Suvarnabhumi further cracks smiles

By The Nation

BANGKOK: -- "Suvarnabhumi Airport", with the goal to improve its ranking in the Skytrax World's Top Ten Airports list for 2010, has developed a comprehensive series of 'service improvement strategies' in order to achieve an even higher level of satisfaction from passengers worldwide.

The airport has launched the "Airport of Smiles" campaign in an effort to "spread the smiles" throughout the entire world-class facility.

Suvarnabhumi attained the 3rd place ranking in the smarttravelasia.com readers' poll of World Airports, and was ranked as the World's 10th Best Airport in the SKYTRAX World Airport Awards for 2010. On the Airport Council International's (ACI) Airport Service Quality (ASQ) programme, it is ranked the 24th in 2009, from 41st in 2007.

Flying Officer Anirut Thanomkulbutra, general manager of Suvarnabhumi Airport, said the campaign is to make the airport well known around the world as a place of smiles and hospitality where gracious and polite greetings and traditional Thai services are offered to passengers.

""Airport of Smiles" is a campaign to encourage our officers and related personnel working in the airport to provide their services with warm and sincere smiles to further improve passenger satisfaction. Suvarnabhumi Airport has a special responsibility to provide a positive initial impression of the Kingdom since we are the gateway to Thailand for millions of passengers worldwide. Before launching this important campaign, Suvarnabhumi Airport arranged workshops for more than 2,000 of our staff and related agencies to raise their awareness of the best practices in passenger service enhancement."

A new advertising campaign was launched, related to the fresh image of Suvarnabhumi as the "Airport of Smiles". These advertisements will be launched in November 2010 through local and international print media.

Anirut also emphasised that to achieve the goal, the airport needs cooperation from crucial organisations such as the Immigration Bureau, the Customs Department, airlines, outsource service providers, and King Power. The airport itself will improve services and facilities. All informational signage throughout the Airport will be presented in a new format with new theme colors in three languages: Thai, English, and Chinese. It will also increase the volume of recreational space across the airport in order to enhance passengers' overall experience and enjoyment of the facility. The airport is also installing a CUSS system, which is an automatic check-in service which makes it easy for travelers to print their boarding passes by themselves.

-- The Nation 2010-10-27

Airport of Smiles. Must have taken a real team effort coming up with that.

a comprehensive series of 'service improvement strategies'

Hopefully one of them being don't let tooled up blokes take over one of the car parks.

You've got to laugh or else etc.

So the Immigration Officers will not be involved in the campaign then?

So the Immigration Officers will not be involved in the campaign then?

You beat me to it.-LOL

the security would also be out, so would the check in staff.

An international airport that doesn't even provide free WIFI for the hours of waiting,

can't put a smile on my face, sorry.

Even Low Cost Airports like the LCCC provide that these days, not to speak of top airports like Changi, Doha etc. where it is a standard service since years. :jap:

Swampy made the top ten list of airports, Bangkok is the best city in the world to live, and Thaksin is not a crook, ps, your check is in the mail.

Airport of Smiles until you cross the invisible KingPower line, then it's the Airport of Pain and Extortion.

Don't even get me started on the LIST of things they could to do make Swampy better that are a HECK of a lot more important than fake smiles.

So the Immigration Officers will not be involved in the campaign then?

the airport needs cooperation from crucial organisations such as the Immigration Bureau

I like the ridiculously long walk out of international arrivals down to door 2-3 to escape.

What happened to the doors at tuther end then.....................security.............oh really!!!! no yellow or red shirts then.

Skytrax survey results are unreliable and are the result of a "for profit" business model.

These awards are marketing gimics intended to provide facilities with a chance to promote their services. Look at the Skytrax awards for best airlines. It's skewed and tainted.

Grumpy old complainer alert.

Airport of Smiles until you cross the invisible KingPower line, then it's the Airport of Pain and Extortion.

