Phuket Airport scrambles to improve services

[webfact]

Phuket Airport scrambles to improve services

 

 

PHUKET, 23 January 2017 (NNT) – The government spokesman has disclosed that Phuket Airport is scrambling to improve its in-line screening system to reduce waiting time for passengers. 

Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) spokesman Sansern Kaewkamnerd disclosed that the Ministry of Transport is scrambling to improve the airport's in-line screening system, so that passengers will not have to wait in line before entering the terminal. The new system hopes to allow passengers to check their luggage and have them transported to the examination room at the end of the belt. 

The improvement is expected to be completed during 15-25 March. The new system will be more convenient to the passengers and maintain safety standards of the international airport, he said. 

Prime Minister Gen. Prayut Chan-o-cha acknowledged the issue and has instructed the Transport Ministry to alleviate this concern before the Chinese New Year festival approaches, which will bring an increased passenger traffic, said the PMO spokesman. 

He went on to say that the Phuket International Airport and Immigration Bureau are already implementing measures to speed up the process.

 

-- nnt 2017-01-23

[NCC1701A]

this planning stuff is hard. 

 

" The improvement is expected to be completed during 15-25 March."

" ...has instructed the Transport Ministry to alleviate this concern before the Chinese New Year festival approaches..."

 

 

[Lupatria]

Here planing, construction, maintenance, and administration are the natural enemies of any attempt to reach the Thailand 4.0 goal.

[Old Croc]

I had a couple of mates visit from Australia after the new airport opened.

Both were former Senior Immigration Inspectors at a major International airport.

 

Airports in Australia have set time targets to process passengers. From memory the targets were something like 40 seconds per pax and 40 minutes to process the complete flight (don't quote me).  If targets were not met, questions were asked of shift managers.

The number of arriving planes and passengers dictated how many Primary Officers were in the modules at a given time. Problems were referred off-line to a Secondary Officer to resolve. 

 

My friends found themselves standing in a virtually motionless line at Phuket for more than 1 1/2 hours watching in disbelief as the officer spent 3 - 4 minutes painstakingly examining each person's face and passport, over and over again, before eventually stamping them in. At one stage he got up and wandered into a back office for several minutes leaving his line of travelers staring in disbelief. Caught in the slow lane, they wanted to move across, but found that recent plane arrivals had filled up the arrival hall.

 

They arrived at my place tired and disbelieving at their treatment in a "modern" international airport.  (The terrifying, high speed taxi ride down the highway didn't help either!)

 

Having a flash new building doesn't change centuries of mindless, lazy, unplanned work practices.

 

Edited January 23, 2017 by Old Croc

[madmitch]

1 hour ago, Old Croc said:

I had a couple of mates visit from Australia after the new airport opened.

Both were former Senior Immigration Inspectors at a major International airport.

 

Airports in Australia have set time targets to process passengers. From memory the targets were something like 40 seconds per pax and 40 minutes to process the complete flight (don't quote me).  If targets were not met, questions were asked of shift managers.

The number of arriving planes and passengers dictated how many Primary Officers were in the modules at a given time. Problems were referred off-line to a Secondary Officer to resolve. 

 

My friends found themselves standing in a virtually motionless line at Phuket for more than 1 1/2 hours watching in disbelief as the officer spent 3 - 4 minutes painstakingly examining each person's face and passport, over and over again, before eventually stamping them in. At one stage he got up and wandered into a back office for several minutes leaving his line of travelers staring in disbelief. Caught in the slow lane, they wanted to move across, but found that recent plane arrivals had filled up the arrival hall.

 

They arrived at my place tired and disbelieving at their treatment in a "modern" international airport.  (The terrifying, high speed taxi ride down the highway didn't help either!)

 

Having a flash new building doesn't change centuries of mindless, lazy, unplanned work practices.

 

I flew in yesterday evening to find that the two snaking queues had disappeared to be replaced with the old system of choosing a line and hoping for the best! Three officers on duty when I arrived (it was a quiet time), increasing to five when another flightload of passengers arrived, many of whom getting straight to the front of the new queues.

 

They just can't get it right!

[steelepulse]

I just flew in this morning at 6 am.  Long old traditional queues which looked like it would take an hour at a minimum.  At first I tried to go to the Thai passports and vip line and I got no joy and was told to go back and wait in the queue.  Then after seeing a few Chinese in the "Thai " queue, I joined the queue with a crisp faciliator in hand and was processed in two minutes.

 

However, the geniuses at the airport feel that everyone's luggage needs to be xrayed in the green nothing to declare line line at customs, so this also created a 30 minute cluster truck.  

 

It's not getting any better.

