Suvarnabhumi Airport: A Bad Experience For Travellers

[drdoom6996]

Totally agree with the comments. I used to use the old Don Muang airport, and really looked forward to the opening of the new one in October , 2006.

I came through there about a week after the new airport opened, and was amazed that they even considered opening it when they did.

Since then, I have come through there about 25 times . The lighting has improved in the check in areas. Initially, the girls in the THAI check in were almost working in the dark.

However , agree with you that the air condtioning is far too hot. Too far to walk from the planes to immigration. Once you go out to the gate for boarding , there is nothing out there, should you desire to get something from a shop.

Why on earth, the designers and people responsible didn't look at SIngapore, Hong Kong and Incheon, for ideas is beyond me. Incheon is the best airport I used to go through.

Basically, this place is a shopping center where people park their planes to go shopping.

An extremely over priced shopping center without the conveniences that most shopping centers have. I'm sure the BIB that have Airport duty are very happy though. Close an escalator and then wait and open it again. I fly the world over and this is no showplace.

[bangkokcitylimits]

The airport is pure sh%t. You go there, and never get on your plane. Have to go home. When you come back, you can't get off your plane, have to go back where you started from. No one gets in or out. Ever.

Oh? What? Not like that? I never would have guessed.

Looks like you say more something about yourself, just stay home or don't go unaccompanied, because airtravel is not your thing, really

[bangkokcitylimits]

It's one of the better airports. Of course, minor problems will always happen. Somehow most people in this forum only want to critizise anything here in Thailand. Why do you come here?

There will always be foreigners complaining in Thailand about Thailand; TIT If you don't like it you can leave.

Well, read any other topic... TITV

[DumFarang]

How can you say there is a 500% markup? If you go to a dirty street stall in Bkk you can still eat for 50 B. and maybe a nice bacterial infection, but I wouldn't compare the airport to the dirty street stalls. Just making a very basic comparison like say KFC where the sets are in the 100 B. range, then you're looking at approx. 300% markup. I think this is more in the neighborhood of standard airport markups. It's really not strange or out of whack, at least not this specific issue.

I don't believe that is in the range of standard markups. The KFC/McDonalds etc are a pretty good yardstick. The meals are consistent across the country and rest of world.

I know in Australia the markup is actually very low or non-existent. We pay about $7-8 and at the airport the price is in the same range. If they followed Thailand's pricing system we'd be paying $20 for a Big Mac meal deal which would be outrageous. Actually I believe the Suvarnabhumi airport price for the same meals are more than in Australian airports, and yet the same meals outside of the airport are roughly half what they cost in Australia.

Big Mac Index

http://www.oanda.com...y/big-mac-index

http://en.wikipedia....i/Big_Mac_Index

Out of 44 nations Thailand is the 6th cheapest place to buy a Big Mac. And yet go to the airport and you find the price more than the Australian price and Australia is the 8th dearest place out of those 44!

The Big Mac Index is a pretty handle tool for some things.

I must say though, that I wish I could figure out a way to make Sydney the hub for my next trans-Atlantic flight b/c I've never been to a single airport anywhere that didn't mark up the price of food and drink outlandishly. This is not the standard, so it seems like a poor example to use. Interesting tidbit of knowledge though. I've never been to Oz before, nice to know that the airport is affordable.

[drdoom6996]

Just be thankful that Khun Taksin had the foresight to push for the airport to be finished, Don Meung, as cute as it was, would never been able to handle the traffic.

Airports worldwide are expensive for food and drinks. If you travel you should know this.

Personally i don't have a problem with Suvarnabhumi, if you travel a lot you get used to waiting at immigration, recently at Schiphol i waited more than 45 minutes to clear passport control. Paris Orly is a nightmare.

The free internet is ok, they only give 15 minutes, but you can have as many as you want.

I could give you a list as long as my arm of the worst airports i have personally been to, google worst airports in the world, and be thankful for Suvarnabhumi

I am assuming a lot of the posters on here have not traveled much.

