Suvarnabhumi Airport

[noctiluca]

Hi all,

Yesterday I had a chance to visit the new airport out there at the fringe of the city. After all those gossips and news you may have heard, the entire airport is, no doubt, going to be grand and invoking pride in many hearts of Thais; however, ONLY ONCE IT IS TRUELY AND COMPLETELY FINISHED AND CERTIFIED. You can expect problems here and there from now on, hopefully small ones that do not require complexity to fix. Personally, I think the design, particularly the interior design, although having the grandeur feeling about it, is a little bit off, for me anyway. I am not saying it is not beautiful. It is just not my cup of tea, particularly the roof structure that reminds me of huge industrial factory. Not to mention the white canvas! How and how often you need to keep cleaning it!!

Anyway, enough about bitching and back to the topic, I just want to add that, for those of you who need to get to or travel from the new airport, there are now public BMTA bus lines that can take you, if you don't have personal transportion and don't want to pay too much for a taxi ride. (Although I heard it would cost about 150-160 Baht one-way a taxi ride via the Express Way, plus 50 Baht toll fee.)

There are several bus lines, both local and express buses. One of them is express bus line connecting Don Muang and Suvarnaphumi. I would choose the express one though if I were you, to avoid the notorious traffic jam of BKK. Here is the web site for more information:

http://www.bmta.co.th/index.htm

N.B. Unfortunately, I don't think they put it up in English yet.

The best bet, if you live in central Bangkok, would be to ride a BTS sky train to Victory Monument Station. Then catch a Suvarnabhumi Airport bus, 551, from the old Fashion Mall/Robinson Department Store side. Number 551 will run from Victory Monument, entering Express Way in Din Daeng, via Rama IX and the Eastern Sea Board (BKK-Chonburi) Motorway, to Suvarnabhumi Airport. The fare to the new airport is only 35 Baht one-way, and it does not take long to get there, with the express/motorway and all. Just a reminder, these buses are not really equipped with overhead luggage compartment or any specific storage area for bags. So, if you have big bags or packages you need to carry with you, it's best to call a cab.

Just to give you an alternative, for those who worry about how to travel to the new airport, with the airport rail link won't be finished in a couple of years and all. (And that is a shame!!)

[lomatopo]

Thanks for the update.

Does this 551 bus run right to the terminal(s)?

I read that there will be guided tours at the new airport begining 1 August. Does anyone have any more detail on those tours?

[Charma]

Buses for trips to the airport with no room for luggage. Amazing!

[Erwin1011]

Buses for trips to the airport with no room for luggage. Amazing!

Not so amazing, I would say. Thailand is only interested in well heeled tourists who use limousines and to some extend taxis....

[noctiluca]

Thanks for the update.

Does this 551 bus run right to the terminal(s)?

I read that there will be guided tours at the new airport begining 1 August. Does anyone have any more detail on those tours?

All buses actually stop at the airport bus terminal. The rental car offices and taxi pick-up/drop-off building are also adjacent to this. The bus terminal will eventually has a shopping arcade inside too. Then, you have to transfer to an express bus (different from the one you ride from the city) that runs right to the main terminal (a local one will stop, I would assume, for airport employees/workers at different buidlings along the way before reaching the terminal). When the Novotel Airport Hotel opens, the city-airport rail will stop in the hotel's lobby before reaching the destination at the underground level of the main terminal. Of course, this only applies to when the rail link is complete (whenever it might be!). I heard the express train from the city will cost about 150 Baht. That is subject to change, of course.

[asanee]

Not so amazing, just the SAME (ching-ching!) as now those many buses PASSING DonMuang and coming from rangsit. Theyre mainly aiming at airportWORKERS, like the 510 To Mochit-Vict.MON), etc.

PLUS the normal airportbuses (the 100 baht exprss ones) will also MOVE over to the new airpt when it fianlly opens. Same route/nrs, same destinations, only the airport end changes, nrs AB1- to 4

[PeaceBlondie]

Noctiluca, I think your name in Spanish means a bright light shining in the night. Thanks for the info.

[noctiluca]

Noctiluca, I think your name in Spanish means a bright light shining in the night. Thanks for the info.

I think it literally means "Night Light". No problem at all. I just think this could be helpful to some.

[noctiluca]

I've just heard there was a couple of young farangs being misinformed, by some idiot travel agent, to believe that their plane would depart from Suvarnabhumi. They went their on a shuttle bus on Aug 1, only to be informed that they were at the wrong airport (and at the wrong time!). The new airport won't be opened until late September, that is, f you believe the government. Unfortunately, they arrived too early! Waaayyyy too early.

Anyway, luckily, someone led them to a call a cab to travel to Don Muang. It was probably a b*tch for them to lose their precious time to catch their flight (that is if they were lucky enough to catch it in time), not to mention the taxi expense and the toll way fee.

I feel very bad for them. They probably cursed the travel agency all the way to Don Muang. I hope this won't taint their stay in Thailand, though. If so, that would be a shame. Anyway, on the plus side (if you could call it), they got to take some photos at the new airport!