Meeting Area

[bina]

on third floor (where food is supposed to be) is there a sort of name brand type food place that i could say: meet me at 'macdonalds/kfc/mai li noodles' or whatever???

somehow this must be easiest for us... there must be some fast food thing that is immediately identifiable to an english speaker so i could say go to..... and wait we will find u.....

thinking that was easier than everyone's suggestions about arrivals, entrances, doors etc..

i know, i'm an hysterical mother but thinking this it is easier to tell daughter to go to food area, stand by pizza hut/mama delicious or whatever there is there , drink a cola and wait.

no? yes?

bina

[bluedragon]

on third floor (where food is supposed to be) is there a sort of name brand type food place that i could say: meet me at 'macdonalds/kfc/mai li noodles' or whatever???

somehow this must be easiest for us... there must be some fast food thing that is immediately identifiable to an english speaker so i could say go to..... and wait we will find u.....

thinking that was easier than everyone's suggestions about arrivals, entrances, doors etc..

i know, i'm an hysterical mother but thinking this it is easier to tell daughter to go to food area, stand by pizza hut/mama delicious or whatever there is there , drink a cola and wait.

no? yes?

bina

bina, the way I currently understand the layout of the new airport is that your go thru customs on level 2 and then exit through either A,B, or C exit. Then to catch a taxi you would go down one level to level 1.. I intend to have someone meet me at exit C when i exit customs.

Will let you know if this appears easier then going up to Level 3 then down to Level 1.

Regards, BD

[bina]

thanx,

u would think we were all lewis and clark explorerers searching for the pacific... thanx bd,

am awaiting the news... also, did anyone notice where short term parking is??? like for people that are actually picking u up from the airport? cant find it on the map, really... found the long term parking and taxi stuff...

[salty]

bina,

If it is an International Flight the exit will be either A or B depending on the carousel your luggage is on. Domestic flights come out through Gate C. That is my understanding from reading previous posts.

[salty]

bina,

If it is an International Flight the exit will be either A or B depending on the carousel your luggage is on. Domestic flights come out through Gate C. That is my understanding from reading previous posts.

My previous post is horse manure. Domestic flights come out Gate A. International flights are either B or C.

[bino]

on third floor (where food is supposed to be) is there a sort of name brand type food place that i could say: meet me at 'macdonalds/kfc/mai li noodles' or whatever???

Starbucks is on level 3.

[Boxer]

on third floor (where food is supposed to be) is there a sort of name brand type food place that i could say: meet me at 'macdonalds/kfc/mai li noodles' or whatever???

Starbucks is on level 3.

Level 3 Food Court here

http://www.boxertravels.net/airport/index.htm

[bina]

starbucks is good, i can deal with starbucks (dont like their coffee but they have a big sign, no?)

but on your map, boxer, there is a big X that says meeting greeting place; is that not really there??

also, not sure about the parking for picking up people. he parks and then goes where?

you say: Meet your Cars and Drivers at the arrivals gates A, B & C Level 2 then go up to Level 3 for Car Park bridges

so how did they get to level 2 to meet u at arrivals if u have to go back up to level 3 to the car park bridges... this parking btw is short term for how long, and do u have to pay when leaving, or entering (u get a ticket or something to check in and out with, or is it free??)

i know, just jobsessing, but really want to pass info on to brother in law....

bina and anon

israel

[udon]

Zoo is the word - except it's three zoos. Door A for domestic, Doors B & C for International. I can't imagine how they can have made such a mess of it when so much money has been spent. It's like stepping back into the third world. Even worse than Heathrow Terminal 3 arrivals which at least has the excuse of being an old building being stretched beyond its capacity. Coffee shop, bar and restaurant provision land side is also pathetic. Nothing like as good as Don Mueng.

Even if you see our luggage going round and round on the baggage belt, arriving passengers should go to the loo before collecting their baggage. While the real world is taking account of security concerns and is moving towards bigger toilet cubicles to accommodate baggage trolleys, Bangkok has gone into reverse. The toilet cubicles are smaller than at the old airport and the trolleys are bigger - so big, in fact, that they won't even fit through the entrance door of the baggage hall toilets into the general washbasin area. You have to leave your trolley right outside.

If you're arranging to meet anyone arriving at Bangkok via International, Door C is your best bet. At least here you have a sporting chance of finding each other. Whoever is arriving should exit the baggage hall via Door C, push and shove their way through the throng, then turn left into what is a relative oasis of space and light and seats! On my three visits to the airport so far, this area has been virtually empty probably because nobody has managed to pentrate the throng from Doors A & B yet!

The taxi queue management is appalling. There are three taxi queues (at least - there could be more, I haven't counted yet), but only the first one (Door A - domestic. Wouldn't you know it!) gets proper service and all are very makeshift temporary arrangements. So there are plenty of passengers and plenty of taxis but the ability to match one with the other is somewhat lacking. You need patience. So do the taxi drivers. And the taxi attendants. It's all the fault of the airport designers, not the people trying to do a job.

