Take a number: Phuket Airport immigration still overloaded

[schlog]

12 hours ago, millee said:

anyone know if Qatarair handing out fast track vaucher to business class passenger??


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Nope. not on hkt flights.

[millee]

okay thanks


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[madmitch]

Apparently one Immigration Officer on duty last night at 9pm. Two more appeared at around 9:30. Pathetic.

[JetsetBkk]

On Monday, December 12, 2016 at 8:40 AM, madmitch said:

And may cause the interviewee to lose a little face, and we can't have that.

 

Greng Jai?

 

 

[madmitch]

On 12/11/2016 at 4:05 PM, rooster59 said:

“Normally we get about 300 passengers per flight, and this takes us only half an hour to clear them. The heavy load periods though are from midnight to 4am, when flights come from China and Russia, so we add more staff during this hours,” Capt Watchawuth reiterated.

 

Last night a total of three Immigration Officers on duty at 3am, so that's two more than the previous night, so the Captain isn't lying.  One got up and walked away at 4am, leaving 2 on duty.

 

This cannot be blamed on computers, this is simply poor management and a total lack of respect for incoming tourists. 

[Bullie]

On 12/12/2016 at 7:38 AM, petedk said:

 

Imagine flying six hours or more and then stuck in a queue at immigration for 2 hours.
That would certainly be my last trip to a country.

Sent from my SM-G900F using Thaivisa Connect mobile app
 

Flying  9 hours to the U.S.,waiting in line for 3 hours, being  questioned by immigration officials in an extremely rude fashion did not deter me me one bit from visiting again though. Or did it?

[steelepulse]

On 12/16/2016 at 9:22 AM, madmitch said:

Last night a total of three Immigration Officers on duty at 3am, so that's two more than the previous night, so the Captain isn't lying.  One got up and walked away at 4am, leaving 2 on duty.

 

This cannot be blamed on computers, this is simply poor management and a total lack of respect for incoming tourists. 

 

A friend of mine flew in from China and said immigration was 2.5 hours.  Disgraceful to say the least.

[Psimbo]

11 hours ago, steelepulse said:

 

A friend of mine flew in from China and said immigration was 2.5 hours.  Disgraceful to say the least.

You never experienced US Concentration Camp Controls (sorry-  immigration)?

 

Canadian Immigration is great- put passport in card reader an out in around 30 seconds.

 

I think part of the problem here is that the system is archaic and employs too many people who would be out of jobs. Car tax takes 1 person- extension of stay takes at least 3.

 

Immigration needs to sort out and modernize its computer systems,

Edited December 17, 2016 by Psimbo

[GiantFan]

Friend leaving this morning on Tigerair flight to Singapore.  Based on reports, arrived 2 1/2 hours early.  Flight departure @ 1140.  She texted that x-ray b4 check in was fast.  As was check-in.  Immigration however was 45 minutes.  I recall the old terminal did have some similar waiting times in the go-go times with queues filled with Chinese and Russian tourists, but not this morning.

Checked HKT website and between  0900 -  1140, 6 international departures, mostly SIN and KL and 1 to Dubai.  So with only 2 flights per hour, why does it take 45 minutes in outbound immigration?  Check no overstay, take white card, stamp, stamp, sawadee krap, next?

[chercheur888]

44 minutes ago, GiantFan said:

Friend leaving this morning on Tigerair flight to Singapore.  Based on reports, arrived 2 1/2 hours early.  Flight departure @ 1140.  She texted that x-ray b4 check in was fast.  As was check-in.  Immigration however was 45 minutes.  I recall the old terminal did have some similar waiting times in the go-go times with queues filled with Chinese and Russian tourists, but not this morning.

Checked HKT website and between  0900 -  1140, 6 international departures, mostly SIN and KL and 1 to Dubai.  So with only 2 flights per hour, why does it take 45 minutes in outbound immigration?  Check no overstay, take white card, stamp, stamp, sawadee krap, next?

