Don Mueang Airport To Operate At Full Capacity Again To Ease Crowding At Suvarnabhumi

[Lakegeneve]

This was published in July last year in a Nation article on Swampy Phase 2 Expansion and may have some stats useful for some;

[nisakiman]

Yes! Love Don Muang.

There are numerous posts like this. I just don't understand why people harp on about the good old days with DM being a far better airport. How quickly people forget. It was a horrible, dreadful airport. Too far away, horrible parking facilities, no mass transit option (I'm not counting Don Muang railway station), dark and dingy, terrible food and beverage outlets. It was awful.

In every respect SVB is a far superior airport. Seriously, why the love for DMK? (I'm willing to bet that at least half the people on here who slate SVB and wish for the good old days of DMK used to slag the hell out of DMK when it was our sole airport).

I have many fond memories of DMK, that great bar on the 1st floor,they brewed their own beer, Swampy always feels threatening, with it's frighteningly designed stainless steal ceilings. I never slagged DMK off and used to travel too and from there for more than 15 years. I LOVE DMK!

Same as that. Don Muang was a little raggy round the edges, but it was comfortable and friendly. I find swampy rather cold and impersonal by comparison. And yes, the German micro-brewery was great! A tad expensive, but some great beers. I wonder if that will re-open...

[ClareQuilty]

Yes! Love Don Muang.

There are numerous posts like this. I just don't understand why people harp on about the good old days with DM being a far better airport. How quickly people forget. It was a horrible, dreadful airport. Too far away, horrible parking facilities, no mass transit option (I'm not counting Don Muang railway station), dark and dingy, terrible food and beverage outlets. It was awful.

In every respect SVB is a far superior airport. Seriously, why the love for DMK?

For me, mainly it was cheap. I was able to eat there quite a bit more cheaply than at SVB. I really like dingy, old, cheap, shabby things, and despite the new and shiny.

Oh yes almost forgot - there sure was a mass transit option and I used it all the time - the 'airport bus'. I only ever used the Sukhumvitt line (never stayed over there in nasty Cow-san), 100 baht into town and 50 from town to the airport. Great deal and convenient.

Edited March 28, 2013 by ClareQuilty

[IsaanUSA]

Oh great.

Planes from DM litterly fly right over the area of my Thai families house at about 300 feet above the MooBan.

It's been pretty quiet since Swampy opened, but looks it like the noise will be coming back again soon.

Yeah and then those bastards running the airport (and associated politicians) will act like dictators and not allow a nighttime flight curfew to be imposed - and despite Thailand being a nominal democracy those poor residents in the surrounding area won't be able to have their voices heard. Excuses such as "nighttime flight curfews being bad for the economy" etc. will be force fed down their throats and that will be the end of their "whining" as the executives would put it. I can understand why Suvarnabhumi is curfew free owing to its location and relatively small population affected by aircraft noise, but given how many people live in the areas surrounding Don Muang (not to mention how many more have moved there in the years since it stopped being Bangkok's primary airport) and you'll certainly get people who are going to get angry if the number of flights starts increasing again to pre-2006 levels.

Then again if the Suvarnabhumi airport developers got some brain cells together and finally built another 1 or 2 runways like in their master plan and expanded the terminal space a bit (or perhaps built a dedicated terminal, for example a separate domestic terminal) than a lot of extra capacity could be added to the airport for years to come.

Don Mueang has been operational for decades! If you just moved in the last year or two I would understand your complaint, but flights have been roaring overhead for a long time.

[A Member]

Oh, so now we are going from

1. Close down DM to 2. Open DM to budget airlines and now 3. back to using it for international Airlines.

Has somebody been doing some serious research? This plan will please some travelers and annoy others.

However,personally, although not a traveler, I am glad to see Thailand utilizing both airports effectively.

Good move.

I seem to remember that shortly after the new airport opened it was considered it would be a full capacity in no time flat yet had been billed as " the be all and end all " in the usual Thai fashion. Better DM is used for planes instead of storing all that rice as was suggested

[Nisa]

What a typical circus:

1. DM must be closed down for good, because Bangkok doesn't need a second airport; Swampy is more than enough to handle everything - and also lends us the most face.

2. All airlines must move to Swampy, no matter how much they protest and which reasonable claims they bring forward to keep DM at least partially operational.

3. Ooops, turns out that Swampy has reached its designated capacity shortly after opening; hence DM is to be re-opened, but only for freight and certain charter flights.

4. Oopps, there are still too many flights in and out of Swampy; simply order all budget airlines to move back to DM at their own cost, despite their protests that they just a few months previously have been told to move to Swampy - and pronto.

