Airport Departure Tax To Be Increased To 700 Baht

[george]

Airport fees to go up

BANGKOK: -- Air passengers will be asked to pay heavier departure taxes from early next year, Airports of Thailand Plc (AOT) said yesterday.

The international departure tax would be increased by Bt200 to Bt700 and domestic passengers would incur a Bt100 fee, up from a current Bt50. The increase would be effective from February 1 .

AOT operates Suvarnabhumi Airport. It had planned to introduce the new taxes upon the opening of the new airport on September 28. Meanwhile, new landing fees levied on aircraft using the airport would be imposed from April 1, 2007. That is a six-month delay from the original schedule.

AOT said it was postponing the new fee to attract airlines to Suvarnabhumi. The new landing fee is a 15-per-cent increase on that charged at Don Muang airport.

AOT explained earlier that fees at Suvarnabhumi Airport needed to be raised due to the greater amenities and facilities that would be provided. After 40 years in the making Suvarnabhumi has cost Bt150 billion. It is scheduled to start operations on September 28.

--The Nation 2006-08-29

Related forum with more topics regarding Bangkok's new airport:

Suvarnabhumi Airport Forum

[ilyushin]

Didn't AOT just announce profits of Baht 2 billion and some change?

[astral]

Better to see if the new airport does open on time, before announcing tax increases.

I wish they would collect this tax as part of the ticket, not and extra cash payment at the airport.

Surely they are one of the last countries to have the archaic method?

[sriracha john]

Airport fees to go up

The international departure tax would be increased by Bt200 to Bt700 and domestic passengers would incur a Bt100 fee, up from a current Bt50. The increase would be effective from February 1 .

After 40 years in the making Suvarnabhumi has cost Bt150 billion.

Hey, "somebody" has to pay for all those billions of baht spent on corruption and that "somebody" is:

YOU!

{a generic term used for all passengers}

[sriracha john]

Didn't AOT just announce profits of Baht 2 billion and some change?

shhhhhh....

People aren't supposed to know about that...

BANGKOK, Aug 16 (Reuters) - Airports of Thailand PCL (AOT), Thailand's main airport operator, said on Wednesday its third-quarter net profit jumped 171 percent, topping analyst forecasts. AOT said in a statement it made a net profit of 2.1 billion baht (US$56.18 million).

[TokyoT]

They have to find a way to pay for all the new scanners.

Edited August 29, 2006 by TokyoT

[Phano]

The method of collecting this money is primitive, in this hi tech age! Can it not be included in the ticket price!?

This in addition to the manual immigration process makes Thai airports less customer friendly. (Sad for a tourist country!!)

[womble]

I for one am gettiing extremely fed up with the way tourists are being treated here. So much so that i'm considering leaving this country. We are treated as if we are fools and all they want is to take our money with no upgrades in service or thoughts for our welfare.

the taxi situation and lack of public transport at the airport is a prime example. Also the national park fee increase when they provide us with nothing, not even signs in English.

Is anyone else getting fed up with the way we are continually being taxed without being given anything back.

I really feel strongly about this as I think it shows a complete lack of respect and also it shows that they must think we lack intelligence.

I'm pretty close to taking my money elsewhere where it is appreciated and I will at least have some rights and be treated fairly.

Anyone else feeling the same?

I also feel that from an investment point of view Thailand has had it's day, there are now better places to conduct business where rules protect us and returns are better. There are many places now looking more attractive than Thailand IMHO.

Edited August 29, 2006 by womble

[steveromagnino]

I for one am gettiing extremely fed up with the way tourists are being treated here. So much so that i'm considering leaving this country. We are treated as if we are fools and all they want is to take our money with no upgrades in service or thoughts for our welfare.

the taxi situation and lack of public transport at the airport is a prime example. Also the national park fee increase when they provide us with nothing, not even signs in English.

Is anyone else getting fed up with the way we are continually being taxed without being given anything back.

I really feel strongly about this as I think it shows a complete lack of respect and also it shows that they must think we lack intelligence.

I'm pretty close to taking my money elsewhere where it is appreciated and I will at least have some rights and be treated fairly.

Anyone else feeling the same?

I also feel that from an investment point of view Thailand has had it's day, there are now better places to conduct business where rules protect us and returns are better. There are many places now looking more attractive than Thailand IMHO.

If it means you aren't happy, you know where the door is :-) I for one would rather there weren't too many tourists f&*king up all the places I like to go. And I'd rather the economy was built on sustainable biz dev not the dodgy corrupt house of cards that is Thai tourism in its current state.

