Officials silent on Phuket Airport immigration mess

[snoop1130]

Officials silent on Phuket Airport immigration mess

The Phuket News

 

 

PHUKET:-- Officials at Phuket International Airport have fallen silent on why long immigration queues persist at the island’s key tourism portal, frustrating tourists by taking hours for them to clear entry to the country.

 

The long delays continue despite promises by Transport Minister Lt Gen Arkhom Termpittayapaisith last month that more officers had been assigned to bolster immigration at Phuket Airport to reduce long queues of tourists waiting to enter and leave the country.

 

First-hand reports provided to The Phuket News over the past two weeks have detailed how travellers were forced to wait hours to be cleared by immigration officers.

 

“I picked some friends up on Wednesday night (Oct 19) and their flight landed at 11:16pm from Korea and I was still waiting for them at 12:40am,” one expat told The Phuket News.

 

“They said only three desks were open and 300 passengers had arrived on a 777 – and they had only three staff to get them through immigration! It’s crazy! They know what passengers and planes are arriving so why not more staff?” he mused.

 

Full Story: http://www.thephuketnews.com/officials-silent-on-phuket-airport-immigration-mess-59631.php#8YcbJzyhVjaJpbd3.97

 

-- © Copyright Phuket News 2016-10-28

[Redvic]

No different to swampy. Thai customs is probably the worst i've ever passed through. 

[Chicog]

4 hours ago, Redvic said:

No different to swampy. Thai customs is probably the worst i've ever passed through. 

 

It's very different to Swampy. And it's immigration that's causing the hold ups, not customs.

Even the Arabs have got smartcards and E-gates now, when will these muppets learn useful things from overseas rather than rubbish like "farang SIMs"?

 

[NongKhaiKid]

I would think the Minister of Tourism's likely to claim Immigration was swamped because there's just so many tourists arriving.

[lazygourmet]

1 hour ago, NongKhaiKid said:

I would think the Minister of Tourism's likely to claim Immigration was swamped because there's just so many tourists arriving.

555... Brilliantl! 

[bokningar]

So they have a new terminal, but no one that can make a schedule for immigration staff  that matches arrival and departure's.

Not even high tech , just need some one that can make proper planing . And this is the real problem. No one can 

[huuwi]

what happen to the fast lane, that was the best thing ever happen.

[GiantFan]

APEC Business Traveller card is a godsend.  Go through VIP / diplomatic queue.  Usually empty.

[1337markus]

So it taking about an hour at Phuket. Compare the equivalent at Chiangi, Singapore I have cleared immigration many times on average in 3 minutes with a smile and free mouth freshening lozenge.  Why the difference, same process?

[OnTheRun]

12 minutes ago, 1337markus said:

So it taking about an hour at Phuket. Compare the equivalent at Chiangi, Singapore I have cleared immigration many times on average in 3 minutes with a smile and free mouth freshening lozenge.  Why the difference, same process?

 

Agreed, I've cleared immigration and customs in Singapore from the plane to the taxi rank in 15 minutes. The last time I arrived international at HKT immigration took almost as long as the flight itself (from Singapore). In fairness to Thailand, KL is just as bad.

[whatproblem]

Run by muppets

[Deli]

Stood myself in the line.

50 % of the counters not open, others open with untrained and very slow staff.

TiT

 

[exalll]

12 hours ago, Redvic said:

No different to swampy. Thai customs is probably the worst i've ever passed through. 

 

Try Beijing

[Lupatria]

12 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

last month that more officers had been assigned to bolster immigration at Phuket Airport

...and on arrival the two two guys were given boxes with the questionnaires that come with the 90 day report to check for correct answers.

[johnno2]

12 hours ago, Redvic said:

No different to swampy. Thai customs is probably the worst i've ever passed through. 

I arrived at 8PM at swampy 2 weeks ago. I was third person in the queue and got my bag and out of there in less than 30 mins after touching down

[khunano]

9 minutes ago, johnno2 said:

I arrived at 8PM at swampy 2 weeks ago. I was third person in the queue and got my bag and out of there in less than 30 mins after touching down

Me too when I arrived there at the beginning of August.

[scorecard]

1 hour ago, 1337markus said:

So it taking about an hour at Phuket. Compare the equivalent at Chiangi, Singapore I have cleared immigration many times on average in 3 minutes with a smile and free mouth freshening lozenge.  Why the difference, same process?

 

47 minutes ago, OnTheRun said:

 

Agreed, I've cleared immigration and customs in Singapore from the plane to the taxi rank in 15 minutes. The last time I arrived international at HKT immigration took almost as long as the flight itself (from Singapore). In fairness to Thailand, KL is just as bad.

 

Agree re Singapore, many day trips no baggage at all, off the aircraft in a taxi  10 minutes.

Edited October 29, 2016 by scorecard

[yellowboat]

8 hours ago, Chicog said:

 

It's very different to Swampy. And it's immigration that's causing the hold ups, not customs.

Even the Arabs have got smartcards and E-gates now, when will these muppets learn useful things from overseas rather than rubbish like "farang SIMs"?

