Japanese man shaming Suvarnabhumi in Thai goes viral

[thaiguzzi]

As airports go, i like it.

[EyesWideOpen]

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.

Haha I will be doing the same thing in a few months when I move back to the states.

I will have no re-entry permit on the retirement visa in my passport , so I will be curious if my

passport is thrown back at me.. :-) There are a lot of posters here that think Thailand does

not want endless farangs, so maybe the immigration guy should have smiled when he realized

you were not coming back. And yes there have many changes, and none to the better.....

And yes back to topic, it is a crap airport that was riddled with corruption. Flying from

Incheon airport to Suvarnabhumi airport is a depressing change. At the Seoul airport they

offer free city tours if you have a long layover. It is levels of service that the Bangkok

airport cannot even dream of.... Free showers, free easy to access internet, sleeping

areas, swimming pool, and on and on and on and on. I am pretty sure the command

structure of that airport has meetings where they figure out how to make travelers happy.

If there are any meetings at the Suvarnabhumi airport, it would be how to divide up the

money...... I loved it when that guy came forward and told how much money he paid

to Thaksin's wife to get the parking concession at the airport. He failed to get the concession

and wanted his money back. A day or two later he went real quiet, am curious if he

is still alive or not. Anyway that was part of the origins of the airport, no wonder things

are not running well....

Edited January 20, 2015 by EyesWideOpen

[laolover88]

I don't think Swampy is that bad. Sure it is not Changi, but then BKK is not Singapore, but neither is it Jakarta or Manila. Can't believe this trust in taxi meters, though!

Anyway it appears most arriving and departing passengers in any airport are stressed out so no wonder their views.

What always shocks me more is that Heathrow/Charles de Gaulle/almost all US and Canadian gateways are execrable. There are various simple devices to use. One is not to be hooked on direct flights. For LHR a European stopover will avoid the appalling Terminal 3. Also if you are a Brit for LHR get a biometric passport for the gates....(oops sorry they are broken)( and don't work for kids ) For BKK the obvious thing is to make a stopover which then arrives you at Don Muang. I use both Changi and KL for this. If you are solo you can't do this but arrival at BKK with a Thai partner or child avoids 'farang' immigration..most Thais are sailing through electronic gates. A P referred to 'Continuous Improvement'. Sure but there is also Quality Control and in spite of a multitude of irrelevant placards on buildings inviting us to believe they have achieved some 'Quality Standard' the whole idea has not really penetrated Thai business culture. Of course it requires definitions of standards and processes for administering iit. Then there is 'Just In Time' response to demand. Sadly in LOS this appears to have become 'Not Quite In Time or Just a Minute'

[oxo1947]

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.

Wow talk about ..."Back to Fantasy land.." --he Threw my passport onto the floor-----oh yes......what does your nose measure now..suffinator......??....................

Edited January 20, 2015 by oxo1947

[harada]

'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?

Its a bit scary going through check in at Don Mueang when the people who are supposed to be scanning baggage are letting passengers bybass the scanners because they have all got their faces in their smartphones.

[Shaunduhpostman]

Don't disagree with the OP's complaints at all, but you either take it all as par for the course, work out other options, strategies to avoid problems and stress and try to cope or lose your mind being in a state of semi-supressed rage at how nobody seems to do anything right everywhere you go in Thailand. Half of that frustration is just going to be based on your own thinking and judging anyway which is up to you to manage, not Thailand. If you want things to go well or mostly well here, you do have to apply yourself and even then things too easily go not according to plan here...but that is just how it is and it ain't gone change for a long time if it ever does.

The op's issues are resident foreigner issues mostly, most tourists are going to be less bothered to put up with being stiffed, ignored, not understood or glowered at a few times, it isn't going to ruin their holidays. Overcharged by a taxi driver? "Oh well, thats what i get for being a dumb tourist! Still only a third the cost of a taxi back home! haha! Let's get on with our wonderful holiday!" For us expats, it begins to get to you and you have to find a way to manage or else find your self getting 20 replies to your Thai_visa posts saying: WELL, IF YOU DON"T LIKE IT GO HOME! Or even worse your drinking buddies getting sick of your moaning and saying the same thing.I understand the OPs frustration and outrage, but the kind of things he's complaining about are really not going to register as much with most tourists.

