New security measures at Don Mueang airport causing long delays

[thai006]

here in cm long time ago we have that

[asdecas]

The best part is, they decided not to implement this policy at Suwannaphum because it would cause "untoward delays".

No need to make it up in Thailand.

[alanrchase]

The best part is, they decided not to implement this policy at Suwannaphum because it would cause "untoward delays".

No need to make it up in Thailand.

So are you trying to say your carry on bag is not checked at Suvarnabhumi? Seems they have changed the order of their checks before they have time to reposition the hardware.

[oldsailor35]

Oh Bugger ! first time i am flying into and out of DM for years, usually use Suv.

Wonder what they are looking for now,

[KhunBENQ]

The nonsense has been dropped already!

Read the other English newspaper which must not be linked here to see the news (20 Jul 2015 at 18:22).

Other sources available.

Some relaxed pictures:

(didn't last long, this article claims to be written at 15:30h)

http://www.posttoday.com/social/general/377318

[farangjai]

Just watching the news and the procedure is being ended tomorrow due to the delays and complaints.

[annabel]

Don Mueang clogged with late travelers due to tightened security measures

By Coconuts Bangkok

BANGKOK: -- Don Mueang International Airport’s heightened luggage screening has slowed the normally brisk flow and caused passengers to miss flights during the weekend.

Since Friday when new luggage screening rules were quietly posted to the airport’s website, many unaware travelers were surprised by long lines at check-in.

"As from 17 July 2015, security measure at Don Mueang International Airport is revised. Every piece of baggage both hand-carry and loaded baggage must be -rayed before entering the check-in area. This measure is aimed to prevent the airport from the unlawful interference action that may cause the delay of process. We truly apologize for any inconvenience that may occur," the statement said.

Full story: http://bangkok.coconuts.co/2015/07/20/don-mueang-clogged-late-travelers-due-tightened-security-measures

-- Coconuts Bangkok 2015-07-20

Isn't that the procedure everywhere ....? In Chiang Mai all luggage is X rayed before entering the check in area.... as well as everywhere else. So why is this News and causing havoc....??

[beerzy]

Police chiefs with small guns are allowed, however.

55 you are cheeky. EX police chiefs fly thai Airways overseas and go from BBK not DMK. good try....

[Jiggo]

Anything to do with the recent review by the FAA????

[rajyindee]

I don't understand the fuss, I when the airport 2 weeks ago on crutches and then x-ray

You might have had a different experience if you had travelled this past weekend. It was chaos ... queues, or hordes, coming from all directions to use one scanner and no airport staff whatsoever on hand to control the melee.

[riceyummm]

DM becomes a complete joke for domestic flights under these conditions.

Will try to avoid for outbound flights at all price.

Does anyone have first hand experience/updates?

I went through Friday morning at about 5:30am, zero delay. I thought nothing of getting my bag x-rayed, seemed like it's always been done that way but maybe I was remembering BKK.

I wonder why DMK has delays because of the x-ray, no problems at BKK.

[riceyummm]

"This measure is aimed to prevent the airport from the unlawful interference action that may cause the delay of process."

Can someone translate that into English for me?

[roamer]

"This measure is aimed to prevent the airport from the unlawful interference action that may cause the delay of process."

Can someone translate that into English for me?

No! How are you ever going to cope with official Tinglish if we help you ? It is an essential part of living in LOS

[wooloomooloo]

My carry-on has always been scanned at DMK. Not sure why it needs to be screened earlier.

Other than that, I've always been happy with the minimal interference at DMK.

[teambum]

Flew to Chiang Mai in April it was there then no hold up took me 5 minutes to get thru.

[Brer Fox]

Don Mueang International check-in was a hell hole before these new rules were introduced. Now with the new regulations it should be avoided at all costs and left for the Chinese exclusively to push around their overladen baggage trolleys stacked high with huge cardboard boxes of shopping plus suitcases while shouting and yelling to each other at full volume.

[callaway]

This is done just to p!ss people off and show they can do anything. Spoilt little kids after they got an ass kicking for letting a gun onboard a plane. Some one lost face and this is his way of showing he still has power. Grow up you spoilt little pussies

[Whyamiandwhatamidoinghere]

Same long lines when they use to check your luggage before xraying. At that time there were threats.

[louse1953]

That's ok with me, most of the travellers from DM are Chinese,, so no bad feeling there....

So what's your point?

[sammygood]

just imagine, you just had a one or more hour trip to go to the airport, you urgently need a toilet, and then you see this long line before you can enter

[raybal5]

What a complete knee jerk reaction to the carry-on-gun fiasco! I will take this as AOT admitting a certain gun went through a Thai airport to Japan. As much as I am pleased measures are being taken to prevent guns being 'sneaked' on, these extra measures have clearly been implemented without any forward planning and operational/logistical evaluation. It doesn't surprise me. What does surprise me is this sort of thing continues to happen when tourism is so important to this country. Most passengers going through this will probably never want to come back. My 80 y.o parents once got caught in a bottle neck rugby scrum for an escalator at Swampy airport - they now fly through Singapore to Chiang Mai. Shame on Thailand.

You are correct that it is a knee-jerk. Clearly they ought to have ramped up resources before doing this at DM. I have to say they at Chiang Mai they do the x-ray check on everyone entering regardless of domestic or international. Queuing up on the footpaths in the heat and the x-ray just inside the doors but they do move rather quickly.

[KhunBENQ]

Just bumping the news from late yesterday afternoon.

even AOT recognized that this extra measure is not practical and has stopped it.

