Full Tests At Suvarnabhumi Airport Start Monday

[george]

Full tests at Suvarnabhumi Airport start July 3

BANGKOK: -- With the scheduled opening of Bangkok's new Suvarnabhumi International Airport only three months away, complete testing of the new airport facilities will begin Monday (July 3), the airport director said Saturday, to ensure that the national showcase is ready for the launch.

Suvarnabhumi Airport Director Somchai Sawasdipol said tests would be conducted on air-conditioning and lighting systems, passenger check-in counters and the operation of CTX bomb scanners starting Monday and continuing until the airport's opening for commercial use.

Low-cost airlines will undertake tests by taking off and landing at the airport on July 29.

The airport is scheduled for commercial opening two months later, on September 28.

Regarding expressed concerns that staff who are transferred from the existing Don Muang International Airport and newly recruited personnel may encounter problems on using the state-of-the-art equipment at Suvarnabhumi Airport when it opens, Mr. Somchai said there should be no problem as full training has been given to all officials.

The eight-storey complex, including an underground floor--where there will be electric mass transit facilities--and passenger terminals of the new airport, has a total area of some 563,000 square meters and is located on the northern part of the airport. It can cater to 45 million passengers annually.

--TNA 2006-07-01

[db1]

Yea well lets wait and see what happens my guess is still december

Edited July 1, 2006 by george

[Highway311]

The airport is scheduled for commercial opening two months later, on September 28.

Which year?

[Martin]

"It can cater to 45 million passengers annually. "

For 'can' to become 'does', two mutually incompatible developments are required---industrialised-country economies to grow, AND the price of oil to decrease.

So forget it.

This one will never work at full capacity.

[bangkapiboy]

good news I guess.

[anon467367354]

definately a step in the right direction. I hope it all goes well. Some positive energy would be a refreshing change around here.

It is the conflict in the individual mind that manifests as war. When individuals change, the society will automatically change.

— Amma

[robint]

How are passengers supposed to get out of the airport - rail link not ready for another year

they will be at the mercy of Mafia taxis who no speek angrit

What a shitty prospect - worse than manila

at least at the old airport you can walk outside onto the main road and hail a passing cab if you want to get to the skytrain and only pay about 40 baht

I can see that mafia gang demanding 500 baht minimum

[stoffel45]

The eight-storey complex, including an underground floor--where there will be electric mass transit facilities.....

[stoffel45]

Anyone any idea where one can buy these battery operated environmentally kind - tuk tuks?

[Mason45]

I've heard from several different sources that the new airport will be 100% in operation 6 months prior to the Olympic Games being held in Bangkok.

[bubba]

How are passengers supposed to get out of the airport - rail link not ready for another year

they will be at the mercy of Mafia taxis who no speek angrit

What a shitty prospect - worse than manila

at least at the old airport you can walk outside onto the main road and hail a passing cab if you want to get to the skytrain and only pay about 40 baht

I can see that mafia gang demanding 500 baht minimum

Hardly worse than Manila. Without question, Manila offers the worst experience of any airport terminal in an Asian capital city. I travel there regularly, and simply getting from the front door to the gate takes anywhere from 40 minutes to an hour. Sometimes the aircon works, other times it doesn't. Sorry, the toilet plumbing is broken more than half the time. And then there is the traffic getting there, with no sort of expressway access. As far as rail links, nope, Manila doesn't have anything even in the planning stages for that. And the new MNL Terminal 3? Construction finished on that at roughly the same time that the cornerstone was laid at Suvarnabhumi, and there is STILL no date set for its opening.

I'd choose a Bangkok taxi to Suvarnabhumi any time over a rattletrap Manila taxi to NAIA.

[john b good]

"It can cater to 45 million passengers annually. "

For 'can' to become 'does', two mutually incompatible developments are required---industrialised-country economies to grow, AND the price of oil to decrease.

So forget it.

This one will never work at full capacity.

I'm not gonna get into a debate as to whether "can becomes does" the question is not and never has been whether the economy will be such as to see it handling 45 million passengers annually.

The point (the question) is whether it has the capacity to handle 45 million passengers a year. And whilst not having been in the new airport, it should be able to handle that number if Don Muang is currently handling over 35 million / year.

And if Don Muang is handling that number (as it is claimed) what in God's name has the price of oil got to do with anything. ?????