As for national pride, I'm sorry to say, imho, people here just don't take pride in a job well done generally speaking, for numerous reasons. So, appealing to Thai's sense of national shame because they are doing a poor job isn't going to work. As I see it, it's just the culture and the set of circumstances that has lead to a sitaution where people are not going to do their job properly or take responsibility for much of much. If someone blows you off, rips you you off, disrepects you, you can try and cope and see whats happened in a social context, you can ask, "Do Thai people get respect, rewards etc., for doing a good job, for being honest? Is any of that encouraged or appreciated here?" If you live here and take notice of what goes on here the answer is mostly that they will get the opposite, nothing but problems if they do their jobs.On a certain level it is not their fault that they abuse us tourists and expats and each other by not doing their jobs and by being generally irrepsonible 24/7. I am not saying there is any excuse at the end of the day, but it is far from a case of, oh these terrible bad people, this terrible bad country! Woe is me! I am a victim! But, they will draw attention to themselves by doing a good job and by that be laid open to jealousy and reprisal by their colleagues and superiors. Usually the way people are evaluated here and probably most countries is down to whether or not your colleagues and the boss likes you. Do your job and you'll be despised. They may be perceived as raising the bar as far as what everyone should be doing. The boss may well see good customer service as your switching allegiances, help the customer and you are on the customer's side! Why you not help me! You help them! Wha! What's wrong with you!" I have heard and witnessed this kind of mentality, as unbelieveable or unheard of as it is in my country. If you do something well, people who consider themselves better than you may well see what you have done and not appreciate your efforts. They may well see what you have done interms of, "Does that person deserve to have such a good thing associated with him of her? No! He or she does not! I am from a better family a better place than him, he has darker skin than I! How dare he! He's going to get it! Who does he think he is anyway?!" So to survive at a job, you just go into non-action mode. There is the added obstacle of no link made in anyone's mind between effort and some positive outcome. Incredible, but just the way it is here. People just don't subscribe to cause and effect. Good things just happen to you because you are cute or loved by all or in the right place at the right time, or something, if any causes are considered at all. No need to make any effort to get anything you want. You will just wake up someday with what you want right in your hands! So, if you happen to be there making yourself look like the 700 baht rip off fare that has materialized, then thats who and what you are no more or no less. Maybe in Japan where there is stronger work ethic, where people may generally be hard wired by their education system and social situation to see work=a usually positive outcome, there will be a sense of shame over some failure to provide good services for foreigners, but here the only thing people have is a kind of right to sabai sabai, and personally, I have to try and see things that way, as distorted as that may be in terms of how things are done and what is right and wrong in my own country and culture. Tho sometimes, the sabai sabai consolation for all th e inequities and tragedies of life for Thais, the way it works out is that the outsider gets left standing with the empty bag that has been paid for. So it is not that great for anyone who wants anything from them, such as a pleasant airport experience and I am not going to hold my breath waiting for Thais and Thailand to recognize how their social dynamics and relationships run rough shod over outsiders all the time.

In the case of Suvarnbhumi Airport, I don't use taxis to go or get out of there. The rail transit to city center is a much more pleasant option. Great views on the elevated railway, the cars are cleaner than most taxis, easier and quicker to get on, no traffic snarls, much safer, and I know 100% what I will have to pay, no fusses, no hassles, no wondering if the meter has been rigged or what have you. It's also cheaper.

Unfortunately, if you are not travelling light, then you'll still end up having to take a cab from the rail terminus to your in-city destination. The stations such as the Phetburi station are not conveniently linked to subway or sky train, in the case of that station, there is quite a stretch of not particularly smooth pavement and a pretty horrendous intersection to try and cross the rail road tracks and street to get to the subway station. That said the Ratchadamri station has a good bridge and direct link to the Skytrain and is your best option even if it is another 10 minutes further which you may have to back track along on skytrain. I never seem to carry much myself, so none of it is a worry for me.

