Congratulations To Suvarnabhumi Airport

[cclub75]

Some still can't comprehend that the airport was open 3am on September 28. 2006.

Some still can't forgive us that they were wrong and what rubbish they were using to back their standpoints.

Don't be so arrogant.

The airport is NOT ready. The opening date was a political decision. Not a technical nor a commercial one.

Peruse the first reports : computer crash this morning at check in so they are still labeling by hand the lugages and handwrite boarding passes ! This problem is recurrent since last february and the first tests.

I am a user, a frequent one, not by choice : and my concern is my safety and... my comfort.

What's wrong with that ?

So I can not rejoyce myself by saying : I don't care because I will fly in BKK in 6 months for my annual vacations, and at that time the airport will be really and fully operational.

I know that from now on, I will face hel_l each time I'll walk in Suva. And that it will last a few months.

[Plus]

There are degrees of readyness. Ideally it should come from bottom up - from people on the ground telling their managers that they are ready, not the other way around.

As the bosses can't wait forever, some compromise needs to be found. The level of this compromise is what worries doomsayers.

Have you seen K19? A movie about Russian nuclear sub? Substitute the sub with the airport and you have your first Suvaranbhumi movie.

[Plus]

Yes, the first report on the Nation's site, from AFP?!?

Computer glitches mar first full day at new Bangkok airport

Passengers at Bangkok's new international airport Thursday faced delays in collecting their bags and checking in on the first full day of operations because of computer and mechanical glitches.

Thousands of passengers arriving on the first flights had to wait one hour to collect their bags as equipment was slow in arriving from the old airport, which closed during the night.

"The delay was caused by the delay of moving Thai Airways ground handling equipment from the old airport to the new one," said Chotisak Asapaviriya, president of Airports of Thailand, which operates the facility.

"It's just a minor error, and it will be the only one. We will never let this happen again," he said.

But at Thai Airways check-in counters, computers crashed before the first flights out of the new Suvarnabhumi Airport, causing delays as airline workers had to issue handwritten boarding passes and baggage claim tags.

That left long lines, but many passengers seemed prepared for delays on the first full day of operations, when some 800 flights will fly through.

"Today is the first day, so we don't expect anything to go well," said Paul Millar, a 46-year-old Briton who works in Bangkok.

"Fortunately we arrived early just in case," he said.

Agence France-Presse

[Soju]

Peruse the first reports : computer crash this morning at check in so they are still labeling by hand the lugages and handwrite boarding passes ! This problem is recurrent since last february and the first tests.

So if this problem has been occuring since last February, and they still haven't fixed it given 7 months, what makes you think that it would be fixed in another 3 months or 6 months? It seems that whether the airport opened today, or a year from today, this same problem would have happened.

[MaiChai]

I am flying to BKK this evening on TG from Sydney. I check the flight stats, and the flight left late by 16 mins from the the new airport. Thus not bad for a new airport opening? Just hope my luggage comes through ok.

[think_too_mut]

Peruse the first reports : computer crash this morning at check in so they are still labeling by hand the lugages and handwrite boarding passes ! This problem is recurrent since last february and the first tests.

So if this problem has been occuring since last February, and they still haven't fixed it given 7 months, what makes you think that it would be fixed in another 3 months or 6 months? It seems that whether the airport opened today, or a year from today, this same problem would have happened.

Within first 2 weeks, anything other than loss of lives, injuries or aircraft manouvering accidents could be "normal" to occur.

World'd most efficient airport (Hong Kong) had gone through not glitches, but chaos when it first opened.

Shortly after that they were able to locate and unload no-show passenger's baggage off the plane as big as B747 within 7 minutes.

I remembered that when I sat on the plane for 2.5 hours (for an 1 hour flight to Brisbane) at Sydney's Kingsford Smith while the ground staff were retreiving somebody's bag.

[pap]

Peruse the first reports : computer crash this morning at check in so they are still labeling by hand the lugages and handwrite boarding passes ! This problem is recurrent since last february and the first tests.

So if this problem has been occuring since last February, and they still haven't fixed it given 7 months, what makes you think that it would be fixed in another 3 months or 6 months? It seems that whether the airport opened today, or a year from today, this same problem would have happened.

Within first 2 weeks, anything other than loss of lives, injuries or aircraft manouvering accidents could be "normal" to occur.

World'd most efficient airport (Hong Kong) had gone through not glitches, but chaos when it first opened.

Shortly after that they were able to locate and unload no-show passenger's baggage off the plane as big as B747 within 7 minutes.

I remembered that when I sat on the plane for 2.5 hours (for an 1 hour flight to Brisbane) at Sydney's Kingsford Smith while the ground staff were retreiving somebody's bag.

It is already successful. My point was the plan changed many times and so did the projected date to open it. This is a world thing not a Thai thing. I am not aware of an airport that opened on time that its date did not get pushed back many times. If you move back the date enough times you will eventually be right. Having said that....this is a big event and the Thais can be proud. The Denver Airport opened on time on the 5th try. But it was still good that it opened ....well..... after they realized that some cargo could not drop 3 feet from one converyor belt to another and still survive. So it kinda was a success

Its an airport and they will be addressing glitches from now until it closes. Such is life.

