BKK Airport Immigration will deploy 70 female riot police from tomorrow to help speed up lines

Fast-track immigration booths for first-class and business-class passengers would be removed

BANGKOK/SUVARNABHUMI: -- The overloaded Immigration Bureau is seeking police outside its organisation to help with passport checks at Suvarnabhumi airport.

It is also asking passengers to arrive well ahead of their boarding times to ensure they will not miss their flights.

Pol Maj Gen Natthorn Phrosunthorn, chief of Immigration Division 2 which supervises five international airports in the country, said some passengers at Suvarnabhumi airport have missed flights because there are not enough immigration officers to check passports before flights depart.

The number of passengers passing through the airport every day has risen while the number of immigration officers has dropped as some have been promoted or sought transfers to other organisations to avoid the heavy work load.

"On Feb 11, the problem was particularly serious because as many as 387 non-commissioned immigration officers took leave for a commissioned officer examination.

"That caused very long queues at the airport," Pol Maj Gen Natthorn said.

About 150 officers from elsewhere in the Immigration Bureau were deployed to the airport, but they weren't able to help much as they were inexperienced.

Pol Maj Gen Natthorn said another problem was that Airports of Thailand Plc was modifying areas in the passenger terminal to improve security, which had halved the number of immigration booths.

He plans to deploy 70 female riot police officers to assist on the desks tomorrow and later recruit more immigration officers to help meet demand.

He hopes the congestion will be relieved further next month when an automatic passport check system is installed. "We are very tired...many immigration officers want to leave the organisation because they cannot rest and are in very risky situations. If they rush and let through fake passports or wanted criminals they can be jailed," he said. The Immigration Bureau has 1,312 positions for officers at Suvarnabhumi airport but there are only 1,045 officers. Newly recruited officers are still being trained.

Pol Maj Gen Natthorn asked passengers to arrive at the airport earlier so long queues will not cause them to miss flights.

Suvarnabhumi airport director Somchai Sawasdipol said fast-track immigration booths for first-class and business-class passengers would be removed so staff there could help handle regular passengers during peak hours.

-- Bangkok Post 2012-03-13

Source: http://www.bangkokpo...-help-man-desks

I guess male riot police don't have to do paperwork.

i go through the Thai side with the wife, they always let me do that and its always quick

About time. We were on the midnight flight to Brisbane in January and it was a riot alright. Nearly two hours in the immigration queue. We were being paged by the time we got near the departure gate.

So does it mean there wont be any more fast track for Biz and 1st class passenger during rush hours ? but all planes from Europe usually arrived at the same period of time from 6 to 7am .... so , you pay your ticket more than double and you have to queue like anyone else ? how nice is that ..... Now they ask us to arrive earlier to avoid missing flight ... what about arriving one day in advance , stay at Novotel airport hotel..will be be enough time ? This is crazy ...

i go through the Thai side with the wife, they always let me do that and its always quick

So do we normally, but it was just a madhouse in January.

i go through the Thai side with the wife, they always let me do that and its always quick

it works if your wife is thai .... and for those who are not married with a thai ? lol

Many airlines 'WILL NOT' check you in more than 3 hours ahead of your scheduled flight time. The airport honchos are absolutely stupid. What does a immigration official DO at the check out that takes more than a couple days to train? There isn't a staff shortage at the airport, there is a brain and common sense shortage. My God, the guy/girl sits there, looks at my 'Yes, I came to Thailand' card, stamps it and I go wait in the security line. When they get back up why don't they speed up the lines by not looking so closely at the papers, just stamp the dam_n passport and let us be on our way. What are they trying to catch there at immigration out processing anyway? Speed the line out of country by not being so darned efficient.

_{How hard is it to become an immigration officer? and what are the requirements needed?}

_{PHD in criminology ? BA in pencil pushing? doctorate in sour faces?}

Edited March 13, 201214 yr by metisdead
No need to use bold font when posting, bold font removed.

They aren't expecting it to get any better, so they need riot police to control the angry crowds of passengers.

I go through the first class section. Sometimes I have to wait 5 minutes.

for the last few months emigration lines for arrivals and even for departures are unusually long, taking up to 30 minutes.

As in many other countries, thailand should simplify their system - why bother with all the arrival/departure cards, taking pisc or even stamping passports.

Everything is on the computer, so why bother with all this manual work and wasting time for passengers

So does it mean there wont be any more fast track for Biz and 1st class passenger during rush hours ? but all planes from Europe usually arrived at the same period of time from 6 to 7am .... so , you pay your ticket more than double and you have to queue like anyone else ?

You paid for a nicer seat on the plane and better food. No reason you should get preferential treatment from immigration at the airport.

Edited March 13, 201214 yr by shawndoc

Won't be very easy for them to work sitting behind shields and all that protective equipment......

Well, you have a terminal that is now handling it's total planned capacity, and the immigration desks have been reduced by 33% because of building works. It is to be expected, and you could not blame anyone.

The second terminal would have been completed this year - except all work was stopped after the coup. The airport plan was somehow identified with Thaksin, and therefore *bad*. After going though several renamings, AOT has managed to get the original plan re-approved again, but unfortunately it will be another 5 years before it's finished.

Cheers

_{How hard is it to become an immigration officer? and what are the requirements needed?}

_{PHD in criminology ? BA in pencil pushing? doctorate in sour faces?}

Even more than that.. its a highly complex job... eye hand co-ordination is needed in picking up the departure form and making sure its signed, then placing the passport in a scanner and pushing the button.. don't forget they need great skill in photography as well, focussing that little camera on a stick is intricate and tricky and requires great visual coordination. Lastly and this is probably what the hold up is in the training, is stamping both the passport and the departure card and actually hitting them with the stamp.

