Japanese man shaming Suvarnabhumi in Thai goes viral

[Time Traveller]

Why should the airport be different? It's just the same as the service tourists get everywhere. Scams, ripoffs, lazy and agressive public officials, vendors that don't know how to smile or even understand customer service.

No, the airport IS exactly the same as the rest fo the country.

[Suradit69]

For a massive airport, the toilets are a disgrace. Fortunately, I got to use the Royal Orchid lounge last time I was there. Very comfortable.

"Fortunately, I got to use the Royal Orchid lounge ..."

So why were you scoping out the toilets used by the masses?

[sanuk711]

The attitude of . This is our country we don't need you to foreigner , has really got to change. I am looking forward to the rise of Burma. As soon as it is on its feet a bit, I have plan to spend my days there. I am sure the foreigners are welcomed with open arms. The same as thai are welcomed and well cared for in my country

So no visa needed for them on arrival in your country greenchair, same as you here, just roll up to the Airport & get 30 days.????

.

Come on Greenchair.........gives us all a good laugh & name your country that welcomes Thai's with open arms & cares for them.......(my wife's sisters all want to know the name)........... .

[realenglish1]

I really don't get Thai Immigration. One hour wait in lines to clear immigration when there are 2 people in the Thai national line and 7 booths empty no officer, nothing.

Increase the manpower Get more officers This is the airport not some backward port of entry.

[ttthailand]

All the money Thailand spends on advertising is wasted as the experience starts off on a bad note.

Thailand you need to understand that "You only get one chance to make a first impression".

[theyoungone]

Has this guy landed at Heathrow recently?! Now this is an airport worth complaining about.

[Suradit69]

I really don't get Thai Immigration. One hour wait in lines to clear immigration when there are 2 people in the Thai national line and 7 booths empty no officer, nothing.

Increase the manpower Get more officers This is the airport not some backward port of entry.

I've just walked over to the immigration desk for Thai nationals with no one queued up, presented my passport and got stamped in with no fuss ... several times. One time when I was met by an airport staffer before clearing immigrations and I was running late, she took me to the desk for diplomats and I went through in a couple of minutes. Mai bpen rai.

If he thinks Suvarnabhumi is bad, he should try LAX...

I agree. The last time I flew out of there to Thailand the queue to clear security at check in took forever and the United Airlines people I had to deal with getting from Chicago to LA all seemed to have anger management issues. I felt an amazing sense of relief & escape with the first wai from a stewardess on Thai Airways.

I'm pretty sure Heathrow could win a prize as well. Some of the people one has to deal with there have got surly and obnoxious mastered well beyond anything on display in the worst situations in Thailand.

Edited January 20, 2015 by Suradit69

[ChrisB87]

Good man! Tell them how it is! But frankly it doesn't bother me if they chase away all their tourists. They don't deserve any if that's how they treat 'em!

Since when did the taxis at Suvarnabhum start doing that? It's been a while since i was there, they always used their meters before (at the taxi ticket stop downstairs). Just a 50 baht charge for airport taxi. Something must have changed, but when?

[sanuk711]

Has this guy landed at Heathrow recently?! Now this is an airport worth complaining about.

Yer had an early flight out of there with the wife a while back, so had some breakfast. Two fry ups, two coffees and two jam doughnuts. I got to the cashier and I said, "I'm sorry, love, but I only have a £50 note."

.

"That's okay," she said, "just put the doughnuts back.................................

.

.

PS...just an old joke ...... but it is just a tad more Exy than BKK....

[ChiangmaiRob]

And let´s not forget the lousy barriers at the departure level preventing you from grabbing a taxi that has just dropped off pax and is more than willing to take you "on meter" without any hassle.

You can go through these no problem, just stop the revolving gate at the right spot and there's enough space to pass through. If you're in a hurry and particularly if you're travelling any distance, just be sure to ask the driver if his gas tank is full otherwise you could end up waithing in a queue at the gas station for 45 - 50 mins!

Edited January 20, 2015 by ChiangmaiRob

[SunsetT]

Parades, music and dancing is not so important to display Thainess to the tourists.

Displaying Thainess at your national airport, the very first entry point to your country, is more important and will be remembered.

I believe that there is a sense and understanding of priorities missing here.

Your wrong! The Parades, music and dancing are for themselves, not for tourists...................Any excuse for a piss up, sorry......party...............lol!

Edited January 20, 2015 by SunsetT

[Halion]

Like nearly all projects in this country there is little supervision, control or for that mater interest. Put simply "it sucks"

[humqdpf]

I am not sure I recognise the airport that people are describing in this forum.

I have never encountered stinky toilets but have you every been to Heathrow? Yes, the lines at immigration can be long but have you ever been to Heathrow? How about international arrivals in India? Or Manila? Even getting out of the country in Manila airport can be a drag too, for those who have experienced it.

