Tweeple Share Their Problems On Suvarnabhumi Airport

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Tweeple share their problems on Suvarnabhumi Airport

By The Nation

Tweeple share their problems on Suvarnabhumi Airport with Nation Group Editor-in-chief Suthichai Yoon (@suthichai)

@tadjang: Airport taxi driver kept grumbling all the way, saying he had to wait in such a long queue but got a Thai passenger so he asked for a 100-baht tip.

@JaySaran: should provide first aid unit and not to send sick travellers only to Samitivej. Only pain killers cost a thousand baht.

@TanPraweenamai: I have just had experience of 4X 100m relay race. I had 5 minutes to board my plane at the furtherest gate because I had to wait at immigration for hours.

@Nethchanok_R: A small bottle of mineral water Minere is 55 baht. Isn't it too expensive? Restaurants only charge 15-30 baht.

@Tivaporn: I see with my own very eyes. Not only not enough immigration officials but they are slow (many are seniors). One official probably probably just finished eating, toothpick still in his mouth.

@luknutt: My latest flight to Korea. Immigration Official looked at my passport and asked "Fly frequently to Korea to do surgery?"

@Pataraporn_TV: Many times that I queue up at immigration in the Thai passport section and I have to wait longer than foreign passport section. Other countries they provide faster service for their own nationals.

@bigoongmama: Luggage got destroyed every time, though fragile tags are attached.

@loftster: My business partner visited last year it's unbelievable that there's no Halal restaurant in inter airport.

@Peter_de_Chef: Expensive food, not enough toilets, long immigration queue, bad mannered officials, mafias at parking lot, crooked taxi driver, no free wi-fi, too long walk.

@hArOnister: A taxi driver demanded 500 baht to drop at Rajathevi without a meter on. If a meter were used, I would have paid not more than 200 baht.

@Jinchaya: Tourist increases from 80,000/day to 120,000/day but facilities and staff remain the same.

@vijitra_m: A number of people miss their flights because of immigration.

@NaraMaew: Immigration officials at scanning machine should show better manners towards passengers.

Do not be misled that making a face and yelling at the public makes you look professional.

@Witwit: Bt50 for a bottle of water goes against price control at Bt7 per bottle, a long wait at immigration, free wifi should be provided.

@Malinee_koong: Immigration officials use mobile phones while on duty, thus they do not concentrate, and look inappropriate.

@SoraidaSalwala: I arrived in a taxi so I had to push a trolley loaded with luggage to cross a road that has speeding vehicles passing through just in front of passenger buildings.

@siwaporn363: Toilets are dirty. cannot understand or is this airport too international.

@Khunida: Taxi queue on second floor very long and on third floor they do not accept Thai passengers.

@noicosmo: Trolley wheels do not lock while moving on escalators. You have to pull them otherwise they slide with heavy luggage.

@Fasaii: There are lots of clean toilets. Never having to wait longer than 15 minutes. Officials helped my mother pushing her trolley.

@toyubomm: Airport food is outragously expensive.

@Rungrojvitayaku: Food court on ground floor offers inexpensive food.

@ninjasv: Many rogues at luggage belts especially for business class. Whenever I board business class, my luggage is stolen.

@JJ_Sathon: Go across the world, my bag's handles were totally torn away only here.

@niti_phueng: Foreigners said toilets do not have diaper changing seats. Lousy. Even the mall at Bang Khae has them.

@Bua_Pornurai: Car park buildings are flooded with water during heavy rain, not different situation from parking lot on the ground.

@dentk9: At some spots, why do security guards blocked us from using escalators? I have to walk around, really gives me a bad mood.

@Thitirat_M: I am a woman having to go abroad for a meeting.

Immigration official looked at me from head to toe. He probably thought I was going for other purpose. I had a suit on, quite well covered and he still had no respect.

@moomoobee: Wait for luggage very long at international arrivals, about one hour or longer.

For domestic, could be two hours waiting.

-- The Nation 2011-02-28

[Bagwan]

Did anybody recognise a farang name amongst that lot? Any hope that our Aussie friends change the needle and waffle on about other nationalities whinging?

What price Swampy being recognised as one of the five best airports? By those not liable to be encased in a straight jacket I mean.