 

While living in Bangkok, never saw an automatic photo booth for taking passport photos.  If you are thinking of a place where ingenuity and automation are welcomed, forget Thailand.  A person with the rank of Pol Lt Col cannot speak to the press ? 

[silent]

52 minutes ago, Deli said:

Stood myself in the line.

50 % of the counters not open, others open with untrained and very slow staff.

TiT

 

How do you tell the difference?

[madmitch]

I left through the international terminal last night. You could clearly see that only one counter in each booth was equipped to deal with outgoing customers, the others lacking cameras and probably passport scanners. 

 

Almost half an hour to get through as I failed to find the Coral Lounge booth to get a fast-track pass.

 

 

[csabo]

Not sure why everyone is talking about Singapore. I came through HKT a few months ago. Fights were breaking out on the lines and one kid passed out from the wait.  The I/O were opening the closing counters causing mass confusion and line mixing. Took several hours to get through. Worst airport experience of my life. Very easy to set up one line with ropes with one person to direct each new passenger to the next available I/O. Whoever is in charge there should be immediately removed. I am hoping the new terminal brings a new boss but not likely. 

[Psimbo]

Seems to be down to the time of day and a lack of co-ordination. How much of this as well is down to people not being prepared and filling out immigration cards correctly (if at all)? From what I understand the majority of the delays are on night flights and charters so if they wanted to the authorities could adjust their staffing levels. Note the use of the words 'wanted to'.

 

 I came through Swampy the other week and it was taking them approximately 1 minute a passenger to process people- round about 11 am. Ten people in front of me so ten minutes to clear (yes - I did time it).

 

 Coming back from Penang about 1430 in April the Immigration Hall in Phuket was empty and I barely broke stride- first in line and it took a minute for me to be processed.

 

 

[freebyrd]

1 hour ago, 1337markus said:

So it taking about an hour at Phuket. Compare the equivalent at Chiangi, Singapore I have cleared immigration many times on average in 3 minutes with a smile and free mouth freshening lozenge.  Why the difference, same process?

 

Simple, because Thailand doesn't care about anything except the money we bring in.

[alex8912]

I was just in Bali recently and I have never witnessed a quicker immigration team. I was timing it too and 20 seconds was an average time per person. I don't know how this could be done. I didn't even see my passport scanned but it must have been. The biggest holdup was that the immigration officers had to keep yelling out to the next person to proceed to them. Does anyone know about this airports procedure and how it's so quick? Is it just their new 30 day exempt for many countries? I heard people from AUS still need a visa but many of them were in line as well 

[bobmac10]

All the calamitous chaotic events that happen here on a daily basis come down to one thing: A terrible education system.

Planning, logical deduction,quality control,systems improvement, etc etc just are not part of the education curriculum.

I've worked with many university graduates who would not hold a job in the West for long despite their qualifications.

It starts at primary school, being to told to follow and obey, not to question.

Until the Thais can grasp the nettle and face up to the apalling standard of their education system and make the necessary changes, things will continue as they are.

And, if you are going to post the headline that some of Thailand's universities came in among the top-ranked in the world, I'm sorry, I just don't believe that. It's more BS disguised in official looking words.

[The manic]

13 hours ago, Redvic said:

No different to swampy. Thai customs is probably the worst i've ever passed through. 

You have never travelled much. Try Tripoli or Dharan or Jeddah.....to name but three.

[MikeTexas]

13 hours ago, Redvic said:

No different to swampy. Thai customs is probably the worst i've ever passed through. 

I reserve this spot for Dulles or Gatwick

[trainman34014]

44 minutes ago, bobmac10 said:

All the calamitous chaotic events that happen here on a daily basis come down to one thing: A terrible education system.

Planning, logical deduction,quality control,systems improvement, etc etc just are not part of the education curriculum.

I've worked with many university graduates who would not hold a job in the West for long despite their qualifications.

It starts at primary school, being to told to follow and obey, not to question.

Until the Thais can grasp the nettle and face up to the apalling standard of their education system and make the necessary changes, things will continue as they are.

And, if you are going to post the headline that some of Thailand's universities came in among the top-ranked in the world, I'm sorry, I just don't believe that. It's more BS disguised in official looking words.

 

 

It will never happen, as the so called 'Elite' do not want an educated population.   Keep the men dumb and the women barefoot and pregnant is the way forward for the foreseeable future.

[harada]

I could hazard a guess as to what excuse will be used for the cause of this situation and many others like it over the next twelve months or so.

[Old Croc]

When they have only 3 people to process large numbers of passengers arriving on international flights, it is not accidental, nor due to staff shortages, nor equipment failure, it is deliberate industrial action of some sort.

The Immigration Dept  in this country appears to be omnipotent. They set, and break, their own rules with impunity and seem to be outside parliamentary control.

They are not a client orientated entity. They appear to have no corporate plan setting targets to improve service for their customers in an efficient and timely manner. It seems they value personal power and  richness enhancement ahead of anything else.

While these individuals are allowed to demean, delay,  harass and deter, people who bring in a large part of Thailand's income, the country will never progress into the real world.

To use the fact that former lax policies resulted in far too many "Bad Guys" entering, is not a reasonable excuse to treat valued tourists in this manner.

There is a balance, others countries manage it.