If nothing else, the airport rail transit can at least deliver us all from the dastardly clutches of the Bangkok taxi mafia.

Stay well, work out your own sabai sabai bubble when in Thailand, with experience and a little fore-sight it gets easier!

[waighty]

I am sure you would be much more appreciated at home so farewell.

[taony]

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.

Wow talk about ..."Back to Fantasy land.." --he Threw my passport onto the floor-----oh yes......what does your nose measure now..suffinator......??....................

In October the guy in the VIP lane threw my passport back at me and said "Visa!" The passport would have went to the floor but I caught it. Since he explained nothing about what he meant, I started to walk through. He stopped me and said "Visa Number". I told him in Thai I had no idea what my visa number was as there are several stamps in the passport and no line that says"Visa Number". However there are things written on the sides all over the place, most of them numbers. I didn't know which was the visa number so I left that line blank on the arrival card. I said I don't know which is the visa number, there are too many numbers written everywhere. He took the passport back and sat there pouting while flipping through the pages. After about five minutes with no progress (he had no idea which was the visa number either) I said to give me back my passport so I could go to another line. And he did! Went to another line and all I did was slip the passport to him. He stood up over the counter, opened the page with the visa and showed me which one was the passport number (the least likely one IMO, its just the date then / and a one digit number). So from one butt munch to a nice guy. Point is, yes, they do throw passports.

[ChiangmaiRob]

I find it ridiculous that so many empty gates are unused but still you have to exit a domestic flight on the tarmac and get into a old hot bus to be driven to a gate and then walk hundreds of metres to immigration. It's a pathetic airport.

I always choose an airline that goes to don muang so I avoid this hellhole

Why would you need to go through immigration when coming off a domestic flight? Nevertheless, the bus drop off for both international and domestic flights cut out the long walk to immigration, or the domestic baggage claim hall, as the buses stop just at the opposite side of concourse D.

Don Muang is fine if your destination is north BKK but if you're heading south then it's got to be Suvarnabhumi. What works for some, doesn't for others.

[oxo1947]

Sorry taony, but looking at your past post's, there's nothing but a complete rant against Thai's. Whether its an airport, or its OK for us to drop rubbish as Thai's do. & then you tell us your quite fluent in the language, obviously been here some time, but don't even know where the visa number is on your passport is.

Please go join suffinator in the fantasy queue mate---There's room for you stand while you think up your next rant.

[SunsetT]

700 baht taxi! I know 3 good Swampy hotels who charge about that for one night including a free roundtrip airport transfer. I always stay in one of these as it takes all the stress out of arrival after a long tiring journey from the UK , Im usually in my hotel room within 30 mins, fed and watered, showered and snuggled up in a nice clean comfortable bed as soon as it suits me. I wake up next day refreshed and ready to fight the good fight against 'Thainess' in all its wonderful, crazy, irrational, and irritating forms during my 6 month stay.

[LawrenceChee]

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.

I am sorry that describes only one category of tourists in a few sois in Sukumvit

I propose a different kind of Thailand ...

Landed in swampy ...have an express immigration clearance at 850 baht pre-booked and watched the agaped mouths as you are escorted by a pretty lass to the front of the line

Once you clear customs...walk out to your private limo from Peninsula hotel ....a nice slow drive with a cup of champagne or orange juice while you settle down and relax hot towels in your hands

Arrived at Peninsula or Shangrila ...relax in a fantastic dim sum lunch at Meijiang and after that book a private boat to Wat Arun and watch the sunset from the cafes across at one of the fancy boutique hotels

For dinner ....head up for cocktails at Intercontinental Hotel Lounge by flashing your Visa Black / Infinite card and relax the night watching the heady lights of Bangkok

When you are done, engage in some great dinners at one of the fantastic restaurants available in Thonglor and watch the Thai ladies dressed in their nines chatting away

Preferable driver waiting ( as it is for top suite guests in Peninsula)

After that fall sleep in your down pillows and wish tomorrow will start for another adventure in Bangkok

[peterb17]

Get organised- use the meet and greet service- 1000baht.

