Phuket Airport security scanners spur huge New Year queues, delays

Tanyaluk Sakoot

 

 

PHUKET:-- The Director of Phuket International Airport today (Jan 3) apologised for long delays for passengers using the airport, but said that queues of hundreds of tourists stretching outside the new multi-billion-baht terminal were “normal for this time of year”.

 

The apology comes after hundreds of passengers have been forced to wait on the forecourt outside the new International Terminal during the New Year holidays while only two staff were available to conduct security scans on baggage.

 

“I apologise for the current inconvenience at Phuket International Airport,” Airport Director Monrudee Gettuphan told The Phuket News.

 

However, she added, “This is normal for the New Year period, which is a bit busy, especially when there is a charter flight departing. This causes long lines, but only for a while, then the situation will return to normal.”

 

Ms Monrudee pointed out that the leading cause of the delays for passengers leaving Thailand via Phuket Airport were the security scanners.

 

“We will have to keep using the scanners we have for the next five to six months, until the upgrade to our security system is fully complete,” she said.

Ms Monrudee urged travellers to arrive at the airport early for their flights.

 

Full Story: http://www.thephuketnews.com/phuket-airport-security-scanners-spur-huge-new-year-queues-delays-60468.php#Ibdu6DWL5iAvPExQ.97

 

-- © Copyright Phuket News 2017-1-3

You can't make this stuff up.

 

Place Ms Monrudee outside in line for only 2h. Sure then she will be clever enough to think about a good solution of this horrible mess.

 

Looking forward for my next flight in 2 weeks not.

" while only two staff were available to conduct security scans on baggage."

 

this planning stuff is hard.

17 minutes ago, snoop1130 said:

However, she added, “This is normal for the New Year period, which is a bit busy, especially when there is a charter flight departing. This causes long lines, but only for a while, then the situation will return to normal.”

 

Like a restaurant saying "it's okay, guests need to wait 2 hours to be served only at lunchtime and dinnertime". 

Been like that for at least the past 10 years. The charter pax are  vile and aggressive.   I don't  know why they scan though. IMO  the  checking is for show only.

Anyone know if you can get inside through the arrivals section? That's what I used to do at the old terminal when the queues were long.

2 staff running the scanners in peak season in an international airport.TAT will be saying next to book an extra few days holiday because of queuing.

I always wonder why I can walk from the curb right up to the ticketing agent in Swampy without anything being scanned, but when it's a podunk tourist airport, they scan my bags and my cell phone before I can enter the building, after which my bags and me get scanned yet again before we get on the plane?

 

33 minutes ago, madmitch said:

Anyone know if you can get inside through the arrivals section? That's what I used to do at the old terminal when the queues were long.

Not sure about that but coming from multi level parking use the bridge and then the lift down as a short cut.?

3 hours ago, schlog said:

You can't make this stuff up.

 

Place Ms Monrudee outside in line for only 2h. Sure then she will be clever enough to think about a good solution of this horrible mess.

 

Looking forward for my next flight in 2 weeks not.

" This causes long lines, but only for a while, then the situation will return to normal.”

What return? She has not yet realized that this IS the new normal!

1 hour ago, schlog said:

Not sure about that but coming from multi level parking use the bridge and then the lift down as a short cut.?

Yes, car park to bridge then wind around and you will be directed out and down the escalator to the ground floor with the AstroTurf.  I.E. arrival level.  Sign at bottom of escalator to turn left.   Walk around the side and you will see some taxis and a door.  Scanner and xray.  Then take lift to level 3.  Pssst. Don't tell anybody!

So hours of queues to enter and then the same to leave.

 

It will help tourist to feel well taken care of and that they want to come back  

At least consistent, incompetence all the way.

15 hours ago, geriatrickid said:

Been like that for at least the past 10 years. The charter pax are  vile and aggressive.   I don't  know why they scan though. IMO  the  checking is for show only.

They certainly seem to be overly zealous, even on domestic flights.  I had a half used tube of sun screen removed, after it had recently been through security checks in Australia, Malaysia and Chiang Mai.

At least this time airport scanners weren't "borrowed" for a university function....

19 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

hundreds of tourists stretching outside the new multi-billion-baht terminal were “normal for this time of year”.  while only two staff were available to conduct security scans on baggage.

????????

'If international passengers arrive too early for their flights, there is always the shopping zone'- and therein lies the key if one reads the full article.

 2 scanning personnel on duty and its the naughty tourists (and other travelers) fault for having the temerity to want to travel- one can't make this stuff up. The new terminal has been an embarrassment from its opening but all we read is excuses.

It would be interesting to see the stats on how many tourists will not return because of this fiasco.

Arrive early.... better to not arrive there in the first place.

Is anyone surprised? They only ever had two people on at a time in the old terminal. Same same but different.

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Ive traveled to Phuket from Australia and Bangkok many times, never had any inconvenience what gives?

On 04/01/2017 at 9:23 AM, bokningar said:

So hours of queues to enter and then the same to leave.

 

It will help tourist to feel well taken care of and that they want to come back  

At least consistent, incompetence all the way.

 

 

And some of those tourists are first timers.  They came to Phuket under the belief that Phuket was the best that Thailand had to offer for a holiday.

 

Not only will they not come back to Phuket, but they will not come back to Thailand, and who can blame them?

 

Not to mention, when they get home, how many people they will tell, and their negative social media comments.