Suvarnabhumi Airport Link Security Threatens To Halt Service Following Pay Dispute

[WhizBang]

bang on !,... i have no idea how to get to the airport link, never even seen it sign posted at swampy , if it was easy to access i would use it .

There are signs at swampy. All you have to do is open your eyes and look.

I have taken it when arriving during the afternoon. Faster and cheaper than taxi and convenient.

[metisdead]

Some off topic nonsense posts have been removed.

[rfukata]

If the Security Guards went on strike, how on earth would that make any difference to the Airport link. It could not be any slower or un-organised any more than what it is. They are now asking people to book in 4 hours earlier for their flights.

true.

also why don't they (airport link) close down indefinitely in conjunction to the halted security workers? the

govt. may save some money.

[planr]

true.

also why don't they (airport link) close down indefinitely in conjunction to the halted security workers? the

govt. may save some money.

If there were no government subsidies provided to transit operators, the world would have no urban public transit at all, with the exception of Hong Kong's MTR (which generates more than half of its revenue from real estate investment). Imagine a world with no buses and trains... sounds like the American Dream

Edited April 10, 2012 by planr

[DannyS1951]

I was under the impression that the SRT had very little say in the airport link as this was a contract farmed out to friends of a certain politician. That it's now buggered up probably isn't down to them.

[bangon04]

If the Security Guards went on strike, how on earth would that make any difference to the Airport link. It could not be any slower or un-organised any more than what it is. They are now asking people to book in 4 hours earlier for their flights.

Maybe they are all going to get a slap for daring to question their feudal betters.

[KeyserSoze01]

The SRTET refused to comply with the request, given no government agencies, including the STRT, have received instructions to do so from the government

ITS THE LAW DUMMIES.

No, you don't understand. Thais ignore all laws until told specifically to obey them. It seems this "logic" carries over the government run concessions also.

So I guess this means that a government representative will have to formally inform each and every employer in Thailand to comply with the law.

Oh and how they larfed.

[khunkeith]

Situation normal.. TIT.

And this is different from strikes in other countries how?

[khunkeith]

bang on !,... i have no idea how to get to the airport link, never even seen it sign posted at swampy , if it was easy to access i would use it .

There are signs at swampy. All you have to do is open your eyes and look.

I have taken it when arriving during the afternoon. Faster and cheaper than taxi and convenient.

It's really easy to find. I use it all the time. There are signs all over the place. But, in all fairness, it does not say "Airport link". It's the international symbol for TRAIN.

Edited April 11, 2012 by khunkeith

[bra]

Slightly off topic but I have used the express to/from Makkasan many times and I agree the train is fast, cheap, clean and provides a good service - until arrival at Makkasan where there are very few taxis and those that are there want a small Thai fortune to go anywhere. Being a regular visitor I usually bargain a more reasonable fare but first time visitors are at their mercy. So the alternative is to use the MRT at Petchaburi which is very inconvenient to access, and if you have large bags going through the security (ineffective anyway) and getting on and off in peak hours is very difficult. The MRT is a very good commuter service but not suitable to be an airport connection in busy periods. This is not Thai bashing as the same problems occur at other locations (Singapore, Hong Kong, KL, Brisbane, Sydney etc). The train link is a very good idea but needs more spent on it as per some other comments - lets hope they can generate enough money to make improvements.

[Thai at Heart]

The SRTET refused to comply with the request, given no government agencies, including the STRT, have received instructions to do so from the government

ITS THE LAW DUMMIES.

No, you don't understand. Thais ignore all laws until told specifically to obey them. It seems this "logic" carries over the government run concessions also.

So I guess this means that a government representative will have to formally inform each and every employer in Thailand to comply with the law.

Oh and how they larfed.

As though every single payroll department in the country has to wait to receive a letter from the government.

Why didn't you increase your wages? Lost in the post.......

[vijer]

This is not surprising, but the real story is that the SRTET essentially has no money. Obviously the line itself is subsidized and runs at a loss, but the SRTET is effectively not given any resources by the SRT in terms of small but important things. One example I can relate from personal experience is that in a meeting with a high-ranking SRTET official, I learned that they have a marketing budget that is effectively zero. While the infrastructure itself is hard to miss up close, you would be surprised how many people still don't know it exists / where it stops / how to access stations via car, bus, etc.