[rossigee]

How are passengers supposed to get out of the airport - rail link not ready for another year

they will be at the mercy of Mafia taxis who no speek angrit

What a shitty prospect - worse than manila

at least at the old airport you can walk outside onto the main road and hail a passing cab if you want to get to the skytrain and only pay about 40 baht

I can see that mafia gang demanding 500 baht minimum

Yep, I was particularly disturbed that *all* the taxis in the taxi rank outside the international arrivals are asking for several times the value of the journey I was asking for and refusing to use their meters. In the end, we paid a hundred baht more than the taxi driverswere asking for the 'limo' service because at least their fixed prices were properly advertised - not just made up off the top of their head.

[robint]

welcom to amazing thailand, stoopid flang

[qualtrough]

Must agree with Bubba on Manila airport scene.

I have mixed feelings. We live right under the flight path so I can reach up and touch the planes. So it will be very nice if/when they are gone. On the other hand my house is very convenient for catching flights, meeting guests, etc. That being said I will still prefer the new airport opening.

[backflip]

"I was particularly disturbed that *all* the taxis in the taxi rank outside the international arrivals are asking for several times the value of the journey I was asking for and refusing to use their meters."

I've never had any problems whatsoever. Traveling from the airport to the CBD has been 240-280THB, including tolls.

[Netfan]

I have also never had a problem in using the "legit" taxi line outside intl or domestic arrivals. Only problems i've had have been when i didnt want to wait in line and grabbed taxis dropping off upstairs.

I hope this whole new airport thing goes smoothly. I hope the trials are a success, I hope the first real flights are a success. I hope the whole thing is not a disaster in the making.

[Martin]

I have never had a taxi driver refuse to go 'on the meter' from Don Muang, even on the many occasions when we were only going 4 km to the part of Don Muang township that is on the othr side of the railway from the airport.

On the other hand, the last time that I went to my boyhood city of Manchester, a taxi driver at that airport tried to rip me off big way.

[Mishka]

Taxi mafia unfortunately exists in any 3rd world country. As long as westerners are prepared to pay, they will never be out of business. For ex, in StPetersburg and Moscow(Russia) there are set prices for taxi in American Dollars. No one will drive you cheaper that set price. Also, not every willing taxi driver is allowed to pick up. Mafia taxi drivers know to have punish severely drivers who drops their prices. I refuse to pay obsene charges and once was stranded at StPetes airport for couple of hours. Just got drunk in the bar and show two fingers to griddy b***ds. One guy was very persistent and waited around all that time. In these countries they have beleif that all westerners are rich, so they have no shame for daylight robbery.

[bob_glidewell]

Has anyone looked into street traffic management for people driving to the airport? Most likely, not. As for the people being "fully trained" ... you can train a bear to dance but, in truth, he has not idea what he is doing:o(

[Zemran]

How are passengers supposed to get out of the airport - rail link not ready for another year

they will be at the mercy of Mafia taxis who no speek angrit

What a shitty prospect - worse than manila

at least at the old airport you can walk outside onto the main road and hail a passing cab if you want to get to the skytrain and only pay about 40 baht

I can see that mafia gang demanding 500 baht minimum

At the old airport you could walk across the bridge and get a train if you wanted. Cheap taxis and even buses... and the cheap flights will be the guinea pigs... I think a dear flight will work out cheaper. I am still planning on doing my long hauls from Chiang Mai via Singapore for a while as I can get direct to S'pore and on with a safer feeling in my heart than the mess that changing in the new airport will cause.

[george]

Update:

Official is upbeat on airport test regime

BANGKOK: -- Comprehensive testing of the new Suvarnabhumi International Airport to ensure the facilities are ready for its opening for commercial use in late September will begin tomorrow, the airport director said yesterday.

Somchai Sawasdipol said the first tests would be conducted on air-conditioning and lighting systems, passenger check-in counters and the operation of CTX bomb scanners. Those tests and others will continue until the opening, now set for September 28.

Somchai brushed aside concerns raised recently by the International Air Transport Association (IATA), which urged Thailand to conduct full operation tests for at least six months before the opening date, as the new airport is using advanced information technology to link every system. System failure would be costly and embarrassing, an IATA official was quoted as saying two weeks ago.