Buggy to fast lane immigration- they will use the diplomatic channel if business is busy- porters will grab your luggage and then take it to your wating driver.

It's a pleasure- no hassle whatsoever.

Just organise in advance.

[MikeOboe57]

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!

While technically possible, the large number of security guards hovering around these gates made it look inadviseable.

[matman]

I came to Thailand for the first time in 2007, just shortly after the new airport opened, I ended up latterly living in Thailand, but travelling back to the UK twice a year to check on my home which was up for sale. Over the last 18 months my trips have been much more frequent due to having to return to the UK for operations and treatment for bladder cancer. Usually three months in UK, then two months in Thailand before the need to return to UK.

I must be in the minority as I have never had a bad experience at Suvarnabhumi, but perhaps that is because when I encounter a queue I’m not impatient. Coming into Suvanabhumi I have encountered queues at immigration, but these have eased with the introduction of staff who check the landing card form has been completed correctly prior to getting to an immigration officer. When I approach the immigration officer I greet him in his/her language, and show them in my passport where my visa is, rather than leave them to search through the pages themselves, I have always been treated courteously and quickly, and on leaving I thank them in their own language.

Last Time I departed from Suvanabhumi was in October 2014, The Emirates check in was open and checking in ‘all flights’ despite it being five hours prior to my departure time again there were checks prior to getting to immigration to ensure the required documentation was in place and completed correctly. At departure immigration there was less than 20 waiting, and there was no waiting at security. My only criticism, but this applies to all airports is the cost of food whilst waiting to board which is usually double the cost one could get away from the airport.

I fly out of Manchester UK, now there is an airport one could complain about, at the check in area, flights only open for check in a set time before departure, as I have to rely on the train to get to the airport, I am always prudent to arrive in good time. If you arrive before check in opens, there is no seating available for passengers waiting to check in, this is particularly stressful for families with children. Once having checked in, if your check in baggage is a ‘holdall’ or soft baggage, it has to be taken to another place to be accepted. Last time I travelled out to Thailand was July 2014, and it took nearly an hour to get through security, and after that one had to run the gauntlet of all the perfume and deodorant shops, trying to avoid being sprayed with one ‘smelly’ or another by assistants attempting to procure sales. Once through this the choice of food or refreshments is limited and extortionate, £8 for a Burger King ‘Whopper’ meal!.

As I said at the outset, been through Suvarnabhumi many times without cause for complaint, but my ‘home’ airport Manchester UK has a long way to go to provide adequate facilities for travellers

[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.

I am sorry that describes only one category of tourists in a few sois in Sukumvit

I propose a different kind of Thailand ...

Landed in swampy ...have an express immigration clearance at 850 baht pre-booked and watched the agaped mouths as you are escorted by a pretty lass to the front of the line

Once you clear customs...walk out to your private limo from Peninsula hotel ....a nice slow drive with a cup of champagne or orange juice while you settle down and relax hot towels in your hands

Arrived at Peninsula or Shangrila ...relax in a fantastic dim sum lunch at Meijiang and after that book a private boat to Wat Arun and watch the sunset from the cafes across at one of the fancy boutique hotels

For dinner ....head up for cocktails at Intercontinental Hotel Lounge by flashing your Visa Black / Infinite card and relax the night watching the heady lights of Bangkok

When you are done, engage in some great dinners at one of the fantastic restaurants available in Thonglor and watch the Thai ladies dressed in their nines chatting away

Preferable driver waiting ( as it is for top suite guests in Peninsula)

After that fall sleep in your down pillows and wish tomorrow will start for another adventure in Bangkok

lawrence Chee you must be in the 1%, your company picking up the bill, or on drugs...... I think my version is the norm not yours.

[djjamie]

My job takes me all around the world so I have spent a lot of times in immigration queues.

