Suvarnabhumi Airport Immigration

[chicowoodduck]

Oh my travel Buddha, so happy to have a Premium Pass yesterday at the airport....?  The Immigration line was down the ramp and over to the walk way belt yesterday afternoon.....was the biggest mes I've seen in the last 10 years!!!   Mostly Chinese I might add......???

 

Guess everyone heard they were doing clean-up in Pattaya and Sin City is on its last legs.....lol....????

[buick]

what time of day/night was this ?  i arrived from manila late afternoon on jan 30 and there was no line until you got through the ropes and stood in front of the immigration desk (about 10 people in front of me).

 

the main reason i ask is i'm flying in next tuesday from HK.  i am in business class on royal jordanian but i've flown them before and i don't think they gave me the premium pass.  maybe i need to pay the money for the airport service that gets you access to that lane.  i arrive at 23:30 and know that can be a busy time at suvarnabhumi.

[siam2007]

surprised to hear that. Peak season / CNY is actually over for the Chinese mainlanders.

Indeed it depends what time of the day you are flying in.

Late evening used to be good until the Chinese invasion started.

Now the best time to enter the country, from my own experience, seems to be late morning, 9.30 - 11.30, as well as mid-afternoon, 15.30 - 17.30

[KhunBENQ]

I move this to the Travel Forum for specialized audience and probably others with similar experience.

 

I remember having seen pictures with the queue going down the ramp not too long ago.

Just can't find them

[DipStick]

The whole immigration system is a logistical nightmare, and really it's impossible to suggest a time when the lines are less congested. Why on earth, during the busy periods, every immigration desk is not manned I have no idea. Over the last six months, I have accumulated perhaps three Premium Lane passes. When entering the Premium entrance, there is usually somebody at the entrance checking boarding cards, and if business or first class, but without the Pass, they are let in.

with me, I show the security my Premium Pass, get allowed in but but then put the pass in my pocket, the immigration officers know you have been checked at the entrance and never ask to see the Pass, and with the Pass still in my possession, I use it again the next visit, and carry out the same procedure again. 

[chicowoodduck]

Just an FYI....flew in from Kenya on Kenya Airlines at about the 1:30 pm hour.....it is always a crap shoot at Immigration thus the need for the Premium Pass as a fall back plan....IMHO..??

[KhunBENQ]

On 21.2.2017 at 6:05 AM, chicowoodduck said:

flew in from Kenya on Kenya Airlines at about the 1:30 pm hour.

About 35 international arrivals between noon and 1:30 PM on Sunday 19th. Only about 9 from China, but a couple from Korea, Vietnam, Laos, Singapore and other Asian countries. Some could be taken for Chinese?

[buick]

On 2/20/2017 at 0:54 AM, DipStick said:

somebody at the entrance checking boarding cards, and if business or first class, but without the Pass, they are let in.

 

i'll give this a try if i don't get the premium pass from the airline.  the good news is i'm not on a long haul flight coming in.  waiting in the line after a 12 hour flight is tough.

[surat04]

When entering the Premium entrance, there is usually somebody at the entrance checking boarding cards, and if business or first class, but without the Pass, they are let in. 

I have a Premium pass but won't be travelling First or Business. Will I have a problem if I can't show the boarding card. Will they still let me through?


Sent from my ONEPLUS A3003 using Thaivisa Connect mobile app

[DipStick]

16 hours ago, surat04 said:

I have a Premium pass but won't be travelling First or Business. Will I have a problem if I can't show the boarding card. Will they still let me through?


Sent from my ONEPLUS A3003 using Thaivisa Connect mobile app
 

I would suggest you place your pass half in your passport, but showing, just wave your passport in the security guards face, when /if you get waved through, put the pass in your pocket and offer your passport to the immigration. From experience I have noted that all Premium Passes I have had either from CX or MH, they have the airline who issued the pass printed on it, but never a flight number or a name, passengers are expected to fill that in themselves and I never have done, also as a gold card holder with CX, even if I travel on economy I ask the cabin crew for a Premium Pass and have never been refused.

try your luck, what have you got to lose ?

[robhufton]

It was just as bad going out on Sunday evening, immigration queues up the escalators to security, took more than 1 hour :-(

[orchidlady]

Exited Monday night (Tuesday morning actually). Took over one hour to clear immigration. Both Thai lines and foreign passport backed up. I was last person on plane for my flight. Some kind of disturbance in Thai side (shouting) for extended time further delayed as immigration officials stopped work to look over that way. Sure some others missed their flights.

[nisakiman]

It was backed up to where the walkways are when we arrived a week ago - Friday at about midday. Horrific. Fortunately, I was able to skip it and go with my wife through the Thai nationals gate, where there were only half a dozen in front of us - took five minutes. I shudder to think how long the other poor sods on our flight had to wait.

[teatree]

To avoid any confusion it might be an idea to state whether your experiences are from arriving or departing.

 

Have noticed that some posts in this and other threads don't mention this.

Edited February 27, 2017 by teatree