passenger unloading on the tarmac with shuttle buses? That's so 80's!

16. Immigration, imported direct from Don Muang. No changes there. Taped signs, sleeping agents, taped signage on the floor. Boy, what an experience!

And the list goes on and on and on. Suvarnabhumi will NEVER get a top rating. It's not the Thai way.

The lack of English skills has always been one of my pet peeves concerning any 'International' institutions in Thailand. I think at a major airport, it should be imperative that Immigration staff must speak enough English to communicate with passengers. Upon my arrival one time, I engaged in a little banter in Thai with the Immigration man. He congratulated me on my Thai language skills (they're not that great!) and lamented the fact that HE COULDN'T SPEAK ANY ENGLISH?! I also think that the people who put our bags through X-ray should be able to speak more English. They're inevitably a surly bunch, and I think that's partly because they really can't communicate with the passengers. Yes, I understand that 2 am may not be their ideal choice of time to be working, but it's their job. The only time they've been friendly to me (and I go through Swampy several times a year) was when I had my 4 year-old granddaughter with me. Take a small child through the airport and you will see completely different reactions.

When I lived in Phuket, the Gazette asked the airport Immigration officials why they weren't more smiley with passengers. The reply was that (paraphrasing) they wanted to look stern so they could intimidate possible bad guys. Well, when I arrive at Schiphol airport, the Immigration people are always smiling and welcoming, but you just know that they are efficiently screening every single arrival to be a possible unwelcome visitor.

I also agree with many of the posters that certain parts of Swampy airport look as though they're falling to bits after such a short existence. Because I usually have to spend 5-6 hours there on my outward journey, I have plenty of time to wander around and I can't help noticing cracks, damp patches, handles falling off doors etc. Not a good impression.

[CockneyGit]

2. Terrible bathrooms and locations. Looks like the AOT ran out of money, so had to use old materials.

Gee, wonder where all that "missing" cash could have gone..!!

I've flown in and out of it with my girlfriend, two young sons and other family member over five times

So that would be 6 times then..!!

[FM505]

Way to high!

Dito!

[Squigy]

I know a few ppl who work at this airport and the stories I hear from them are so bad.

King Power staff are aware that people who work at the airport have been dieing apparently because of the construction materials that were used in the building of airport.

The people who look after the luggage trolleys are all LAZY. Most of the time they go to work to sleep in some small corner of the airport. They take turns at sleeping.. must have a roster in place!

The security people who confiscate your liquids as you go through the security checks are supposed to destroy all these drinks etc. I can tell you that this does not happen all those drinks etc go to the luggage trolley people. They bring them home and over time consume them.

Other people who "work" at the airport are working 20 hour shifts. Maybe 8 of those are actually working and the rest is just a presence, hence ripping the suppliers off. These people sleep for the other 12 hours.

Most of the airport workers are bone lazy and this is the problem. Most come from Isan.. another problem.. Nobody is really interested in the "work" they do.

Very typical Thai...

Glad to be out of the country. It sucks...!

Sq

[londoedan]

Most of the airport workers are bone lazy and this is the problem. Most come from Isan.. another problem.. Nobody is really interested in the "work" they do.

Very typical Thai...

Glad to be out of the country. It sucks...!

Sq

hmmmm nice reply Goodbye and good luck !

Londo

[surayu]

Way to high!

Dito!

I believe voters where giving their preference on the "Top 10", so, 24th......

[selftaopath]

Gee, what a surprise? Suvarnabhumi will never get a top spot and it all starts from its name (Suwannaboom, spell it like it sounds). Other reasons?

1. From the chest up the airport is strikingly modern, but from the chest down, all run down with floor tiles from like, the 70's?!

2. Terrible bathrooms and locations. Looks like the AOT ran out of money, so had to use old materials. Basins are horrible, urinals leak, etc.

3. The architect definitely designed it to be a monument of a metro city hub airport, but forgot about usability.

4. The AOT staff are not at all friendly or approachable and always tend to avoid conversation. Because they can't speak English?