BTW Phano et al, NZ also collects departure tax at the gate.

AFAIK departure tax has stayed constant since 1999.

[womble]

Yeah a predictable answer there from steveromagnino, I wondered how long it would take for the usual, "if you don't like it you know where the door is".

I thought i'd already mentioned that I may well exit that door in the next 12 months.

Also I'd like to point out that you are one of those tourists/foriegners f&*king up the places that you like to go to.

I hate it when people somehow think they are superior to other foriegners present in a country and how somehow they should be allowed to enjoy the country 'how it was' whilst others are the cause of 'their' paradise lost.

May I also point out that many foriegners are involved in business that is not tourist related.

And also that you yourself are involved in investment as I do believe you own a property here, is that not correct?

Offcourse we all know that the growth in the Thai property market is without doubt sustainable and there are infact no bubbles appearing anywhere in the market.

Edited August 29, 2006 by womble

[jbowman1993]

Mom always said if you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all.

[jdinasia]

I for one am gettiing extremely fed up with the way tourists are being treated here. So much so that i'm considering leaving this country. We are treated as if we are fools and all they want is to take our money with no upgrades in service or thoughts for our welfare.

the taxi situation and lack of public transport at the airport is a prime example. Also the national park fee increase when they provide us with nothing, not even signs in English.

Is anyone else getting fed up with the way we are continually being taxed without being given anything back.

I really feel strongly about this as I think it shows a complete lack of respect and also it shows that they must think we lack intelligence.

I'm pretty close to taking my money elsewhere where it is appreciated and I will at least have some rights and be treated fairly.

Anyone else feeling the same?

I also feel that from an investment point of view Thailand has had it's day, there are now better places to conduct business where rules protect us and returns are better. There are many places now looking more attractive than Thailand IMHO.

Are you a Tourist? If so how long have you been a TOURIST here that you are thinking of leaving ?

Did you read the Title of the thread or what it is about? Thais pay the same depature tax that we do .... the departure tax is less than many places even when the increase is added.

YOU brought up leaving ... someone else just said "feel free"

I am not a tourist here and am not whinging on about this .....

[Rinrada]

Why not just make it a "round" Nung Pun baht...1,000 and avoid all that scraping around the bottom of your luggage looking for change at the last minute. but leave it at that level for say the next ...wot...10 years or so.........

Can hardly buy 10 beers for that nowadays anyway...

[womble]

i'm not a tourist, but I was once. Most people leaving the airport are tourists. I've been living here 7 years, came here as a tourist before that. In the time I have been here I have seen attitudes to foriegners worsen, that is something I do not like. Maybe it's because I now speak the language and understand the culture better than before that I notice it more, but i'm pretty sure things are getting worse.

My problem isn't actually so much with the 200 baht raise, but more with the fact that we (those using the airport), are expected to pay more than before when the deal we are getting is worse. So what if the airport is shiny and new, there is no public transport and no taxis from the main terminal. We are being expected to pay more whilst they think they can give us less in return, not a good deal in my opinion.

So my first answer relates to the title because I am fed up with prices rising in so many places in Thailand when standards and services are actually falling.

Yes i'm whinging, but I thought forums were a place where we can air our views?

Yes I did bring up the fact I may well leave, i'm just pretty fed up that no one can come back with something better than "you know where the door is".

I asked a sensible question, "is anyone else feeling the same?"

If not maybe tell us why I am wrong and why the 200 raise is justified, also maybe some examples of where prices are being raised, but services and standards are getting better as a result.

That would be a little more constuctive than "you know where the door is", which i've seen said by people a 1000 times on here and it's much easier to say than actually post a reply with data and stats to proove a person wrong in their assumption.

The thread is related to tourism as it involves the airport, and I think there's nothing wrong with taking someone to task when they state tourists are ######ing up the country, when in all likelyhood they first came here as a tourist. Also stating problems with the tourist and housing industry when that person themselves is an owner and therefore directly a part of that problem is a bit hipicritica don't you think?

Edited August 29, 2006 by womble

[jdinasia]

Again .... Thais pay the same departure tax that we do ....

The service seems to have great potential at the new airport to be a VAST improvemnt over Don Muang

There IS PUBLIC transportation available from the terminals. That service is called a FREE SHUTTLE

This WILL reduce the overwhelming fumes present at Don Muang.