Even at the airport it is almost impossible to find. What idiot did the signage, not to mention who made the decision to place the access on the lowest level of the airport. I tried it once carrying three bags and will never do it again. For a first time tourist to BKK it would be a nightmare. How to find the rail link in the bowels of the airport dragging your bags behind you then which stop do I get off at to find my hotel, probably have to transfer to the OVERCROWDED BTS and figure out which direction to travel and again which stop do I get off to find my hotel and then have to get a taxi from the BTS stop to get to my hotel. Nope this was a STUPID idea from the beginning. They should have spent the money on an East - West BTS line.

TiT TiT TiT

[vijer]

How can anyone live on an official salary of 210 baht a day in BKK unless you're a policeman?

Low-cost housing, low-cost food and low-cost transport are abundant in Bangkok.

You are jesting, of course.........

I am not. Apartments can be rented for 3k baht per month (though probably not in the city centre). Food can be found for 30 to 40 baht per plate anywhere in Bangkok. Buses can be taken across Bangkok for 0 to 8 baht per ride (some bus routes are free).

The average monthly income per household in Greater Bangkok based on the 2007 Household Socio-economic Survey was 35,007 baht.

You may need to visit Myanmar, India, Bangladesh instead to get a better understanding of poverty.

I think the OP means 210B per day is subsistence not living. Figure 210 times 6 days per week times 4 weeks per month = 5040. Then you rent an apartment for 2500 then pay electric and water for 500. Then you want to eat 3 times each day. 20B per meal x 3 x 30 = 1800. So where are we now, 3000 + 1800 = 4800. And we didn't have anything special, no beer, no cola, no candy, no snacks, no TV, no paid transportation. And if we take free buses everywhere we have to wait for them and all buses take longer to get you to your destination so in addition to working 12 hours a day I have to spend another 5 hours a day traveling to/from work.

Subsistence not living.

[planr]

I was under the impression that the SRT had very little say in the airport link as this was a contract farmed out to friends of a certain politician. That it's now buggered up probably isn't down to them.

I am familiar with the situation you mention, but how those relationships are playing out now, I am not so sure.

Even at the airport it is almost impossible to find. What idiot did the signage, not to mention who made the decision to place the access on the lowest level of the airport. I tried it once carrying three bags and will never do it again. For a first time tourist to BKK it would be a nightmare. How to find the rail link in the bowels of the airport dragging your bags behind you then which stop do I get off at to find my hotel, probably have to transfer to the OVERCROWDED BTS and figure out which direction to travel and again which stop do I get off to find my hotel and then have to get a taxi from the BTS stop to get to my hotel. Nope this was a STUPID idea from the beginning. They should have spent the money on an East - West BTS line.

TiT TiT TiT

1) Accessing the ARL is no more or less convenient than connecting to Metro / Express trains at other major Asian airports like SIN, HKG, and NRT. At BKK there are lifts that you can use to go from the arrivals level to the train ticketing level in addition to free luggage trolleys so you don't have to haul your three bags. The lifts and trolleys are pretty obviously placed, even to a first time tourist.

2) The ARL only connects to the BTS at Phaya Thai. Getting on the BTS at Phaya Thai, you'll only find a crowded train going south during the morning rush and north during the evening rush. If you have three bags, you should probably take a taxi. Regardless of using the BTS or a taxi or both, it is the traveler's responsibility to know their final destination, not the folks who layout the transport network or the taxi driver.

3) "They" did build an East-West "BTS" line. It's called the City Line and runs on the same tracks as the airport express. It is very efficient and well used. For the average tourist it is not terribly useful, but for the average Thai living with a few km of the line, it is a godsend.

4) This is Thailand... love it or leave it.

[khunkeith]

This is not surprising, but the real story is that the SRTET essentially has no money. Obviously the line itself is subsidized and runs at a loss, but the SRTET is effectively not given any resources by the SRT in terms of small but important things. One example I can relate from personal experience is that in a meeting with a high-ranking SRTET official, I learned that they have a marketing budget that is effectively zero. While the infrastructure itself is hard to miss up close, you would be surprised how many people still don't know it exists / where it stops / how to access stations via car, bus, etc.

