Suvarnabhumi Airport Ordered To Improve Service

[MrSnrang]

What did you really expect? It's Thai. Being substandard is the standard of anything in Thailand.

[tutsiwarrior]

I was there yesterday picking up family. This is the so called "largest passenger terminal in the world", and yet have you seen the Arrivals area - it's tiny!

It's absolute chaos as passengers are walking out to meet people in the smallest area imaginable. An absolutely ridiculous design.

Come back Don Muang, all is forgiven...!!!

I agree...I arrived on 28 Sept and the arrivals area was chaos, an unruly scrum where you had to fight to get by. I was to be met by the wife but there was nowhere even to stand...had to go outside to the kerb to find a place to wait. Took my wife 1.5 hours to find me...

Don Muang arrivals was wildly spacious in comparison...

they oughta hang the bastids responsible...

[Boatabike]

Thanks for all this interesting info on the new airport, my 70+ yr old mother is flying in to visit soon and I was rather expecting the process of meeting her to be as straight forward as it used to be at the old one. I am now E-mailing her to make sure she uses the toilet before landing, not to start any fires after landing, not to buy anything from the shops there, to find a helpful person to help her find the distant luggage area and not to expect to find me for up to 2 hours in the confusion in the arrival area. Have I covered it all there? The thing is I am not actually joking. She is used to travel but this is first time she has ever done it on her own and as together as she is, landing so far away from home in a strange culture the one thing that helps is that airports are pretty much the same world over. Now I hear that this one is a very poor example plus confusing too. I do hope they won’t lose my dear ole mum some where!

[Boatabike]

Just a thought does anyone have a link to a floor plan thats accurate of this new airport? I would like to arrange a back up meeting point for my mum if we have probs in the arrival area. I could google but i would rather someone pointed to a link that they know is accurate from experience. I have never been there so i have no knowledge on the layout at all. For myself i would consider it an adventure but a 70+ lady may see it in a different light.

[Freddie_fly]

I left Thailand on the 26th Sept from Don Muang, phew, just beat the change-over. I return on the 10th Nov to SB airport. have so far heard from three good friends who have landed over the last 5 weeks. One neutral comment and two very depressing ones.

I am reserving comment until I actually get there and see for myself. But it seems from comments so far that the Thai's involved in this project were more interested in adding to their wealth than in taking pride in what should be a showplace building. First impressions are (unfortunatley) often the most striking. it is a pity that many visitors will take home negative views on Thailand based on the place they first (and last) see.

regards

[Jai Dee]

M.R. Pridiyathorn granted 3 months to improve Suvarnabhumi airport

The Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister, M.R. Pridiyathorn Devakula, revealed about the meeting with the Civilian Flying Organization Secretary at the Government House, saying they discussed the progress of the Civilian Flying Organization as China is interested in having its officials trained in Thailand.

M.R. Pridiyathorn also mentioned about the readiness of the Suvarnabhumi Airport, saying that operations are in place, but the most significant issue is the service sector. He has ordered relevant officials to put it on the right track within three months. There will be more 200 units of lavatory to match with the massive number of passengers. He has also assigned the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment to study the noise pollution nearby the airport within one month.

The Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister however has disagreed with the plan for Suvarnabhumi Airport to be a special administrative district because it is a monkey-cheek area, and he will object the project if it is proposed.

Source: Thai National News Bureau Public Relations Department - 01 November 2006

[sriracha john]

The Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister however has disagreed with the plan for Suvarnabhumi Airport to be a special administrative district because it is a monkey-cheek area, and he will object the project if it is proposed.

Source: Thai National News Bureau Public Relations Department - 01 November 2006

ok, I'll play along with the game.

What translation dictionary are my buddies at TNNBPRD pulling this one out of?

[ovenman]

The Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister however has disagreed with the plan for Suvarnabhumi Airport to be a special administrative district because it is a monkey-cheek area, and he will object the project if it is proposed.