Personally I am not thankful for anything that person pushed for. The reality is that what he pushed for was more money in his and his cronies pockets.

[harleyclarkey]

I must say i hate the long, long walk from plane to pick up my bags - what genius thought of that one? and signage is terrible

Yes. It often takes so long to clear immigration so what is to stop your bag from being robbed?

There is no security at the carousel until the passengers arrive to claim their bags. Bags going round and round with no one to claim them.

[dunkin2012]

When are they actually going to finish the ceilings to hide the pipes and paint the interior?

The place looks like it hasn't been finished.

Haha... I didn't realize that.....

[harleyclarkey]

It's one of the better airports. Of course, minor problems will always happen. Somehow most people in this forum only want to critizise anything here in Thailand. Why do you come here?

There will always be foreigners complaining in Thailand about Thailand; TIT If you don't like it you can leave.

Here we go again with trout telling us to get out if we happen to mention anything wrong with wonderful, safe, secure, happy Thailand.

Stupid us. Of course, this is the best run, friendliest, best regulated, best policed, non corrupt country in the world. What could we possibly complain or even comment about.???

[bman413]

I have been moving through Suvarnabhumi airport since it opened, while not perfect, it is no worse than many airports out there. Between the $18.00 Guinness at the Irish Pub in Dubai International, the poor menu choices and the fact the restaurants close down at JFK, the complete breakdown in baggage handling in Heathrow, the difficulty in getting to Boston Logan, the poor design of De Gaulle and the immigration wait at Houston, Suvarnabhumi is not too bad.

Food is always overpriced in an airport, so are electronics and anything else you want to buy, the toilet facilities are close to operating theatre sterile compared to some of the toilet facilities I have seen in the US, Dubai and Schiphol airports.

I usually do not chime in on these posts, but my one observation is that if many of you hate Thailand so much, why not leave and go back to your own countries, or go to another country?

[dunkin2012]

Just be thankful that Khun Taksin had the foresight to push for the airport to be finished, Don Meung, as cute as it was, would never been able to handle the traffic.

Airports worldwide are expensive for food and drinks. If you travel you should know this.

Personally i don't have a problem with Suvarnabhumi, if you travel a lot you get used to waiting at immigration, recently at Schiphol i waited more than 45 minutes to clear passport control. Paris Orly is a nightmare.

The free internet is ok, they only give 15 minutes, but you can have as many as you want.

I could give you a list as long as my arm of the worst airports i have personally been to, google worst airports in the world, and be thankful for Suvarnabhumi

I am assuming a lot of the posters on here have not traveled much.

Personally I am not thankful for anything that person pushed for. The reality is that what he pushed for was more money in his and his cronies pockets.

this guy robbed Thai people....It could have been better if he wasn't the one....

[dunkin2012]

I think the airport is the shame of Thailand. They had an opportunity to build whatever was conceivable; remember that most intetrnational airports are on their original site, added to, rebuilt, extended over decades etc. Few developers get a clean slate to work with. They could have built the showpiece of Asia, the pride of a nation, they could have made it better than Singapore. But they reverted to type, predictably, and built it Thai style, where the customer/passenger is the last person considered. So predictable!! Absolutely in line with the rest of the nation.

But I must admit I live here because of the chaos (I love it). So I ought not complain, I just see a wasted opportunity. I know Singaporeans are proud of their airport, Thais could have been too ...

i totally agree with you they missed the chance to make it better than Changgi, Singapore.....

[mickyboy]

after sitting on the plane for 12 hours its bad to have to wait another lets say to go through imagration you stand there looking at them wondering what can take them so long to look at a passport stamo it click a webcam

and then go down stairs to the bus stop sweating and thinking i want my bed think i try the train next time but its no where near grand palace how can the most intresting place to visit be cut off from the transport ie trians

and the local busses you havent got a clue where they go

but i love the look airport

[bartender100]

Just be thankful that Khun Taksin had the foresight to push for the airport to be finished, Don Meung, as cute as it was, would never been able to handle the traffic.