Wistful for a little down-home charm and politeness, don't arrive on an international flight at Newark (USA)! Actually, don't depart from Newark either - last time my flight left for Singapore at around midnight but the bar and restaurant in the airport shut at 9pm. This was times with precision following 3 hours of being hounded by homeland security, searches etc (this was back in 2008). At least Suvarnabhumi is open 24 hours and you can always get a cup of coffee the way you like it or a beer or food.

And those long walks from immigration to your flight gate? Yes but not as long as Dublin (new terminal), new Terminal (Queen Elizabeth) at Heathrow not to mention the maze that involves going upstairs to go downstairs so as to go back upstairs at Heathrow Terminal 5 plus the train that is so overcrowded with understandably grumpy passengers that you sometimes have to wait for several trains to be able to get on with your hand luggage. And that terminal is only recently built, more recently built than Swampy, may I add!

In Heathrow and in a few European capitals, count your change when you buy something for cash in a shop. Almost invariably, you will be short-changed, especially if you look jet-lagged. I don't find that in Swampy.

What was wrong with Swampy in the past could still be wrong for all I know - the stuff I especially despised was the dirty little scam involving the King Power security guys who would arrest foreigners on trumped-up shoplifting charges. So I just decided not to shop at King Power. And I still decline to shop there.

Yes, the taxi drivers can be a surly bunch. But how would you feel if your income had not been increased in nominal terms for years? Someone remind me but is it really 15 years (or more!) since the taxi fares went up? Which international airport provides you with a taxi service that costs a little over US$10 to drive the 30 or 40 km into town? I feel sorry for these guys and am usually able to bargain them down to Baht 300 plus 50 airport charge plus highway tolls to drive without meter. And if it is Baht 400, who cares! And if he offers Baht700, bargain with him - this is Asia after all and bargaining is expected! If you don't bargain, the taxi driver will just think you have so much money that Baht400 means nothing to you (it just might pay for 4 beers in a Bangkok bar, if you are lucky and in that context when you are buying a round of beers, the Baht 400 probably won't mean that much to you anyway!

The real fault in relation to taxis is with the arrogant authorities who have made the taxi fares so cheap that it is not worth the driver's while to turn on his engine.

It appears that we seem to want European politeness (which is a myth anyway), American service standards but at North Korean prices!

[ttthailand]

Has this guy landed at Heathrow recently?! Now this is an airport worth complaining about.

all true but The Brits don't advertise their land as "The Land of Smiles" and you can bet your ass that the taxi will use the meter.

Tourists come here expecting what they see advertised. But their first day is likely to be much different.

Typical new arrival's first 4 hours in Thailand:

Arrive at airport and wait 30+ minutes to clear Immigration. After clearing customs mafia people approach and try putting you in expensive taxi ( 800 baht to town) which having no real idea you accept. Get to hotel and go out in Bangkok for dinner and shopping. Walking down Sukhumvit and be propositioned by black and Thai hookers and ladyboys. You have little children trying to sell you gum while you are walking by dildos, fake watches, copy name brand shirts, pocket books etc.... You sit down on the street to eat some noodles and you see rats running around your feet. After paying inflated farang price you decide to move on. Thinking about going back to hotel guys approach showing you sheets listing pingpong and sex shows. Walk a little more and a Tuktuk driver wants to take you to get body massage or to meet girls. being tired and overwhelmed you go to get a taxi back to your hotel that should cost 50 baht and they ask for 200 baht. Not knowing and only wanting to get back you pay the money and head back to your hotel hopefully without being stopped by police for a piss test ..... You have only been in Thailand for 4 hours and are already ready to go back home.

[Si Thea01]

From what I hear and read, it appears that many people coming here get the run around and are not treated well at Thailand's international gateway. I have never experienced anything but courteous treatment, a big smile and many people going out of their way to make me comfortable. The last occasion I flew home, I had about 6 hours to wait and I was taken to a room, where I was able to wait and also sleep until my flight was due to be boarded.

When I return, never had to wait at immigration, taken through the VIP or diplomatic section, then to the carousel with a porter assisting me. No queue downstairs for a taxi, taken to the upper level, where a passing taxi is hailed and after the metre is activated, I enter and then driven to my destination. I only travel cattle class, am not a VIP but I do have problem with my legs and cannot walk much more than 100 metres, so the airline either provides me with one of those electric vehicles or a wheel chair.

With the service provided by the airlines, doesn't matter which company, and that provided by the airport personnel, I cannot give more praise and thanks to those people who have gone out of their way to assist me, and none, and I mean none, have ever asked or sought a payment but I make sure the porter gets a good tip for taking me from the plane all the way to the taxi or vice a versa..

