World Horrid Airport Medal WHAM

[RubbaJohnny]

Considering the claim Swampy to be world's Numero Uno ,surely a fantastic insult ot he intelligence to anyone who has visted Changi,Pau,Dusseldorf,Dubai,Kastrup,Arlanta Helsinki.

Even smaller airports in comparable countries are not so intimidating e.g Brisbane,Kl,Al Ain,Muscat,Lisbon.

Can anyone even put Swampy onto the upper half.

Sure there are diritier virtually any Chinese Airport,more expensive Tokio more dangerous Mogadishu but all in all if I was looking for a combo Bangkok's new Airport's got the lot.

Yes

Hub of

greed

Mismanagement

illegal Activity

Price gouging

Poor Service from check in to arriaval queues

So I propose my candidate for

WHAM BAM award

Worlds Horror Airport Monitor

BANGKOK AMAZINGLY MANKY

Yes the tird world at first world prices

Edited September 28, 2013 by RubbaJohnny

[itchybum]

It could be worse.

It could be underwater.

[theblether]

You gave me a fright there, I thought it was a thread about Wham......now that would be horrid.

'Orrible, and that's a tame photo......grooooooh

[RubbaJohnny]

It could be worse.

It could be underwater.

Not allowed as unable to cover up errors , although not sure it would deter SCUBA touts

[ToddWeston]

Hop on a flight to Manila Terminal One and report back.

[fiberman]

My average check in time is 15 minutes, probably around the same to get through immigration.

Coming back through immigration anywhere between 5 to 30 minutes.

Never found any price gouging, food prices are quite reasonable compared with most airports and I have had a couple of cheap purchases with electronics there.

Toilets are clean.

Try Mumbai airport if you want somewhere really bad.

Sorry forgot to mention they don't sell Marlborough ciggys, you are right it is a crap airport

Edited September 28, 2013 by fiberman

[yermanee]

What happened ?

The girlfriend didn't show up ?

Got caught with to much booze or ciggies ?

Just asking.

Yermanee

[manarak]

errr... OP's first criticism is that Swampy is "intimidating"? very bizzare.

I think Swampy is rather practical, can't complain much about anything.

I found Paris, Berlin to be much worse.

Changi is a nice airport.

[MAJIC]

My average check in time is 15 minutes, probably around the same to get through immigration.

Coming back through immigration anywhere between 5 to 30 minutes.

Never found any price gouging, food prices are quite reasonable compared with most airports and I have had a couple of cheap purchases with electronics there.

Toilets are clean.

Try Mumbai airport if you want somewhere really bad.

Sorry forgot to mention they don't sell Marlborough ciggys, you are right it is a crap airport

In Mumbai you don't need to worry about getting some Marlborough,they always manage to keep the passengers in Transit,shuffling from one check in table to another,for so long,you don't have time to buy some duty frees! Do they do it on purpose? after the last Mumbai Immigration Officer told me there is no smoke room in the whole Airport,which later proved there were two, I have extreme doubts.

Edited September 28, 2013 by MAJIC

[Mahseer]

If you think Mumbai airport is bad you have never had the priveledge of Calcutta. That airport hasn't has a baht/penny/rupee spent on it since the British left and is very much worth avoiding.

[dddave]

Yah...yah Everything Thailand bad....

I put Swampy in my World top 10. Easy access from the city, check in area well laid out considering the huge number of passengers they have to deal with. After check-in, quick access to Passport control and they have made a lot of progress improving the flow there.

Long walk to gates? Yes; but that is true for every major airport anywhere...Frankfurt, Dubai, even the beloved Changi, Airplanes take a lot of room to park and load.

I fly in and out of BKK no less than 50 times a year and I have never been scammed by an airport staff member. Immigration has always been professional and airline staff far more helpful than at many other international hubs....take Heathrow or JFK or, God forbid, LAX.

Nobody foresaw the explosive growth of Asian travel that has happened over the last 10 years, not just AOT. Survanabhumi is handling at least double the passengers it was planned for and I think it is doing it pretty well.

Of course from those for who Thailand can never do right, the litany of complaints will forever flow.

[hansnl]

Suvarnibhumi was designed for 45 million passengers a year.

Latest numbers I saw the actual numbers handled last year were lower.

Anyway, the move to reopen Don Mueang is a good one.

If the number of passengers will rise above the capacity of Suvarnibhumi, I am afraid any extension will be an addition.

An not an integral part of the original design, which will make matters very bad.

A second airport is a better idea, if there will be a good, fast, inexpensive and dependable rail connection between the two airports.

And taxi's and buses are definitely NOT the solution, seen the congestions on the road in and around Bangkok.

Thing is, there might be a direct rail connecion between DM an SUV if the authorities would decide to do something, fast.

DM has a railway station, double track, the necessary switches to the Eastern line are there, the Eastern line passes Suvarnibhumi within 3,5 km.

The only thing needed is some investmnet in upgrading the lines, the signalling and a spur line from the Eastern line to SUV.

Build time, around one year.

When ready, a 4 times an hour 24 minutes connection would be possible, in both directions.

Could even run in the night, say every half hour?

[kurtmartens]

My average check in time is 15 minutes, probably around the same to get through immigration.