Airports worldwide are expensive for food and drinks. If you travel you should know this.

Personally i don't have a problem with Suvarnabhumi, if you travel a lot you get used to waiting at immigration, recently at Schiphol i waited more than 45 minutes to clear passport control. Paris Orly is a nightmare.

The free internet is ok, they only give 15 minutes, but you can have as many as you want.

I could give you a list as long as my arm of the worst airports i have personally been to, google worst airports in the world, and be thankful for Suvarnabhumi

I am assuming a lot of the posters on here have not traveled much.

Personally I am not thankful for anything that person pushed for. The reality is that what he pushed for was more money in his and his cronies pockets.

this guy robbed Thai people....It could have been better if he wasn't the one....

That may be so, but he got the airport built for sure, we would still be waiting now

[nidan]

Definately the worst airport in the world

You certainly have led a sheltered life. I once was on my way to Coimbatore in Tamil-Nadu, India for a hip replacement operation (in 2007). I had a 8 hour stopover in Bombay (Mumbai) International Airport. Sweltering heat, filthy (and i mean FILTHY) toilets of the 'drop' variety. No facilities whatsoever. Plastic hard seats. Had to wait for the bus to take us to the Domestic airport some kilometers away. Had to walk about 800 meters just to get to that bus...and I was in agony with my hip. Give me Suwanibumi any day!

Daniel

[Deeral]

It's one of the better airports. Of course, minor problems will always happen. Somehow most people in this forum only want to critizise anything here in Thailand. Why do you come here?

There will always be foreigners complaining in Thailand about Thailand; TIT If you don't like it you can leave.

I hope this is a spoof - if you seriously mean this then you are a complete fool.

BTW - I hope you realise that when leaving Thailand chances are you'll have to leave via the airport.

Edited March 2, 2011 by Deeral

[FrankieDimes]

People with the "if you don't have anything good to say about thailand-Go Home" attitude. Please get a thicker skin. I travel the world and I find it useful to hear about others experiences-good or bad. It is far better to learn from others mistakes than your own. I appreciate the insight. As a business person/organization/etc., customer feedback is paramount!!! Negative comments can be most useful and a great opportunity to act. When I needed funding to improve/enhance/expand or impliment something in my organization, along with my presentation to the board I would have a stack of customer feedback forms supporting me. Many board members valued the customer complaints and suggestions, it can tip the scales in your favor when people are hesitant to fund a project.

The worst thing about the airport as far as a traveler/tourist experience would be the scams involving theft from the shops, where people are virtually held hostage until payment can be arranged. That was not even mentioned in the article. Through others experiences, I dare not enter any shop when I am in an airport in Thailand. Price gouging: not so bad - you have a choice to buy or not to buy. Most airports worldwide are known for higher prices (but the choice is yours as a shopper). Taxis: mafia-yes, paying for luggage-yes, haggling-yes, Don't want to use the meter. Should be cleaned up but probably won't. I have the same experiences at Newark International Airport in the USA which is 15 minutes from my house so I am use to it. But for those who are not, I can understand your stress. Just because these things happen in other places doesn't mean it is ok - always my attitude.

I am in great shape, excellent health and I work out often. Even for me that hike from to the immigration check point is long, I can only imagine what the elderly and sickly are thinking. Don't mind waiting in line so much, just make me comfortable while I'm waiting-more air please!! Airport has many good features (for example free carts to push luggage around at the airport, in newark you have to pay for a cart), but also have tremendous room for improvement!

[Deeral]

Suvarnabhumi suffers from the same disease that all Thai businesses suffer from - CS-itis........there is no concept of customer care. The airport is "finished" the fact that people keep arriving is just an inconvenience to those who run the airport. They'd rather see it empty and quiet.

as for putting in more loos or better catering, wouldn't that just encourage more people to hang around longer?????

for those who think that comparisons with other airports is a valid argument: - when I complained to Heathrow about the state of the toilets in Departures on 4 they apologized and sent me a meal voucher for nest time. Can you imagine Suvarnabhumi doing anything like that???????