5. The King Power controlled vendors are just as sloppy as they were in Don Muang. Everything in your face, no flow to the experience (like Changi).

6. King Power induced prices (poor vendors need to pay high per-meter rent) are way too high. At one time I thought AOT said they were going to follow Changi's lead in keeping pricing as found in the city? WRONG!

7. Curbside unloading is very inconvenient. They perpetually block unloading from the middle sections of the road (I believe 3-8?).

8. International arrivals is totally the same as Don Muang. What an inconvenient mess! Same stupid handwritten sign holdings, terrible signage (easy to get confused whether to go right or left upon exiting customs), tight walkways. Funny thing seeing tour and shuttle vendors being held within their little pig pens or taped areas.

9. Installation of jumbotrons? Great, so you have to get through the maze of people staring up at the jumbotrons to get to your exiting guest.

10. Constantly changing taxi areas. Now you have to go down to level 1 to catch a real meter taxi.

11. AOT running their own shuttle service. Aren't government agencies supposed to help keep the rules and support local private industry? Isn't it against a government's protocol to have a competing business against private companies? It's like the TAT having their own online travel reservations business. Oh yeah, they have that too.

12. Cleaning staff: lazing around waiting areas with contaminated buckets of water with mops sticking out slapping passersby on the face? Sure, only at Suvarnabhumi.

13. Hand written signs. Sure would love to work at the AOT graphics department where making airport signs only requires a piece of paper, any big pen (one color of course), and some Scotch tape.

14. The fact that the airport seems to always be under repair?

15. For a modern airport to still having passenger unloading on the tarmac with shuttle buses? That's so 80's!

16. Immigration, imported direct from Don Muang. No changes there. Taped signs, sleeping agents, taped signage on the floor. Boy, what an experience!

And the list goes on and on and on. Suvarnabhumi will NEVER get a top rating. It's not the Thai way.

But didn't we hear this would be the "HUB" of Asia???? LOL ah LOS (Land of Scams) is really a funny place.

[selftaopath]

Suvarnabhumi was solely meant to impress the Thai people... Oh look at all the glass! We've built the biggest in the world!

(and your uncly made some hefty profits on the glass deliveries, ....)

but I agree with all being said here. Start with replacing the immigration officers if you really want to have repeat visitors.

And as for toilets.... There are toilets???????? Oh, you mean those at the outer left corner? Yes, very convenient, ... I guess it's the only place that could not be sold to Kingpower....

Two questions:

1. Does all that glass ever get cleaned?

2. Isn't or wan't King Power owned by Mrs. Toxic?

[richard_smith237]

The immigration officers both, inbound and outbound are some of the most ignorant / arrogant people in any airport I have been to in the world. They never speak, never smile and just think their sh1t doesn't stink. All they tend to do is use that horrible downward hand motion as if calling a dog.

I have always said to then hello, or sawatdee to them as I enter the booth, NOT one has ever acknowledged me with a reply or even a smile MISERABLE B4STARDS. Welcome to LOS, my ar5e, (land of snarls)

In all airports around the world, the immigration officers always speak even to ask you a question or two and normally say something along the lines of Welcome to "country" enjoy your stay. Jesus even in the UK on my return, I have even heard the immigration officers say welcome home on my return.

"Mind you the Ozzie's could do with a dose of politeness at the their airports "

TB

so true . the times when you would really like to tell those Immigration Illmannered nobodies what you think of them , either entering thecountry or exiting but for obvious reasons you dont, It's like the feeling of you would get no justice from any uniformed l**ky here.

I know its not an excuse for the immigration officers but I have often thought that their job must be completely crap, they work for the government so they obviously are going to be paid peanuts and then you end up with peanut eaters with a boring job no wonder theyre pissed off. Not an excuse for them- perhaps they should have worked harder at school and got a better job but just an observation of why they are not amongst the world's happiest bunnies.