I can confirm that. 45 minutes for immigration at departure on Friday morning with ALL except one counter open with 1 IO, Amazing

But it is extremely interesting for the IO's to study thoroughly  each page and each stamp in a passport

[RuamRudy]

7 minutes ago, chercheur888 said:

But it is extremely interesting for the IO's to study thoroughly  each page and each stamp in a passport

 

Is the guy in civillian clothing still wandering around asking if people want to avail of the 'fast track service'? If they want arrivees to pay for that privelige, it requires a bottleneck.

[GiantFan]

6 minutes ago, chercheur888 said:

I can confirm that. 45 minutes for immigration at departure on Friday morning with ALL except one counter open with 1 IO, Amazing

But it is extremely interesting for the IO's to study thoroughly  each page and each stamp in a passport

What are they looking for?  Fake visa's?

 

BTW, did you notice a VIP/Diplomatic lane on outgoing?  My APEC card will allow me access.

[chercheur888]

29 minutes ago, GiantFan said:

What are they looking for?  Fake visa's?

 

BTW, did you notice a VIP/Diplomatic lane on outgoing?  My APEC card will allow me access.

Maybe they are having an internal competition who can remember the most stamps in the passports

Oh yes, another interesting observation: As they had the good idea to have carpets, it seems that some who were waiting couldn't hold it any more and smells like a toilet already.

[schlog]

2 hours ago, GiantFan said:

 

 

BTW, did you notice a VIP/Diplomatic lane on outgoing?  My APEC card will allow me access.

 

Yup. Outgoing has VIP/Fast Lane.

[schlog]

2 hours ago, RuamRudy said:

 

Is the guy in civillian clothing still wandering around asking if people want to avail of the 'fast track service'? If they want arrivees to pay for that privelige, it requires a bottleneck.

 

Nope. 

[GiantFan]

Out Tuesday 10am flight.   Car parking easy.  Many spaces on 4th floor.  Huge queue for departure imm.  Snaking queue 8 lines deep.

Back tonight at around seven thirty.   Imm queue completely full.  Estimate 2hrs to get through.

APEC card saved the day on both occasions.

While waiting tonight in the Diplomatic line, with about 6 people in front of me, a guy guided a few people (2x) to jump our queue.  I ask him what was up.  He said girl sick.  The 2nd time I smiled and said girl sick too?  He smiled back.  So I assume a cash inducement could help to speed up the process?  Both groups that jumped were Thai.

[RuamRudy]

Currently stuck in the queue - been here almost an hour and about half way through the zigzag lanes. I have seen about 5 immigration booths in operation by I cannot confirm - hard to see across the sea of heads.

[NamKangMan]

The long queues at Phuket Immigration is one of the main reasons why I visa run through Bangkok, via a few days in Pattaya. 

[NamKangMan]

On 23/12/2016 at 2:25 AM, GiantFan said:

Out Tuesday 10am flight.   Car parking easy.  Many spaces on 4th floor.  Huge queue for departure imm.  Snaking queue 8 lines deep.

Back tonight at around seven thirty.   Imm queue completely full.  Estimate 2hrs to get through.

APEC card saved the day on both occasions.

While waiting tonight in the Diplomatic line, with about 6 people in front of me, a guy guided a few people (2x) to jump our queue.  I ask him what was up.  He said girl sick.  The 2nd time I smiled and said girl sick too?  He smiled back.  So I assume a cash inducement could help to speed up the process?  Both groups that jumped were Thai.

 

 

So, pretty soon, your APEC Card will be useless at Phuket Immigration.  Right? 

[stuarty]

9 hours ago, RuamRudy said:

Currently stuck in the queue - been here almost an hour and about half way through the zigzag lanes. I have seen about 5 immigration booths in operation by I cannot confirm - hard to see across the sea of heads.

 

I was there last night at that time waiting for my son arriving from HK. He texted me at 11.40pm to say 400+ people in front of him in the snaky line, and what the flippin heck?. I told him to look for a shorter line, if any. He went to the "Visa on Arrival" line at one end and was asked for and paid 100B and through in 5 minutes. Result.

Edited December 24, 2016 by stuarty

[NamKangMan]

7 minutes ago, stuarty said:

 

I was there last night at that time waiting for my son arriving from HK. He texted me at 11.40pm to say 400+ people in front of him in the snaky line, and what the flippin heck?. I told him to look for a shorter line, if any. He went to the "Visa on Arrival" line at one end and was asked for and paid 100B and through in 5 minutes. Result.