The increase of the fees will be for ALL departures via plane internationally throughout the Kingdom and not just a user fee at the new airport.!

I am NOT sure about your assumption that MOST users of the airport will be tourists <in Thailand at least> You certainly cannot count yourself as a tourist as you did in your first rant ... and you can't count me as one ....

I am looking forward to the new airport and all the ADDITIONAL choices it will have for Public Transportation options when compared to Don Muang!

[Queers for Fears]

I think they should keep the departure tax the same and jack up the National Park fees for foreigners up another couple hundred percent instead

[Mighty Mouse]

Nobody likes paying higher charges unless there is an increase or improvement in services. Sadly, this is rarely the case.

It would be nice to think that there was an increase in security measures at the airport to justify the rate hike........wishful thinking.

Inflation is a way of life, it's not much good complaining about it, it's gonna happen whether we like it or not.

[womble]

yes Thai's pay the same, there's no duel pricing when leaving here which is quite nice and a welcome change. The fact that they too pay the same doesn't make it ok, it just means they too are getting less for their extra 200 baht.

Well if the raise is country wide then that doesn't really make much difference as nearly everyone comes through that airport anyway and the reason they are justifying it is because it's a new airport, otherwise it would change at a different time and not at the same time as moving airports.

Yeah the free shuttle is public transport, but hardly up to the standard expected of a new airport the size of this in the 21st century.

A train would reduce fumes better than buses. Buses will also be faced with the problems of traffic jams and they will not take you door to door.

Not the ideal way to get into the city unless you are on a budget. Also taking the bus with a load of bags 6km to get a taxi at a rate that is not taking advantage of convenience and monopoly is also not ideal in my opinion.

If you think taking the bus into town or taking the bus 6km to then get a taxi is an improvement then I hope you don't have too many bags when you are using said bus. Luckily for you though the fumes will be marginally better whilst waiting god knows how long for that bus. I doubt the service will be running as efficiently as swiss or german public transport.

Also a better way to beat those fumes may be to have a decent extactor system or a better Q system such as in singapore, you could even have the waiting area inside in aircon, did you ever think of that?

I didn't say I was a tourist, I said I was fed up with how tourists were treated, two different things. Anyway it is my belief that nearly all thais view us as tourists regardless of whether we live here or not, you may disagree with this, if so let me know why, I also never said you were a tourist, but we are all foriegners and that my friend means we are treated different whether we like it or not.

Edited August 29, 2006 by womble

[jdinasia]

in fact you DID say you were a tourist and then retract it ...

6km for a taxi? no

Train? Light rail is on its way!

whinge much?

[womble]

in fact you DID say you were a tourist and then retract it ...

no i didn't please read my first two posts properly. In the first one I mentioned tourists being treated badly, and in the second post I said "foriegners/tourists", all expats living here in Thailand can be classed as foriegners can they not? Also both of my posts were before you said anything about me calling myself a tourist, I had already used foriegner/tourist before you even said that.

6km for a taxi? no

Well I took that from a post by someone else who was quoting the nation newspaper as the source, if the article or poster is wrong then I appologise for not using better sources, maybe you could enlighten me as to the correct distance if my source is wrong.

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/index.php?sh...1855&st=240

"By the way... Did you read Nation last week end ?

They wrote a piece about Suvarnabbhumi.

They confirmed something that i've heard before : passengers will have to take a shuttle bus, from the terminal, in order to go to the taxis station, 6 km away

Train? Light rail is on its way!

This airport was first on it's way 50 years ago, don't you think it would be better to have it ready when the airport was opening?

whinge much?

Yes I do whinge from time to time, we all do.

By the way, here's a couple of examples of you being a moany queen!

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/index.php?sh...c=18223&hl=[/b]

"I am constantly amazed by the farang that lie about their ages on gay.com. They talk with guys promising dates excitement etc when they get to Thailand and then pooftah ... they get here and the profile age of 42 turns out to be a real age of 58+.

Yes, Thai men are quite tolerant of older men. They will happily go out on a date (for the most part) with OLD men. Every one I know that has met either of the 2 guys in specific that I am referring to has pretty much walked away from the meeting. Not because of the man's age. The reason they cited was that the guy was a liar. Couldn't tell the truth about a simple thing so why should he be trusted with matters of the heart?

Any ideas? or comments?"