This is my pet peeve about arrival in or departure from Thailand... ignorant immigration officials who think their 'sh1t don't stink' (to quote landofthefree)

Immigration in neighboring countries get paid pretty poorly too I imagine... I don't think its a viable excuse "I get paid like crap so I'll be rude and ignorant"...

This behavior maybe endemic of low pay and positions of relative power and the posturing this produces....

Saying that - there are a few gems who are polite and give a reasonable welcome... 1 in 8 I'd say...

Other than that... I think as airports go, its good, not great, but certainly not as bad as some would have us believe.

[eteune]

I miss Don Mueng, but still breeze thru when compared to going through a US airport.

Same here, miss the old airport, it was equally inconvenient with each gate being a holding pen with no access to food or comfort, but at least you didn't have to hike like 5 miles just to get something to eat!

Don Muang was nice and small, the new one is huge and convenient ONLY for duty free shopping!

Where's the f***ing food???

Incheon airport is the nicest, most convenient airport I have ever been in.

Food everywhere, convenient, comfortable, free transit lounge for everyone!

[eteune]

But didn't we hear this would be the "HUB" of Asia???? LOL ah LOS (Land of Scams) is really a funny place.

Incheon is the hub of Asia now and it deserves to be.

they have been number 1 in terms of satisfaction for five years running

best airport I have ever been to

even has a nice transit hotel, you can get a day room for less than $100

or just hang out in the free transit lounge

food everywhere!

open gates, not cattle pens like Thailands new airport

[tingtongfarang]

For me the immigration officials are the biggest letdown on arriving , Last time i came though there i was traveling from hong kong with a brand spanking new passport , The immigratoin in hk had welcomed me on my arrival and were equally as pleasant on my departure even to the point of carefully putting the exit stamp in the corner of the first page but on arrival in suvarnabhumi the female immigration official gave me a seemingly hatefull glare over her face mask and did,nt even pause this glare to even look what she was actualy doing and stamped in the middle of one of the middle pages , These daggers she was shooting from her eyes at me led to feel confused me for the next days whenever i thought about it ( how many farangs get the same treatment )

Later i asked a thai friend as to what he thought the reasons for these unfriendly looks and actions were...he aswered... you make many international travels that she can only dream of so better we call it a kind of jelousy or envy , I said...but you travel much more frequent than i ...do you get the same hostile looks? He said...no i,m thai...even i have duel nationality she sees me as a thai ,

As for the rest of the airport i dont give a toss...i dont shop in duty free...i ignore taxi touts or likewise and airports for me are places to pass through as quickly and smoothly as possible keeping negative experiences to the minimum , In my opinion this airport should have been lower on the list only because of the immigration officials attitudes and the time it takes to pass through.

[CockneyGit]

Oddly enough, although the airport has been a disaster, I actually find the immigration officials OK in the main. They don't have the best job in the world just sitting there all day waiting for the "beer monsters" and "sex tourists" to arrive, but I have found that if you greet them cordially (either going out or coming in) and slip in a bit of general conversation then they're OK.

Admittedly having the language is a massive help but just slip in something about being "haew khao" or "kidteung a-haan Thai" and you;ll notice the difference. If it's a bloke at the desk, talk about the football and you'll have a freind for life..!!

Anyone been through Heathrow lately..?? Now there is a bunch of miserable <deleted>!! Gatwick for me every time now!

[sealy]

Built by the Italians ... what did you expect. They are good to make pizza, not to build international airports ....

if it starts leaning like pisa , let'sgo back to don meuang.

if rioters shut it down again,move north to udon or laos

taht way , every farang and thai again.

big projects benefit thais . poor thais get jobs, rich thais involved in project, well, you know.

farangs?

short queues, short walking distances, toilets at every corner or wherever you choose to pee.

transport in / out airport must be cheaper than swampy because no highways involved - only country roads available up north.

hotels,booze,women must be cheaper.

all hail to a new airport, yet another project!

choose any other than red and yellow shirts and let's go stake at parliament......