 

 

Not all tourists have Thai baht before they land, still, a nice earner for Immigration Officers. 

[stuarty]

Just now, NamKangMan said:

 

 

Not all tourists have Thai baht before they land, still, a nice earner for Immigration Officers. 

 

He is 18 and never came through like that before. He changed HK Dollars to Baht, as someone in the Q told him the procedure, at a booth just beside the small queue. Can be done by anyone if they know about it.

[RuamRudy]

 
I was there last night at that time waiting for my son arriving from HK. He texted me at 11.40pm to say 400+ people in front of him in the snaky line, and what the flippin heck?. I told him to look for a shorter line, if any. He went to the "Visa on Arrival" line at one end and was asked for and paid 100B and through in 5 minutes. Result.

Oh I wish I knew that! We eventually got through immigration after about 1 hour 45 mins and the throng behind us was showing no sign of diminishing.

I had never arrived at the new airport before so enquired about a meter taxi in the arrivals hall but the guy on the desk told me that because it was after midnight the meter taxis had stopped operating, but he could take us to Patong for 900 baht.

Not being one who takes easy to being ripped off, even for a few baht, I declined, walked outside and found a busy and very much open meter taxi stand. 750 baht to patong. The guy didn't even try the trick where he forgets to reset the meter when you set off.

[LivinginKata]

1 hour ago, RuamRudy said:

 

<snip>
Not being one who takes easy to being ripped off, even for a few baht, I declined, walked outside and found a busy and very much open meter taxi stand. 750 baht to patong. The guy didn't even try the trick where he forgets to reset the meter when you set off.

 

 

Good for you ... never listen to what these door touts say ...

[GiantFan]

4 hours ago, NamKangMan said:

 

 

So, pretty soon, your APEC Card will be useless at Phuket Immigration.  Right? 

Hope not.  Expires 2018.  USA / Canada are transitional members.  Are you referring to scrubbing of TPP?

[Canceraid]

Oh! Stop complaining!!!!!!! These tourist depite being warned, still come...so then shut up and stop complaining. The NCPO should make a new rule , tourists and expats who complaing about things here should be locekd up for a period, then fined and finally deported and banned for any future rentry.

[samsensam]

 

flying thai airways phuket to bkk, by mistake left my phone in my checked in baggage. sure enough it had gone when i collected my bag in bkk.

 

went to speak to thai airways office their response was that if you leave something like a phone in checked in baggage you should expect it to be stolen. from many years air travel experience they should add 'from phuket' as nowhere else in thailand or the world has anyone stolen anything from my baggage.

[LivinginKata]

6 minutes ago, samsensam said:

 

flying thai airways phuket to bkk, by mistake left my phone in my checked in baggage. sure enough it had gone when i collected my bag in bkk.

 

went to speak to thai airways office their response was that if you leave something like a phone in checked in baggage you should expect it to be stolen. from many years air travel experience they should add 'from phuket' as nowhere else in thailand or the world has anyone stolen anything from my baggage.

 

This is a bit off topic ...

 

For sure I would not leave a phone or tablet in my checked bagage (indeed I try never to check baggage) but I cannot believe that Thai Arlines would give that sort of response. Thai Airlines should have given you a lost items claim forrm ... 

[chercheur888]

I know it is wishful thinking, but if only someone from AOT or immigration would have any interest to read the HKT reviews on Skytrax, maybe but only maybe something would be done to improve, but I hold my breath.

By the way, HKT rating is 2/10 says it all and very interesting comments.

[RuamRudy]

I know it is wishful thinking, but if only someone from AOT or immigration would have any interest to read the HKT reviews on Skytrax, maybe but only maybe something would be done to improve, but I hold my breath.
By the way, HKT rating is 2/10 says it all and very interesting comments.

As long as mugs like us continue to queue up for 2 hours, there is no incentive for them to do anything to reduce that. Clearly they don't care about the waiting time - only when the tourists start voting with their feet will they make efforts to try to protect their multiple revenue streams.