The above is an example of you having a whinge and then asking for other peoples opinions similar to how I did myself, only the subject matter is slightly different!

another example

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/index.php?sh...c=58612&hl=

May I also point out that you have been taken to task by moderators before for generally being bitchy and causing problems with people for no reason at all.

If you want to have a go at my posts at least get your fact straight, then you can reply by PM as moderators have told you to do before when you want to be a troublemaker. That way I can just delete them and not have to reply to defend myself against posts by yourself that are not based on fact.

I put it to you that you are a bored moany old queen with nothing better to do that nit pick constantly at peoples posts. I've put up with it for months and as none have been directed at me i've let it go, now you try to argue when your facts arn't even straight.

say something useful or don't say anything at all.

Edited August 29, 2006 by womble

[samran]

Last week the taxi rank was 3km away. This week it is 6km? Is this what they mean when they talk of the dangers of building on swamps etc. Land slippage sure works fast here in Thailand.

As for the Passenger Service Charge. It is still collected separately because the PSC is still split between two separate government agencies….and they can’t agree on how it is to be collected. So they are happy with the status quo.

This has two main effects. Firstly, tourists have to cough up with cash. The second is however, that they can’t charge transiting passengers which is a big deal when you have an airport like BKK which is a huge stop over point. Given that they PSC is designed to charge people for using the services at the airport (eg baggage handling, cleaners, airside staff and personnel etc), it seems a bit silly that zillions of transiting passengers get to use the airport free of charge. Airports and running them cost money you know.

But to be honest though, I don’t know why people complain about having to pay up front. I suppose the whole act of handing over cash reminds us of how painful it is to part with it. Better to just incorporate it into the ticket, whack it on the credit card and be done with it.

Secondly, 700 baht is still cheap. Sydney Airport I believe it is AUD$38 (1100 baht). Additionally (and I have seen the numbers on this in a previous life) the 700 baht charge you see goes no-where near to covering the costs of the new airport. Believe it or not, 700 baht is the maximum the minister and the civil service would swallow. Having said that, as long you have the cash on you, paying is quick and painless and is extraordinarily efficient given it is a manual process.

So, the people who are shelling out the PSC are subsidizing transiting passengers who are using the airport for free. And given that the 700 baht (And associated landing fees and charges for the airlines) are actually not covering the costs of the airport, then those who are actually paying are still being subsidized by the humble tax payer of Thailand.

Funny though that last point. You’ll never hear the whingers admit that they are actually getting a hand out from the Thai government. No, better to concentrate on all the bad and negative.

[jdinasia]

I for one am gettiing extremely fed up with the way tourists are being treated here. So much so that i'm considering leaving this country. We are treated as if we are fools and all they want is to take our money with no upgrades in service or thoughts for our welfare.

in fact you DID say you were a tourist and then retract it ...

no i didn't please read my first two posts properly. In the first one I mentioned tourists being treated badly, and in the second post I said "foriegners/tourists", all expats living here in Thailand can be classed as foriegners can they not?

6km for a taxi? no

Well I took that from a post by someone else who was quoting the nation newspaper as the source, if the article or poster is wrong then I appologise for not using better sources, maybe you could enlighten me as to the correct distance if my source is wrong.

Train? Light rail is on its way!

This airport was first on it's way 50 years ago, don't you think it would be better to have it ready when the airport was opening?

whinge much?

Yes I do whinge from time to time, we all do.

May I also point out that you have been taken to task by moderators before for generally being bitchy and causing problems with people for no reason at all.

If you want to have a go at my posts at least get your fact straight, then you can reply by PM as moderators have told you to do before when you want to be a troublemaker. That way I can just delete them and not have to reply to defend myself against posts by yourself that are not based on fact.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ edit ... screwed up the quotes a bit when deleting extraneous bilge --------------------------

OK ... we'll start with the last ......Yes you had to dig WAY back to find examples .... and no they aren't relevant or on topic

One was a response to a closed thread addressed to me that I didn't have a chance to reply to The mod in question that closed tht thread is available for you to question regarding any action taken

The one above that ... dated 2004 .... was not a whinge! Merely an observation that led to interesting discussion until hijacked

Note at the very top of this post ... where you do imply you are a tourist (yes later you do retract that ... just like I said). You started the paragraph with "fed up with the way tourists are being treated here. We..."

The taxi park is about 2km from the terminal as other threads have shown. The furthest point on the loop of the free shuttles is 3km out <long term parking I think> Making the loop 6km.

