Suvarnabhumi Airport Passport Lines Will Take Max. 24 Minutes From Today

[george]

AIM TO BE TOP TEN AIRPORT:

From today, Suvarnabhumi Airport says that passport lines will take less than 24 minutes

Photo: ©Richard Barrow

BANGKOK: Suvarnabhumi Airport, together with the Immigration division, have signed a memorandum of understanding to improve the airport service quality.

Starting from 24th June 2010, passengers won't have to stand in passport queues longer than 24 minutes.

This will result in the passengers having more time for pre-boarding activities such as shopping and eating. Their ultimate aim is to put Suvarnabhumi in the Top Ten Best Airports in the World.

-- Source: Paknam Web

[thaibkk]

if somebody working at immigration is reading this forum :

why you do not make it possible again to get a re-entry permit at SUVI airport ?

that would be an improvement in stead of going somewhere far far away ....

that is my suggestion for improvment which would make a lot of sense, as it is true the airport that you leave the country

and you have to begg and pay to re-enter, even you paid already your dues at immigration for 'staying' and spending all your money here

[sstuff3]

When I landed last week, it took less than 5 minutes to clear Immigration. An easy task since the number of foreign arrivals is down. Let's wait to see if they can maintain this after (if) people stop avoiding Thailand.

[proximity]

When I exited a few days ago I discovered they'd made a signal roped line to queue in, instead of how is was before where you had to pick a line. I hope the did the same for arrivals.

[Farma]

Got to admit it was a great improvement today. They had a zigzag queue like they use for check-in and the processing was fast.

[FunkyGuru]

What I don't get is, what's the maths behind 24 minuets. I mean it could simpler number like 20 minutes or 25 minutes. Second thing that comes to mind, what if, like at McDonalds, they are late? What is the prize? Bonus?

[kuffki]

This must be the first steps to bring back the tourists, because this is one of the major concerns for the people coming to Thailand

and being in top 10 makes a huge difference, may be now more people will fly via BKK so they can say they went through top 10

[thaibkk]

did anyone made the connection with

1) hello, it is low season ???

2) drop of tourists to this dangerzone country ???

3) warnings of many embassies (the reds are back home but preparing something new ???)

4) ...

[isaanbrit]

24 mins is still way too long.

On a seperate note, I really like how in China they have a button system where u can rate u'r service from Immigration people. Excellent service, OK, or poor. Thailand should have the same.

On anothernother note to thaibkk - I know that the immigration officials in Korat used to read korat's local ferang forum so there's hope that someone from BKK is reading this. - Please please please, why can you get a re-entry at the airport? It makes no sense. It's not like the immigration dept has a shortage of staff, there's always people standing around doing nothing. :-)))

[auserb]

about time

and love it

any nice lady for chat? ;;)

[Pib]

What I don't get is, what's the maths behind 24 minuets. I mean it could simpler number like 20 minutes or 25 minutes. Second thing that comes to mind, what if, like at McDonalds, they are late? What is the prize? Bonus?

Probably got some immigration official bucking for promotion who came up with the number based his/her research, or they asked a fortune teller what would be a lucky number. Either way, I hope it works out...I've been in these lines which were much more than 24 minutes long all too often.

[rajulkabir]

This must be the first steps to bring back the tourists, because this is one of the major concerns for the people coming to Thailand

and being in top 10 makes a huge difference, may be now more people will fly via BKK so they can say they went through top 10

While you're right in that most individuals don't care whether the airport they're landing in is top-10 or not, there is a good reason for this.

When you're regarded as one of the top airports, you get a lot of coverage in travel magazines and TV shows which are always doing specials on the World's Best This-or-That.

Suvarnabhumi as it stands now, is never going to feature in any of those unless they do a special show about the World's Best Duty Free Cash Cows.

The insanely long queues, at the end of which you face a surly old fart who doesn't know how to operate his computer and can't speak a word of English (and can't actually speak in any language but can only shout and bark orders), makes a really poor welcome to the country.

After walking through an airport which just reeks of low quality and poor planning -- non-functioning wireless, out-of-order and impossible-to-find toilets, signs that looks like they were made in the 1950s), the only gates in use always being the farthest ones from the terminal -- the last thing people want is to stand around for an hour and then get yelled at because they aren't standing in the magic spot that the $2 webcam can see.

[yabaaaa]

So lets see now I often arrive on an A380 holding about 500 people, lets say 2 arrive at the same time after my 13 hour flight and if Im not in business class (which I do often book on 1 segment just to avoid any delay when arriving) how long will I have to wait??? Thats about 1000 people hitting the desks at once.

[eljeque]

Maybe I have been lucky, but I cannot ever remember waiting in line to come here more than 10 minutes.

All of the waitig time is checking in for your ticket!!!

[jackw]

What I don't get is, what's the maths behind 24 minuets. I mean it could simpler number like 20 minutes or 25 minutes. Second thing that comes to mind, what if, like at McDonalds, they are late? What is the prize? Bonus?

No doubt some Thai bureaucrat started by targeting 24 hours and some underling/secretary down the chain figured he must have meant minutes.

