Automatic Gates To Ease Congestion At Suvarnabhumi Airport

[webfact]

Automatic gates to ease congestion at Suvarnabhumi Airport

BANGKOK, March 21 - In an attempt to ease congestion at the country's main international airport, Deputy Transport Minister Chatchart Sitthipan said on Wednesday that automatic gates will be operation from April 11 to scan Thai passengers' passports.

In addition, more immigration staff will man booths with an aim to shorten passport check processing time from 45 to 28 seconds each.

The minister said airlines have been asked for cooperation in opening check-in counters for passengers from two hours prior to their departure to three hours earlier.

Meanwhile, Somchai Sawasdipol, Suvarnabhumi Airport director, said the Immigration Bureau brought in staff from the provinces to man immigration booths at 80-90 per cent of full capacity from the previous 50-60 per cent. In addition, the national police chief also assigned 40 female anti-riot police to advise and help passengers in filling out immigration forms since March 17.

The airport also began using so-called ‘snake lines’ to allow a faster flow of passengers, Mr Somchai said. Additional budget has been allocated to the Immigration Bureau to provide more staff at all counters during peak periods.

As of today, the situation is improving and the measures taken apparently ease congestion at passport control counters, he said.

In anticipation of a large number of passengers travelling through Suvarnabhumi airport during Thailand’s traditional new year, the Songkran festival, April13-18 this year, Mr Somchai said the auto gate system or automatic passport scanners would be installed to shorten processing time for passport check. Initially, the service will be applied to Thai passengers with eight machines to be installed at inbound channels and eight more at outbound channels. (MCOT online news)

-- TNA 2012-03-21

[Soutpeel]

Way to go Khun deputy transport minister...just one flaw in your cunning plan are not the vast majority of personages being held up actually non-thai passport holders, therefore installing these will actually do very little to easy any congestion ?

[laurentbkk]

automatic gates , good but its for Thais ... what % of foreigners and Thais travel at Suvharnabumi airport ? I often noticed some officers are faster than others ... maybe a good training should help also. But for a new airport as Bangkok , that's a bit of shame !

[sparebox2]

Thai can't even get auto gate to work on toll road.

[firestar]

Way to go Khun deputy transport minister...just one flaw in your cunning plan are not the vast majority of personages being held up actually non-thai passport holders, therefore installing these will actually do very little to easy any congestion ?

They free up immigration staff who can then man the non-Thai booths.

[Roachiebkk]

Have to say, if they want to learn about customer service and how to deal with a crowd, then they should go to the Post Office on Tiwanon Road during the lunch period, take a ticket, every counter is staffed by friendly caring and patient staff and lways with a smile, numbers ticking over almost continuously. They churn out the goods for a huge lunchtime crowd of people trying to send parcels and post. Was truly a pleaseure to see something positive from a Thai authority.

Keep up the good work you postal workers of Tiwanon Road, I'll get the Immigration contract for you i promise!

[Soutpeel]

Way to go Khun deputy transport minister...just one flaw in your cunning plan are not the vast majority of personages being held up actually non-thai passport holders, therefore installing these will actually do very little to easy any congestion ?

They free up immigration staff who can then man the non-Thai booths.

But your assuming the technology that will be put in place does not a require a body next to it to show people how to use it !.....similar to what happens in banks, where bank staff are standing there to show people how to use the ATM LOL, and of course you assume the technology will even work properly when installed...dont forget we are in a country who is buying high "quality tablets" for school children at THB 2000 a pop

Edited March 21, 2012 by Soutpeel

[madmitch]

What is it about this forum?

A perfectly good attempt to improve something and it's immediately pounced upon.

And for those who say Thais cannot think outside of the box, maybe, looking at the first two responses to the OP, the syndrome is rubbing off on expats!

[firestar]

Way to go Khun deputy transport minister...just one flaw in your cunning plan are not the vast majority of personages being held up actually non-thai passport holders, therefore installing these will actually do very little to easy any congestion ?

They free up immigration staff who can then man the non-Thai booths.