Today its also in The Nation:

AOT lifts new rule after chaos

Chaos is the word.

[SantiSuk]

I assume that this problem arises at DM and not Swampy because the checked-in luggage scanners are located before check-in at DM (and many smaller airports in Thailand) whereas the more normal international approach of having checked-in bags scanned after check-in and when you have said goodbye to your big bag applies at Swampy.

DM has always scanned checked-in bags pre the check-in counters on arrival and then the carry-on stuff after check-in as you move airside. This flawed method allows a terrorist or smuggler to transfer dodgy stuff, that would have failed a scanner, from carry-on into checked-in bags between initial scanner and check-in desks.

Maybe the policeman who left his gun in his carry-on luggage had gone thru DM and then swapped the gun into his checked-in bag (in which case I hope he has been thrown in the slammer)? However I seem to recall that his gun was found in his carry-on, so maybe it was just the shock of being found out by the international community again that made the Thais look more closely at the ridiculousness of their previously lax system at DM.

Such a shame that Thailand misses no opportunity to demonstrate complete incompetence to the world - a result of medieval social structures (master/serf), nationalism that verges on racism and diabolical education.

[IMA_FARANG]

As I tried to say before his D--- internet connection dropped on me. I can

remember when Don Mueang was the only airport in Bangkok, and it was

standard practice for ALL baggage to be x-ray checked before you checked

in to get your boarding pass.

Once your luggage was run thru x-ray then they placed an inspected tag on your bags....both the ones you checked and any hand carry luggage you had.

That was just the way it was done before swampy was built and Don Mueang

was also the International airport for Bangkok.

[SantiSuk]

Another one now in force at survanabhumi Power Banks restrictions

The large capacity of mobile external charger couldn't bring on board!

External charger, or known as ‘Power Bank’ that available from small to large capacity; start from thousand to ten-thousand milliamp (mAh). International Air Transport Association (IATA) has regulated for airline security by as follows

1)Power Bank Do not keep spare batteries in checked baggage. It is permitted to take spare batteries in cabin baggage.

2)Power Bank Capacity of spare battery which is permitted to keep in cabin baggage must not be higher than 32,000 mAh.

3) Power Bank A battery which capacity is 20,000 mAh(or less than 10,000 Wh) is permitted in the cabin for unidentified number.

4)Power Bank A battery which capacity is 20,000-32,000 mAh(or higher than 160 Wh) is limited to 2 pieces in the cabin.

Power Bank A battery which capacity is higher than 32,000 mAh(or more than 160 Wh) is forbidden on-board.

I think this rule has been in force at DM too. Last week (prior to the new measures) I flew from DM to Ubon. When I passed thru the initial checked-in bag scanner the guy seemed to wave my bag through. That's odd I thought, I don't recall seeing him put a blue tape on. Anyway I proceeded to the check-in desk as I was in a flying hurry (result of traffic and an overly talkative taxi driver missing the DM exit of the highway!) to be told I had to go back to the scanner as I had no blue tape.

In a state of panic and high dudgeon at the scanner guy, for not doing his job, I went back round again. This time he waved my bag through again but I realised he was waving in the vague direction of a table behind and to the side of him. What I said. Have computer he said. Only battery I said (just bought a new one at Phantip 90 mins earlier - old one in checked-in bag). No can he said.

[Feeling murderous about poor education/training et al in Thailand I transferred the old battery to my carry-on laptop bag and re-approached the check-in desk to find 3 Nok girls jumping up and down waving the ticket at me and waving me to run faster! Ran all the way and they virtually shut the aircraft door behind me]

[Cake Monster]

Measures which have no doubt been introduced to find the copper carrying a gun

[brizzle]

Since yesterday they have been saying on Tripadvisor that things have reverted back to "normal" with hand luggage being screened air side again.

http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/ShowTopic-g293916-i3687-k8674376-o10-CAUTION_Huge_delays_at_Don_Muang_Airport_reported-Bangkok.html

Can anyone clarify that this is indeed the current situation?

On a side note does anyone know if there is a problem bringing on overweight hand luggage on Air Asia flights provided it is within the size limits and you have paid to have it checked anyway? Another words you have paid for your weight allowance but just want to carry it on board rather then check it in.

Thank You.

Sorry I have just seen the post above that confirms the practice has now been stopped!

[animatic]

DM becomes a complete joke for domestic flights under these conditions.

Will try to avoid for outbound flights at all price.

Does anyone have first hand experience/updates?

Went through last Friday noon, maybe a 6-7 minute wait for the one scanner I saw in use. Didn't look around for others.

I was having no issues particularly with it delay wise.

I had two iPhone power backs, about 4 chargers,

and a 12 terrabyte RAID5 four drive box with cabling.

They just wanted to see my iPad out of the suitcase....

[JSN777]

I fail to understand why this would cause such chaos. This is not a completely new practice. The only difference is that 'all' luguage now has to be x rayed prior to check in whereas before it was only check in bagguage. I have recenctly flown to Cambodia on a number of occassions and cannot understand why by adding another case into the x ray machine would result in a delay of 1.5 hrs as every time i have put my checked lugauge through there have been no issues with any queus. I suspect the reason they now want all bagguage checked through the x ray machine is die to the fact that security had no way of knowing what you were actually putting through as checked baggage and carry on baggage. You could easily say a small case was hand luggauge and then put it through as checked baggage at the check in counter and it would then have not been x rayed.. I suspect the long delays highlighted in this article may be due to other contributing factors.