[neverdie]

Indeed Suvarnabhumi is a great airport, a fantastic place compared to Charles de Gaulle, France or Havana in Cuba or London Heathrow or even JFK in USA. How bout a Nigerian airport.

Come on, its about time the Suvarnabhumi bashers moved onto something more exciting like one of the Thaksin threads

[daboyz1]

Gee, what a surprise? Suvarnabhumi will never get a top spot and it all starts from its name (Suwannaboom, spell it like it sounds). Other reasons?

1. From the chest up the airport is strikingly modern, but from the chest down, all run down with floor tiles from like, the 70's?!

2. Terrible bathrooms and locations. Looks like the AOT ran out of money, so had to use old materials. Basins are horrible, urinals leak, etc.

3. The architect definitely designed it to be a monument of a metro city hub airport, but forgot about usability.

4. The AOT staff are not at all friendly or approachable and always tend to avoid conversation. Because they can't speak English?

5. The King Power controlled vendors are just as sloppy as they were in Don Muang. Everything in your face, no flow to the experience (like Changi).

6. King Power induced prices (poor vendors need to pay high per-meter rent) are way too high. At one time I thought AOT said they were going to follow Changi's lead in keeping pricing as found in the city? WRONG!

7. Curbside unloading is very inconvenient. They perpetually block unloading from the middle sections of the road (I believe 3-8?).

8. International arrivals is totally the same as Don Muang. What an inconvenient mess! Same stupid handwritten sign holdings, terrible signage (easy to get confused whether to go right or left upon exiting customs), tight walkways. Funny thing seeing tour and shuttle vendors being held within their little pig pens or taped areas.

9. Installation of jumbotrons? Great, so you have to get through the maze of people staring up at the jumbotrons to get to your exiting guest.

10. Constantly changing taxi areas. Now you have to go down to level 1 to catch a real meter taxi.

11. AOT running their own shuttle service. Aren't government agencies supposed to help keep the rules and support local private industry? Isn't it against a government's protocol to have a competing business against private companies? It's like the TAT having their own online travel reservations business. Oh yeah, they have that too.

12. Cleaning staff: lazing around waiting areas with contaminated buckets of water with mops sticking out slapping passersby on the face? Sure, only at Suvarnabhumi.

13. Hand written signs. Sure would love to work at the AOT graphics department where making airport signs only requires a piece of paper, any big pen (one color of course), and some Scotch tape.

14. The fact that the airport seems to always be under repair?

15. For a modern airport to still having passenger unloading on the tarmac with shuttle buses? That's so 80's!

16. Immigration, imported direct from Don Muang. No changes there. Taped signs, sleeping agents, taped signage on the floor. Boy, what an experience!

And the list goes on and on and on. Suvarnabhumi will NEVER get a top rating. It's not the Thai way.

That one really blew my mind. First time I flew in there I still had to take a bus to the terminal.

[spot]

Have to say this.

When myself, my wife and 2 year old boy left Thailand 6 months ago, we got to immigration/passport control and waited to get through. It was pretty busy and the queue was long. A female officer came over to us and waved us over - she stamped us through quickly and we were on our way. This was obviously because we had a small child with us, but we were grateful.

When we got to Manchester airport, we had to wait for over an hour in a queue, taking turns holding our son (who had just slept for 11 hours so was lively) and dragging our carry on bags through bit by bit. When we got to the end the officer was pretty friendly but just shrugged his shoulders when I asked why everybody had been waiting for so long.

So, there you go...

Spot

[grantbkk]

I'm sure it was a typo and should have read 124. It is a very uncomfortable airport. I feel uneasy sitting in there knowing about the substandard construction. It is going to come down on somebody someday. The glass in the ceiling was supposed to be the strongest and most reflective glass ever made and that is what the government paid for. In reality they got the equivalent of a cheap Chinese automobile glass instead. Show me the money.

Did this airport ever get international certification or are they still running on the expired temporary permit to allow testing issued by the local airport authority office?