At Brisbane and Melbourne airports I have witnessed 20 to 30 minute queue times while I have witnessed queue times of 1 hour and over at Charles De Gaulle and Joberg. I was in Bali 2 months ago and regrettably didn't use the express service people were offering when I entered the large immigration hall. Suffice to say I waited over 2 hours to get through. Don't even ask about Central and West Africa!

As for Suvarnabhumi airport it is no different from a lot of airports. I have heard people grumbling in lines all over the world while waiting with their passport in one hand and a bag in the other. These people had no choice, but to wait. No express services were offered. In Bangkok this option is offered and in fact I use it costing me 850 baht. 850 baht! The price of a meal. The price of a nice glass of Merlot. A small price to pay to see my kids 1 hour earlier than I normally would. I don't get that choice in most airports. At Suvarnabhumi I do.

Standing in the line won't speed up the waiting time. Complaining about it won't speed up the waiting time. You know what will speed up the waiting time? Paying 850 baht.

If you don't like it pay the money to bypass it.

It shouldn't be necessary to have to pay extra - and such a large amount at that (the price of four nice meals for me, or 850 liters of drinking water from the water machine in my apartment building) - just for reasonably prompt immigration service at an airport. In fact, having the option to pay extra for express service gives immigration officers the perverse incentive to serve people as slowly as possible - in order to entice as many people as possible to pay extra for the express service. No way would I reward them for that scam.

A large amount of money? 850 baht! I suppose it is relative and you may well be retired. I am not. I work for a living and can afford to pay it.

If you cannot afford to pay the 850 baht then be prepared to wait. I can pay it and I will be in the arms of my wife and kids one hour earlier than if I didn't pay it.

It aint a scam. Bangkok immigration waiting times are no different than a lot around the world. Except they offer an express service. A lot of airports don't and I have no choice but to wait. At Bangkok I have a choice. So thanks to Suvarnabhumi for offering me this choice. I am very grateful for it.

​If you cannot afford it then don't complain because others can. Complaining won't speed the queue up. Paying 850 baht will.

Obviously I will not be seeing you next Friday night at L'Atelier de Joël Robuchon in Bangkok if you consider 850 baht a lot of money!

How do you the "express" service. I dont recall seeing that at the airport.

https://www.bangkokflightservices.com/PremiumAirportServices.php

Great if you have kids traveling with you too. For 1600baht they will pick the family up on a golf cart from the gate and take you to immigration. My kids love it.

[djjamie]

My job takes me all around the world so I have spent a lot of times in immigration queues.

At Brisbane and Melbourne airports I have witnessed 20 to 30 minute queue times while I have witnessed queue times of 1 hour and over at Charles De Gaulle and Joberg. I was in Bali 2 months ago and regrettably didn't use the express service people were offering when I entered the large immigration hall. Suffice to say I waited over 2 hours to get through. Don't even ask about Central and West Africa!

As for Suvarnabhumi airport it is no different from a lot of airports. I have heard people grumbling in lines all over the world while waiting with their passport in one hand and a bag in the other. These people had no choice, but to wait. No express services were offered. In Bangkok this option is offered and in fact I use it costing me 850 baht. 850 baht! The price of a meal. The price of a nice glass of Merlot. A small price to pay to see my kids 1 hour earlier than I normally would. I don't get that choice in most airports. At Suvarnabhumi I do.

Standing in the line won't speed up the waiting time. Complaining about it won't speed up the waiting time. You know what will speed up the waiting time? Paying 850 baht.

If you don't like it pay the money to bypass it.

It shouldn't be necessary to have to pay extra - and such a large amount at that (the price of four nice meals for me, or 850 liters of drinking water from the water machine in my apartment building) - just for reasonably prompt immigration service at an airport. In fact, having the option to pay extra for express service gives immigration officers the perverse incentive to serve people as slowly as possible - in order to entice as many people as possible to pay extra for the express service. No way would I reward them for that scam.