THe point here is not that one is BETTER or WORSE than the other, the point is that other airports are concerned about their customers and do stuff about it - Suvarnabhumi just tries to get away with whatever they can.

[chris1967]

Most of the gripes are here are minuscule in comparison to other International Airports around the world; the walk is certainly a lot less than Dubai (not to mention the 40 minute bus ride) and you can get a meal in BIA for the price of a packet of chewing gum at London Heathrow. The only gripe i would have is the attitude of certain members of the security check staff after exiting through immigration; but i guess that's the same everywhere. Taxi's i cant comment on as I have a driver, as for Immigration queues; has everyone forgotten what Don Mueng was like??? It may also be worth noting that if you have an Immigrant B or O Visa and speak basic Thai; you can use the Thai National immigration points which are always empty

[bartender100]

It may also be worth noting that if you have an Immigrant B or O Visa and speak basic Thai; you can use the Thai National immigration points which are always empty

I am not calling you on this one, but where did you get that info from? It would be very handy.

[raylo]

The price of food is my main complaint, 350 baht for fast food meals which cost 120 outside. Also find it a chore battling through the myriad touts and scammers and distinguishing the legit services from those.

Apart from that it's fine, works like any other airport.

Whingers will whinge.

You said it. Whingers will Whine & Whinge and aint there a lot of them??

If I wanted cheap food I go to the downstairs food court. But as the article says how do you know about it?

I looked for it.

Too long a walk?? Try Changi (for example) at the fartherest points.

[Samuian]

If they can charge extortionate prices for commercial rentals, surely the authorities can hire more cleaners with the money they are generating

from #1

....my wildcard is that the "Authority" is somewhat privatized and so it "king Powers" on...... but never the less in Fraport (Frankfurt) a bottle mineral water is 6.50 EURO, at Zurich Airport a cheap "Bic" ballpen was 5.50 SF, Charles de Gaulle Airport half a Baquette with Camembert Cheese a bit of lettuce and 3 slices of yellowish, unripe tomato, labeled "Gourmet Baquette" and a Coffee is 17.50 Euro, a simple Vienna will set one back 9.50 (400 ThB !!!) still with HALF a slice of white toast - untoasted!

Since BYO or wait until boarded!

For that, at ALL these mentioned aiports, ALL taxi's will switch on the meter without hesitation, otherwise drivers will lose their license!

Edited March 2, 2011 by Samuian

[BOS2BKK]

Sorry, I don't get it.

I've never had a long wait at the airport clearing immigration and customs in Suvaranabhumi. Rather the contrary - it's about the fastest I've ever cleared. Try the lines in New York. And in China they met us with drug-sniffing dogs.

And I've never had a hard time getting a metered taxi there, once you know where they are - and they've always been in the same place every time I've gone through the airport for the last three years.

As for the food, I've never seen an airport where food wasn't grossly overpriced compared to the local economy. A cup of coffee at the airport in Miami is $5.00.

If you think the touts are bad here, you should try the airport in Delhi or Mumbai. You haven't experienced what a real tout is like until you've been to India.

I have to agree completely. I travel all over the world for work. Everywhere from Dirt strips in Africa to Major hubs. Sure Suvarnabhum has it's issues. It was a big reach for the THais to build, and yes maybe they reached a touch too far...but they didn't do that on their own. It was WESTERN architechts and designers that came up with the bright ideas like using evaporative cooling in a country with average 98% humidity, and the long single terminal was a function of using the space you had available. Would you have preferred the airport be ANOTHER hour further away from the city?