[ozsamurai]

Its easy to impress people who normally have to usually get off a plane on the tarmac!

Oz

[Finlaco]

Not much to add to the comprehensive comments above

My main issues are Immigration (time taken, impoliteness and the dog calling hand downward motion that in Thai culture represents a Superior beckoning his inferior)

Duty free -- Completely ignore it, simple check on a price or cigarettes let's u know it's not Duty Free when compared to 7-11

When passed immigration ฿150 for a small ฿7 bottle of water. 

Floor tiles look second hand. 

It's obvious that senior management never leave their aircon offices. The aiport looks and feels like no one is really in overall control. 

On a plus side, I arrive 2 hours before my Air Asia flights and my average wait time is 5mins (based on 10 flights per year, domestic and international)

[toptuan]

AoT will seek external expert consulting and advise why Suvarnabhumi failed in the poll.

Please find a non-thai, outside the country!

[scorecard]

Moreover, the Cabinet had approved in principle a police station to be established in the airport for higher capability in security supervision, criminal suppression and facilitation for both Thais and foreigners who use the airport.

-- NNT 2010-02-23

[newsfooter][/newsfooter]

I can't believe that such a basic consideration was not in the original plans from day one......................

Lot's of things weren't included or weren't up to date.

Why?. Because the design was 35 years old.

When thaksin discovered there was a plan in mothballs

he went full steam ahead. Nothing was done to analyse

the positive and negative learnings from international

airports built in the 35 year gap.

Just full steam ahead. Why? You know the answer ...

[toptuan]

Airports of Thailand Plc (AoT) managers are shocked.

...they would surely realise that Swampy has been a DISASTER since the day it opened! It's always the same with these so-called "hi-so" types. The potential for "loss of face" is just too great and it takes someone from outside to point out the blindingly obvious.

...Such as the international commission which had to irrevocably confirm the cracks in Swampy's tarmac before the hi-so's would acknowledge it and fix it? All this, one year after the Bangkok Post reporter revealed the fiasco and was subsequently fired (and a further shakeup at the highest editorial level)? Oh, the train wrecks along the way....

[scorecard]

I miss Don Mueng, but still breeze thru when compared to going through a US airport.

Well about three months ago I went, for the first time, to the US. Arrived at Dallas, passport lady couldn't have been more pleasant and efficient, lot's of smiles, asked if I needed any help from any other airport staff, nice experience.

However to depart I checked in Austin Texas, American Airlines. Lined up with my luggage and ticket etc. My turn comes, macho woman says loudly in my face 'CAN'T YOU READ'!

Turns out passengers have to check luggage in at one point then proceed to another point 15 metres away to get boarding pass. A system I had never seen before.

When I returned to get the boarding pass she did it again, I got a lecture about nuisance ignorant passengers. Completely unpleasant experience.

[neverdie]

I miss Don Mueng, but still breeze thru when compared to going through a US airport.

Well about three months ago I went, for the first time, to the US. Arrived at Dallas, passport lady couldn't have been more pleasant and efficient, lot's of smiles, asked if I needed any help from any other airport staff, nice experience.

However to depart I checked in Austin Texas, American Airlines. Lined up with my luggage and ticket etc. My turn comes, macho woman says loudly in my face 'CAN'T YOU READ'!

Turns out passengers have to check luggage in at one point then proceed to another point 15 metres away to get boarding pass. A system I had never seen before.

When I returned to get the boarding pass she did it again, I got a lecture about nuisance ignorant passengers. Completely unpleasant experience.

Charming stuff, sounds like you were lucky to escape with your virginity.

[WinnieTheKhwai]

I think Suvarnabhumi is a pretty good airport, and much better than Don Muang. The only good point about Don Muang was that it was small, but Thailand just outgrew it. Also, remember the long hike from International to Domestic at Don Muang?? This is MUCH better at Suvarnabhumi; all in one big terminal that's uniformly laid out from A to Z. It's great!