NOW ... to the topic ----------------

The 200 baht increase in exit fees from the country is nothing! Still cheap! Less than $20 USD. These fees hopefully will be used for increased safety precautions in Thailand that are obviously needed at all airports all over the the world!

The new airport appears to be offering FAR more resources than were EVER offered at Don Muang! Busses to Pattaya! Busses upcountry! City Busses into town! Hotel Busses similar to Don Muang.

and most importantly a Light Rail link into town that will end very close to the MRTA subways! The Uprights for the Light Rail are almost complete all the way out to the airport already! This is going to make the new airport FAR FAR FAR superior to anything Thailand has offered in the past!

The above interjection of reality brought to you by someone that thinks the new airport ... when it opens ... will be great!

Edited August 29, 2006 by jdinasia

[Laulen]

This thread is dangerously close to a 'handbags at dawn' meeting!

Perhaps a more mundane answer to the title of this thread is that airport costs, particularly the most expensive and regular ones, are often sourced in US dollars. With the Thai Baht quite high at present, this may in part be a reason for these increases.

Another, as previously mentioned elsewhere, is the introduction of increased security measures, with the 'scanners'!

[jdinasia]

Agree Laulen and was I really called a "moany old queen" above?

[womble]

The fact that I highlighted Tourists and We does not mean we are all tourists, that is how you personally have chose to interperet it. It seems you often interperet peoples posts in a different way to how they were intended simply so you can have a go at someone.

After reading samrans post I see 700 baht is quite cheap compared to sydney, so maybe it's not that bad afterall, it's a shame others on this thread couldn't come up with more constructive posts.

JD, you seem to really like your buses, so I won't piss on your fire, but if that train you are talking about takes as long as most things in Thailand to be built, it's gonna be a long way off.

I'd also like to point out that most countries with projects like this would have seen this completed before the opening of the airport. they havn't even started it yet!

I for one do not like buses and so am not thrilled about having to get a bus 3km, 6km or however far it is before i can get my taxi.

The fact that it is supperior to anything thailand has had before is frankly not saying much, i mean look at the state of the current airport.

For the amount of tourists thailand gets and the cost of this new airport, the transport to and from the new airport is IMHO crap.

I think the only people who will like the idea of 'cruising' around on buses will be single males without families such as yourself, or budget travelers.

I think you'll find that most people on this forum will be very disapointed at the travel options available to them. Imagine a family of 4 coming on holiday, it will not be easy for them.

[samran]

KEEP IT CLEAN HERE PEOPLE.

otherwise slap downs will be necessary.

[womble]

Well I can't be botherd to argue anymore.

I guess I meant we are all tourists then as if thats how you read it the thats how it is.

Thinking about it 700 isn't a lot to pay.

Although I am very dissapointed in many aspects of this new airport including the 2km bus ride to the taxi terminal, the lack of public transport other than buses, and numerous other things.

I do not think it's fair to raise fees when services are still inadequate, especially when so much $ has been skimmed off through corruption.

Lets just leave it at that then.

Edited August 29, 2006 by womble

[basjke]

Airport fees to go up

.

Meanwhile, new landing fees levied on aircraft using the airport would be imposed from April 1, 2007. That is a six-month delay from the original schedule.

--The Nation 2006-08-29

Because maybe that will be the real opening date.

[jdinasia]

hmmmmm George ........ I just caught that date ...... an early April Fool's joke?

[thaiintokyo]

I for one am gettiing extremely fed up with the way tourists are being treated here. So much so that i'm considering leaving this country. We are treated as if we are fools and all they want is to take our money with no upgrades in service or thoughts for our welfare.

i know exactly what you are talking about.

my wife is a foreigner, and i was always misinterpreted as a foreigner as well.

i am sorry for those scum, who think and treat you guys that way. it is ugly. it is a shame.

some time, just learn to ignore it. (as thai do)

as a thai,

i know, most of thai don't think that your guys are fools. (no, i am not here to defend the thai. i just say what i know and feel.)

about the airport,

it is not only farang complaining about the public transportation from n to the new airport, thai do the complaining too. (at lease me!!)

i think, it is going to have a taxi around the airport since the opening day. a lot of them(taxi) will come. it will be unorganized, and a lot of traffic-jam.

many driver is going to take advance of the foreigner traveler. (the same dirty trick as they always do.)

and many of them will refuse to take thai passenger. (because thai passenger won't pay the extra.)

not all the taxi driver will do that, but i am sure a lot of scum driver will be there.