For a slightly cheaper limousine than AOT, exit the arrivals area via Door 7 or Door 8, cross the first roadway, then look for someone with a clipboard from Prabhirarb Transport Company (www.prabhirarb.com). Usual selection of Toyota Camry, Benz and van. Camry to downtown in Bt 700, not including tollway/expressway. There are a couple of other companies with representatives hanging around in the same area and they are probably priced about the same.

I drove past the old airport last night. It was all dark and sad and lonely. The new one is not an improvement. In fact, it will get worse. Wait till Thai summer time (April and May) and get ready to die of heatstroke - all that glass and you just know the aircon isn't designed to cope! (People are already complaining.) What's wrong with thick, insulating concrete and tiny windows I wonder?

Source: BKKBlonde PPrune.org

[Boxer]

starbucks is good, i can deal with starbucks (dont like their coffee but they have a big sign, no?)

but on your map, boxer, there is a big X that says meeting greeting place; is that not really there??

also, not sure about the parking for picking up people. he parks and then goes where?

you say: Meet your Cars and Drivers at the arrivals gates A, B & C Level 2 then go up to Level 3 for Car Park bridges

so how did they get to level 2 to meet u at arrivals if u have to go back up to level 3 to the car park bridges... this parking btw is short term for how long, and do u have to pay when leaving, or entering (u get a ticket or something to check in and out with, or is it free??)

i know, just jobsessing, but really want to pass info on to brother in law....

bina and anon

israel

Sorry i dont see a big X it is 4 arrows on level 3 map.

Person meeting goes into Car Park 3 best for International arrivals. he gets ticket and parks car very busy place. Note where he parks and on what floor. Pay on leaving up to 280 baht a day by the hour.

Then he goes to Terminal bridge to cross over to building this is level 3 meeting area but for Arrivals he goes down to level 2 Arrivals Exit door B or C check board overhead for which one your friends flight will exit from. Meet in the crush or stand to the right of door and tell friends to see you on their left at exit after customs. You then all go up one floor with trolleys to level 3 and to Car Park 3 bridge and go across to find car. Exit and follow road signs from there.

[bina]

ok, much clearer now....

thanx for details... have decided on starbucks as a good area to wait ; since we will be on thai time she can eat (if its open at that hour of a.m.) and wait without just sort of looking lost by a door...

i'm sure i will get detailed complaints from her no matter what...

thanx , now in search of thai style/priced places to sleep for the night... will be joined by father in law, brother in law, sister in law and her husband....

bina and anon

israel

[Mobi]

I made my first visit on Saturday to collect an elderly English couple (79 and 74) who had never been to Asia before.

First of all the car parking was confusing - Ok I'm not the brightest spark when it comes to these things - but I read in English and the wife read in Thai, and it was unclear which of several alternatives was the correct car park direction to meet arriving passengers - it simply didn't stay. We eventually parked in the uncovered lots next to the huge multi storey park. There was quite a long, very hot walk to the terminal building.

Inside, the signage was fine to direct us to gates B & C. I had told my visitors to exit gate C, and just as well because gate B is a h..ll of a long way from C - like about 7 minutes walk. If your visitors come out of the wrong gate, or you haven't planned in advance, you will have a big problem trying to cover both gates -wWithout 2 people, and mobile phones, it would be vitually impossible.

Walking past gate B to get to gate C was like going back to an earlier age of air travel. What chaos! What absolute crap! As someone said - just like a zoo! Crowds of welcomers everywhere - all straining to see the passengers emerging,; intermingling with crowds of recently arrived passengers with bags up to their eye balls, blocking every inch of floors pace and making it almost impossible to get through to gate C.

Finally made it to Gate C - equal chaos. I gratefully found a seat at the far end of gate C where I thought I could manage to spot my visitors arrival. Then after 30 minutes, my wife pointed out that the arriving passengers were coming out and going in two directions - one towards me and one away from me - so I would never see them if they went the other way. (I hadn't noticed this earlier due to the masses of people in the way) This was really third world stuff. Crowds upon crowds - all trying to keep both exits covered (at Terminal C). I just couldn't believe the powers that be couldn't have organized it better in the 21st century - far worse than Don Muang - and frankly a total disgrace. Just a stupid rope to keep arrivers and greeters apart - surely something more high tech could have been thought of?

Thankfully, with the help of mobile phones (wife and me), we connected with our guests, and made the very long walk back to my car.

I am dreading my trip to Singapore coming up next weekend.

BTW In a terminal that seems to go on forever, whoever thought of the idea of having arriving passengers to go another level to meet people /find a meeting point , need their heads examined. It's just madness.

Edited October 30, 2006 by Mobi D'Ark

[bluedragon]

I made my first visit on Saturday to collect an elderly English couple (79 and 74) who had never been to Asia before.

