Shipping agents protest against parking fee increase at Suvarnabhumi airport

[webfact]

Shipping agents protest against parking fee increase at Suvarnabhumi airport



BANGKOK: - About 100 shipping agents held a protest at Suvarnabhumi international airport against the increase of parking fees at the so-called free zone.

Mr Prateep Satjathep who represented the protesting shipping agents told the media on Wednesday that the airport management had arbitrarily raised the parking fees at the free zone from 130 to 300 baht/month for a motorcycle, to 600 baht from 400 baht/month for a car and 600 baht to 900 baht/month for a six-wheel truck.

Hourly parking fee is also increased, said Mr Prateep,

One of the protesters, Mr Navik Rodrung, said he normally rides a motorcycle to park at the free zone every day and pays the parking fee on hour basis at 3 baht per hour. Normally, he said he paid 40 baht parking fee a day.

Under the new parking fee rate, Navik said he would have to dish out 70 baht for parking fee which is too high for him so he now parks his motorbike outside the free zone.

Mr Prayuth Plakadthong, director of duty-free and cargo terminal, later tried to talk with the protesters to end the project. He promised to put on hold the new parking fees.

The protesters later dispersed apparently satisfied with the promise.

Source: http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/shipping-agents-protest-against-parking-fee-increase-at-suvarnabhumi-airport


-- Thai PBS 2015-11-19

[Kerryd]

That makes no sense whatsoever.

The one protester claims he pays about 40 baht/day (at 3 baht/hour) to park his motorcycle in the Free Zone. Meanwhile it appears from the article that the monthly fee was only 130 baht (so just over the price of 3 days of parking at the hourly fee). If you are spending 13 hours a day in the Free Zone why would you pay for daily parking when paying by the month would be considerably cheaper ?

At the new fee of 300 baht/month for a motorcycle that would work out to just 10 baht a day. That's 1/7th the cost of daily parking (for 13 hours) based on the newly raised hourly fee. Even at the old hourly rate, at 13 hours a day, if you were at the Free Zone more than 8 days a month you'd be losing money by paying an hourly fee.

Unless there is an error and the "monthly" fees noted in the article are actually "daily" fees ? I can't remember what we paid when I was there last year.

(Note: from my experience, there are a lot of "free lancer agents" that hang around the FZ and try to pick up jobs. Looking around some of the government buildings while I was processing a shipment last year (using one of those "free lance agents) and there are numerous areas with tables, chairs and even desks, probably meant for customers to sit and do their paperwork, that are being used by free lancers as their "offices". I imagine a lot of them probably go hungry (jobless) for long periods of time so perhaps the idea of paying by the month is a little too rich for them, as is the prospect of almost double the hourly rate to park.)

[ezzra]

I feel no sorry at all toward those shipping agents, they will gouge you and charge you exuberantly

if they can, and since when a 600 baht a month to park a car is too expensive? it represent 20 baht

a day, you try to import something and you will see how much those guys will charge you in fees...

[worgeordie]

Its a FREE zone,but you have to pay to park,

more Thai logic?

regards Worgeordie

[Kasset Tak]

Its a FREE zone,but you have to pay to park,

more Thai logic?

regards Worgeordie

Free Zone is not a for free parking zone, Free Zone is the name of the logistic hub at Suvarnabhumi airport.

Edited November 19, 2015 by Kasset Tak

[jaywalker]

Its a FREE zone,but you have to pay to park,

more Thai logic?

regards Worgeordie

Free Zone is not a for free parking zone, Free Zone is the name of the logistic hub at Suvarnabhumi airport.

Where, apparently, nothing is free = Thai Logic.

[sead]

For that price i would also call it free. Park at one of europes airports and you will be happy if you can park for 1000 thb for 1 day.