5. Ooops, someone at AOT has thought too much and found it prudent that it's detrimental to the country's image if airlines associated with Thailand (i.e. Thai Air Asia, Bangkok Air and Nok Air) use that old DM airport, hence order them to move back to Swampy again, despite the fact that the airport by now is already exceeding its capacity. There's nothing more constructive than good 'ole face-saving. Oh, and let them pay for that expensive move, of course.

6. Ooops, looks like swampy is definitely bursting at the seams, so let's do some brain-storming again... why not put DM back into full service...? Perhaps we should order some airlines to move back to DM - at their own cost, of course. Which ones shall it be? Let's throw some dice or pull straws.

I wonder how this saga is going to end.

Why does this concern you? I am not aware of people not being able to get in or out of Bangkok by air and they are meeting the demand. So, the city has two international airports. This is not uncommon. New York City metro area has 3. Not anything we need to worry about as long as we can get in and out by plane unless we just want to find reasons to complain like the airport is to far away from me or there isn't a magical way to transfer between airports that will only take a minute and I don't need to worry about my bags. This is a good thing as more people will have more choices as to where they want to fly into. And yes, just like everything else sometimes you need to pay more for convenience or choose or like many people simply go with the cheapest option even if it means layovers or multiple stops or not flying into an airport that may save you 30-minutes driving to your final destination..

[Ricardo]

Yes! Love Don Muang.

There are numerous posts like this. I just don't understand why people harp on about the good old days with DM being a far better airport. How quickly people forget. It was a horrible, dreadful airport. Too far away, horrible parking facilities, no mass transit option (I'm not counting Don Muang railway station), dark and dingy, terrible food and beverage outlets. It was awful.

In every respect SVB is a far superior airport. Seriously, why the love for DMK? (I'm willing to bet that at least half the people on here who slate SVB and wish for the good old days of DMK used to slag the hell out of DMK when it was our sole airport).

Perhaps it's because the Thailand we were flying into was simpler & more-exotic, less overcrowded & overpolluted, than it now is. And we'd love to go back to those days. Simple nostaligia in fact.

I certainly feel that way myself, without for-a-moment begrudging the Thai people the material-benefits, of modern 'civilised' life.

[fareastguy]

Well then, it is settled. Survarnabhumi was well planned out as everything else around here was. Looking forward to Bangkok's inevitable 3rd airport.

My thought's exactly, what Thailand needs is a third airport, built to be at over capacity in 5 years after opening, then they can share airlines between all three & maybe operate normally..

[endure]

Why DMK? Because it isn't a great sterile shopping mall. Because when you arrive it smells like Thailand should smell rather than smelling like all the other 'international' airports.

[DocN]

What a typical circus:

1. DM must be closed down for good, because Bangkok doesn't need a second airport; Swampy is more than enough to handle everything - and also lends us the most face.

2. All airlines must move to Swampy, no matter how much they protest and which reasonable claims they bring forward to keep DM at least partially operational.

3. Ooops, turns out that Swampy has reached its designated capacity shortly after opening; hence DM is to be re-opened, but only for freight and certain charter flights.

4. Oopps, there are still too many flights in and out of Swampy; simply order all budget airlines to move back to DM at their own cost, despite their protests that they just a few months previously have been told to move to Swampy - and pronto.

5. Ooops, someone at AOT has thought too much and found it prudent that it's detrimental to the country's image if airlines associated with Thailand (i.e. Thai Air Asia, Bangkok Air and Nok Air) use that old DM airport, hence order them to move back to Swampy again, despite the fact that the airport by now is already exceeding its capacity. There's nothing more constructive than good 'ole face-saving. Oh, and let them pay for that expensive move, of course.

6. Ooops, looks like swampy is definitely bursting at the seams, so let's do some brain-storming again... why not put DM back into full service...? Perhaps we should order some airlines to move back to DM - at their own cost, of course. Which ones shall it be? Let's throw some dice or pull straws.

I wonder how this saga is going to end.

Why does this concern you? I am not aware of people not being able to get in or out of Bangkok by air and they are meeting the demand. So, the city has two international airports. This is not uncommon. New York City metro area has 3. Not anything we need to worry about as long as we can get in and out by plane unless we just want to find reasons to complain like the airport is to far away from me or there isn't a magical way to transfer between airports that will only take a minute and I don't need to worry about my bags. This is a good thing as more people will have more choices as to where they want to fly into. And yes, just like everything else sometimes you need to pay more for convenience or choose or like many people simply go with the cheapest option even if it means layovers or multiple stops or not flying into an airport that may save you 30-minutes driving to your final destination..