But your assuming the technology that will be put in place does not a require a body next to it to show people how to use it !.....similar to what happens in banks, where bank staff are standing there to show people how to use the ATM LOL, and of course you assume the technology will even work properly when installed...dont forget we are in a country who is buying high "quality tablets" for school child at THB 2000 a pop

Damned if they do, Damned if they don't. The body next to the machine won't necessary need to be an immigration office and it's in conjunction with other measures to beat congestion. Taking action is better than sitting on their hands with no acknowledgement of the problem. Then again this is TV, so whatever the subject and whatever the announcement, I fully expect a core group to greet it with sarcasm and lols even if it is a step in the right direction.

[Zpete]

Have to say, if they want to learn about customer service and how to deal with a crowd, then they should go to the Post Office on Tiwanon Road during the lunch period, take a ticket, every counter is staffed by friendly caring and patient staff and lways with a smile, numbers ticking over almost continuously. They churn out the goods for a huge lunchtime crowd of people trying to send parcels and post. Was truly a pleaseure to see something positive from a Thai authority.

Keep up the good work you postal workers of Tiwanon Road, I'll get the Immigration contract for you i promise!

That would be a good idea, no need for queueing, just watch for ya number coming up, be prepared.

Good one

[supaprik]

At least an attempt is being made and auto passport control DOES work, I've used it through Australia with echip and it works great, I just hope that there are people there to explain the easy procedure to the Thai passengers. I n theory this should free up more officers for the foreign queues personally it doesn't effect me as I travel business and always go fast track but I do have empathy for those that are stuck in any queues...

I say give the powers that be credit for at least trying to get the job done and stop whinging about everything!

Edited March 21, 2012 by supaprik

[BookMan]

Its a start. Should help to ease the queues a little bit.

[RKASA]

It is the snake line that will help. Having one line and you can go to the next open counter when you get to the head. If one counter gets held up by the slow person that didn't do the paper work you will still be next. The other way it is luck of the draw and the 15 people ahead of you that didn't fill out paper work and don't have things ready are always in your line. That won't happen to anyone again. Add to it the express lanes for those that know how or have the passport to use it. The commissary would do this on payday shopping day - you see one long line but it never stops moving as each person is directed to the next teller rather then getting stuck in a slow line - there is no slow line anymore.

[TheWalkingMan]

Decent idea, but should be expanded to include re-entry permit holders. They could sign up for the service at their local immigration office or a booth could be set up at the airport for outgoing re-entry permit holders to get into the system. Easy.

However, the times I have passed through immigration the percentage of Thai fliers has been very, very low and while we all welcome another piece to the solution, I am not sure how much of an impact it will make.

[EyesWideOpen]

Rose colored glasses upcountry expats ==== Yay ! The government is making a intelligent proactive move regarding a significant problem. You whiners need to pipe down or go home...

Bitter long term expats ===== <deleted> ??? The problem is tourists waiting in their long lines. How will the tourists watching Thais whiz through special lines just for them create anything but resentment ??? Except to reinforce right off the bat that farangs will be treated as second class people here.... :-)

The actual solution to this problem ?? HIRE MORE IMMIGRATION STAFF.......

[NewlyMintedThai]

Yet another advantage of Thai citizenship!

[firestar]

The actual solution to this problem ?? HIRE MORE IMMIGRATION STAFF.......

"....Meanwhile the Immigration Bureau brought in staff from the provinces to man immigration booths at 80-90 per cent of full capacity from the previous 50-60 per cent."

[norrona]

from my experience it seems there are a certain traveller that holds the ques up and that is one who hasn't filled in their transit card correctly, this not only frustrates the immigration officer but also those waiting behind....there is no real solution to this but it really does make your blood boil!

[Soutpeel]

Bitter long term expats ===== <deleted> ??? The problem is tourists waiting in their long lines. How will the tourists watching Thais whiz through special lines just for them create anything but resentment ??? Except to reinforce right off the bat that farangs will be treated as second class people here.... :-)

The actual solution to this problem ?? HIRE MORE IMMIGRATION STAFF.......

Actually most countries have special lines created for their citizens, its kinda a perk of being a citizen of that particular country, so absolutely nothing to do with Farangs/second class people..this is the same the world over.

[Soutpeel]

Decent idea, but should be expanded to include re-entry permit holders. They could sign up for the service at their local immigration office or a booth could be set up at the airport for outgoing re-entry permit holders to get into the system. Easy.