[toss]

Correct me if I'M reading this incorrectly...

BUT...

Are they not just talking about LEAVING from our dodgy spelling/pronunciation BKK Airport!?!

If not, then why are they only talking about PRE-BOARDING?

[markusz]

if somebody working at immigration is reading this forum :

why you do not make it possible again to get a re-entry permit at SUVI airport ?

that would be an improvement in stead of going somewhere far far away ....

that is my suggestion for improvment which would make a lot of sense, as it is true the airport that you leave the country

and you have to begg and pay to re-enter, even you paid already your dues at immigration for 'staying' and spending all your money here

I agree 200%!!!!

[stingray]

24 mins is still way too long.

On a seperate note, I really like how in China they have a button system where u can rate u'r service from Immigration people. Excellent service, OK, or poor. Thailand should have the same.

On anothernother note to thaibkk - I know that the immigration officials in Korat used to read korat's local ferang forum so there's hope that someone from BKK is reading this. - Please please please, why can you get a re-entry at the airport? It makes no sense. It's not like the immigration dept has a shortage of staff, there's always people standing around doing nothing. :-)))

In Hawaii (US) i wait always more than 2 hour to pass the immigration. So i think Thailand is preety fast.

[moe666]

I was wondering when someone would notice that, It's about leaving not arrival. At swampy have never spent that long in immigration line leaving but the old airport that was a different story.

[SiriusBlack1]

Still 23 minutes and 40 seconds longer than Singapore Changi, but it's a start.

Unless of course it fizzles and gets swept into the same dustbin as every other bureaucratic initiative in LOS...

[Spoonman]

Yeah errm, the 24 minute thing is aimed at departures to get the cattle into the shops quicker to spend their remaining bahts that the teelack didn't not score.

Meh, I arrive two hours early to check in, I have plenty of time to get through passport control, When I arrive I get VIP access through passport control, then I stand round waiting for my luggage........

Cant see how this new "idea" will benefit me ???

[anjing]

As much as I hate Heathrow I have to say that the Immigration system there is the best in the woirld. There is NONE! But then, they are not looking to make big bucks out of tourists who have overstayed by 12 hours!!!

[Colabamumbai]

May I offer a Skills development and communication program to the employees at the airport?

[acranger]

This must be the first steps to bring back the tourists, because this is one of the major concerns for the people coming to Thailand

and being in top 10 makes a huge difference, may be now more people will fly via BKK so they can say they went through top 10

Yeah that is very important to me when planning a trip. That would be a major status upgrade for me, going through an airport in the top 10 ......

[tombkk]

What I don't get is, what's the maths behind 24 minuets. I mean it could simpler number like 20 minutes or 25 minutes. Second thing that comes to mind, what if, like at McDonalds, they are late? What is the prize? Bonus?

It's based on a mathematical model called "Queueing Theory". It takes the number of people arriving at the queue in consideration as well as the average processing time, and a number of probability factors. It's quite a complex calculation. The question whether the figure of 24 minutes is based on current arrivals or peak-season arrivals is justified. The article does not disclose that. In fact, last month I was through immigration in 5 minutes, because the queues were empty.

As a passenger, I don't think 24 minutes is satisfactory at all. Try anything below 10 minutes. I hope I have not offended anybody by saying this.

This could probably be achieved easily by manning the booths - most times I have arrived in Thailand, more than half of the immigration booths were closed. And I give you all this without the use of mathematical models! (Might have put a highly-paid consultant out of business, though.)

Edited June 24, 2010 by tombkk

[goldfinger]

as long as there are tourists from"usual" countries in front of you, should be no problem to pass fast,

but with some "special" countries it will take more than 24 minutes for sure.

[Colabamumbai]

Most Airports bring in extra officers for peak departure and arrival periods so that half their stations are not empty, whereas in low periods very few officers are on duty. Average wait at Mexico City Immigration to get in 45 minutes, to get out 5 minutes.

[hyperdimension]

I think this is only about departures, as everyone has a plane to catch.

I have been told by a friend who worked at one of the airline check-in counters at the airport that people often missed their flights because of waiting in the immigration queue, and that the immigration staff do not care about people missing their flights.

[kuffki]

I think this is only about departures, as everyone has a plane to catch.

I have been told by a friend who worked at one of the airline check-in counters at the airport that people often missed their flights because of waiting in the immigration queue, and that the immigration staff do not care about people missing their flights.

Funny you mention check ins, but in all my years of going through BKK, the major wait is the check ins and not the immigration.

Never been able to check in in less then 30-40 mins no matter how early i come.

If its not the queue, its the check in windows, if not the people or empty windows, the system is down-there is always some excuse and always the wait!

[Colabamumbai]

Yes more time for the Duty Free shops to plant goods in your bags and accuse you of theft and be taken to the local police station and forced to pay a huge fee to an agent to be released, or did they stop doing that after so much bad publicity last year. I remember all the posts here last year about this and one particular duty free shop owned by members of the military. Would it be King Power or is my memory fading me.