[pap]

I am flying to BKK this evening on TG from Sydney. I check the flight stats, and the flight left late by 16 mins from the the new airport. Thus not bad for a new airport opening? Just hope my luggage comes through ok.

If you get a chance could you post the success of your baggage retreival.? I will be traveling soon and would like to know how much I need to stuff in my carry on just in case.

[britmaveric]

Goodluck and hope the kinks are worked out sooner rather than later. Hopefully the airport will finish construction soon.

[kalaminsa]

Congratulations to bangkok people and thai people on opening of the suvarnabhumi airport.Let this new suvarbhumi airport inspire thailand to provide highest standards of service for thailand and rest of the world.This new airport will bring more people to come to thailand's friendly land.All glories to suvarnabumi airport and all world travel people coming to thailand or transiting from thailand.

Touchdown into chaos according to the reports .....

Was anything else expected ??

[lomatopo]

I departed Suvarnabhumi on UA 852 (BKK-NRT) on 28 Sep. at 06:50. According to the departure screens this was the 7th or 8th (an earlier flight was delayed) out after the 03:00 opening time. The NW flight to BKK was the 2nd flight out. (The UA flight from NRT had arrived at Suvarnabhumi at 23:00 on 27 Sep. so the aircraft was in place.)

Everything went really well for me. Equal times (check-in, passenger service fee, Immigration), or less, compared to DMK. Flight pushed back 5 min. early. We departed runway 19L.

It is a fantastic facility, very impressive. Congratulations to the thousands of people who built this magnificent airport.

[kalaminsa]

Congratulations to bangkok people and thai people on opening of the suvarnabhumi airport.Let this new suvarbhumi airport inspire thailand to provide highest standards of service for thailand and rest of the world.This new airport will bring more people to come to thailand's friendly land.All glories to suvarnabumi airport and all world travel people coming to thailand or transiting from thailand.

You have got to be kidding !

Have just heard mostly complaints from travellers so far .

This airport is actually a very good example of what is lacking in thailand regarding service.

[permanent_disorder]

Hope there is someone selling food and drinks around Don Muang to those who are there to meet their "mates confirmed to fly into Don Muang".

would be nice if there had been someone selling food at the new airport.

the big restaurants not open, and the smaller open one, sold out their food quick and have been not ready yet also.

the airport is still not ready and there have been so many delays on the opening time before.

and as for some accident you mention in an other post, i see one construktion worker get really hurt when some partition wall falling down. he was not able to walk after that. and that was 20 meters away from the domestic arrival gate and the 2nd day after the opening. hope he recover well and don't pay a high price for the pressure of the opening 'in time'.

i guess all the people with the lost or damage luggage are also happy about the new airport.

the handle of my suit case was also broken, i called it 'shit happends' after reading other post here i know why the shit happen and that i am not the only one.

even if you not think to much, be a little bit more realistic and read some real life experience reports here on the forum, thanks.

[fritte]

Congratulations to bangkok people and thai people on opening of the suvarnabhumi airport.Let this new suvarbhumi airport inspire thailand to provide highest standards of service for thailand and rest of the world.This new airport will bring more people to come to thailand's friendly land.All glories to suvarnabumi airport and all world travel people coming to thailand or transiting from thailand.

You have got to be kidding !

Have just heard mostly complaints from travellers so far .

This airport is actually a very good example of what is lacking in thailand regarding service.

Now the new airport has been open for more then a week. Is it still the same hot inside the buildings and are the queues to the taxis still the same long?

[kalaminsa]

Congratulations to bangkok people and thai people on opening of the suvarnabhumi airport.Let this new suvarbhumi airport inspire thailand to provide highest standards of service for thailand and rest of the world.This new airport will bring more people to come to thailand's friendly land.All glories to suvarnabumi airport and all world travel people coming to thailand or transiting from thailand.

You have got to be kidding !

Have just heard mostly complaints from travellers so far .

This airport is actually a very good example of what is lacking in thailand regarding service.

Now the new airport has been open for more then a week. Is it still the same hot inside the buildings and are the queues to the taxis still the same long?

The Taxi queues will remain until they rebuild the arrivals area .... in fact they will only get worse since it is low season now.

My guess is that the a/c systems will be too expensive to run due to the very large building volume,

already the expense has been mentioned by AOT.Beleive it was 80,000 baht/hour , am sure someone will correct me if I am wrong.

[fritte]

Now the new airport has been open for more then a week. Is it still the same hot inside the buildings and are the queues to the taxis still the same long?

The Taxi queues will remain until they rebuild the arrivals area .... in fact they will only get worse since it is low season now.

My guess is that the a/c systems will be too expensive to run due to the very large building volume,

already the expense has been mentioned by AOT.Beleive it was 80,000 baht/hour , am sure someone will correct me if I am wrong.

The word is: Terrible!