[JohnThailandJohn]

An international airport where nobody speaks english......Thailand only!

Maybe this is a reflection or your English as I have never had an issue communicating in English with anyone at the airport ... though I have to admit never tried to chat up the women cleaning the bathrooms as I take a wiz. After countless times of going through have never had a taxi driver not understand where I am going in English but would suspect this could be an issue sometimes as it sometimes is in the US too when it comes to taxi drivers and having conversational English skills.

[harada]

Aren't they a disgrace of this country? They show laziness and lack of generosity to foreigners."

I have said in the article concerning Poll: Discover Thainess campaign that such a campaign should be directed to the Thais themselves because they have lost their Thainess.

When the question "What is there in it for me?" carries more importance than the sense of right and wrong, the Thais have lost their graciousness, which is an important trait leading to genuine friendliness and real smiles.

Now a Japanese is shouting out on this lost of graciousness.

I think that you are right on the money here trogers, and I think having the life sucked out of their country by successive corrupt governments has a lot to do with most Thais losing their graciousness.

[krystian]

He claims he works here for 10 years,, then why is he so new to these kind of issues LOL

[Suffinator]

I still have found memories of the day I finally left Thailand. It was a 35 minute wait at immigration. On approaching the counter the officers examined every page of my passport and then the conversation went as the following:

Imm Off - You no have re-entry permit.

Me - Yes I'm moving to another country but may visit from time to time for a holiday.

Imm Off - So Thailand not good enough for farang. Good see you go, hope not come back.

At the end of that comment he literally threw my passport at me and I had to pick it up off the floor.

Yes Thainess, such a warm and welcoming bunch and since leaving I haven't return and have no plans to do so because Thainess doesn't fit in with my moral beliefs of integrity, morals and common decency towards others regardless of where you come from.

Thailand certainly changed a lot in the near 20 years I was there and unfortunately none of it for the better.

[Kalbo]

Too few and stinky toilets, personell can't speak english, too crowded at the check-inn, not enough smoking area's, no "good day sir" or smile, very long qeueu's, crappy dirty taxi's and driversmentality, restaurants can't speak english, restaurants can't speak english, no free wifi, too few seats for the A380 plane's, and airline groundstaff can't speak english

"Too few and stinky toilets".

Plenty of toilets and I've never come across a "stinky" one.

"personell can't speak english".

People that travellers need do speak enough English. Don't you speak Thai?

"too crowded at the check-inn"

Check in earlier.

"not enough smoking area's".

That only be a good thing, but who really cares and is it that important?

" very long qeueu's".

Is there one airport anywhere that doesn't have queues?

"crappy dirty taxi's and driversmentality".

Definitely not the responsibility of the airport.

"restaurants can't speak english".

The airport doesn't run the restaurants? This is not an English speaking country, you know.

"no free wifi".

It's an airport, do your internet stuff before or after you get there, or use your phone for contact.

"too few seats for the A380 plane's".

Which was there first, the airport or the A380s?

"airline groundstaff can't speak english".

All the staff speak enough English to do their job.

From the above post, I can only hope that you are not in the manufacturing industry. There is such a thing as Continual Improvement, which as you may have guessed from the name,

is about improving things. Now, in order to improve items,areas, services etc, it is first necessary to identify the problem areas, which the Japanese fella has very kindly done.

The 'fixing' or improving part is now an easy set of tasks, assuming that the mindset is that of improving what one presents to customers.

It is people such as yourself , with an extremely ready acceptance of mediocrity and a 'mai pen rai' attitude that ensures that improvement only occurs at a snail's pace, if ever.

[laolover88]

Thais are totally self absorbed with tremendous over inflated sense of self importance. They couldn't care less. They are oblivious to anything outside their own existence. They are in a state of simple consciousness. They cannot see the world around them or themselves in it. They are in the plane of simple consciousness, like cattle grazing in the field. Only knows its own existence and its next cud.

Funny thats what I think about the English when I fly into London.

You can find somebody native English when you fly into LHR/LGW? I think not

[smutcakes]

I still have found memories of the day I finally left Thailand. It was a 35 minute wait at immigration. On approaching the counter the officers examined every page of my passport and then the conversation went as the following:

Imm Off - You no have re-entry permit.

Me - Yes I'm moving to another country but may visit from time to time for a holiday.

Imm Off - So Thailand not good enough for farang. Good see you go, hope not come back.

At the end of that comment he literally threw my passport at me and I had to pick it up off the floor.

Yes Thainess, such a warm and welcoming bunch and since leaving I haven't return and have no plans to do so because Thainess doesn't fit in with my moral beliefs of integrity, morals and common decency towards others regardless of where you come from.

Thailand certainly changed a lot in the near 20 years I was there and unfortunately none of it for the better.