"Don't worry, we started testing some systems since early this year and we will be ready by September," Somchai said. "Hong Kong and Kuala Lumpur had problems [when opening international airports in 1998] because officials were not familiar with the new facilities, but our officials will be given full training."

However, some officials at Don Muang Airport expressed doubts about the safety of the training regime, because many technicians and managers have had to leave their responsibilities at Don Muang behind to participate in the training at the new airport.

"I make my staff sign their names when they go to the airport in case something screws up here," said an official at Don Muang who asked not to be named.

The new airport is using personnel and equipment from outside sources for 47 jobs, including cleaners and security guards, the source said. He said contractors at the new airport had added Saturday as a work day in their attempts to have everything in order by opening day.

He said decoration and the setting up of duty-free shops were among the tasks requiring the extra day.

Local airlines are scheduled to make test take-offs and landings on July 29, Somchai said. It will then be determined if international carriers will be required to take similar tests.

--The Nation 2006-07-02

[rotorbreeze]

"It can cater to 45 million passengers annually. "

For 'can' to become 'does', two mutually incompatible developments are required---industrialised-country economies to grow, AND the price of oil to decrease.

So forget it.

This one will never work at full capacity.

I'm not gonna get into a debate as to whether "can becomes does" the question is not and never has been whether the economy will be such as to see it handling 45 million passengers annually.

The point (the question) is whether it has the capacity to handle 45 million passengers a year. And whilst not having been in the new airport, it should be able to handle that number if Don Muang is currently handling over 35 million / year.

And if Don Muang is handling that number (as it is claimed) what in God's name has the price of oil got to do with anything. ?????

[rotorbreeze]

"I was particularly disturbed that *all* the taxis in the taxi rank outside the international arrivals are asking for several times the value of the journey I was asking for and refusing to use their meters."

I've never had any problems whatsoever. Traveling from the airport to the CBD has been 240-280THB, including tolls.

The trick once ya arrive in BKK airport is to go to the departure area and pick up a cab that is dropping someone off...no problem, price is about 200/300 baht to Sukumvit road..

[Maejo Man]

The trick once ya arrive in BKK airport is to go to the departure area and pick up a cab that is dropping someone off...no problem, price is about 200/300 baht to Sukumvit road..

Whether you get a cab from upstairs or downstairs, the fare to Sukhumvit road is 130 baht give or take a couple of baht, having done the trip hundreds of times.

On one occasion the meter read some 270 baht, and I asked the driver to pull over on the waste ground under the tollway at the end of the "off ramp" He natrually asked why. I told him that I wanted the police officer on duty there to have a look at his meter as there is something wrong with it. "Ahh yes I think so too, maybe my boss do something. OK no problem, how much you pay?" I told him politely that he would get 150 baht when he dropped me off at my apartment just round the corner, and this was accepted as fair.

My point is, that unless you have a benchmark fare, even though the meter is running, Is it accurate?

[billd766]

How are passengers supposed to get out of the airport - rail link not ready for another year

they will be at the mercy of Mafia taxis who no speek angrit

What a shitty prospect - worse than manila

at least at the old airport you can walk outside onto the main road and hail a passing cab if you want to get to the skytrain and only pay about 40 baht

I can see that mafia gang demanding 500 baht minimum

Yep, I was particularly disturbed that *all* the taxis in the taxi rank outside the international arrivals are asking for several times the value of the journey I was asking for and refusing to use their meters. In the end, we paid a hundred baht more than the taxi driverswere asking for the 'limo' service because at least their fixed prices were properly advertised - not just made up off the top of their head.

When I came in a couple of weeks ago about 5:30 pm I had to got to the Thai Offices on the departures floor so I thought I would save 50 baht by getting an incoming taxi from the to Sukhumvit 22. The first one wouldn't turn his meter on when we started moving and wanted 400 baht, the next one wanted 350 baht. I went downstairs to arrivals and got one legally, paid all the expressway tolls and the meter only showed 175 baht so I gave him 300 baht.

There are a lot of honest taxi drivers around but not so many sharks and if you get a shark just stop the taxi and get out. There are lots more around.

