Why Is It So Difficult To Enter Thailand

[bangkokrick]

This is in response to an earlier thread concerning exiting Thailand. I left Shanghai Pudong airport yesterday and even though there were many people waiting in the immigration queues I got through in 15 minutes, so exited without any problems. The whole process is very well organised ensuring a smooth passage.

I arrived at Suvarnabhumi airport at 12.15 and made my way towards the immigration area. There were that many people there that I could not get up the ramp it was chaotic. I tried to play a flanker by going to immigration area 3 but that was just as bad. I waited 2 hours before I finally managed to enter Thailand. There must have been hundreds if not thousands of people behind me, due to the newly arriving planes over the two hour period.

Many of the immigration desks were not manned and there was no one controlling the masses, so queue jumping was rife. This has nothing to do with the reparation work in the immigration areas because there was no work going on at the time, It is just plain bad organisation and is sure to piss off arriving tourists in the future. Can you imagine flying 11 hours from Europe and having to face this mess when you arrive. Lucky for me I only had a 5 hour flight. Get your act together Thailand!

[surayu]

mmmmm..... do we have a thread named " Why it is so difficult to remain in Thailand? " yet ?

[bangkokrick]

mmmmm..... do we have a thread named " Why it is so difficult to remain in Thailand? " yet ?

Go for it Surayu

[thrilled]

very time I go to the airport at Bangkok,i think i'm finished in 20 minutes or less.

[bangkokrick]

very time I go to the airport at Bangkok,i think i'm finished in 20 minutes or less.

You have been very lucky,Thrilled. I have to say that this is the worst that I have ever seen it.

[chuang]

Welcome to The Land of Smiles....

[Bakeman]

Fly business class and get the FAST TRACK pass. Always less then 10 minutes.

Edited March 10, 2012 by Bakeman

[bangkokrick]

Welcome to The Land of Smiles....

There weren't much smiling going on at the time of arrival.The airport in any Country is the first impression that one gets of that Country and people will remember this occasion and it could possibly put them off returning. The sad thing is that it is so easy to correct the problem with proper planning, so why is it not being done?

[Payboy]

The sad thing is that it is so easy to correct the problem

Its the bloody speed of those new aircraft - they keep coming in so fast!

Thailand is taking up the the matter with Boeing and Airbus.

[bangkokrick]

The sad thing is that it is so easy to correct the problem

Its the bloody speed of those new aircraft - they keep coming in so fast!

Thailand is taking up the the matter with Boeing and Airbus.

LOL yes should insist on smaller aircraft. TAT keep boasting about increases in arrivals, so things will only get worse. A case of TIT for TAT.

[bubba]

Be sure and have a look at the TV monitors posted in various places just before you go into one of the immigration halls. When I came in yesterday afternoon, the monitors showed the immigration area at the east end of the terminal had long queues, perhaps 30 people deep. The other areas that you could see on the monitors had very few people...perhaps one or two deep.

[bangkokrick]

Be sure and have a look at the TV monitors posted in various places just before you go into one of the immigration halls. When I came in yesterday afternoon, the monitors showed the immigration area at the east end of the terminal had long queues, perhaps 30 people deep. The other areas that you could see on the monitors had very few people...perhaps one or two deep.

Thanks for that Bubba. I have never noticed the monitors before.

[RegularReader]

Those monitors are only on the way out aren't they? I don't recall seeing any on the way in before Immigration control.

[ChoakMyDee]

I had a 2 AM flight on the 5th flying out of Bangkok to Dubai. I went to the check in 4 hours early; good thing I did because it toook 3 HOURS to get from check-in through immigration. It was unbelieveable, the lineup extended outside immigration and half-way down the terminal! I sure hope they get their shit together some time soon.

[doggie888888]

I had a 2 AM flight on the 5th flying out of Bangkok to Dubai. I went to the check in 4 hours early; good thing I did because it toook 3 HOURS to get from check-in through immigration. It was unbelieveable, the lineup extended outside immigration and half-way down the terminal! I sure hope they get their shit together some time soon.

4 hours prior to departure??!???!?? I absolutely refuse to check in more than 2hours before the flight, never have, never will and never missed a flight ever. I am usually at the check in counter 2 hours prior.

As far as I am concerned, if I get in line at check-in counter and get my bags accepted, then sorry the onus is on the bloody airports/airlines to enable passengers to get to their gates in good time. I know not everyone is inclined/willing/able to risk not getting on the aeroplane but I really encourage everyone to check in around the 2 hour mark so let the bloody airlines/airport deal with the queues and crowds...after all, they sold the tickets and we are the paying passengers. If we are all like sheep and obligingly agree to check in 4 hours or more, then don't be surprised one day we need to check in 5 hours before so that the airports/airlines can save money and cut staff/counters (not to mention useless "security" checks), since we silly buggers are willing to queue till kingdom come.

I am not sure but I think if you already checked in and missed the flight due to queues at immigration (means many others will miss the flight too), then there are consequences for the airlines/airport. Not necessarily customer pays??? It's not like I waddled to the aeroplane and caused myself to lose the flight.