Coming back through immigration anywhere between 5 to 30 minutes.

Never found any price gouging, food prices are quite reasonable compared with most airports and I have had a couple of cheap purchases with electronics there.

Toilets are clean.

Try Mumbai airport if you want somewhere really bad.

Sorry forgot to mention they don't sell Marlborough ciggys, you are right it is a crap airport

Try Kabul Airport or Baghdad International .... Hell, even Delhi's new airport looks nice, but is still .... a bigger hassle than BKK. I just got back from Libya. They don't even use computers when checking your passport and visas AND no booze allowed into the country and duty free is a pack of smokes!

I agree with you ... nothing wrong with BKK. People who bitch about it, just don't travel to real 3rd world airports.

[David48]

Yah...yah Everything Thailand bad....

I put Swampy in my World top 10.<snip>

Have you ever tried to collect a passenger from Swampy?

I mean waiting for them in the Airport. coming through Customs at the International exit?

Near Impossible.

[David48]

I recently had a 3 hour layover at the Moscow Airport - oy vey.

Try Kiev (Ukraine) ...

[Chao Lao Beach]

Yah...yah Everything Thailand bad....

I put Swampy in my World top 10.<snip>

Have you ever tried to collect a passenger from Swampy?

I mean waiting for them in the Airport. coming through Customs at the International exit?

Near Impossible.

It is imposible, and chances are they will stand in line for over an hour in customs, still.

You have to park the car and wlak in.

Edited September 29, 2013 by Chao Lao Beach

[FalangBaa]

I fly in and out of BKK no less than 50 times a year

Wow, you must spend an awful lot of time on planes and hanging around in airports or travelling to and from airports... How's your health? I once flew about 20 long hauls in a 2-month period and I felt all the time in the air was affecting my health considerably. Do you mind me being nosy and asking what you do that requires you to fly in and out of BKK at least 50 times a year?

[draftvader]

If you think Mumbai airport is bad you have never had the priveledge of Calcutta. That airport hasn't has a baht/penny/rupee spent on it since the British left and is very much worth avoiding.

Just thinking through the myriad of airports I have been through and I think you might just have it there. I'm sure there are worse but I have never seen them. The domestic is better than the international and the domestic terminal reminded me of a South American bus terminal (not Sao Paolo's though).

[manarak]

I fly in and out of BKK no less than 50 times a year

Wow, you must spend an awful lot of time on planes and hanging around in airports or travelling to and from airports... How's your health? I once flew about 20 long hauls in a 2-month period and I felt all the time in the air was affecting my health considerably. Do you mind me being nosy and asking what you do that requires you to fly in and out of BKK at least 50 times a year?

probably lives in Thailand with a job in Singapore

[Torrens54]

What do you expect, when, just like Perth International Airport in Western Australia, it has a:

TERMINAL DISEASE!

[GrantSmith]

There's plenty of first world country's airports that would be lower on the pecking order...

PER - Is seemingly stuck in a time-warp... Connecting from International to Domestic is no cake walk... Same can be said for BNE having the same issue, though, connectivity is much better. SYD is the same again, but it's sorted itself out for a long time...

Swampy is a behemoth and takes an eternity to traverse if - insert deity of choice - forbid your connecting flights are at the opposite ends of the earth terminal.

I find the process at Swampy to be quite simple, though the latest process of going up to go down is a complete farse and waste of time - but I guess gives them more space in which to line the masses up - which in turn gives the impression that everything's ok... Fortunately for me and the wife when we're travelling, we can make use of the priority lanes.

I wouldn't say it's the best in the region, HKG should rightfully own that and I don't find SIN as easy anymore, it's still a great airport, just not what it used to be, but BKK Swampy is an infinite improvement (albeit a drawn out process of 7 years) on DMK Don Mueang...

[dddave]

I fly in and out of BKK no less than 50 times a year

Wow, you must spend an awful lot of time on planes and hanging around in airports or travelling to and from airports... How's your health? I once flew about 20 long hauls in a 2-month period and I felt all the time in the air was affecting my health considerably. Do you mind me being nosy and asking what you do that requires you to fly in and out of BKK at least 50 times a year?

I have discovered my single true talent: sitting on my ass in airplanes.

I contract as an air courier doing world-wide "Hand Carries" originating in Thailand for an international logistics corporation.

It can indeed be a lot of flying. During one 12 day period this past spring, I literally circumnavigated the earth 3 times.

Don't get me going on airline food.

Favorite airlines: (usually economy) Singapore, Thai, Korean, Gulf. Most dreaded: United, Delta. (United "Premium Econ. worse than most standard coach...$7 for a drink other than beer or wine, horrible food in mercifully minuscule portions)

.

[hanno]

There are a few issues with Swampy: the arrival hall is too small, I have had timed when I spent an 1+ with immigration, and some of the walks between the gates are loooong, and the shopping is not really good.

Overall, I think it is good, I do not think prices are too high for an airport, I never found it dirty, and it is easy to get to.

Try CDG (Paris) for a truly awful experience.

[mogandave]

Anyone that thinks it is a crappy airport, has not been to enough airports.

I think it's nice.

As far as Dubai, while it is nice, unless you are flying Emirates, getting through customs either way takes forever.