Suvarnabhum arrival is empty.

[mataleo]

Hi im on suvarnabhum.

Its 1pm

And arrival is empty. No que to immigration.

There is 3 people in immigration.

Never saw that empty....

Sorry posted in wrong forum

[BoonToong]

Saw the same thing about 3pm a few weeks ago - very surprised

[mataleo]

Yes suprised cuz everytime in past it was packed. Now me and 2 other people by other windows.

[ColdSingha]

about 2 weeks back took a day flight to samui, departures was dead and flight was about 30% full

... but tourist numbers up up up according to TAT lulz

[maxjay]

Mid-August to Mid-October or thereabouts are usually very slow.

Good time period to get, or to ask, about "Special Promotions" at hotels & resorts..

[waynerooney]

Been in and out of the airport 3 times this year its so quiet its eerie, no immigration queue i think someone is lying about tourist numbers.

[ozyjon]

It's holiday time here in Europe, and it's hot and raining in Thailand,,, just wait a few months when the rainy

season ends and the weather cools down,, more people will travel then i think.

[Kerryd]

Left Swampy yesterday (Tuesday) morning. The usual full crowds in/around the Departures area. What really surprised me was when I got to the Premier (Fast Track) Immigration lanes and saw 4 lines of people, backed up almost to the security screeners ! I've never seen that many people in there at once before.

Didn't help that every second person had a herd of kids with them (and each kid had to be held up to get their pic taken of course).

Really didn't help that the "person of Mediterranean or Middle Eastern origin" that hadn't showered in 2-3 days (at least) was in front of me and, naturally, hadn't filled out the departure card so I got to bask in his stench even longer. Soooo glad he was on a different airline (and that I hadn't eaten anything that morning). It was that bad ! I could never imagine going out into public smelling like that.

Otherwise, everything in the Departure area of Swampy looked pretty much as per normal. Tourism numbers are down, but it sounds like they are starting to climb again (and it is low season right now as well so you could expect fewer arrivals). Often depends on the day too.

I recall someone mentioning a long time ago about how it seems the largest "groups" of people arrive on Sundays ? Can't remember of the largest "outbound" groups depart the same day or the next day. Maybe it's Thursdays for the outbounds (TOT claims the average tourist spends 10 days in Thailand).

Though at the height of high season, pretty much everyday looks the same there. Suvarnabhumi apparently handled upwards of what, 51,363,451 passengers last year (coming and going) ? That works out to an average of a little over 140,000 per day. or (just for fun) approx 2,900 arrivals and 2,900 departures per hour, every hour of every day of the year.

I'm betting the place will be a madhouse (again) in November (or sooner).

[richusa]

October/November to Feb....busy season

[Can samui]

Hey Kerry, your post brought me back to the abject misery experienced by anyone finishing their leave and heading back to the big sandbox.

You still at KAF?

Cheers, Kevin from Camp Julien.

[mataleo]

about 2 weeks back took a day flight to samui, departures was dead and flight was about 30% full

... but tourist numbers up up up according to TAT lulz

U sure its going up

Here it says its down

http://www.bangkokpost.com/most-recent/427068/july-tourist-arrivals-fall-10-9

Well u say low seson?

Its 30% less arrivals then same month Last year..

[Maestro]

Removed an off-topic post.

[Dellie]

The airport closed this morning because there were no travellers today. Set to reopen on friday.

On a more serious note, I fly in and out of Thailand very frequently (several times a month) and haven't noticed that much of a difference compared to the last few years.

[mataleo]

The airport closed this morning because there were no travellers today. Set to reopen on friday.

On a more serious note, I fly in and out of Thailand very frequently (several times a month) and haven't noticed that much of a difference compared to the last few years.

Was dead today

And i counted people. It was 3

[BusyB]

It's holiday time here in Europe, and it's hot and raining in Thailand,,, just wait a few months when the rainy

season ends and the weather cools down,, more people will travel then i think.

Lufthansa's FRA-BKK flights are already pretty well booked mid-November.

