Who Says The Airport Is Getting Better

[flashbrown99]

Used the airport for the first　time last week. Was expecting things to have improved by now inline with some comments here on the board.

Arrived on Saturday afternoon, Thai Airlines from Japan, and in fact had no real inconveniences. luggage arrived okay, through immigration and customs fairly quickly and into a taxi and away. I did however find it a bit strange to have use a bus between the plane and the terminal and be driven around and around, in a NEW airport, rather than to be able to alight directly to the terminal, like in the old airport, and most other airports in the world I know. Also the chaos when one exits from departures is now much worse than the old airport because it is contained in a smaller space than the old airport, with the money changers in the middle of the chaos too, rather than separated in the area before, as in the old airport. Signs to the public taxi areas are sparse, (I think I saw one) clearly on purpose to get people to use the limousine services (offical or otherwise). If you have read the forum and know to go straight down to the taxis it is okay, but many unsuspecting new arrivals must end up with these limousine taxis for not knowing about the ordinary ones.

However although my arrival was basicallyokay, someone I know who arrived later in the day on a direct Thai Airlines flight had his luggage lost. He recieved it next day I believe. So the luggage problems are still around.

But my real story was with my departure back to Japan on Thai Airlines on Thursday night. For a start everything said about the Toilet situation for departures is true. The situation is ridiculous and whoever it was the designed the departures floor like that deserves to be banned from being an architect or designer for life, it is just so obviously bad and lacking in any common sense.

Next there is the check in to Thai Airways. Two mammoth chaotic massive lines of people waiting and waiting, as they slowly slowly move to the check in. A wait of some thing like 90 minutes to get to your turn to check in. where you discover that computer problems are in effect and the hapless check-in staff can do nothing just tap tap on their computer, but the system is down for most of them, but after a lot of tapping and waiting eventually they get in to do your check in. What makes it all the worse is that there is no one from Thai airlines around to explain what is happening to the masses of people waiting and waiting, many who are starting to get worried about missing their flights (Of course all the flights were delayed an hour or so to allow for the delayed check in or many people really would have missed their flights) All who are frustrated and annoyed. No one to help try and organise the chaos. Only about half the check in desks were even open so they dont even have staff for that at such a busy time! (I thought I has seen bad check in situations departing from India, but at least there were some staff around so you knew what was going on as you waited and waited.) So anyhow computer problems are most definately still in effect!

Then there is security check before the gate, where when I walked through the alarm went off but no one checked me, as they were talking or something, and I just continued on. I had nothing bad with me but if I had I could have taken it aboard as that was the only check between me and the plane. And then of course finallly there is a bus to get to board the plane for a last taste of the Thai heat. Did they forget to design walkways to the planes, along with the toilets in the departure area? Is it cost saving or do they just want you to see how beautiful the building is from the outside?

The airport is clearly far from being over its problems and hundreds of people who departed with Thai on Thursday night bear witness to this and will, like me, be telling everyone they know just how bad it is. The definatley would not be agreeing with some of the posts in this forum where it is suggested things have improved or the airport is not really that bad. I doubt if even another year will see that much improvement as so many of the problems are quite major and structural and beyond what could be called teeething problems.

[libya 115]

It sounds like you had a bad experience. However you cannot blame the airport for computer failure and lack of staff during check-in. Nobody likes waiting in long queues just to check-in, and I have been in some terrible queues in almost any airport.

The toilets, I agree is a problem, but it is being improved. I am puzzled as to why Thai Airways was using the bus-method to transport you to the plane.

I still think it will improve given time.

To me the biggest shambles is the actual arrivals area, with that A, B,C system and the madness of taxi-touts and overcrowding.

[lomatopo]

I've made eight departures ( 2-dom., 6-int'l) and eight arrivals (2-dom., 6-int'l) from the new airport and I have to say I think it is a great facility, much, much better than the old airport. My first departure was on opening day, 28 Sep at 06:40, and my most recent arrival was yesterday, from SIN on TG. I have not had any experiences like the OP. At the old airport (Don Muang) I routinely got bus gates (on TG departing to FRA; on UA arriving from NRT), but I have yet to get a bus gate at the new BKK. I get a remote, bus gate at FRA arriving on LH fairly frequently.

I believe the airline chooses to use fixed or remote gates based on their operational requirements, although some fixed gate areas at Suvarnabhumi are currently closed for repair.

I agree that the arrival area is too small and/or there are too many people waiting. It can be very challenging just to get outside. Many passengers have huge amounts of luggage and it only takes one or two to cause gridlock. And the taxi queue should be on the same level (2) as arrivals.

I honestly haven't noticed a shortage of toilets but everyone is complaing about this so it must be a real issue. AFAIK, they are adding additional toilets throughout the facility.

Luggage gets lost/misdirected every day and is not generally attributable to airport operations.

I've experienced computer failures at check-in twice before, at IAD (on LH) and ORD (on UA), and it can be a huge pain as everything has to be done manually, with at least two telephone calls made for each passenger. I've waited 2+ hours in situations like this, but again I do not attribute this to the 'newness' of Suvarnabhumi.

[Digger]

For the most part airlines CHOOSE if they want a gate or bus - a gate is more expensive and I would hazzard a guess that TG is continuing its practice they used at Don Muang where, if the aircraft is not being turned around straight away and going on another flight, they tended to use a remote stand as they are much cheaper than using a gate. As an example of this, SQ always pay for a gate and in hundreds of flights I have taken between Bangkok and Singapore over the last 10 years, I have never had a boarding/de-planing by bus on SQ. TG is approx: 50/50 risk of bus in my experience. Sounds like nothing has changed in its procedures at the new airport.

[Gary A]

I hate all airports equally. I have only used the new airport twice but both time I had no problems. On arrival, just walk down to the first level and que for a taxi. I have not tried the shuttle bus to the main transport area and never will as long as I can get a taxi from level one.