I would be extremely surprised if that is true.

Some people must just have a face or character which draws these people out. I have been here about 10 years or so and could count the problems i have had at the airport, with taxis etc on one hand. Other people seemingly run into these problems on a near daily basis.

[theyoungone]

The immigration queues at Heathrow are a national disgrace. I Dont know what peoples problems are with the taxies outside bkk. Get in taxi. Ask for meter..if no Meter get out of taxi. Repeat until taxi is found that will use meter. Tip the driver. Move on. Dont stay down shukmvit road if you Dont want to see that sort of thing. Take.your kids to butlins not Thailand. Heathrow is a dump and ANY black cab outside will rip you off have you seen the price of a London black cab recently? . Black cabs won't exist in 3 years they will be a novelty like old red buses only used on some tourist routes.

Edited January 20, 2015 by theyoungone

[Jarearn]

Though there are of course areas with room for improvement, I have been for the most part pleased with the service given me at the airports in Thailand.

[deecee10]

Too few and stinky toilets, personell can't speak english, too crowded at the check-inn, not enough smoking area's, no "good day sir" or smile, very long qeueu's, crappy dirty taxi's and driversmentality, restaurants can't speak english, restaurants can't speak english, no free wifi, too few seats for the A380 plane's, and airline groundstaff can't speak english

"Too few and stinky toilets".

Plenty of toilets and I've never come across a "stinky" one.

"personell can't speak english".

People that travellers need do speak enough English. Don't you speak Thai?

"too crowded at the check-inn"

Check in earlier.

"not enough smoking area's".

That only be a good thing, but who really cares and is it that important?

" very long qeueu's".

Is there one airport anywhere that doesn't have queues?

"crappy dirty taxi's and driversmentality".

Definitely not the responsibility of the airport.

"restaurants can't speak english".

The airport doesn't run the restaurants? This is not an English speaking country, you know.

"no free wifi".

It's an airport, do your internet stuff before or after you get there, or use your phone for contact.

"too few seats for the A380 plane's".

Which was there first, the airport or the A380s?

"airline groundstaff can't speak english".

All the staff speak enough English to do their job.

How very Thai of you.

Just as well the country isn't a tourist destination.

[Jonmarleesco]

'“When passengers ask for information, staff just keep playing with their smartphones ...”' It takes all their attention, trying to prove the phone isn't always smarter than they are.

For the rest, what can one do but agree?

[JAG]

Has this guy landed at Heathrow recently?! Now this is an airport worth complaining about.

Ah yes, Heathrow Terminal 3 - the authentic 3rd world travel experience!

[Tezzap]

It's a shame really. Everywhere I go it's like this nowadays. Even paying a bill for True or AIS can be bothersome. The younger Thai really don't seem to care much. Mai care is an often heard word.

[Jonmarleesco]

The immigration queues at Heathrow are a national disgrace. I Dont know what peoples problems are with the taxies outside bkk. Get in taxi. Ask for meter..if no Meter get out of taxi. Repeat until taxi is found that will use meter. Tip the driver. Move on. Dont stay down shukmvit road if you Dont want to see that sort of thing. Take.your kids to butlins not Thailand. Heathrow is a dump and ANY black cab outside will rip you off have you seen the price of a London black cab recently? . Black cabs won't exist in 3 years they will be a novelty like old red buses only used on some tourist routes.

'The immigration queues at Heathrow are a national disgrace.' They often are, as is much else about Heathrow. But we are talking of Suvarnabhumi.

'Get in taxi. Ask for meter..if no Meter get out of taxi. Repeat until taxi is found that will use meter. Tip the driver. Move on.' Or ... recognise that it's the likes of you that perpetuate such unacceptable behaviour.

'... have you seen the price of a London black cab recently?' Why would you take a Black Cab from Heathrow?

'Black cabs won't exist in 3 years ...' Really? That would be a very sudden decline, given how long they have been in existence.

[JAG]

The immigration queues at Heathrow are a national disgrace. I Dont know what peoples problems are with the taxies outside bkk. Get in taxi. Ask for meter..if no Meter get out of taxi. Repeat until taxi is found that will use meter. Tip the driver. Move on. Dont stay down shukmvit road if you Dont want to see that sort of thing. Take.your kids to butlins not Thailand. Heathrow is a dump and ANY black cab outside will rip you off have you seen the price of a London black cab recently? . Black cabs won't exist in 3 years they will be a novelty like old red buses only used on some tourist routes.

" Had that 'theyoungman' geezer in the back of my cab the other day, blimey who does he think he is, David Mellor?

That will be £37.80 guvnor. A bit steep you say? Well it was 4 miles, and I've done the bleeding knowledge yer know! Keep the change? Bless you gov.... Don't let the door hit you on the way out!"