[dsfbrit]

Taxi mafia unfortunately exists in any 3rd world country. As long as westerners are prepared to pay, they will never be out of business. For ex, in StPetersburg and Moscow(Russia) there are set prices for taxi in American Dollars. No one will drive you cheaper that set price. Also, not every willing taxi driver is allowed to pick up. Mafia taxi drivers know to have punish severely drivers who drops their prices. I refuse to pay obsene charges and once was stranded at StPetes airport for couple of hours. Just got drunk in the bar and show two fingers to griddy b***ds. One guy was very persistent and waited around all that time. In these countries they have beleif that all westerners are rich, so they have no shame for daylight robbery.

I guess England must be a 3rd World country then as well - as the experiences you descibe above apply to Heathrow terminal 3 as well I can assure you - not so sure about the Mafia part mind you - I think its just the regular black cab and mini cab drivers who practise this dark art at Heathrow.

I would say that in the defence of Thai cabbies - at least in Thailand the overcharging is peanuts compared to the prices I have had been quoted at Heathrow...

[bubba]

Maybe I am lucky, but I cannot recall the last time an airport taxi driver overcharged me or insisted on not using the meter. I travel very frequently and probably average two or three trips each month through Don Muang.

Someone earlier mentioned that they would prefer Manila to the new Bangkok airport, and by way of comparison, the so-called "Taxi Mafia" at Manila's NAIA has a set price of about 400 baht from the airport to Makati, a travelling distance of less than that of Don Muang to lower Sukhumvit. That said, even if you do get a driver who refuses the meter and asks 300 baht from the airport, you are still better off than the "official" fixed price at Manila.

[Our Man in Samui!]

Well we all know the stories here's the latest on the Skytrain from the airport, to Bangkok centre, completion scheduled 2007, oops delayed now estimated I say again estimated, 2008 with wind in the right direction, something to do with temporay tin roofs land rights, squaters, I have no problem with that, just lets get some proper people in control.To get all the needs for the real Thai, and deal with them in a proper fashion.

Then lets see a system second to none to show the world, Thailand is going forward

Live once Long time dead............

Full tests at Suvarnabhumi Airport start July 3

BANGKOK: -- With the scheduled opening of Bangkok's new Suvarnabhumi International Airport only three months away, complete testing of the new airport facilities will begin Monday (July 3), the airport director said Saturday, to ensure that the national showcase is ready for the launch.

Suvarnabhumi Airport Director Somchai Sawasdipol said tests would be conducted on air-conditioning and lighting systems passenger check-in counters and the operation of CTX bomb scanners starting Monday and continuing until the airport's opening for commercial use.

Low-cost airlines will undertake tests by taking off and landing at the airport on July 29.

The airport is scheduled for commercial opening two months later, on September 28.

Regarding expressed concerns that staff who are transferred from the existing Don Muang International Airport and newly recruited personnel may encounter problems on using the state-of-the-art equipment at Suvarnabhumi Airport when it opens, Mr. Somchai said there should be no problem as full training has been given to all officials.

The eight-storey complex, including an underground floor--where there will be electric mass transit facilities--and passenger terminals of the new airport, has a total area of some 563,000 square meters and is located on the northern part of the airport. It can cater to 45 million passengers annually.

--TNA 2006-07-01

[roy deacon]

Full tests at Suvarnabhumi Airport start July 3

BANGKOK: -- With the scheduled opening of Bangkok's new Suvarnabhumi International Airport only three months away, complete testing of the new airport facilities will begin Monday (July 3), the airport director said Saturday, to ensure that the national showcase is ready for the launch.

Suvarnabhumi Airport Director Somchai Sawasdipol said tests would be conducted on air-conditioning and lighting systems, passenger check-in counters and the operation of CTX bomb scanners starting Monday and continuing until the airport's opening for commercial use.

Low-cost airlines will undertake tests by taking off and landing at the airport on July 29.

The airport is scheduled for commercial opening two months later, on September 28.

Regarding expressed concerns that staff who are transferred from the existing Don Muang International Airport and newly recruited personnel may encounter problems on using the state-of-the-art equipment at Suvarnabhumi Airport when it opens, Mr. Somchai said there should be no problem as full training has been given to all officials.

The eight-storey complex, including an underground floor--where there will be electric mass transit facilities--and passenger terminals of the new airport, has a total area of some 563,000 square meters and is located on the northern part of the airport. It can cater to 45 million passengers annually.

--TNA 2006-07-01