[masuk]

27 minutes ago, steelepulse said:

I just flew in this morning at 6 am.  Long old traditional queues which looked like it would take an hour at a minimum.  At first I tried to go to the Thai passports and vip line and I got no joy and was told to go back and wait in the queue.  Then after seeing a few Chinese in the "Thai " queue, I joined the queue with a crisp faciliator in hand and was processed in two minutes.

 

However, the geniuses at the airport feel that everyone's luggage needs to be xrayed in the green nothing to declare line line at customs, so this also created a 30 minute cluster truck.  

 

It's not getting any better.

KL International airport processes incoming foreigners at around 30 to 40 seconds per person, including electronic fingerprinting.

 

At Chiang Mai International airport, I had the misfortune to fly in from KL at the same time as two Chinese aircraft landed.  There was hardly standing room in the Immigration hall, and the noise!!    Little wonder that one Immigration officer donned a pair of industrial ear guards.

[KenKadz]

Every comment seems to point to the same problem.

Lack of trained personnel on the desks (not enough staff).

This isn't brain surgery?

Edited January 23, 2017 by KenKadz

[d123]

3 minutes ago, KenKadz said:

Every comment seems to point to the same problem.

Lack of trained personnel on the desks (not enough staff).

This isn't brain surgery?

 

 

I agree that 'Every comment seems to point to the same problem'

 

However I would say that 'the same problem' is the Thai way of running an airport

[webfact]

Transport Minister orders urgent action to end to Phuket Airport queues

The Phuket News

 

Thailand’s Transport Minister Lt Gen Arkhom Termpittayapaisith said he had ordered urgent steps be taken to the notorious queues at Phuket Airport. Photo: PR Dept

 

PHUKET: -- Thailand’s Transport Minister Lt Gen Arkhom Termpittayapaisith inspected Phuket International Airport yesterday (Jan 22), where he announced that he had ordered urgent action to be taken to end the long queues of passengers waiting to clear immigration – and hundreds of tourists waiting to clear security to even enter the brand-new International Terminal.

 

Gen Arkhom said he had ordered Airports of Thailand (AoT), which operates six international airports in the Kingdom, including Phuket Airport, to ramp up efforts to have the luggage conveyor x-ray machines inside the brand-new facility up and running.

 

“Having x-ray machines (scan luggage) at the entrance to the International Terminal is causing long passenger queues, as we have seen in the news reports.

 

“This is because the conveyor belt x-ray machines inside the airport are being upgraded and will not be available until March 15,” he said.

 

Until then, passengers will have to wait to have their luggage scanned by security before entering the International Terminal, Gen Arkhom admitted.

 

Regarding the hours-long waits passengers have been forced to endure to clear immigration, Gen Arkhom said, “I have spoken with the Chief of the Immigration Bureau of Thailand, Pol Lt Gen Nathathorn Prousoontorn, and 50 extra immigration officials will be posted at Phuket International Airport.”

 

Full story: http://www.thephuketnews.com/transport-minister-orders-urgent-action-to-end-to-phuket-airport-queues-60736.php

 

-- © Copyright Phuket News 2017-01-23

[hotchilli]

9 hours ago, NCC1701A said:

this planning stuff is hard. 

 

" The improvement is expected to be completed during 15-25 March."

" ...has instructed the Transport Ministry to alleviate this concern before the Chinese New Year festival approaches..."

 

 

Never proper planning, always a mad scramble at the last minute!

[chercheur888]

2 hours ago, madmitch said:

I flew in yesterday evening to find that the two snaking queues had disappeared to be replaced with the old system of choosing a line and hoping for the best! Three officers on duty when I arrived (it was a quiet time), increasing to five when another flightload of passengers arrived, many of whom getting straight to the front of the new queues.

 

They just can't get it right!

While I understand the comments here, it is not going to change anything. In my opinion only social media, skytrax where HKT is rated 2/10, IATA or ICAO and the airlines (even if they're not responsible) might get a positive reaction. Unfortunately TripAdvisor has no rating for airports as of now.

[Psimbo]

I'm willing to bet there were adequate Immigration Officials on duty during the Transport Minister's visit and they all miraculously faded away once he was done.

 

If you don't see it- it isn't a problem in Thailand!

 

In Vancouver I put my passport in a scanner and got a little receipt to hand over- took seconds.

 

As for his excuse about the baggage scanners being upgraded, bearing in mind the new terminal has been operating for just a few months, this doesn't ring true. Maybe they put an old system in, not like the automatic one at Swampy ( which again had problems in its first couple of months IIRC)

 

Also the comment about the 13 computer terminals was interesting- wasn't there an article somewhere last week stating that ALL terminals had now been installed. Left hand-right hand again.

Edited January 23, 2017 by Psimbo

[lavender19]

I can feel another committe being formed for this