Immigration queues: "We're doing our best to help" says airport chief Sirot

 

Source: Daily News

 

BANGKOK: -- The director of Suvarnabhumi airport has addressed concerns following claims that passengers were missing flights due to slow or non-existent service at immigration counters.

 

This has been denied by the immigration chief who blamed some Cambodian tourists for missing their flight to Phnom Phen on Sunday, Daily News reported.

 

While video, still pictures and comments by travelers seemed to paint a different story.

 

Now chief Sirot Duangrat, the director of airport operations, has joined the fray saying that the airport authority are doing their utmost to help out their immigration counterparts.

 

In this regard they are providing staff to help tourists fill in TM6 cards to speed them along. And they are ensuring that X-Ray machines are all fully manned and operational so there are less bottlenecks.

 

Sirot said that immigration are addressing the issue of their staff at the airport though he gave no details of this in the Daily News report yesterday.

 

However, he panted a picture of an ever expanding airport where the queues could only get worse if measures are not taken to ensure more staff are in place.

 

He said that at present there are 200,000 people passing though the airport on days during the high tourist season.

 

This is going to be topped when the airport is expected to handle 30 million visitors by 2019.

 

Source: Daily News

 

-- © Copyright Thai Visa News 2017-03-01

The simple answer is obvious, get more immigration officers on the desks.

Surely there must be some available, from the inactive post room  

Just now, colinneil said:

The simple answer is obvious, get more immigration officers on the desks.

Surely there must be some available, from the inactive post room  

Would be near impossible when those behind 7-11 counters are drawing a much higher pay...

24 minutes ago, webfact said:

Now chief Sirot Duangrat, the director of airport operations, has joined the fray saying that the airport authority are doing their utmost to help out their immigration counterparts.

 

Just get them to show up and do their jobs.

It is my understanding that Immigration is a division within the RTP gang so I would not hold my breath waiting for the truth. Maybe they are using CM immigration as a pattern to follow. You will need an agent to meet you at exit from your flight, to escort and get admission to the LOS.

Compared to many other countries I've visited the Thai officials take twice as long (if not longer) to process each passenger.

18 minutes ago, trogers said:

Would be near impossible when those behind 7-11 counters are drawing a much higher pay...

555, Thats because the 7-11 people are more educated !

1 minute ago, shows said:

Compared to many other countries I've visited the Thai officials take twice as long (if not longer) to process each passenger.

Exactly, I was on an Asian tour last month and visited 4 countries, average waiting at immigration 5 minutes....

Thai immigration is under-educated, or even not educated at all.

I give my passport open on the right page, the stupid officer(whats in a title) closes it first. reopens on the wrong page and start searching , where i come from, we call that an idiot !

4 minutes ago, shows said:

Compared to many other countries I've visited the Thai officials take twice as long (if not longer) to process each passenger.

 

Agree, check the whole incoming immigration set-up at Shanhgai Airport in China, continuously thousands of arriving passengers, more passport desks than you can count, always manned appropriately for the peak arrivals times etc, with quite fast processing.

 

Off the flights, quickly to a long passport line which moves quite quickly and within 10 minutes or less all finished.

 

Well done. 

 

Luggage and taxi services also well organized.

I don't know about other western airports, but London Heathrow doesn't even have an Immigration desk on exiting the UK. Check in, go through security and then BINGO, you're in the Duty Free area!!

 

Mind you, entering LHR is another kettle of poisson.

No need to worry. Closing a runway for repairs will reduce the number of arrivals coming in. Problem solved.


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If he thinks the Immigration cards are the problem, then eliminate them.

Allow people to do it all online before they travel.

Extremely simple.

 

 

Compared to many other countries I've visited the Thai officials take twice as long (if not longer) to process each passenger.

You haven't been to Bangladesh then? Nearly 5 mins for one passenger!

7 hours ago, Chicog said:

If he thinks the Immigration cards are the problem, then eliminate them.

Allow people to do it all online before they travel.

Extremely simple.

 

 

Too simple Chicog too simple,a comittee needs to be set up to investigate the problem

There's a very simple solution to this - ban cameras in the airport.

 

No pictures = no proof = it never happened!

Thai-style. Blaim somebody else. Don't lose face.

1 hour ago, trogers said:

Would be near impossible when those behind 7-11 counters are drawing a much higher pay...

Well some of the 711 staff can speak good english, are friendly and even greet me...can't say that about immi-officers

Tourists entering malaysia don't have to fill in ANY form....only a fingerprint scan is enough...

 

Now that's what i call Malaysia 4.0 !! Thailand is far behind.

46 minutes ago, Cuchulainn said:

I don't know about other western airports, but London Heathrow doesn't even have an Immigration desk on exiting the UK. Check in, go through security and then BINGO, you're in the Duty Free area!!

 

Mind you, entering LHR is another kettle of poisson.

yes that's the reason the UK doesn't know how many people have overstayed their visa.

1 hour ago, trogers said:

Would be near impossible when those behind 7-11 counters are drawing a much higher pay...

You have a different view of the immigration officials than I have, they always appear to be privileged and come from the right families, never seen one yet that wasn't sporting some expensive trinket to show off their supposed wealth! The customs department, from some sources is considered the second biggest mafiosa in the country, next to the ............... Sure they pass out some of the money to all?

34 minutes ago, DMC1 said:

 

You haven't been to Bangladesh then? Nearly 5 mins for one passenger!

 

but who goes there

4 minutes ago, CGW said:

You have a different view of the immigration officials than I have, they always appear to be privileged and come from the right families, never seen one yet that wasn't sporting some expensive trinket to show off their supposed wealth! The customs department, from some sources is considered the second biggest mafiosa in the country, next to the ............... Sure they pass out some of the money to all?

Any hardship allowance for sleeping on the floor while waiting between peak flights, compared to those 8 to 5 office posts?

but who goes there

Yes, I know but it's for some work projects unfortunately.

Thai immigration is a breeze in comparison but I do wonder why they still persist with these long winded landing cards and not some other slicker, digital system.

23 minutes ago, steve187 said:

yes that's the reason the UK doesn't know how many people have overstayed their visa.

Oh yes they do, Steve. If an overstayer checks in to leave the country, they are referred to Immigration. However, if they don't leave, well then who knows?

 

Watch Border Force UK on Youtube. Scary stuff. Overstayers are asked for their passports. If they can't produce it, they are released and told to report to a police station every week. Obviously, the vast majority doesn't. Treated with kid gloves

To simplify immigration procedures, Thai bosses and high ranking officials

has to forgo bureaucracy that is the problem with almost every government

branch and make things lighter and quicker, but oh no, not a Thai official will allow

such things to happened,, they're fixed on the need to employ

millions of government civil workers

and still lacking the ability to move things quickly....

Edited March 1, 20179 yr by ezzra

yes that's the reason the UK doesn't know how many people have overstayed their visa.

That certainly used to be the reason, the details of those exiting the UK is now collated by the carriers and then passed onto the UKBF, been that way for a couple of years or so.

Nfge as my manager often says 

1 hour ago, fruitman said:

Tourists entering malaysia don't have to fill in ANY form....only a fingerprint scan is enough...

 

Now that's what i call Malaysia 4.0 !! Thailand is far behind.

Most of the time also no need for scan

3 hours ago, webfact said:

While video, still pictures and comments by travelers seemed to paint a different story.

Doesn't it always. A picture is worth a 1000 immigration officers words. 

Prosperity you want prosperity you don't know how to handle prosperity. From a famous movie I think I might have taken a few liberties.