I think we need to be careful not to underestimate the complexities of this job.

yes, no need for the separate line at the arrivals for the first and business. In no any other country I have seen it. Good move from the emigration authority

sorry to hear they will close the "Premier" lines. I upgraded to business the last time through and there was nobody in line. They didn't bother to charge the $200 USD overstay fee that was owed either!

Where do all of those immigration cards go anyway? Is there an enormous warehouse sitting somewhere filled to the brim with them, just in case they want to find out which hotel someone incorrectly wrote down? Is there a pile of paper sitting somewhere stating that we all earned enormous amounts of cash, and that we came with a tour group?

Good planning with the exam !

"let's have an exam and take out 350 officers

"Oops, we have an exam lets get take out 150 immigration officers from other areas - doesn't matter that they don't know what to do, let's screw up the provincial offices as well"

I go through the first class section. Sometimes I have to wait 5 minutes.

Very flash. But for myself, wife and daughter, Brisbane Bangkok Brisbane is AUD$8,000 (240,000bt) more expensive and that's for business class. I'm not bone arse poor but I can't justify that for a 9 hour flight.

So does it mean there wont be any more fast track for Biz and 1st class passenger during rush hours ? but all planes from Europe usually arrived at the same period of time from 6 to 7am .... so , you pay your ticket more than double and you have to queue like anyone else ? how nice is that ..... Now they ask us to arrive earlier to avoid missing flight ... what about arriving one day in advance , stay at Novotel airport hotel..will be be enough time ? This is crazy ...

You pay more for getting a better service in the air - and not on the ground. Don't get it wrong.

If I wasn't one of the sufferers I would find it funny, it still is in a pathetic sort of way. If Suvarnabhumi airport can't behave like a major transport hub it should stop claiming to be one. I have started flying in and out around midnight it reduces the crush.

Looks like it would be worth arranging departure out of an alternative city e.g. Chiang Mai has been a very low-stress experience every time. . .

Pol Maj Gen Natthorn said another problem was that Airports of Thailand Plc was modifying areas in the passenger terminal to improve security, which had halved the number of immigration booths.

AND, of coarse, he can't reclaim the real estate the likes of King Power have encroached on or take away a few merchandising booths to make more room. How sensible is that? --- Oh I forgot that will cost em a few Baht in revenue and back handers!

Edited March 13, 201214 yr by Maestro
Corrected the retail shop name

_{How hard is it to become an immigration officer? and what are the requirements needed?}

_{PHD in criminology ? BA in pencil pushing? doctorate in sour faces?}

Even more than that.. its a highly complex job... eye hand co-ordination is needed in picking up the departure form and making sure its signed, then placing the passport in a scanner and pushing the button.. don't forget they need great skill in photography as well, focussing that little camera on a stick is intricate and tricky and requires great visual coordination. Lastly and this is probably what the hold up is in the training, is stamping both the passport and the departure card and actually hitting them with the stamp.

I think we need to be careful not to underestimate the complexities of this job.

And here's me thinking it was an easy job! Thanks for the clarification. They let our daughter move the camera around once to find me, I generally find them ok. Just sloooooooooowwwwww.

And they should fine the idiots coming from Phuket (or whatever tourist place) who get to the front of the queue and haven't filled the form in yet. It's only been sitting in their passport the whole bloody time they were there!

Why on earth would you allow employees to transfer out of a position if it is going to reduce the efficiency and functioning of that operation? Probably because customers and customer service are last of the list of priorities....

Edited March 13, 201214 yr by Jawnie

_{How hard is it to become an immigration officer? and what are the requirements needed?}

_{PHD in criminology ? BA in pencil pushing? doctorate in sour faces?}

Even more than that.. its a highly complex job... eye hand co-ordination is needed in picking up the departure form and making sure its signed, then placing the passport in a scanner and pushing the button.. don't forget they need great skill in photography as well, focussing that little camera on a stick is intricate and tricky and requires great visual coordination. Lastly and this is probably what the hold up is in the training, is stamping both the passport and the departure card and actually hitting them with the stamp.

I think we need to be careful not to underestimate the complexities of this job.

And here's me thinking it was an easy job! Thanks for the clarification. They let our daughter move the camera around once to find me, I generally find them ok. Just sloooooooooowwwwww.

And they should fine the idiots coming from Phuket (or whatever tourist place) who get to the front of the queue and haven't filled the form in yet. It's only been sitting in their passport the whole bloody time they were there!

It is made more difficult by the fact that adjacent officers are usually engrossed in conversation whilst they are trying to complete their difficult task.

For a nation with such a large tourist economy first and last impressions are important. Flying into Souvenierbummer last month I had a 45 minute wait in the immigration queue, next to the Thai Passport desk with hardly anybody in line. I was kept amused by the wide screen TV above the foriegn passport holders line bragging about how the airport was ranked from 4th to 10th best in the world by various travel associations. Like coming in 10th is something to be proud of. Riot police may be a good idea as people are just coming in from 16 hour flight are not as easliy amused as me.

Well, you have a terminal that is now handling it's total planned capacity, and the immigration desks have been reduced by 33% because of building works. It is to be expected, and you could not blame anyone.

The second terminal would have been completed this year - except all work was stopped after the coup. The airport plan was somehow identified with Thaksin, and therefore *bad*. After going though several renamings, AOT has managed to get the original plan re-approved again, but unfortunately it will be another 5 years before it's finished.

Cheers

Not entirely true. The desks have been reduced by 33% (your figure) but last month when I went through only 50% of the available desks were staffed. Clearly a staff shortage.