It's not perfect of course, I can list some points of improvement, but not before stating that many of the flaws identified are actually related not to the airport but to other parties, such as the Immigration department and Thai Airways.

Specifically:

Domestic Thai Airways Lounge: (No fault of Suvarnabhumi)

- Half way down pier A, which sucks when your departure gate is B6.

- Those chairs are utterly ridiculous. Might as well be made out of concrete.

Buses instead of gates (Not sure if this can be blamed on Suvarnabhumi)

- Domestic flights often require being bussed out to the plane. This happens becuase some domestic flights are actually planes arriving internationally and continuing on domestically. So then they're parked at an international gate, meaning you need to be bussed out there. I'd say TG is mostly to blame here as well.

Gloomy. Bit like an underground car park with all the exposed concrete.

Aircon could be better.

No carpet

Automated Walkways: Situation has improved somewhat, but still could be better. The trek from Domestic to international when you remain air-side is really quite long, some kind of people mover train a la Hong Kong would be nice.

Seats now mostly have some cushioning on them, but still aren't very comfortable.

Overall though, it beats just about any Non-Asian airport.

[surayu]

Built by the Italians ... what did you expect. They are good to make pizza, not to build international airports ....

Sealy by quoting the "bull" of Nowork114 you are just spreading out false non-sense, here is a small bit from AOT plus an open eyer to you and the other quoted poster...

Key Players:

StakeholdersAirport Authority of Thailand, New Bangkok International Airport Co., Thai Ministry of Finance and Transport, Communications Ministry, The Japanese Bank for International Cooperation, National Economic and Social Development BoardMajor ContractorsNetherlands Airports Consultants, Louis Berger International, General Engineering Consultants (GEC), Design 103, Asian Engineering Consultants, Index International, Team Consulting Engineers, NACO, GE-Invision, Sensis CorporationAeronautical Radio of Thailand (Aerothai), TCS Consortium: Dorsch Consult Ingenieurgesellschaff mbH, Scott Wilson Kirkpatrick (Thailand) Ltd, JAL Aviation Consulting Incorporated, Japan Transport Engineering Corp (JTEC)Southeast Asia Technology Co Ltd (SEATECH), TEAM Consulting Engineering and Management Co Ltd, Project Planning Services Co Ltd, Santhaya & Associated, NTM Consortium: Nippon Koei Co Ltd, TESCO Ltd and MAA Consultant Ltd, EricssonConsulting EngineersDorsch Consult, Scott Wilson Kirkpatrick & PartnersProject ManagementPacific Consultants International, Roge and Associates, Epsilon, Asian Engineering ConsultantsManagement StudiesCoopers & Lybrand (now PricewaterhouseCoopers)Terminal Complex DesignMurphy Jahn Architects, TAMS Consultants, ACT EngineeringTerminal Complex ConstructionItalian-Thai Development, Obayashi Corp, Takenaka Corp, CM Kamchang, Freyssinet International

NOTE:

The only italian thing left inside the quoted "italian" company is the name, in fact, as they quote on theyr official website: "After the sad passing of Mr. Giorgio Berlingieri in December 1981, ITD has been under an all-Thai management led by the Karnasuta family members together with a strong team of competent Thai managers and engineers. " but that's not entirely correct as from the year 2005 they seems to have got on board a poor westerner which at his age should seriously think about getting retired and forget about work, just have a quick look at his picture, poor chap, i believe he's american.

[mrparanoid]

The immigration officers both, inbound and outbound are some of the most ignorant / arrogant people in any airport I have been to in the world. They never speak, never smile and just think their sh1t doesn't stink. All they tend to do is use that horrible downward hand motion as if calling a dog.

Not very wise in the ways of asian etiquette are you? Beckoning someone with the use of the "downward hand motion" IS the polite way to call someone over. The way to call a dog over here is to use your index finger with your palm up.

And if you say Sawasdee to someone you don't know and omit the Krap, you are being the impolite one.

I agree with some of the other things you say though.