I have stood in line at Immmigration. When bad timing had me the misfortune of arriving at the same time as two or three other jumbo airliners. That is just the luck of the draw with modern travel. I have more often than not breezed through immigration in 5 minutes, and I have never not gotten a smile out of them. I went through JFK in November and stood in immigration for over an hour. All the while the line being patrolled by drug and fruit sniffing dogs...only to finally get my bags searched because I was coming from notorious Thailand.... Welcome back to America...why don't you come home more often?

As for the food. I have to agree yet again. It is only expensive if you are comparing it to the noodle stalls on the streets. 350 Baht($11us) for 2 beers and a plate of food in an airport? Try buying a candy bar at Narita ($4us) or a bottle of coke from a vending machine at JFK ($3.75us!!!) I think you need to do alot more traveling if you think this is the worst airport in the world. I do think Thai Visa forum seems to attract the whiniest old women in all of asia, but that is another thread...

[laocowboy2]

"As for the walk to immigration, for a small fee you can be picked up in one of the small electric carts and taken through fast-track immigration." Sounds like a plan - how/where can I book? And can I pay to use the fast track on the way out?

Definately the worst airport in the world

What a lot of nonsense, Swampy is a great airport in comparison with other busy airports.. There are 7/11 shops where everything is very reasonable.. where else in the world can you find a 7/11 in an airport..? As for the walk to immigration, for a small fee you can be picked up in one of the small electric carts and taken through fast-track immigration. As for taxis, go upstairs to Departures same as in any airport and take a cab that has just dropped someone off.. easy.. Also the BTS is great now , fast and cheap to the city. If you have a lot of luggage, a taxi is needed.. Same as anywhere in the world, you cannot take many bags onto a train.. thats a personal choice..! Some people like to complain about anything.. Well done the Swampy management team... immigration are a law unto themselves but at least you can make your re-entry visa there now... And the Duty Free is the cheapest in Asia... at least for Jonnie Walker and Jack Daniels... Has anyone been to Charles DeGaulle... now that is a problem airport... try it..! and as for walking ...try Schipol Airport in Amsterdam, thats walking..!!!

[Chopper71]

Christ, I'm wondering if I am delusional as I find Suvarnabhumi to be my favourite airport on the planet... Maybe my judgement is slightly clouded as I always have a smile on my face when I land in BKK as I am back to the City of Angels and the land of smiles, I travel long haul all the time and nowhere beats the feeling of landing here.

- The building: I find the architecture of the airport to be be pretty special, between the glass and the lighting it is one beautiful building especially out front.

- Customs: The queues at customs can be a little long sometimes but it's a tiny price to pay but sadly it doesn't seem to stop them from admitting some of the dregs of society.

- Taxis: What is all the moaning about, where else in the world can you get a taxi for less then 300 baht to take you over 30kms? I arrived back in Heathrow last week and was so disgusted that the only taxis available were black cabs, it would have cost over £35 to go less than 8 miles, now that's worth complaining about. They expect a tip the size of the whole BKK taxi fare, bast*rds..

- Baggage reclaim: I have never had to wait for more than 5 minutes to get my bags at Suvarnabhumi, never a problem with fragile items. Last week I had the pleasure of waiting over 1.5 hours in Heathrow Terminal 4, which had my blood boiling.

- Massage: Sometimes I'll pop in for a massage before the flight, oil massage 1,000 baht, brilliant, more expensive than the street price but beats any other airport in the world hands down.

Overall, I reckon it's a great airport. It amazes me how many posters seem to have so many complaints about the gateway to the Kingdom. What happened to mai bpen rai, jai yen yen? It seems that many of the posters here love to whinge and complain and try to disect all that is wrong about Thailand. Well, why the hell are you there? Go back West, enjoy the pleasures of Heathrow, Gatwick, JFK, LAX, Frankfurt and soon you will be appreciate those magical minutes when you land in BKK and are back in the land of possibilities..

I write this from London looking forward to spending a few moments in that customs queue in Suvarnabhumi soon..

[remiss]

I like suvarnabhum, nothing wrong with it. At other airports you'll have to pay 1000-2000 baht for a meal.. If 350 baht is too much, buy food outside the airport. And I'm sure you can manage one hour without beer.