However, the times I have passed through immigration the percentage of Thai fliers has been very, very low and while we all welcome another piece to the solution, I am not sure how much of an impact it will make.

A lot of the time although not an official rule, if you have a work permit and have it with you they will let you go through the Thai side, would say its worked for me 9 times out of 10

[tw25rw]

from my experience it seems there are a certain traveller that holds the ques up and that is one who hasn't filled in their transit card correctly, this not only frustrates the immigration officer but also those waiting behind....there is no real solution to this but it really does make your blood boil!

Yes, and the people who hold a place in the queue while their extended family wait around and who suddenly appear at the front when the place holder is next in line.

I would ditch the landing card system so that all the relevant info is entered before they leave their last port into a computer system. I would also ditch the multiple queus and have a long snake queue that is harder to push into and fairer.

[Orac]

The actual solution to this problem ?? HIRE MORE IMMIGRATION STAFF.......

"....Meanwhile the Immigration Bureau brought in staff from the provinces to man immigration booths at 80-90 per cent of full capacity from the previous 50-60 per cent."

Didn't the top bod on immigration at the airport recently say that all the booths were already fully manned???

I am wondering if you took away the screens round the construction work going on you would find the booths are still there with immigration officers sitting there patiently wondering why they hadn't seen any passengers for a while.

[rakman]

from my experience it seems there are a certain traveller that holds the ques up and that is one who hasn't filled in their transit card correctly, this not only frustrates the immigration officer but also those waiting behind....there is no real solution to this but it really does make your blood boil!

Force the offender immediately away from in front of the Immigration officer, have the offender fix their document(s) and get back on line again.

Make the offender have the pain, not everyone else.

[Nisa]

Not that there wasn't a number of other things mentioned in the article they are doing/planning to ease congestion (i realize some people only like to see negative) but even by automating Thai passports controls this will free up personal to work the foreign counters that they now have stated will be manned to near 90% capacity instead of 60%. But no doubt there are those who are incapable of expressing positive feelings about any improvements Thais make.

[steve187]

from my experience it seems there are a certain traveller that holds the ques up and that is one who hasn't filled in their transit card correctly, this not only frustrates the immigration officer but also those waiting behind....there is no real solution to this but it really does make your blood boil!

send him/her to the back of the Q.

[Sharp]

Way to go Khun deputy transport minister...just one flaw in your cunning plan are not the vast majority of personages being held up actually non-thai passport holders, therefore installing these will actually do very little to easy any congestion ?

Exactly wot about work permit holders and expats should be allowed through different lines

[Nisa]

from my experience it seems there are a certain traveller that holds the ques up and that is one who hasn't filled in their transit card correctly, this not only frustrates the immigration officer but also those waiting behind....there is no real solution to this but it really does make your blood boil!

send him/her to the back of the Q.

Give em a break. We all had our first experience with things such as exiting Thailand. Most workers will have the person move to the side and fill out the form while he processes others. However it does irk me a bit when you do get an immigration workers who seems to use this an excuse to take a break and just space out while the person fills in their card.

As for no solution, They should have signs or announcements telling people what they need to have out and ready before they get to the counter ... just like they do in the US and other places with strict security, when you go through security, they have somebody reminding people they need to take off belt & shoes & jackets, empty pockets. take out laptop and any liquids...). It really does radically hold up the line when somebody gets to the end point and hadn't followed directions.

[theblether]

Excellent news.........keep it coming.

Credit where credit is due, the investment is being made, well done.

[Nisa]

Way to go Khun deputy transport minister...just one flaw in your cunning plan are not the vast majority of personages being held up actually non-thai passport holders, therefore installing these will actually do very little to easy any congestion ?

Exactly wot about work permit holders and expats should be allowed through different lines

Why should somebody go to a different line if they have a Visa?

I've never been to a country where they didn't have Citizen Lines and Foreigner lines. I have always assumed it was because it is a different process and even somebody with a Visa can be refused entry into the country but a Citizen cannot. It could be a courteousy to citizens but I just never thought about that being the reason.

Edited March 21, 2012 by Nisa

[Nisa]

Excellent news.........keep it coming.

Credit where credit is due, the investment is being made, well done.

Finally!! A grateful person. You'd think everybody would be relieved to know it will be a quicker process getting through the airport now.

Edited March 21, 2012 by Nisa