A large amount of money? 850 baht! I suppose it is relative and you may well be retired. I am not. I work for a living and can afford to pay it.

If you cannot afford to pay the 850 baht then be prepared to wait. I can pay it and I will be in the arms of my wife and kids one hour earlier than if I didn't pay it.

It aint a scam. Bangkok immigration waiting times are no different than a lot around the world. Except they offer an express service. A lot of airports don't and I have no choice but to wait. At Bangkok I have a choice. So thanks to Suvarnabhumi for offering me this choice. I am very grateful for it.

​If you cannot afford it then don't complain because others can. Complaining won't speed the queue up. Paying 850 baht will.

Obviously I will not be seeing you next Friday night at L'Atelier de Joël Robuchon in Bangkok if you consider 850 baht a lot of money!

That loud bang you just heard was djamie dropping a name. I hope you were impressed, you should be

555555

[Rorri]

Pattaya28, on 19 Jan 2015 - 20:10, said:

When I queue at immigration I get the feeling the immigration officers are doing me a big favor.

I have never ever seen a smile on any of their faces.

They are grossly understaffed.

The regime cannot and will not accept constructive criticism.

And as for the Taxi-drivers ........... they will never change their ways.

We know and must remember "This Is Thailand"

I actually got a smile, from the immigration guy, last time I left Thailand... the reason, he flicked through my passport, and with a smile pronounced, you overstay, guess he saw a few baht coming his way, that smile quickly disappeared when I turned to the very page I had my departure card in and wow, guess what, there was my last entry stamp, in fact I still had 5 weeks left , on a 12 month visa. Before anyone jumps the gun, all my 90 day stamps were up to date.

[Jim walker]

And he is complaining he didn’t even need to piss in a plastic beaker on the pavement and hand over 80’0000 Baht for the privilege, he doesn’t know he is living yet.

[Mudcrab]

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, no free wifi, too few seats for the A380 plane's, and airline groundstaff can't speak english

Did you ever write for Monty Python??

Remember the travel agent sketch?

[Gillyflower]

I've never come across a 'stinky' toilet.

The check-in queues can be long, but that can be the same in many airports over the world. The worst, for me, is Heathrow.....a nightmare. Another was Rome. The plane had to wait 10 minutes for me, and I was breaking the lines everywhere to get to the top.

The Immigration lines are the worst in B'kok and then all those nasty faced officials, who don't even reply to your polite sawadee, plus all the open Thai Only that have no one.

As for taxis. I have never had a problem (from the airport), except for the time that the driver didn't know where to go. I was going to Sathon. He asked me for my phone so that he could ring for directions. I didn't have one and he got VERY angry. Thank goodness I couldn't understand.

Otherwise, they often try to chat me up. Imagine! An old girl like me!!!!!

Edited January 20, 2015 by Gillyflower

[EyesWideOpen]

'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?

Its a bit scary going through check in at Don Mueang when the people who are supposed to be scanning baggage are letting passengers bybass the scanners because they have all got their faces in their smartphones.

Well looking at their smart phones is better than looting the baggage that is being scanned,

as some were caught doing at Suvarnabhumi airport a few years ago.... :-)

[crazygreg44]

I bet, even when the wait at the immigration queue has been only 10 minutes, you will still have to wait another 10 - 30 minutes for your luggage at the belt conveyors ! You win absolutely NOTHING by a faster progress through immigration.

At Frankfurt airport, every time the immigration takes 5 - 10 minutes (only within those lanes for EU citizens!) but after a loooong 10 minute walk to the luggage pickup (NO automated ways anywhere in arrival zone! Subvarnabhumi HAS them!!) Every time at Frankfurt airport, I have to wait for the luggage for a minimum 30 minutes.

I don't find Subvarnabhumi that bad . . . if you come early for your check-in and if you plan your itinerary accordingly ( leaving only 1,5 hours between arrival and a connecting flight when you have to pick up your baggage, is stooopid IMHO)

However I don't fuss around King Power (overpriced, can buy EVERYTHING offered there cheaper in my home country!!) so I have nothing to complain, I only walk around looking !

