Suvarnabhumi Stand-off: Airport claps back after being called ninth worst

[webfact]

Suvarnabhumi Stand-off: Airport claps back after being called ninth worst

By Coconuts Bangkok 

 

 

BANGKOK: -- Since being rated the ninth worst airport in the world last week in a report by the website airhelp.com, Suvarnabhumi has released a statement calling into question the survey, its data-collection methods, and their low score.  

 

In a Thai statement published on its Facebook page, Suvarnabhumi Airport called the survey unreliable and its methods unscientific.

 

The airhelp report, released last Monday, said that it took into consideration reviews from passengers regarding customer service, security, comfort, check-in, user experience, and quality of facilities at 76 airports around the world. Suvarnabhumi International Airport was rated 68, scoring just 6.3 points out of a possible 10.

 

Full story: https://coconuts.co/bangkok/news/suvarnabhumi-stand-off-airport-claps-back-called-9th-worst/

 

-- © Copyright Coconuts Bangkok 2017-06-19

[Lammbock]

The Suvarnabhumi Airport is not that bad. They just need to get the immigration queue for economy travelers under control and offer better food selection in the Thai Air lounges.

[Reigntax]

And soon the junta "yes men" will conduct a survey with the result being that Suvarnabhumi has been voted the 3rd best in the world and the best in Asia... and has improved since the junta stole power.

[richard_smith237]

3 minutes ago, Lammbock said:

The Suvarnabhumi Airport is not that bad. They just need to get the immigration queue for economy travelers under control and offer better food selection in the Thai Air lounges.

Agreed... For the majority of passengers the overwhelming issue is with the often lengthy immigration queues upon arrival and departure.

 

Otherwise, Suvarnabhumi Airport is quite decent, food courts are ok, prices quite reasonable. Duty free while large is not too invasive as with other Airports, there's fast food, Pharmacies and some (but not a lot) of resting areas. 

 

It does seem strange that a relatively new airport relies so heavily on 'bus gates' and those busses get hot. So, at least have some better Air-con tunnels to and from the Bus Gates.

 

They could also improve the time it takes for regular passengers to wait for a Taxi. The Scamming taxi's is a Thailand issue, there is not much the Airport can do about that other than use the 'ticket' system and not allow Taxi's to return to the Airpot queue if a complaint has been made against them. 

[phuketrichard]

not that bad??compared to where? Moscow??

Overpriced food. Monopoly on goods sold, LONG walks and poor immigration.

 

Edited June 19, 2017 by phuketrichard

[daboyz1]

The airport has it's issues, but there's no way it's 9th worst in the world. I'd have to agree the study is suspect based on that ranking.

[Gracas]

23 minutes ago, webfact said:

unreliable and its methods unscientific.

Are they talking about the Airport or the Cops.

[darksidedog]

I wish that just for once, when Thailand ranks badly at anything, that they would take a look at the problem and address it, rather than issue denials that no one believes.

Here for example, addressing immigration queues would be a better idea, than just questioning the surveys results.

Edited June 19, 2017 by darksidedog

[observer90210]

make the immigration queues faster in any season...

 

impose military enforcement and  control on dishonest taxi drivers who refuse to switch on the meter or who try to rip you off in the toll fare...

 

stop the other duty free scams that were heard of in the past (dishonest duty free sales persons putting stuff in bag as you pay for your stuff and later accusing of shop lifting)...

 

lower the duty free prices (perfumes, liquor, tobaco)  that are absolutely ripoffs in Suva Airport as certain items cost the same if not less in Europe or the Middle East Air ports..

 

the ruling military must decide...either farangs are not welcome and you just ban them out of the country and expropriate their pool villas or condo's...

 or if you want farangs (and their cash!), make them feel more welcome, improve protection and assistance to your farang guests and that will give the glow back to the country....simple!

 

and this will make Suvarna airport, one of the best in the world!

 

and to anticipate the usual reply line....yes yes I know, I must stop dreaming and waiting for the tooth fairy etc. etc.

Edited June 19, 2017 by observer90210

[Misterwhisper]

I have no real beef with the airport - except the highly unpredictable situation persisting at the immigration desks, both at departures and arrivals.