Yeah...except for, even you -of course- understand the idiocy behind all this.

But of course, you had to bring up something in deffence of all that chaos, because -as we are aware by now- Thailand is the greatest place on earth and Thais just do everything right!

[finnomick1]

HA ! Bet no-one saw that coming..................

And, just how many of those 51 million travellers will be told " Sorry, you at wrong airport " have a nice day

[jmccarty]

When capacity reaches maximum in Singapore, they build another terminal next to the existing 1, then 2, now working on 3. Not sure why they closed their Budget Terminal though. But using DM when BKK reaches its capacity is not a bad short term plan.

Wonder if there is space enough and a will to follow the Singapore model and build another terminal and maybe another runway at BKK?

[GrantSmith]

When capacity reaches maximum in Singapore, they build another terminal next to the existing 1, then 2, now working on 3. Not sure why they closed their Budget Terminal though. But using DM when BKK reaches its capacity is not a bad short term plan.

Wonder if there is space enough and a will to follow the Singapore model and build another terminal and maybe another runway at BKK?

T3 at SIN has been operational for a number of years now...

The Budget terminal was demolished so that they can build another terminal building 'T4' or in other words rebuilding the budget terminal to make it more appealing for the LCC brigade.

[zakk9]

The fiasco is complete. After less than ten years, the brand new airport is well beyond its capacity. The planning has apparently been non-existing. Singapore and HK have had no problems managing this. Why this isn't possible in Thailand... I guess we know the answers to that.

For those who long back to DMK, expect that the good, old feeling will return. I've flown in and out from there a few times after AA moved over, and although some facilities have been upgraded, it's still an old airport, dark and worn down. And don't expect it not to become another shopping mall. The standard has been set at Swampy. You can be quite sure that King Power will do whatever possible to get access to your wallet. If that means that you cannot find your flight, that's not their problem.

Edited March 29, 2013 by zakk9

[bri1guy]

If other airlines use Don Muenng it should mean a slight price drop in flights due to lower Terminal tax from this airport give a competive rates with other airlines as well.. What about the plan to have a express train inbetween the 2 airports for transit passengers???

[Payboy]

Don Mueang Airport To Operate At Full Capacity Again

Hope that includes the....ummm....."barber" shop where I've had many happy landings in its glory days.

[Tomtomtom69]

Oh great.

Planes from DM litterly fly right over the area of my Thai families house at about 300 feet above the MooBan.

It's been pretty quiet since Swampy opened, but looks it like the noise will be coming back again soon.

Yeah and then those bastards running the airport (and associated politicians) will act like dictators and not allow a nighttime flight curfew to be imposed - and despite Thailand being a nominal democracy those poor residents in the surrounding area won't be able to have their voices heard. Excuses such as "nighttime flight curfews being bad for the economy" etc. will be force fed down their throats and that will be the end of their "whining" as the executives would put it. I can understand why Suvarnabhumi is curfew free owing to its location and relatively small population affected by aircraft noise, but given how many people live in the areas surrounding Don Muang (not to mention how many more have moved there in the years since it stopped being Bangkok's primary airport) and you'll certainly get people who are going to get angry if the number of flights starts increasing again to pre-2006 levels.

Then again if the Suvarnabhumi airport developers got some brain cells together and finally built another 1 or 2 runways like in their master plan and expanded the terminal space a bit (or perhaps built a dedicated terminal, for example a separate domestic terminal) than a lot of extra capacity could be added to the airport for years to come.

Don Mueang has been operational for decades! If you just moved in the last year or two I would understand your complaint, but flights have been roaring overhead for a long time.

But the area surrounding Don Muang has seen a large increase in residents in recent years - it is no longer an airport "outside" the city like it was for decades! Therefore I think you will see people like me have a point. The authorities should NOT allow Don Muang to operate unregulated 24h/7. The local residents in the Don Muang area have been (mostly) happy since 2006 so let's keep it that way. Some more flights are OK but not at night.

[Tomtomtom69]

The fiasco is complete. After less than ten years, the brand new airport is well beyond its capacity. The planning has apparently been non-existing. Singapore and HK have had no problems managing this. Why this isn't possible in Thailand... I guess we know the answers to that.

For those who long back to DMK, expect that the good, old feeling will return. I've flown in and out from there a few times after AA moved over, and although some facilities have been upgraded, it's still an old airport, dark and worn down. And don't expect it not to become another shopping mall. The standard has been set at Swampy. You can be quite sure that King Power will do whatever possible to get access to your wallet. If that means that you cannot find your flight, that's not their problem.