Regarding taxis, just get one from the departure floor. No extra charge, and they all want to drive u. Not that it has happened to me, but if they won't do meter, just get out and take another one..

And if you're afraid of long immigration lines, get fast track.

[DumFarang]

Most of the gripes are here are minuscule in comparison to other International Airports around the world; the walk is certainly a lot less than Dubai (not to mention the 40 minute bus ride) and you can get a meal in BIA for the price of a packet of chewing gum at London Heathrow. The only gripe i would have is the attitude of certain members of the security check staff after exiting through immigration; but i guess that's the same everywhere. Taxi's i cant comment on as I have a driver, as for Immigration queues; has everyone forgotten what Don Mueng was like??? It may also be worth noting that if you have an Immigrant B or O Visa and speak basic Thai; you can use the Thai National immigration points which are always empty

Good tip, thanks! I always have a non-O, but I never realized I could get into the Thai line. Seriously, I can do that? Pretty cool if it's true.

[eurozhongguo]

It is an undeniable fact that Suvarnabhumi is an awful airport, given that it is one of the world's newest. The worst things for me are 1) the extremely long queues at immigration when you both enter and exit the country and the long time it takes to process each passenger, not to mention the rude and surly immigration officers when you exit, giving you the impression that they are telling you under their breaths to sod off; ii) the ridiculous price of food meaning that even Burger King costs you an arm and a leg; iii) the absence of free wifi; and iv) the need at security to take off your belt, watch etc.

It shouldn´t be forgotten that many people using Subarnabhumi treat Thailand as a transit land to go to neighbouring countries. This year, there seemed to be a tourist crisis everywhere in Thailand (good news as it was for me, since I could stay in my preferred guesthouse), but I was, therefore, very surprised to discover that Burma was having a busier year than usual and that business was also very good in Malaysia.

Australians, New Zealanders, Britons and French can now take a direct Air Asia flight to Kuala Lumpur and transfer to another Asian destination. KL immigration is quick and polite and security people are very courteous and not such fusspots as in Suvarnabhumi. When I left Burma on the free shuttle bus from Motherland Inn to Yangon International Airport which serves both the flights to Bangkok and KL since they leave within an hour of each other, nearly everyone was heading for KL. Need we say more? Goodbye Suvarnabhumi!!! Your monopoly is over!!!

[DumFarang]

It is an undeniable fact that Suvarnabhumi is an awful airport, given that it is one of the world's newest. The worst things for me are 1) the extremely long queues at immigration when you both enter and exit the country and the long time it takes to process each passenger, not to mention the rude and surly immigration officers when you exit, giving you the impression that they are telling you under their breaths to sod off; ii) the ridiculous price of food meaning that even Burger King costs you an arm and a leg; iii) the absence of free wifi; and iv) the need at security to take off your belt, watch etc.

It shouldn´t be forgotten that many people using Subarnabhumi treat Thailand as a transit land to go to neighbouring countries. This year, there seemed to be a tourist crisis everywhere in Thailand (good news as it was for me, since I could stay in my preferred guesthouse), but I was, therefore, very surprised to discover that Burma was having a busier year than usual and that business was also very good in Malaysia.

Australians, New Zealanders, Britons and French can now take a direct Air Asia flight to Kuala Lumpur and transfer to another Asian destination. KL immigration is quick and polite and security people are very courteous and not such fusspots as in Suvarnabhumi. When I left Burma on the free shuttle bus from Motherland Inn to Yangon International Airport which serves both the flights to Bangkok and KL since they leave within an hour of each other, nearly everyone was heading for KL. Need we say more? Goodbye Suvarnabhumi!!! Your monopoly is over!!!

Oh, here we go again. It's the inevitable, "then you'll be sorry when all your tourists are gone" post. Yes that's right, Thailand is single handedly chasing off every tourist, and they'll never come back. All the surrounding countries will have millions of tourists, and they'll be laughing all the way to the bank; while Thailand's tourism will drop to zero. It will happen, watch you'll see. Just look for it to be obvious by the time our sun explodes and our moon catches on fire.

