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Crazy queue at Suvarnabhumi Airport’s immigration causes travelers to miss flights


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Posted (edited)
54 minutes ago, ddavidovsky said:

A simple bit of software, using existing flight data, could predict in advance how many people will turn up at any time, and accordingly, how many staff are needed at any point throughout the day to process them with optimum efficiency. It's not quantum mechanics.

Maybe not easy as you think. Think about a day with heavy traffic then suddenly an accident happens and there is a traffic jam.  Now everything is fine at immigration suddenly a computer fails. Its like a lane failing on a road.

You can't predict the exact time a problem will happen , its only a probability since it does not seem to occur every week end.

The only reasonable thing to do is having enough staff on a so called world class airport to be able to open extra lanes quickly.

 

And quantum mechanics is actually making heavy use of probabilities ;-)

Edited by bodymassagemyfriend
Posted
2 minutes ago, Prbkk said:

Agree about getting there early but it's not checkin that is the problem but rather 2 hours in an immigration queue....and while airlines are perfectly willing to cut off 2 or 3 late passengers and off load their luggage, they can't do it when 50 or more are still stuck in immigration at the scheduled departure time.

Passengers pay a premium for using Thai airports: the fees and taxes are among the highest in Asia, including Hong Kong and Singapore....but AOT and other agencies want to fob off the public with lamentable, 3rd world service.

I know, but if you have checked-in your luggage then you hopefully have time to pass the immigration...
AOT isn't really working that well, I tried to get a job there in the past but I only got a "Sorry, we only hire Thai people!"... at our 2nd IRL meeting and after first being offered the job in e-mail and everything worked out thru e-mail/phone and that's before I even came to Thailand!?!?
G4S Thailand had the same answer "Only Thai people!" and didn't even recognize a letter of recommendation signed by the CEO/President of G4S as something of value for securing a job there!

Posted
1 hour ago, darksidedog said:

My son has a Thai and European passport, but whenever we go through Suvarnabhumi, he uses his Thai one and we can go through the often almost empty Thai Queue.

Saved me a good 2 hours last time we came back in as the queues were out of the hall, down into the corridor.

I don't understand hwhy sometimes it is okay and many counters open and sometimes not.

They know how many planes are landing, with X amount of people.

It shouldn't be that hard to work out how many staff are needed.

 

Oh... you think too much! Why falang too serious? 

Sabai sabai. Cannot know how many people come to Thailand everyday. 

Posted
1 hour ago, ddavidovsky said:

A simple bit of software, using existing flight data, could predict in advance how many people will turn up at any time, and accordingly, how many staff are needed at any point throughout the day to process them with optimum efficiency. It's not quantum mechanics.

Thais much prefer quantum mechanics, where all possible universes exist simultaneously, things change depending on how, or indeed whether, you observe them, and cause & effect are often reversed.

 

Thai Immigration therefore works a bit like Schrodinger's Cat - both busy and not busy, as long as nobody pokes their head out of the office to actually check the length of the queues.

 

The old (Newtonian) model which links what you do to the outcome you get, is very tiresome to the Thais. And don't even mention the word "planning". That's like a cuss word to the Thais.

Posted
1 hour ago, Cuchulainn said:

If you have a Non Immigrant visa (yearly extension) and travel with your Thai wife, is it possible (legally) to go through the Thai only channel?

 

Don't particularly want to queue up and then be turned back once at the counter!!

Yes you can..I have a Thai wife and have gone through the Thai counter everytime

Posted

I'm surprised that flights left without the passengers still waiting in immigration lines...The attendants collecting boarding passes at the gate have the ability..and are supposed to check...that everyone scheduled to leave on that flight has passed through the gate...They can obviously look to see that the passengers already checked in at the counter with their baggage...so if they haven't come to the gate yet then they must be held up somewhere...am I wronfgt o assume this?

Posted
5 minutes ago, Lingba said:

I'm surprised that flights left without the passengers still waiting in immigration lines...The attendants collecting boarding passes at the gate have the ability..and are supposed to check...that everyone scheduled to leave on that flight has passed through the gate...They can obviously look to see that the passengers already checked in at the counter with their baggage...so if they haven't come to the gate yet then they must be held up somewhere...am I wronfgt o assume this?

No, you are correct. And you will often see harassed looking staff on the concourse looking for latecomers. Also, the ground staff check to see who is stuck in immigration: and if it's just a couple from each of a few flights, they will open another lane to expedite their passage.

But Sunday the system was overwhelmed, and the Sunday before as hundreds of passengers were stuck in queues. 