Yeah but I am cheap as hell when it comes to certain things and no amount of persuasion could get me to buy anything from their overpriced stores - I just ignore them and move on...besides, they have 50,000 other passengers to persuade, I don't need to be one of them. Also, unlike many other foreigners who are always on time it seems, I'm constantly running late when I am at Suvarnabhumi, I almost always have to run to my gate so I don't have time to stop for such unnecessary things like overpriced toblerone or expensive Johnny Walker. If I am on time, it means I am heading for the airline lounge so again, no time for you, King Power Duty Free.

[bdenner]

Just used DMK for the first time in 3 years, in on AirAsia domestic and out International, what a breath of fresh air. No hassles, no overcrowding, no 5 km walk, easy immigration, pretty good shopping etc. ---- Swampy! never again if I can help it.

[Chao Lao Beach]

So it would be safe to assume, DMK and the area surrounding it, wont be flooded again? Or is everybody just hoping it doesn't rain like it did in 2011?

Nothin a few prop boats can't fix eh.

[Lakegeneve]

If other airlines use Don Muenng it should mean a slight price drop in flights due to lower Terminal tax from this airport give a competive rates with other airlines as well.. What about the plan to have a express train inbetween the 2 airports for transit passengers???

The answer to your query is about 10 posts back.

[yoshiwara]

I will be happy to use both airports. Either way, having 2 should provide an overall smoother operation (notwithstanding transit issues) and is clearly necessary for the increased traffic which is highly unlikely to reverse.

Edited March 29, 2013 by yoshiwara

[jackspratt]

The fiasco is complete. After less than ten years, the brand new airport is well beyond its capacity. The planning has apparently been non-existing. Singapore and HK have had no problems managing this. Why this isn't possible in Thailand... I guess we know the answers to that.

For those who long back to DMK, expect that the good, old feeling will return. I've flown in and out from there a few times after AA moved over, and although some facilities have been upgraded, it's still an old airport, dark and worn down. And don't expect it not to become another shopping mall. The standard has been set at Swampy. You can be quite sure that King Power will do whatever possible to get access to your wallet. If that means that you cannot find your flight, that's not their problem.

Yeah but I am cheap as hell when it comes to certain things and no amount of persuasion could get me to buy anything from their overpriced stores - I just ignore them and move on...besides, they have 50,000 other passengers to persuade, I don't need to be one of them. Also, unlike many other foreigners who are always on time it seems, I'm constantly running late when I am at Suvarnabhumi, I almost always have to run to my gate so I don't have time to stop for such unnecessary things like overpriced toblerone or expensive Johnny Walker. If I am on time, it means I am heading for the airline lounge so again, no time for you, King Power Duty Free.

After they read this, I am sure King Power will revise downwards (severely) their profit projection for the next few years, and sent appropriate notices to the SET.

[IsaanUSA]

What about the plan to have a express train inbetween the 2 airports for transit passengers???

Do a search. There are several stories on this. It is being worked on and hoped to be finished in the near future.

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/615917-red-line-deal-inked;-some-hopewell-pillars-to-stay-bangkok/

[ginjag]

HA ! Bet no-one saw that coming..................

And, just how many of those 51 million travellers will be told " Sorry, you at wrong airport " have a nice day

AS 1 passenger was telling at London Heathrow years ago he was catching a Philipines flight--I said you will need your Rebucks on---they fly out of Gatwick (londn)

[Nisa]

What a typical circus:

1. DM must be closed down for good, because Bangkok doesn't need a second airport; Swampy is more than enough to handle everything - and also lends us the most face.

2. All airlines must move to Swampy, no matter how much they protest and which reasonable claims they bring forward to keep DM at least partially operational.

3. Ooops, turns out that Swampy has reached its designated capacity shortly after opening; hence DM is to be re-opened, but only for freight and certain charter flights.

4. Oopps, there are still too many flights in and out of Swampy; simply order all budget airlines to move back to DM at their own cost, despite their protests that they just a few months previously have been told to move to Swampy - and pronto.

5. Ooops, someone at AOT has thought too much and found it prudent that it's detrimental to the country's image if airlines associated with Thailand (i.e. Thai Air Asia, Bangkok Air and Nok Air) use that old DM airport, hence order them to move back to Swampy again, despite the fact that the airport by now is already exceeding its capacity. There's nothing more constructive than good 'ole face-saving. Oh, and let them pay for that expensive move, of course.