[kkerry]

I've been on three mid-week flights, Australia to Bangkok in the last two months, 95-100% full... on a 335 seat Dreamliner each time so Australians are still choosing to come to Thailand.

[ableguy]

Left Swampy yesterday (Tuesday) morning. The usual full crowds in/around the Departures area. What really surprised me was when I got to the Premier (Fast Track) Immigration lanes and saw 4 lines of people, backed up almost to the security screeners ! I've never seen that many people in there at once before.

Didn't help that every second person had a herd of kids with them (and each kid had to be held up to get their pic taken of course).

Really didn't help that the "person of Mediterranean or Middle Eastern origin" that hadn't showered in 2-3 days (at least) was in front of me and, naturally, hadn't filled out the departure card so I got to bask in his stench even longer. Soooo glad he was on a different airline (and that I hadn't eaten anything that morning). It was that bad ! I could never imagine going out into public smelling like that.

Otherwise, everything in the Departure area of Swampy looked pretty much as per normal. Tourism numbers are down, but it sounds like they are starting to climb again (and it is low season right now as well so you could expect fewer arrivals). Often depends on the day too.

I recall someone mentioning a long time ago about how it seems the largest "groups" of people arrive on Sundays ? Can't remember of the largest "outbound" groups depart the same day or the next day. Maybe it's Thursdays for the outbounds (TOT claims the average tourist spends 10 days in Thailand).

Though at the height of high season, pretty much everyday looks the same there. Suvarnabhumi apparently handled upwards of what, 51,363,451 passengers last year (coming and going) ? That works out to an average of a little over 140,000 per day. or (just for fun) approx 2,900 arrivals and 2,900 departures per hour, every hour of every day of the year.

I'm betting the place will be a madhouse (again) in November (or sooner).

If you can believe TAT. Every other department lies as they do.

[ameadi]

Quite crowded yesteday 19th morning

[ameadi]

Quite crowded yesteday 19th morning

[IsaanUSA]

These threads are always silly. "Hello, I was at this place at one very small point in time. It was not busy, SO WE MUST CONCLUDE that it is never busy".

It's an airport. Sometimes you have an A380 dumping out a ton of people (500-800 per plane!), sometime you have a little ATR letting out a few dozen people. It can change every minute.

[JesseFrank]

It's holiday time here in Europe, and it's hot and raining in Thailand,,, just wait a few months when the rainy

season ends and the weather cools down,, more people will travel then i think.

Lufthansa's FRA-BKK flights are already pretty well booked mid-November.

When I tried to book a flight on China airlines to Amsterdam last month, I was told that it was full for the next 2 months, checking on the China website confirmed that.

So when I booked a flight at a random date almost 2 months ahead I was put on waiting list for departure and return flight.

Less than 15 minutes later I received a call from CI that both flights were confirmed.

[Friendly Stranger]

Alot of North Americans arrive between 10:30p and 1am, this is if coming through the west.

[pookiki]

I arrived back in Bangkok at 2330 on 11 August on an international flight. The second leg was from Soeul. At immigration, it was the first time EVER that I didn't have to wait at immigration. Many of the officers not doing anything. I would think that the numerous observations in this thread show a decrease in tourism. But the current political climate does not lead to much factual information being available.

[tigermoth]

Been in and out of the airport 3 times this year its so quiet its eerie, no immigration queue i think someone is lying about tourist numbers.

Of course they are lying about tourist figures. Every bar owner, shop keeper, taxi driver you talk to will tell you that business has never been so bad.

[mataleo]

Left Swampy yesterday (Tuesday) morning. The usual full crowds in/around the Departures area. What really surprised me was when I got to the Premier (Fast Track) Immigration lanes and saw 4 lines of people, backed up almost to the security screeners ! I've never seen that many people in there at once before.

Didn't help that every second person had a herd of kids with them (and each kid had to be held up to get their pic taken of course).