Even at the airport it is almost impossible to find. What idiot did the signage, not to mention who made the decision to place the access on the lowest level of the airport. I tried it once carrying three bags and will never do it again. For a first time tourist to BKK it would be a nightmare. How to find the rail link in the bowels of the airport dragging your bags behind you then which stop do I get off at to find my hotel, probably have to transfer to the OVERCROWDED BTS and figure out which direction to travel and again which stop do I get off to find my hotel and then have to get a taxi from the BTS stop to get to my hotel. Nope this was a STUPID idea from the beginning. They should have spent the money on an East - West BTS line.

TiT TiT TiT

Almost impossible to find? Really? I found it the first time very easily. I just followed the international signs for 'train'. Believe it or not, trains have to use what is called "grade level". It's cheaper to put the train on the lower level than to raise the tracks gradually up to a high level. I advise you never to travel in Europe as the trains there are also on the lower levels and, they also use the international sign for train as well. Fly into Frankfort Germany and, not only do you have to descend several levels, you have to walk about a kilometer from baggage claim. At Heathrow, the tube stations at terminals 4 and 5 are in the basement of the airport too. If following signs and descending 4 floors via escalator or using a lift is to difficult, perhaps a taxi is your best bet.

[Rionoir]

I travel in and out of Swampy at least once a month, I've never seen a sign for the Airport Link and have no idea where it is. I'd like to try it, of course, but suspect if I asked anyone at "Information" I'd just be told that it's closed today and I need to take a limousine.

There's signs by every level saying "train to the city" ... it's in the bottom level. Impossible to miss really if you look at the signs.

[hyperdimension]

Apartments can be rented for 3k baht per month (though probably not in the city centre). Food can be found for 30 to 40 baht per plate anywhere in Bangkok. Buses can be taken across Bangkok for 0 to 8 baht per ride (some bus routes are free).

The average monthly income per household in Greater Bangkok based on the 2007 Household Socio-economic Survey was 35,007 baht.

You may need to visit Myanmar, India, Bangladesh instead to get a better understanding of poverty.

I think the OP means 210B per day is subsistence not living. Figure 210 times 6 days per week times 4 weeks per month = 5040. Then you rent an apartment for 2500 then pay electric and water for 500. Then you want to eat 3 times each day. 20B per meal x 3 x 30 = 1800. So where are we now, 3000 + 1800 = 4800. And we didn't have anything special, no beer, no cola, no candy, no snacks, no TV, no paid transportation. And if we take free buses everywhere we have to wait for them and all buses take longer to get you to your destination so in addition to working 12 hours a day I have to spend another 5 hours a day traveling to/from work.

Subsistence not living.

Technically, it is living, because they are not dead.

Many households have more than one stream of income (e.g. the wife or girlfriend may also work), so you could double your calculated 5040 value. Many don't care about having anything "special" and just accept their way of life. I think TV would be their only "luxury" and would be covered by the 500 baht per month electric and water expenses. I don't think many people do wait around only for the free buses, but when they do come they take the opportunity to catch them. Bus transport for 6.5 or 8 baht are abundant. I don't think that 210 baht is for a 12 hour work day, nor do I think it would take them 5 hours per day traveling to/from work; maybe 1 hour each way is more realistic.

They chose by their free will to do this job for an agreed amount of money. If they felt that it wasn't enough, and / or want more money to spend, then they should not have accepted to work in such a low-paying job. They need to find a higher-paying job, and all the other things that help them get it, such as education and motivation to work harder instead of standing / sitting around all day as a security guard.

[khunkeith]

I travel in and out of Swampy at least once a month, I've never seen a sign for the Airport Link and have no idea where it is. I'd like to try it, of course, but suspect if I asked anyone at "Information" I'd just be told that it's closed today and I need to take a limousine.

So I walk up to departures and take a cab there. It saves the taxi queues in the smoke stack downstairs, not to mention 50baht plus the meter starts when I get in, not 5 minutes before I get in.

Really? travelers that don't even speak or read english don't seem to have trouble finding it. I found it quite easily when Suvarnabhumi first opened the link. I suspect, if you asked someone at the information desk, they would point out the big signs to you that are all over the place in the arrival area.