For turnaround flights: KL, Singapore, HK, HCMC, Taipei and many others, the knock on effect of the delays can be very significant: missed aerobridge, missed departure slots, missed connections. Really all because some incompetent stuffs up the roster in Bangkok ( to provide adequate staffing for the volume of passengers....staffing that has been paid for though the taxes on the air tickets).

Posted
1 hour ago, Lingba said:

I'm surprised that flights left without the passengers still waiting in immigration lines...The attendants collecting boarding passes at the gate have the ability..and are supposed to check...that everyone scheduled to leave on that flight has passed through the gate...They can obviously look to see that the passengers already checked in at the counter with their baggage...so if they haven't come to the gate yet then they must be held up somewhere...am I wronfgt o assume this?

Surely, I know stop calling me Shirley, if you check in baggage and don't turn up at the gate your bags should be removed from the plane????

Posted (edited)
2 hours ago, docphil said:

Yes you cannot you can prove that you're family. Bring a copy of your marriage certificate

 

Out of curiosity how did you get married to a Thai with a non immigrant visa?

???????

 

Why would a Thai need a Non O visa?

Edited by overherebc
Posted
1 hour ago, cyberspeed said:

The lazy part of Thailand. Immigration have always been bumbling and stumbling around. 

Yep.....just like the rest of their ilk at RTP.....bumbling dolts!

Posted
2 hours ago, quadperfect said:

Its because tourism is booming.

Long lines are a sign of that.

 

Yes thats right 4 desks out of 18 open is a sign of something, but its not a sign of booming tourists

Posted
2 hours ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

My wife did ask in Thai of the Thai staff managing the queue, and was told NO... I had to go to my own separate queue.

 

Never had a problem when coming through with my wife. The official must have been having a bad day or you interrupted an im[portant tweet.

Posted

If they've automated the Thai citizen departure checks at Swamp Immigration, as posted above, you'd kind of have to wonder what become of all the regular Thai Immigration officers who used to be manning the outbound booths for Thai citizens?

 

It certainly doesn't sound like they got transferred over to the foreigners desks... :ph34r:

Posted
4 minutes ago, tso310 said:

Never had a problem when coming through with my wife. The official must have been having a bad day or you interrupted an im[portant tweet.

Just to be clear, our experience/denial was on the OUTBOUND, departures desks at Swampy.

 

Not on the INBOUND/ARRIVALS level of Immigration.

 

Posted

Went through Imm' in Rangoon a few days ago and if the booth for Burmeese passports had no-one waiting the officer would call the first in line from any queue to come to the desk.

Just sayin'

Posted
1 hour ago, bodymassagemyfriend said:

Maybe not easy as you think. Think about a day with heavy traffic then suddenly an accident happens and there is a traffic jam.  Now everything is fine at immigration suddenly a computer fails. Its like a lane failing on a road.

You can't predict the exact time a problem will happen , its only a probability since it does not seem to occur every week end.

The only reasonable thing to do is having enough staff on a so called world class airport to be able to open extra lanes quickly.

 

And quantum mechanics is actually making heavy use of probabilities ;-)

I honestly have no idea what I'm talking about but I should think that if the system could access live flight status data, then it should be able to predict the effects of delays and update the prediction in real-time.  May be necessary to have some immigration staff on emergency call though, which, if the airport wants to win awards, doesn't seem unreasonable.

Posted (edited)

Chronically insufficient staff and an obsolete immigration system. 

For example, in Hong Kong, an immigration process takes 15-20 seconds. 
In Thailand it takes 3 times longer
In Thailand It takes 3 times longer.
In Thailand it takes 3-4 times longer
with their stamps,  Photo apparatus
and immigation cards.
The long waiting times are annoying and the system is no longer up to date.

 

From March on, when a runway is closed for renovation, the chaos will be perfect then.

Edited by tomacht8
Posted

If only Thailand would follow the lead from their friends in Malaysia.
Going into and out of Malaysia is the most painless and efficient anywhere.
They scan your passport and place a small computer generated strip sticker with a 90 day entry. When you leave they retreive the little strip. No filling out stupid arrival and departure cards.
The Thais waste so muchs time mucking about with the stupid 30 and 15 visas on arrival.
One really wishes they would get a clue.

Posted
Yes you cannot you can prove that you're family. Bring a copy of your marriage certificate
 
Out of curiosity how did you get married to a Thai with a non immigrant visa?

There is a lot of different types of non immigrant visa etc "B", so why he can't get married with a Thai ?


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