[AngelofDeath]

Are they scanning all the passengers? Last year, they mentioned that security will be tighter and body scanner will be implemented. Has it been implemented already?

[ChoakMyDee]

Are they scanning all the passengers? Last year, they mentioned that security will be tighter and body scanner will be implemented. Has it been implemented already?

I didn't see a body scanner the last time I went through.

[ChoakMyDee]

I had a 2 AM flight on the 5th flying out of Bangkok to Dubai. I went to the check in 4 hours early; good thing I did because it toook 3 HOURS to get from check-in through immigration. It was unbelieveable, the lineup extended outside immigration and half-way down the terminal! I sure hope they get their shit together some time soon.

4 hours prior to departure??!???!?? I absolutely refuse to check in more than 2hours before the flight, never have, never will and never missed a flight ever. I am usually at the check in counter 2 hours prior.

As far as I am concerned, if I get in line at check-in counter and get my bags accepted, then sorry the onus is on the bloody airports/airlines to enable passengers to get to their gates in good time. I know not everyone is inclined/willing/able to risk not getting on the aeroplane but I really encourage everyone to check in around the 2 hour mark so let the bloody airlines/airport deal with the queues and crowds...after all, they sold the tickets and we are the paying passengers. If we are all like sheep and obligingly agree to check in 4 hours or more, then don't be surprised one day we need to check in 5 hours before so that the airports/airlines can save money and cut staff/counters (not to mention useless "security" checks), since we silly buggers are willing to queue till kingdom come.

I am not sure but I think if you already checked in and missed the flight due to queues at immigration (means many others will miss the flight too), then there are consequences for the airlines/airport. Not necessarily customer pays??? It's not like I waddled to the aeroplane and caused myself to lose the flight.

I arrived on a flight from Udon Thani at 9:30 PM and had a flight at 2 AM to catch. Whaddya want me to do, sit outside the terminal with my bags and look at my watch for 2 1/2 hours?

[NanLaew]

Hey! Stop posting about LEAVING Thailand in this thread which is all about ENTERING THAILAND.

There's a dedicated thread for the leavers.

[melvinmelvin]

Welcome to The Land of Smiles....

Imm. officers don't smile (at least not at Swampy), they're not even reasonably polite.

Not a good first impression.

[melvinmelvin]

Fly business class and get the FAST TRACK pass. Always less then 10 minutes.

Don't think all airlines give fast track cards to their biz or first passengers.

I have been flying to LoS lots and lots and lots of times for more than 25 years,

always in biz or first class, been using lots of different airlines.

I've never ever even seen a fast track card before I arrived on a Qatar Airways flight last December.

[ragandboneman]

Fly business class and get the FAST TRACK pass. Always less then 10 minutes.

Don't think all airlines give fast track cards to their biz or first passengers.

I have been flying to LoS lots and lots and lots of times for more than 25 years,

always in biz or first class, been using lots of different airlines.

I've never ever even seen a fast track card before I arrived on a Qatar Airways flight last December.

That's a lot of 'lots'

[richard_smith237]

I suspect more is going on here and Immigration are playing the "we need a bigger budget" game. They claim they need more officers. If they keep doing this they might just get what they want.

[ALFREDO]

Marry a Thai Lady or/and make a Baby with a Thai lady, than you walk with her/them/it together threw the Thai Passport section which is usualy a Fast Track!

Worked for me always well at Don Mueang, Suvarnabhumi. Last time, just some days ago at the Vientiane-Nong Khai landborder.

Edited March 11, 2012 by ALFREDO

[bangkokrick]

Hey! Stop posting about LEAVING Thailand in this thread which is all about ENTERING THAILAND.

There's a dedicated thread for the leavers.

Yes right on Nan. Hijackers lol

[bangkokrick]

Welcome to The Land of Smiles....

Imm. officers don't smile (at least not at Swampy), they're not even reasonably polite.

Not a good first impression.

Not surprising with the work load that they have due to piss poor organisation.

[wpcoe]

Marry a Thai Lady or/and make a Baby with a Thai lady, than you walk with her/them/it together threw the Thai Passport section which is usualy a Fast Track!

Worked for me always well at Don Mueang, Suvarnabhumi. Last time, just some days ago at the Vientiane-Nong Khai landborder.

I've read on several of these threads (and there are several...) that there are no longer separate lines *on departure* for Thai passport holders. All queues are reported to be "Thai/Foreign Passports." What a let down THAT would be after getting married just to get through Immigrations faster. 555+

[badcdn]

This should hopefully help. Encouraging that officials are at least taking some logical step toward easing confusion.

http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/transport/284396/riot-police-to-check-passports

[ALFREDO]

wpcoe

But Arrival, still ok! I do not know more, did not fly International with family since a year.

Edited March 15, 2012 by ALFREDO

[colinp]

Arrived in Swampy today 18.15 (approx) from Phnom Penh. Large queue at immigration point/area 1. Joined it anyway as I was in no rush. Was being marshalled both ends by immigration staff. They had 15+ manned desks for foriegn passports, 2 for thai passports and 2 for priority. I went from end of the queue to out of the airport within 10 minutes. I was surprised at how efficiently they were running things. Also, the immigration officer smiled!