Flyers to face B35 fee for airport background check

[BlackJack]

20 million visitors x 35 baht is good for AOT

quick buy shares

[JetsetBkk]

People in Phuket should be laughing.

In Bangkok this 35 baht represents the cost of a short taxi ride.

In Phuket, it's less than 20%.

Aren't we lucky.

[Straight8]

doesn't this information show up when a passport is scanned anyway?

For an extra 35 baht, it will!!!

Why stop at 35 baht, the year after??

[whiteman]

So Let me get this right the airline collects the 35 bhat sees a bad guy or lady then they inform the airport check in people to stop or grab the person on the day they fly. Bad guy arrives at check in is flagged in the q the police are called which then takes time for the police to arrive and nab the crook while all this time I am waiting in line getting later and later for my plain. Just when I get near the check in the red light goes off again for another one that has been flagged. So we start all over again

[alanrchase]

Who cares. Ripped off by fuel surcharges, tax etc already. If it was added to ticket price no one would know.

[spermwhale]

Well here's one farang that is glad about the 35baht charge. Imagine if it were introduced in UK or US where feral capitalism is on the loose, they would charge 50 quid or more. Thank you for corrupt crony capitalism.

That's right. I can't believe people on this thread or grousing over a measly 35 baht. Is that gonna break the bank for travelers?

[bino]

So, in other words, fly into Krabi, or Samui to avoid the system.....(and other airports that have international arrivals).

The APPS will be put in use in six international airports namely Suvarnabhumi, Don Mueang, Phuket, Chiang Mai, Mae Fa Luang in Chiang Rai, and Hat Yai.

No- this brilliant idea for criminals isn't going to work, because:

doesn't this information show up when a passport is scanned anyway?

Correct. You undergo the same check at passport control as it is now.

Cash grab, how low can you go?

Right. This is just a way of "rebranding" part of the existing procedure so that they can justify the cash grab.

They say that people will clear immigration faster because this part of the passport control will already be completed. In reality, it will mean two queues to stand in, and proportionately more time, not less.

[CNXTim]

I reckon they won't be charging Thai nationals, anyone fancy a bet on that?

Methinks someone just got a "final Letter of Demand" for payment for all that expensive kit they installed, So either they lay it back onto the farang traveller or return all the electronic paraphernalia. A bit like the foolish ATM saga that hit over the last decade...

MaePenRai :

[tezzainoz]

Australian Privacy Laws will not allow the exchange of information with out your consent

[Emster23]

I'm not worried. Just another way to filch some moola. They will get their security software from same firm that made the bomb detectors the army picked up a few years ago. Those troughs don't come cheap, oink oink.....

[IMA_FARANG]

Yes, I remember the "airport tax" that each traveler had to pay when they left Thailand.

it never really went away you know it was just added into the airline ticket price as an extra "ticket fee". (At least a decade I guess).

Out of sight, out of mind......most travelers never realized their ticket included an "airport tax" in it's cost for the last few years.

Now all that is happening is that those costs have gone high enough (inflation and the weak Baht) so that a further cost must be added to "ticket fees" for a further "airport tax".

Nothing really new here.... just more administrative costs added on to an already existing expense for the tickets.

That's nothing really new..... it is really a consequence of a weak and declining Baht.... someone has to pay the administrative costs for the existing security checks.

As always the consumer pays in the end.

Edited August 3, 2015 by IMA_FARANG

[a99az]

So glad I moved out when I did I can see where this is all going and it's not good. I wonder if Thai people will pay the same price?

[Rumblecat]

Australian Privacy Laws will not allow the exchange of information with out your consent

Australia already uses APP though, doesn't it? It's already taking passport info and flight details from incoming passengers and sharing the outbound data.

[RigPig]

Ahh the old ¨Business no good, put the price up!!¨

[lap82]

Weird...

[alanrchase]

I reckon they won't be charging Thai nationals, anyone fancy a bet on that?

Methinks someone just got a "final Letter of Demand" for payment for all that expensive kit they installed, So either they lay it back onto the farang traveller or return all the electronic paraphernalia. A bit like the foolish ATM saga that hit over the last decade...

MaePenRai :

Yes. Double for farangs.

