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

[Colabamumbai]

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.

Note airlines close their check in counters 40 minutes before flight departures. So you cannot even check in if you do not arrive early enough, never mind going thru Immigration later.

[satzzz]

I don't have any probs entering or leaving the country.When I travel I make sure I only have carry on luggage so I can check in and print my boarding pass online.When I get to the airport There is a tip I could give to get you all through immigration but if I did then you all would use it and it wouldn't benifit me then to get through it in the no more than 5 minutes that it takes me now.

[Colabamumbai]

So your selfish? Why bother to make this post.

[nithisa78]

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

Will be a great improvement, when the airport is properly staffed to meet fuller immigration needs.

[nithisa78]

It will be great. When immigration is staffed at Suvarnbhumi, to hanlde all immigration needs.

[tombkk]

So your selfish? Why bother to make this post.

The trick is to either:

1. Buy a first/business class ticket

2. Be a Gold member and check in at the business counter

3. Buy a CIP privilege to go to business immigration (cost me 1,000 points of my Citibank card)

IOW, not available to the general tourist.

[karazyal]

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.

Most of the time I rarely have to spend more than 20 minutes at immigration when I arrive anyway. Usually my bags are still coming off the carousel after I finish with immigration and even taking some time to make a head call.

Where I save some time at immigration is by first passing as many people as I can who are just leisurely walking to the check point. Every tourist I pass is a guy not in front of me! I try to avoid lines where there are lots of contract workers standing, those are the guys with the matching jackets, hats and even bags sometimes. The immigration staff seems to dwell on them a little longer.

Now if the Skytrain would remain open a little later at night to match up with the new Airport link that would make it even better arriving at Suvarnabhumi!

As far as departures go - if a person flies with the same airline all the time he usually ends up with a gold card or higher; with this card you may be able to bypass the longer "economy" line by using the business class "elite" line. Not to mention you may also have a free entry to the business class lounge with a gold or higher card. When I fly on Delta, like with Northwest previously, I also get 100% bonus miles and the occasional free upgrade. The bonus miles means free future flights! I get to the airport early and rarely have to wait more than a few minutes to check in.

Edited June 24, 2010 by karazyal

[Spalpeen]

There are more than 60 million people in Thailand and passport control is a job that could be done by a trained pigeon. There's no good reason why anyone should have to queue for more than 10 minutes.

When a tourist arrives in any country for the first time the very first local they meet is the immigration officer. If they have to queue for half an hour before standing in front of a sour faced git it doesn't create a good first impression. Would it kill them to have "Welcome to Thailand" written in a few of the more common languages on a prompt card at their desk. And given that the place calls itself the "Land of Smiles" a smile wouldn't hurt either.

[CrossBones]

What about the 30 minute walk to the departure gates (past all the shops selling $20,000 watches)

Im disabled, id appreciate some assistance.

[CRHG46]

Back in the Don Mueang days, immigration used to have a "Residents of Thailand" line. I wish they'd bring it back.

[LTGTR]

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.

Duh,"pre-boarding"-they are referring to departures,not arrivals.

[Boon Mee]

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.

Just ask your airline for one of theose Fast Track Cards they typically give out in Business & First Class.

Even if you are traveling Coach, it doesn't hurt to ask for one.

[LTGTR]

Doesn't anyone here get it?

"This will result in the passengers having more time for pre-boarding activities such as shopping and eating".This refers to "departures".DOH!

Sounds just like the passengers/idiots I had to deal with during my 32 year airline career.

[tingtongfarang]

I believe they dont even have free wifi, Would,nt this be a requirement to get into the top ten?

Or do they see it as possible time spent not shopping or eating.

[lounger]

Every twenty four minutes the immig officers will disappear for a spot of som tam. The unmanned gates will be left open. The timing is one minute to clear the desk and 35 minutes for the break.

More realisticly I dont believe immig care about people leaving. There should be a turnstile that lets you through if you swipe/scan a passport that is recognised by the computers....

[toss]

Doesn't anyone here get it?

"This will result in the passengers having more time for pre-boarding activities such as shopping and eating".This refers to "departures".DOH!

Sounds just like the passengers/idiots I had to deal with during my 32 year airline career.

DUH... LTGTR

I said that A PAGE AGO...