Yes mate, Just what i was thinking, Dont feel like being held in a safe house [snip] for a few day's

So the Immigration Officers will not be involved in the campaign then?

the airport needs cooperation from crucial organisations such as the Immigration Bureau

Good luck on that one.

Reminds me of those penguins in Madagascar: "Just smile and wave boys - just smile and wave!".

"the campaign is to make the airport well known around the world as a place of smiles and hospitality where gracious and polite greetings and traditional Thai services are offered to passengers."

Great idea! How about renting out some excess space to few bars and massage parlours and the tourists would be able to taste these traditional Thai treats as soon as they land? "Hey you", "massage Sir" can be heard right away in the duty free area as the cheering ladies invite the tourist to their premises where they can have few drinks, relax, observe pole dancing and get it off right after, or before the flights. That would be the world's first and could put Bangkok at number 1 spot for best city, best airport and best boom-boom on the planet.

Dont feel like being held in a safe house and raped

Must have missed that part.

" OK Farang. Do you want the good news or the bad news first? The good? OK. It's going to cost you 400k baht to get out of here. Hold on.....calm down...No, I guarantee you that is the good news...."

What a bunch of moaning old farts you guys are.

Is it costing you anything now? No

Is it hurting you to have someone smile at you? No

Would it hurt you to smile back? No, unless you have just had an abdominal operation.

Can't you find enough trouble in the world to complain about, without inventing it?

Chill out and enjoy something ....just for a change.

I think it's a great idea.......have any of you flown Aeroflot lately? If not I think you should, join the other poe faces.

Come on guys, whatever you might think of the services today, give them some credit for recognizing the problem and taking steps to correct them. Once in a while you can give them credit where credit is due.

hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha

I love that huge glass and steel barn.

I particularly love all the local "characters" who want to help me with my luggage, my transport and my wallet.

I love trying to find something to during layovers besides eat.

I love walking a mile to take a leak.

I love looking desperately for some signage that might clearly indicate where I want to go.

I love Ole Swampy - especially in the afternoons when the sun turns many parts of it into the worlds biggest sauna.

Wow Thats Thailands amazing new slogan, truelly genius who would ever have thought of that.

Come on guys, whatever you might think of the services today, give them some credit for recognizing the problem and taking steps to correct them. Once in a while you can give them credit where credit is due.

Ha HA HA Haaarrrr your avin a larf

give them some credit for recognizing the problem and taking steps to correct them.

LOS is the home of recognizing the problem ( police corruption, influential people, education etc) and then taking absolutely <deleted> all steps to correct them

What a bunch of moaning old farts you guys are.

Is it costing you anything now? No

Is it hurting you to have someone smile at you? No

Would it hurt you to smile back? No, unless you have just had an abdominal operation.

Can't you find enough trouble in the world to complain about, without inventing it?

Chill out and enjoy something ....just for a change.

I think it's a great idea.......have any of you flown Aeroflot lately? If not I think you should, join the other poe faces.

Try Heathrow for a laugh (not)

fuc_king hel_l! - world travel must really be in the dumps if Suvarnabhumi can rate 10th in the world!

They obviously weren't prepared for this or they'd have come up with a proper slogan - "Airport of Smiles" - I ask you!

Due to the King Power monopoly, the choice of shops in Suvannaphumi is minimal and boring. AOT should open to other firms (see Singapore Changi, to name only one) to give passengers the opportunity to shop with a wide choice of brands and better seriousness.

How about "Airport of Similes" instead???

Suvarnabhumi is like..............

a modernist barn

a gallery for conmen

a maize without an entrance or an exit

an exercise in signing confusion.

etc etc

KP was going to go, but miraculously all the "problems" melted away.

Doesn't he own/sponsor a UK soccer team?

Come on guys, whatever you might think of the services today, give them some credit for recognizing the problem and taking steps to correct them. Once in a while you can give them credit where credit is due.

Ha HA HA Haaarrrr your avin a larf

What? English please.