[ignoramus]

No problems for me last October, either in or out. No major delays. Taxi to pattaya was arranged without probs Maybe I'm a patient person, though I doubt that's it..

[siam2007]

It's one of the better airports. Of course, minor problems will always happen. Somehow most people in this forum only want to critizise anything here in Thailand. Why do you come here?

it is INDEED one of the better airports. you just need to keep your common sense. But that seems to be the biggest problem for most of those whiners and moaners.

Airport-Scams are rampant in most 3rd-world countries. been to Jakarta few years ago ? Hanoi ? HCMC ? Manila ? Phnom Penh ? India ? Sri Lanka ??? HO HO HO !!!

so keep ur common sense and u will be fine. and for heavens sake, do your HOMEWORK b4 actually arriving at an airport !!!

Except for the long immigration-lines, and I am talking about those while LEAVING the country (which are DEFINITELY the SHAME of the country), this airport is SMOOTH.

I do LIKE the one-Terminal-system. I dont like airports such as Frankfurt, Hong Kong, Singapore (even apart from that, SIN is by far the best in the world), where u have to to take - sometimes several - "shuttle-trips" to get from one terminal to each other. NAIA Manila even worse !!!

As has been mentioned, there are moving walkways almost everywhere , so NOBODY HAS TO WALK FOR A KILOMETER OR LONGER.

the food is expensive once inside the departure area. IT IS EXPENSIVE EVERYWHERE IN THE WORLD (Istanbul, anyone ?). if you know it is expensive, why don't you eat OUTSIDE the departure-area, where the food is probably the CHEAPEST IN THE WORLD. i doubt there is any other major airport in the world, where you can get such cheap food (Foodcourt on the basement or that eatery on the Mezzanine level where they sell simple Thai dishes).

A can of COKE can be had for approx. 0,36 € at the Family mart - do you know ANY MAJOR AIRPORT IN THE WORLD where you can get that so cheap ?

I am not one of those "if-you-dont-like-it-that-way-go-back-to-your-own-country" - whiners, as they are the same pathetic breed as those "everything-is-bad-here" - whiners.

I just HATE unjustified criticism, from people who think they "know-it-all" but are in fact just CLUELESS.

yeah we all hate the Queues at immigration, so let's concentrate on that and hope they get rid of it (the simple solution is: do open not only 7 out of 18 booths during "rush-hour" in the late evenings - it's as easy as that !).

taxi scams have almost disappeared, the past few times I arrived at swampy, there were not touts approaching me in the arrival area.

and if u r worried about getting a sincere metered cab, then just take the Airport-Express to anywhere in downtown and conitnue from there with a regular cab. that#s what I do nowadays and never had any problems.

Oh yeah, one more thing I have to acknowledge: those speeding cars between the Taxi-lane and the actual terminal building.

Just construct some BUMPERS and this thing will stop immediately.

Apart from that : Give me SWAMPY every day, and let me avoid Phuket, HCMC, Hanoi, Jakarta, Surabaya, Manila, Cebu, Penang.....

and I have used Swampy at least 50 times for arrivals and 50 times for departure, and know basically every existing airport all over South-East-Asia plus the major airports in South-Asia and East-Asia.

so I dare to say I know what I am talking about

Hey you whiners, what about a REALITYCHECK

(I apology if due to emotions right now, my English grammar suffered, as I am not a native-speaker ^^)

EDIT:

Oh I want to add something: yeah I HATE it too that there is no free WIFI. this unfortunately is reminiscent of the Thai attitude that a foreigner should not get anything for free.

and about the security-checks and screening: it is most probably on of the MOST SMOOTH security checks anywhere. and never had to wait longer than 5 minutes (Heathrow, Frankfurt, Paris anyone ?)

Edited March 2, 2011 by siam2007