Source: Thai National News Bureau Public Relations Department - 01 November 2006

ok, I'll play along with the game.

What translation dictionary are my buddies at TNNBPRD pulling this one out of?

I thought a monkey cheek was a term that is used for a water rentention area that is used for flood prevention downstream? Even so, I'm not seeing what the application is here.

[sriracha john]

The Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister however has disagreed with the plan for Suvarnabhumi Airport to be a special administrative district because it is a monkey-cheek area, and he will object the project if it is proposed.

Source: Thai National News Bureau Public Relations Department - 01 November 2006

ok, I'll play along with the game.

What translation dictionary are my buddies at TNNBPRD pulling this one out of?

I thought a monkey cheek was a term that is used for a water rentention area that is used for flood prevention downstream? Even so, I'm not seeing what the application is here.

Even the normally all-inclusive dictionary.com is stumped:

No results found for monkey-cheek.

Did you mean monkey bike?

Suggestions:

monkey bike

Monkey shine

monkey work

monkeyshine

Bank check

bank check

monkey dog

No entries were found in the dictionary. Would you like to search the Web for monkey-cheek?

*edit*

not content with not knowing, we followed dict's suggestion and it turns out you're absolutely correct, ovenman.

so the airport is "a water-retention basin prone to flooding".... nice.

Edited November 1, 2006 by sriracha john

[julie_f]

Boatabike, It may be an idea to get some assistance for your mum when she lands, it is a bloodly long way to the immigration desks. Either that or get her to make friends with the person shes sitting next to and they can find it together. It took me around 20 minutes and i dont walk slowly. toilets and signs are scarce too. There were massive queues at immigration too. It seems like there is different sections but obviously most people go to the first bit you come to, leaving the later section empty.

With regards to meeting her, get her to switch on her mobile when she lands and as she comes through arrivals she can call you. A lot easier.

[phibunmike]

Just a thought does anyone have a link to a floor plan thats accurate of this new airport? I would like to arrange a back up meeting point for my mum if we have probs in the arrival area. I could google but i would rather someone pointed to a link that they know is accurate from experience. I have never been there so i have no knowledge on the layout at all. For myself i would consider it an adventure but a 70+ lady may see it in a different light.

I wouldn't bother trying to arrange a meeting place - the signs are so awful neither of you would find it.

I arrived at domestic arrivals and there were no signs to international departures ! I had to ask.

[sriracha john]

Airport city opposition mounting

Deputy PM says he'll object to development

Deputy Prime Minister M.R. Pridiyathorn Devakula announced yesterday he would oppose any plan to develop areas around Suvarnabhumi airport into an aerotropolis, signalling doom for one of the most controversial projects of the deposed Thaksin Shinawatra administration. M.R. Pridiyathorn said that he recognised that the idea to designate the aerotropolis as a specially administered zone was a matter of government policy and of city planning. ''Now that the airport is up and running, what purpose will crowding up communities around it serve? The noise from the aircraft is loud enough as it is. Therefore the areas around there should absolutely not be developed into an aerotropolis,'' he said. M.R. Pridiyathorn said that areas adjacent to Suvarnabhumi airport form a vast water catchment basin and a network of outlets through which water from the city flows into the sea. The airport construction had already caused some large concrete structures to obstruct the natural flow of water leading to floods, and the government should not compound this problem by building an airport city, he added. Suvarnabhumi airport has been blamed for a frenzy of land speculation and the aerotropolis project, sitting on the Bangkok-Samut Prakan border, could further drive up prices. M.R. Pridiyathorn said reports of the project being driven by real estate speculation were not baseless.

Continued here:

http://www.bangkokpost.com/News/02Nov2006_news01.php

-------------------------------------------------------------------

I feel sorry for all the speculators who purchased land plots in anticipation of huge windfalls.....

awwwww sorry, fellas.... you're outta luck...