[renaissanc]

When the report comes out, it will be 350 - 400 pages long. It will exonerate the Immigration officials of all blame; state that there are more than enough Immigration officials for the number of travellers; blame slow computers; blame slow Immigration canteen staff because their slowness results in them returning to work late; and blame the passengers for the delay issues because they don't fill in their forms before they get to the counters. It will then recommend that passengers pay 200 Baht to use the normal Fast Track service, 300 baht for the new VIP Fast Track Service, and 400 baht for the new Very Very VIP Fast Track Service, if they do not wish to wait.

Edited February 28, 2011 by renaissanc

[PaulHamon]

not looking forward to pickup up my parents there and a couple of weeks.

[brianb1944]

I avoid "Swampy" by flying CM to KL, and from there to any other place I want to go.(London, Melbourne Perth, Bali etc)

[agudbuk]

What's all the fuss ?

I must be lucky, not had a problem at either the old or new Bangkok airports.

I've not had problems with delays going in or out at immigration, the shopping experience and the food on offer are OK at Suvarnabhumi Airport.

On arrival probably no more than 10 minutes in total waiting for bags and in the immigration queue

Going out from London Heathrow I pay to use a business lounge because the main part is so bad. I don't bother at Suvarnabhumi because the general areas are so good.

Transport from the airport is well organised with either bus or regulated taxi services.

[ginjag]

What's all the fuss ?

I must be lucky, not had a problem at either the old or new Bangkok airports.

I've not had problems with delays going in or out at immigration, the shopping experience and the food on offer are OK at Suvarnabhumi Airport.

On arrival probably no more than 10 minutes in total waiting for bags and in the immigration queue

Going out from London Heathrow I pay to use a business lounge because the main part is so bad. I don't bother at Suvarnabhumi because the general areas are so good.

Transport from the airport is well organised with either bus or regulated taxi services.

Not knocking Thailand but this post is unbelieveable--55555555555555555 10 mins bags and immigration, that isn,t luck--thats something in itsself-----you Must be on TAT payroll....If this is real-you are 1 in 40 million ???? busses -good--if not full-(airport Jomptien) taxis NO see picture here--normal chaos

Edited February 28, 2011 by ginjag

[bobinthegulf]

Just read all the moans n groans.....as a regular traveller, must agree with most....especially the immigration gripes.....recently travelling thru WEST AFRICA...where THEY have a biometric system for passports...VERY VERY efficient....but of course that would mean some of those lovely uniforms losing their jobs...pity about the grey characters inside them!!!!

[dvdcm]

Has anyone honestly read the tweets? BKK is a large airport and most customers move through it satisfactorily. Imagine LHR worrying about the mood of your taxi driver. Tripe. By all means go to KUL.

[bangon04]

Has anyone honestly read the tweets? BKK is a large airport and most customers move through it satisfactorily. Imagine LHR worrying about the mood of your taxi driver. Tripe. By all means go to KUL.

To be fair, the management / owners of LHR are not claiming that their airport is one of the best and most modern in the world.

LHR management is complacent in the knowledge that their airport is the one of the busiest in the world and most users have no choice but to put up with it.

[jayjay0]

I myself have not had the problems that others seem to have as a daily occurrence. On the other hand I am used to lines at immigration. Try LA or Vancouver Canada.

As for Mafia's I have never had a problem with them. That does not mean there is not some who will be ridiculas. (500 baht) but that happens all over the world. And not just in air ports.

Prices are high in every air port I have ever been in. Do people really think they aren't. Comments like that show that the person has very little travel experiences.

My big complaint is if you have a long time making your connection there is no place to go that is comfortable. As is some times there is no place just go sit on the floor.

It is a very large airport and to plan on making a connection in two hours if you have to go through immigration and pick up your baggage is just plan bad planning.

In closing I am sure that all of the above inconveniences have happened but they are not as bad as some would have us believe and not very much happening when you consider the number of people they handle in a day. Also A person with a negative attatude is not going to get the best of service. They in general just cause longer delays for those behind them.

[bkk_mike]

What's all the fuss ?

I thought the same until my last flight, when they were queueing out beyond the enclosed areas for exiting the country at immigration. I only remember it ever being that bad once at Don Muang (when they were searching for some North Koreans and being extra careful with passports).