[Larry001]

Well that means a good percentage of the Police and military will no longer be able to travel overseas.

[Brit_Doggie]

I see the whiners got here b4 I did I am all for such checks and would gladly pay way above that fee to get rid of the scum that arrive not only in Thailand but other countries also.

[alanrchase]

I see the whiners got here b4 I did I am all for such checks and would gladly pay way above that fee to get rid of the scum that arrive not only in Thailand but other countries also.

35 baht will discourage scum?

[patekatek]

I doubt if the airlines will protest. This 35 baht fee will give them the excuse to double or triple the fee due to their "processing expense" and add it to the extensive list of fees already being collected. It's a boon for Thailand and the airlines. Since Thailand lacks qualified maintenance personnel for their airlines, be prepared for another fee called the "education for our employees" fee.

[passiflora]

in Belgium, they just put this system on (1 July 2015) and is already failed

However, no additional fee is required

Imagine the queue (with the well know discipline of Thai people , but also from some tourists) to pay the fee of 35 baht

Many tourists do not have THB when they arrive for the 1st time in LOS

It'll be a famous circus

[Tywais]

Started the idea in October 2012 as shown below - Advance Passenger Processing System to be Installed in all Thai. The below says that you don't even need to get your passports stamped? Can't see how that could work. At least they reduced the price since then.

All airports in Thailand, including the Phuket International Airport, will soon have a new and more efficient automated system as announced recently by the Commissioner of the Thai Immigration Bureau. Once installed, international passengers will no longer have to experience tedious long queues to get their documents processed by immigration officials.

The announcement came during the regional meeting of ASEAN immigration heads held at a 5-star resort hotel in Phuket yesterday. The new system, according to Lt. Gen. Wiboon Bangphamai, is dubbed as 'Advance Passenger Processing' system or simply called APP.

The state-of-the-art technology is so advanced that it allows passengers to simply walk through without them needing to stop to get their passports stamped by an immigration officer.

The traveling public will have to wait a little bit longer, however, as they need to iron out some issues with the Airports of Thailand officials for its installation. Issues include a usage fee which is to be shouldered by the passengers themselves.

An original proposal was submitted to the airport officials seeking to impose a fee of 80 baht for every passenger but that was denied. At present, the immigration agency is awaiting action from the AoT officials for a lower fee of 40 baht per passenger, amending the original proposal.

More here - domesticflightsthailand

[alanrchase]

in Belgium, they just put this system on (1 July 2015) and is already failed

However, no additional fee is required

Imagine the queue (with the well know discipline of Thai people , but also from some tourists) to pay the fee of 35 baht

Many tourists do not have THB when they arrive for the 1st time in LOS

It'll be a famous circus

The 500 baht that was added many years ago was a pain for a while. Have they learnt anything and just take it from ticket price?

[Wadan]

Countries will not share info because of their privacy laws.

This is just a cash grab. Plain and simple.

[alanrchase]

Countries will not share info because of their privacy laws.

This is just a cash grab. Plain and simple.

Try to fly to the US on your non sharing basis.

[Taffyfromflint]

This will be like the fuel surcharge, which interestingly hasn't been reduced or dropped with the fall in fuel costs. So they will slam on the charge at the ticketting level but it will stick, go up, be disguised for infinity, thai Airlines are already amongst the dearest,let's see how much further it can go to completely stuff up the tourist industry.

[Whyamiandwhatamidoinghere]

Another way to get the exchange rate to their favor

[Whyamiandwhatamidoinghere]

Who has 35 baht coming to or leaving Thailand? They will soon introduce pawnshops at the airports

[Down the rabbit hole]

Im not sure too many countries will be sharing any profiles of a;; passengers with Thai authorities considering they then plan to share them with every agency in Thailand.

Don't know about USA but surely there's a data protection issue for Europe? Since its effectively the Thai government asking for data and not the traveller? I'm not even sure it matters if the traveller has signed an authorisation form for the Thai government. because they're not signatories to the EU legislation and there are no guarantees of downstream data security.

[kinmaew]

Another chapter in a country where everyone is indoctrinated at birth to live "Shitscared" for their entire lives.