Really didn't help that the "person of Mediterranean or Middle Eastern origin" that hadn't showered in 2-3 days (at least) was in front of me and, naturally, hadn't filled out the departure card so I got to bask in his stench even longer. Soooo glad he was on a different airline (and that I hadn't eaten anything that morning). It was that bad ! I could never imagine going out into public smelling like that.

Otherwise, everything in the Departure area of Swampy looked pretty much as per normal. Tourism numbers are down, but it sounds like they are starting to climb again (and it is low season right now as well so you could expect fewer arrivals). Often depends on the day too.

I recall someone mentioning a long time ago about how it seems the largest "groups" of people arrive on Sundays ? Can't remember of the largest "outbound" groups depart the same day or the next day. Maybe it's Thursdays for the outbounds (TOT claims the average tourist spends 10 days in Thailand).

Though at the height of high season, pretty much everyday looks the same there. Suvarnabhumi apparently handled upwards of what, 51,363,451 passengers last year (coming and going) ? That works out to an average of a little over 140,000 per day. or (just for fun) approx 2,900 arrivals and 2,900 departures per hour, every hour of every day of the year.

I'm betting the place will be a madhouse (again) in November (or sooner).

If you can believe TAT. Every other department lies as they do.

http://www.bangkokpost.com/most-recent/427068/july-tourist-arrivals-fall-10-9

[khunbillmex]

.../average of a little over 140,000 per day. or (just for fun) approx 2,900 arrivals and 2,900 departures per hour, every hour of every day of the year.

but of course that 2900x2 are pax not flights so 5800 pax/hr by let's say 250pax/flight=11.6 flights in per hours and another 11.6 f/p/h out.

Seems about right given there are many 'dead hours' per day. 5 flights/per hour in as well as 5 flights per hour out

[mataleo]

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/business/Tourism-business-in-Pattaya-expected-to-contract-t-30241382.html

Tourism business in Pattaya expected to contract this year

[Kerryd]

<script type='text/javascript'>window.mod_pagespeed_start = Number(new Date());</script>

Hey Kerry, your post brought me back to the abject misery experienced by anyone finishing their leave and heading back to the big sandbox.
You still at KAF?
Cheers, Kevin from Camp Julien.

Oh yeah ! KAF forever (ish) ! Fortunately I only had to deal with the one smelly guy, for a short period. Not like when flying out from Camp Julien on Ariana or Kam air with a whole planeload of people that have never heard of a shower (or clean clothes apprently) !

.../average of a little over 140,000 per day. or (just for fun) approx 2,900 arrivals and 2,900 departures per hour, every hour of every day of the year.

but of course that 2900x2 are pax not flights so 5800 pax/hr by let's say 250pax/flight=11.6 flights in per hours and another 11.6 f/p/h out.

Seems about right given there are many 'dead hours' per day. 5 flights/per hour in as well as 5 flights per hour out

Roger that. Many is the time I've arrived, been the first off the plane and scurried my wee butt off to Immigration only to see 2 planeloads had arrived just before me. Most annoying to finally get to the counter, look behind you and see hardly anyone has arrived after your flight (how is it that every other flight manages to land before mine) !!

They actually do schedule flights from certain areas to arrive within certain time periods it seems. Almost every flight I've taken from the M.E. into Bangkok has arrived between 7-8 in the morning (Thai, Emirates, Air India, Gulf Air) while almost every flight I've taken from the WBest Coast of Canada has arrived in the late evening between 11 pm and 1 am, (JAL, Air China, Cathay). The only odd balls are when I've had a long layover somewhere (like in Manila on Philippines Air).

[gk10002000]

Mid-August to Mid-October or thereabouts are usually very slow.

Good time period to get, or to ask, about "Special Promotions" at hotels & resorts..

He he. I have been offered many "Special Promotions" over the years. Make sure you see the room and make sure you know the going rates for the area are.

[marcusd]

My friend flew 20 Aug bkk to Melbourne. Normally a packed 777. This time only 68 on board. Never before I 10 years and he comes every 8 weeks