6. Ooops, looks like swampy is definitely bursting at the seams, so let's do some brain-storming again... why not put DM back into full service...? Perhaps we should order some airlines to move back to DM - at their own cost, of course. Which ones shall it be? Let's throw some dice or pull straws.

I wonder how this saga is going to end.

Why does this concern you? I am not aware of people not being able to get in or out of Bangkok by air and they are meeting the demand. So, the city has two international airports. This is not uncommon. New York City metro area has 3. Not anything we need to worry about as long as we can get in and out by plane unless we just want to find reasons to complain like the airport is to far away from me or there isn't a magical way to transfer between airports that will only take a minute and I don't need to worry about my bags. This is a good thing as more people will have more choices as to where they want to fly into. And yes, just like everything else sometimes you need to pay more for convenience or choose or like many people simply go with the cheapest option even if it means layovers or multiple stops or not flying into an airport that may save you 30-minutes driving to your final destination..

Yeah...except for, even you -of course- understand the idiocy behind all this.

But of course, you had to bring up something in deffence of all that chaos, because -as we are aware by now- Thailand is the greatest place on earth and Thais just do everything right!

Not really seeing idiocy, just seeing adoption and adjustments to meet current demand and certainly doesn't effect my life, even though I travel by plane regionally and internationally, except to give me more choices. Closing an airport to commercial carriers and directing them to the neighboring new airport is idiocy. And then when demand is needed they reopen the airport to commercial carriers is idiocy? Having delays in big projects especially when government is involved, may be idiocy but unless I have done it better and am personally involved I tend to not get my panties in a bunch or make sweeping judgements or do I pretend I have never read the news before coming to Thailand to know this is a common thing not just here but pretty much everywhere

Possible idiocy would be not addressing the issue, not adapting, and not being able to handle demand but instead they are adapting, they are addressing the issue and they are meeting demand but lets not let that stop us from whining and moaning.

Complaining on a personal level about having to drive further is one issue but to just complain for the sake of complaining when demand is being met and both airlines and customers have more options is silly. For God's sake we are talking about going to the airport and not the amusement park ... nobody said it is supposed to be fun, next door (with silent planes), line free, no security to worry about or bags to transfer....

[Nisa]

But the area surrounding Don Muang has seen a large increase in residents in recent years - it is no longer an airport "outside" the city like it was for decades! Therefore I think you will see people like me have a point. The authorities should NOT allow Don Muang to operate unregulated 24h/7. The local residents in the Don Muang area have been (mostly) happy since 2006 so let's keep it that way. Some more flights are OK but not at night.

A very rational and valid concern if you live in the area and will be effected by the increase in flights. Lets hope the folks in this area raise their concern and see some kind of compensation and/or agreement to lesson the impact such as restriction on number of flights at night. However, the greater good of the city and country must take priority and people did choose to live near an operating airport even if they incorrectly assumed that it would never be fully operational again.

[Tomtomtom69]

I agree with you. However, I can see how some Don Muang and surrounding area residents (including Rangsit and Kasetsart etc.) will probably not accept the economic argument (neither would I) given that Suvarnabhumi was always supposed to be the main airport that takes over most flight operations from Don Muang. Similarly, Frankfurt airport, which recently had a nighttime flight ban imposed after their 4th runway was put into operation has not suffered economically from the ban on flights between 11pm and 5am besides, they now have more capacity during their non-restricted hours. In Bangkok I don't think it will be a big deal: Suvarnabhumi being the main airport can continue to have operations 24/7 but Don Muang should follow Frankfurt's lead.

Anyway, at this point we should wait and see what happens because right now I'm not convinced Don Muang will go back to being an airport of choice for anything other than budget carriers, which are already there now. If I'm right, then this whole airport noise thing may not even become an issue again.

[IsaanUSA]

Tomtomtom I think your idea makes the most sense, and I agree with you that airline companies at BKK will probably not move to DMK in droves.

[samran]

Yes! Love Don Muang.

There are numerous posts like this. I just don't understand why people harp on about the good old days with DM being a far better airport. How quickly people forget. It was a horrible, dreadful airport. Too far away, horrible parking facilities, no mass transit option (I'm not counting Don Muang railway station), dark and dingy, terrible food and beverage outlets. It was awful.

In every respect SVB is a far superior airport. Seriously, why the love for DMK? (I'm willing to bet that at least half the people on here who slate SVB and wish for the good old days of DMK used to slag the hell out of DMK when it was our sole airport).

Why let facts get in the way of a good whinge?