People have literally been missing flights because they've been stood in the queue for immigration (for exiting the country) for over an hour. (Admittedly regular travellers know there's two immigration sections, and the queue can be shorter on the other one...) Add in the time queueing for check-in and that the gates close 15-20 minutes before the flight's departure time, and getting to the airport two hours before the flight can be pushing your luck...

I will admit I haven't really had any problems coming in to Thailand. (Very rarely is my bag going around the carousel before I get through immigration, although it was better when you were able to use the middle of the 3 immigration areas inbound before they made it crew only (as very few people walked past the first immigration section they came to meaning it was regularly empty...)

[agudbuk]

What's all the fuss ?

I must be lucky, not had a problem at either the old or new Bangkok airports.

I've not had problems with delays going in or out at immigration, the shopping experience and the food on offer are OK at Suvarnabhumi Airport.

On arrival probably no more than 10 minutes in total waiting for bags and in the immigration queue

Going out from London Heathrow I pay to use a business lounge because the main part is so bad. I don't bother at Suvarnabhumi because the general areas are so good.

Transport from the airport is well organised with either bus or regulated taxi services.

Not knocking Thailand but this post is unbelieveable--55555555555555555 10 mins bags and immigration, that isn,t luck--thats something in itsself-----you Must be on TAT payroll....If this is real-you are 1 in 40 million ???? busses -good--if not full-(airport Jomptien) taxis NO see picture here--normal chaos

The walk from the plane to immigration has taken me longer than the immigration queues. Taxis, well I get the voucher walk to the road side and there it is.

If I use the scheduled bus service maybe I wait 15 minutes until it leaves but not been on a full one yet.

Sometimes I use the Bell bus company to Pattaya, that may be a longer wait depending on the flight arrival but cost effective.

Takes longer walking from place to place than any of the queues.

Having said all that Murphys law states I'll have a massive delay when I arrive on Friday

[agudbuk]

What's all the fuss ?

I must be lucky, not had a problem at either the old or new Bangkok airports.

I've not had problems with delays going in or out at immigration, the shopping experience and the food on offer are OK at Suvarnabhumi Airport.

On arrival probably no more than 10 minutes in total waiting for bags and in the immigration queue

Going out from London Heathrow I pay to use a business lounge because the main part is so bad. I don't bother at Suvarnabhumi because the general areas are so good.

Transport from the airport is well organised with either bus or regulated taxi services.

Not knocking Thailand but this post is unbelieveable--55555555555555555 10 mins bags and immigration, that isn,t luck--thats something in itsself-----you Must be on TAT payroll....If this is real-you are 1 in 40 million ???? busses -good--if not full-(airport Jomptien) taxis NO see picture here--normal chaos

The walk from the plane to immigration has taken me longer than the immigration queues. Taxis, well I get the voucher walk to the road side and there it is.

If I use the scheduled bus service maybe I wait 15 minutes until it leaves but not been on a full one yet.

Sometimes I use the Bell bus company to Pattaya, that may be a longer wait depending on the flight arrival but cost effective.

Takes longer walking from place to place than any of the queues.

Having said all that Murphys law states I'll have a massive delay when I arrive on Friday

4th March: Well timed it as 28 minutes from leaving the aircraft to opening the taxi door. (this included the 10 minute wait in theoassport control queue.

[warfie]

Enough whining... somebody PLEASE work out how to fix it... Takky took credit, so he should also take the blame... lol

[KhunDave]

I avoid "Swampy" by flying CM to KL, and from there to any other place I want to go.(London, Melbourne Perth, Bali etc)

Ditto. We're quite lucky with the number of international options out of CNX - I'd much rather add a couple of hours to a journey by transiting KUL or SIN than going via the Swamp. Travelling long haul is hard enough without all that stress.

[tominbkk]

Not knocking Thailand but this post is unbelieveable--55555555555555555 10 mins bags and immigration, that isn,t luck--thats something in itsself-----you Must be on TAT payroll....If this is real-you are 1 in 40 million ???? busses -good--if not full-(airport Jomptien) taxis NO see picture here--normal chaos

I always get driven in and picked up, but I have to say the last 8-10 times in the past three years that I have used swampie have been really good. Never a wait for more than 10-15 minutes in any line, usually much less. Only concern is when these 'pursers' try to take over my cart as I go through arrivals, and when I tell them in Thai I don't need it they dissapear.....but other than that no problems whatsoever.