I don't arrive at the immigration officer's booth without an already filled out Arrival Card , so I don't have to complain about 'no smiles'.

I don't have any questions to the staff

I can find the toilets by myself, thank you

I know my favourite beer and I know that it is always more expensive at airports than outside of them, Accepted.

I don't need the fast lane, I have time.

I know where the taxi stands are, I walk up the desk, tell them my destination. I have NEVER been asked for a fixed fare, not in 17 years ! Always got a fare by the meter, plus the 50 THB airport surcharge

etc etc

Edited January 20, 2015 by crazygreg44

[menorah]

As a frequent visitor, not tourist, to Thailand and a resident for more than 6 years, I've had experience of both the main airports.

Overall I've never found occassion to fault either airport on the service provided or the attention to customer service delivered.

Obviously this is something which genuinely relates to prevailing circumstances at the airport as much as it does to the individual character and expectation of the traveller.

Airports are complex infrastructure with ever changes demands and criteria, that they work 'seamlessly' for the most part is a cause for surprise more than contempt.

In the face of global terrorism, military Junta rule, a multi-national customer base and the sheer volume of daily service needed to maintain the 'machine', I believe the general public actually get value for money.

Often the frustrations encountered by travellers aren't due to failings at the airport but rather unrealistic journey planning by the customer. Few potential passengers arrive 3 hours before international flights and many appear more concerned to shop & eat until the last moment for Check-in or Immigration Control procedures.

As for taxi scammers on the forecourt, if they don't engage the meter then exit the taxi...simple ! It's happened to me twice but each time I told the driver, "start the meter", he did.

No doubt many readers will think I'm either lucky in my experience or I'm a t**t ! But I learnt years ago to 'go with the flow' in airports & the like.

Allow plenty of time, have travel documents ready and accessible, say farewells to loved ones quickly then check in, pass through immigration to the departures lounge, attend to the usual bodily functions, buy some DutyFree or other crap and sit quietly until the gates open.

[ALFREDO]

I do not complain much about Suvarnabhumi, also its a bit to small already in check in area and at the Restaurant level.

I fly more domestic recently.

But, Don Mueang needs to be upgraded, also already to small, the now open section of the airport and very long ways, to and from the Gates! Gates Nr. 70+ a nightmare!

Landed last time, 2 weeks ago and had a crazy long queue at the Public Taxi's.

I was forced to go up to arrivals and take a Taxi there, for an inflated price, but without any waiting time.

Could do better the Airport scene in Bangkok.

[freedom4life]

I agree, immigration being the worst, followed by taxi drivers....waiting in big lines at immigration while several kiosks are empty, with no one working. Just sheer arrogance....

[balo]

I have used the airport at least 40 times and never had any problems with the staff working there or immigration, only taxi drivers outside , but I stopped taking the taxis years ago and started taking the train instead, much faster and efficient for me.

Compared with other airports in the world Suvarnabumi is one of the best .

[ToYoungToRetire]

The longest I've ever had to wait was America security TSA check points and a close second was returning to America Immigration. .Both were 3 times longer than I've ever waited for anything Bangkok, Phuket on the other hand I got there one night at 12am and 3 planes must have unloaded at the same time, the lines were unbearable.

The closest international airport to my home is San Francisco, if you dont know San Francisco is America's largest and most concentrated Gay population. On my first trip to thailand (phuket) I must have frustrated the Immigration officer. As I walked away from him he said in a disgusted voice "Kathoey". I had no idea what it meant at the time but I made it a point to find out. I'm guess I'm glad I didnt know what it meant at the time, I'm not Gay, I dont sound gay, I dont look gay and I dont act gay. Just because I flew out of San Francisco does not make me gay. Nor should a immigration officer feel its ok to insult Tourists for any reason. 10 minutes later I was being assaulted by the taxi mafia.. My first impression of Phukets airport was not a good one...

Edited January 20, 2015 by ToYoungToRetire

[rockdog]

King Power... isn't that lese majeste?