First of all the car parking was confusing - Ok I'm not the brightest spark when it comes to these things - but I read in English and the wife read in Thai, and it was unclear which of several alternatives was the correct car park direction to meet arriving passengers - it simply didn't stay. We eventually parked in the uncovered lots next to the huge multi storey park. There was quite a long, very hot walk to the terminal building.

Inside, the signage was fine to direct us to gates B & C. I had told my visitors to exit gate C, and just as well because gate B is a h..ll of a long way from C - like about 7 minutes walk. If your visitors come out of the wrong gate, or you haven't planned in advance, you will have a big problem trying to cover both gates -wWithout 2 people, and mobile phones, it would be vitually impossible.

Walking past gate B to get to gate C was like going back to an earlier age of air travel. What chaos! What absolute crap! As someone said - just like a zoo! Crowds of welcomers everywhere - all straining to see the passengers emerging,; intermingling with crowds of recently arrived passengers with bags up to their eye balls, blocking every inch of floors pace and making it almost impossible to get through to gate C.

Finally made it to Gate C - equal chaos. I gratefully found a seat at the far end of gate C where I thought I could manage to spot my visitors arrival. Then after 30 minutes, my wife pointed out that the arriving passengers were coming out and going in two directions - one towards me and one away from me - so I would never see them if they went the other way. (I hadn't noticed this earlier due to the masses of people in the way) This was really third world stuff. Crowds upon crowds - all trying to keep both exits covered (at Terminal C). I just couldn't believe the powers that be couldn't have organized it better in the 21st century - far worse than Don Muang - and frankly a total disgrace. Just a stupid rope to keep arrivers and greeters apart - surely something more high tech could have been thought of?

Thankfully, with the help of mobile phones (wife and me), we connected with our guests, and made the very long walk back to my car.

I am dreading my trip to Singapore coming up next weekend.

BTW In a terminal that seems to go on forever, whoever thought of the idea of having arriving passengers to go another level to meet people /find a meeting point , need their heads examined. It's just madness.

Mobi: when someone arrives out of gate C, which way do you suggest they head, left, right, straight??? Regards, BD

[Soju]

Mobi: when someone arrives out of gate C, which way do you suggest they head, left, right, straight??? Regards, BD

None of the above. They should peek their heads out, see the massive crowds of people, and head immediately back inside.

Seriously though, when I saw it, the area way to the left (left for someone exiting) is very uncrowded and would make a good meeting place, and had lots of empty seats. I suggest to everyone that you arrange an alternate meeting place other than the arrival gates. That way some of the congestion will be relieved. For example, tell them you'll meet them at the Starbucks, or any other easy to find place in the terminal. Just not at the actual arrival gate. Of course for someone who hasn't traveled much, it could be a bit intimidating for them to try some alternate place for meeting you. Level 1 also has lots of empty seats and would make for a good meeting place, but unfortunately the terminal design splits that level into two sections and you cannot go between them unless you go up and over, or out the terminal and back in.

[Mobi]

Mobi: when someone arrives out of gate C, which way do you suggest they head, left, right, straight??? Regards, BD

I would definitely recomnmend telling your travellers to turn left when they exit from Gate C. As I said before, I didn't even realise at first that people were also turning right.

On the left side is several rows of seats, and if you know they are turning left, you can sit down, and won't miss them. It is also at the end of the terminal building, so it's fairly quiet beyond the seating, with toilets there as well.

Tell your visitors to turn left, aim for the seats, and sit down if they don't see you.

Personally I wouldn't recommend telling them to go to some meeting point on another level, or try looking for Starbucks or anywhere else. I think in that mad house, it might be a bit hard for arriving, weary passengesr to start searching for anything in such a huge terminal. If they go the wrong way, it could take a very long time to retrace their steps.

[salty]

Judging from what is in previous posts, it seems to me to be much simpler to come out through Gate C and turn left to meet someone, even if your luggage carousel is nearer Gate B. Much easier to walk the distance inside rather than outside among the milling crowds?

[Boxer]

Judging from what is in previous posts, it seems to me to be much simpler to come out through Gate C and turn left to meet someone, even if your luggage carousel is nearer Gate B. Much easier to walk the distance inside rather than outside among the milling crowds?

Problem with that good advice is that inside the Luggage Hall has no signs saying A B or C, just Customs Nothing to Declare. Outside the Notice Board says you will exit at such and such Exit Door nearest to your Baggage Carousel.

BUT a tip is as you enter Baggage Hall claim door C is the exit door on your far left near Carousel

20. B will be near number 12. A for Domestic is near number 3.

Good place to meet in the quieter area going left from Exit door C.

Car Park Tip: If busy times follow signs for Hotel and then enter Car Park from ground floor level away from the chaos above, go up to Park and access Walking Bridge by lift in Car Park. Exit at ground floor too easy access to Motorway from there.

Edited November 1, 2006 by Boxer