I dropped a friend at the airport for an early morning flight to Bangkok today.He arrived one hour forty minutes before his flight.

He checked in OK but then his nightmare started.Still queuing at the security baggage check with only 10 mins until his flight leaves.He had to queue jump 20 already irate angry passengers just to make his flight.

So does this mean it is best to be there 3 hours before a domestic flight or even 4 if you want to grab a coffee.

I recently read in one of the local rags that the airport is coping with the extra numbers.This is obviously a fairy story or just Thai "mai pen rai" so what if you miss your flight you falang you can afford another one.

He said it was a total shambles

I flew up to Bangkok on Friday (3 days back) on a 10.20 flight. Arrived in car park at 09.00 and I had no problem checking in, security was not busy, At gate by 09.20. I guess it's all about time of the day.

The early morning seems to be the worst. I had similar experience a few months ago. I don't know if they are under staffed at that time, or just overwhelmed.

He might have struck it at a time when a couple of charter flights were checking in. I also dropped someone off the other day, no problems getting through security or checking in. Car park is a shambles though. Double parked everywhere with only centre parking in the bus area some of which was roped off.

I had a 07:25 flight to Bangkok and then on to HCMC. The airport was packed with long queues at check-ins and especially immigration.

As Valentine has said; it was due to charter flights departing. One Russian and one German.

See also this thread, seems it is a nation wide issue at the moment due to security checks.

^^^As Valentine said, the car park situation is atrocious. They are talking about expanding the terminal building (from recollection), but what are they doing about the car park? Since there is nowhere they can expand it laterally, it seems the major option is to go up or down. But has this even been discussed by government? After all, the situation can only get worse. As to the queues, my experiences have been the same - it's all about the luck of timing.

They had plans to expand the airport parking but seems like that field car park is closed. See here --->

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/535620-phuket-airport-parking/

But I have to say that I have never had a problem finding a place to park my car, Ok maybe have to go to the far back row, and I've never been blocked in.

Another unbelievable gap in customer service at this supposedly international world-class gateway: no wi-fi access? What a sad joke of an airport for passengers seeking basic data connections during their visit here.

Puts Phuket airport back into the last century.

When I spoke to a staff member at the airport about it this morning, he just sadly shook his head and agreed with me that lack of a basic data connection for visitors was an embarrassing hole in their attempt to service 21st-century travelers.