Duh, Do you read from the last backwards???

Doh, Get to the back of the queue!!!!!!!!!!

[DickFarang]

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.

They seem to talk about leaving the country (“pre-boarding activities”) only.

It also is not clear if they are talking about Thai passengers or aliens.

[DickFarang]

I don't have any probs entering or leaving the country.When I travel I make sure I only have carry on luggage so I can check in and print my boarding pass online.When I get to the airport There is a tip I could give to get you all through immigration but if I did then you all would use it and it wouldn't benifit me then to get through it in the no more than 5 minutes that it takes me now.

Do you disguise as a monk ?

[apophyss]

March 2008, end afternoon,

just take a see...

(not 24 minutes... )

[spongeman]

Could there be any connection between the fact that I am coming to LOS next month and this announcement ?

[thrilled]

I never had A problem before not even high season.I think i've waited about 10 or 15 minutes.

[shadiadi]

Do Pigs fly?

SUV Airport is the probably the biggest joke in Asia slow terrible facilities. Don Muang was horrible but efficient

[bf2002]

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.)

They are probably more concerned about people LEAVING BKK having more time to buy from the overpriced King Power shops.

As for getting thru immigration when ARRIVING, most old hands know to walk extra fast to beat the rest of the crowd.....most tourist types or first timers walk slow especially if coming from the USA, where the walk to immigration is very long....good for those of us that are willing to walk fast and are not too out of shape.....

[Basil B]

One way to possibly speed things up would be to have "E-Arrival" cards, instead of filling in the cards on board an aeroplane register you details on-line before you land, there could be a lot of advantages:

The on line registering site could be multi lingual not just English and Thai.

There could be better definition to the exact information required.

All the information is already entered on the computer therefore they would not need to spend time trying to read badly written arrival cards.

Passengers could be pre screened (Police Checks).

How it would work, on arrival present your passport at an electronic passport reader that if your details are entered it will allow you to proceed to the electronic fast track desk for a quick final check, photo, stamp-stamp and if they really need the departure card it could be printed out automatically.

[snooky]

Why 24 minutes???? You must be newcomers to Thailand - of course it;s 24 minutes because it started on the 24th of the month! Maybe I've been here too long

[Bucko]

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?

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

perhaps they made it 24mins. to match the day it started---24th June ??

Bucko---arriving soon

[moskito]

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.

They should do this zigzag everywhere but they wont, and you know why? ...THEY dont have to wait!

Airportimmigration in Thailand is something special anyway, always too slowly, one feels like a importunate beggar everytime arriving or leaving Thailand, NEVER had the same feeling in another country, except the former GDR maybe.

Phuket Airport is the worst. Bad luck if u are not in time out of the plane and running down to the immicheckpoint....can take u easy an hour waiting in highseason when 4 planes arrive at the same time. Everything is faster in Computerage...OR NOT???

Someone ask here to give the RE Entry directly on the Airport LOL what are u dreaming about? They make money when u are travelling and its good for the Tourist-Arrival Numbers too

[Pash]

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.

Someone missed their happy pill today?

Never had any of the problems you are alluding to. Average of 4 times a year. Pricing is typical airport.

This topic is 24 minute to clear immigration. Does not specify entry or exit but some of us assume exit (the country).

if you have been there when the queue gets to the immigration door you can appreciate the effort being made.

As to the previous mention of China! I would take Suv any day. Chinese tour groups jumping queues because 1 person is already in the line. Every time.

Lately I have seen the duty people (BKK) sending off the morons who do not or cannot fill out their exit forms. Makes a change from when they (and some countries still allow) e.g. Malaysia - people to fill their forms out while we wait in the queue.

This is progress and should be applauded.

[Chaichara]

I always found that both entry and exit at Don Muang was much quicker. Maybe I was just lucky. (since 1999 average 6 arrivals and 6 departures per year).

[Skint]

The Only problem i have is immigration coming into Thailand no matter how fast i walk/run to the desk there is always a huge queue in front and a 45 minute wait made worse by those donkeys who do not fill in their cards on the plane plus the booths are half occupied <deleted> place more staff in it must cost 10k baht a month per employee?

Leaving is not a problem there is never anyone in front of me as i turn up at the last minute name being called by the time i walk past duty free and always fly out at 2.30am.