 

On the very rare occasion it is a real breeze with short lines. However, most of the time lines are extremely long and move at a snail's pace, primarily because out of a dozen or more desks only four or so are actually manned.

 

This can be really unnerving if you need to catch an outbound flight - and not everybody has the luxury to arrive at the airport four hours before departure just to hedge against the Immigration Bureau's apparently chronic personnel shortage.

 

On the other hand, if you arrive after an exhausting long-haul flight, it is sheer torture having to cue for another one and a half hours just to actually get into the country.

 

I admit that it makes me angry when I have to look at a dozen empty immigration desks and have to wonder why they were set up in the first place. Merely for show or "face," perhaps?

 

The  infuriating thing is that nothing - absolutely nothing! - has improved in the past 20 years. When will the Immigration Bureau finally get their act together and hire and train the personnel needed to deal with ever increasing tourist numbers?

 

And no, "insufficient budget" is NOT an acceptable excuse. If Thailand wants several tens of millions of tourists a year, the government can also make damn sure that there is sufficient immigration staff available at the country's most important international gateway. 

 

If the government bought just one stupid armored personnel carrier less, the salaries of all immigration staff assigned to the departure and arrival desks would already have been secured for several years.

[Dobredin Ghusputin]

39 minutes ago, webfact said:

In a Thai statement published on its Facebook page

 

It was read by millions of Thais, and they are all happy now.

[Misterwhisper]

3 minutes ago, Dobredin Ghusputin said:

 

It was read by millions of Thais, and they are all happy now.

I am a little perplexed that the statement apparently didn't cite "recent improvements," the standard official excuse for every arising issue.

[observer90210]

11 minutes ago, Misterwhisper said:

I have no real beef with the airport - except the highly unpredictable situation persisting at the immigration desks, both at departures and arrivals.

 

On the very rare occasion it is a real breeze with short lines. However, most of the time lines are extremely long and move at a snail's pace, primarily because out of a dozen or more desks only four or so are actually manned.

 

This can be really unnerving if you need to catch an outbound flight - and not everybody has the luxury to arrive at the airport four hours before departure just to hedge against the Immigration Bureau's apparently chronic personnel shortage.

 

On the other hand, if you arrive after an exhausting long-haul flight, it is sheer torture having to cue for another one and a half hours just to actually get into the country.

 

I admit that it makes me angry when I have to look at a dozen empty immigration desks and have to wonder why they were set up in the first place. Merely for show or "face," perhaps?

 

The  infuriating thing is that nothing - absolutely nothing! - has improved in the past 20 years. When will the Immigration Bureau finally get their act together and hire and train the personnel needed to deal with ever increasing tourist numbers?

 

And no, "insufficient budget" is NOT an acceptable excuse. If Thailand wants several tens of millions of tourists a year, the government can also make damn sure that there is sufficient immigration staff available at the country's most important international gateway. 

 

If the government bought just one stupid armored personnel carrier less, the salaries of all immigration staff assigned to the departure and arrival desks would already have been secured for several years.

well though and a good array of ideas and suggestions... perhaps you have your own transport to and from the airport but what would you consider regarding the taxis and their tiring arguments on refusing the taxi meter? Uber? try another taxi? public transport?

[HiSoLowSoNoSo]

25 minutes ago, darksidedog said:

I wish that just for once, when Thailand ranks badly at anything, that they would take a look at the problem and address it, rather than issue denials that no one believes.

Here for example, addressing immigration queues would be a better idea, than just questioning the surveys results.

 

[Prbkk]

I should imagine that hiso Thais find the low ranking hard to understand. After all, they ( depending on their hiso ranking) receive many benefits that make to Airport experience more palatable: priority checkin, priority security, priority immigration, a golf cart to/from the gate, a designated person to lift the bags from the carousel onto the trolley, access to lounges ( all even when flying economy as well). Anyone receiving such benefits would surely think the experience good. Not so fortunate are those who actually pay for the provision of services , via the taxes/charges paid on tickets ( 50 % higher than Hong Kong, for example). I guess someone has to pay for the vast number of superfluous staff ...many either snoozing or playing with phones.

[owl sees all]

1 hour ago, webfact said:

Suvarnabhumi Airport called the survey unreliable and its methods unscientific.

I don't know what criteria the survey used. But for the Thai authorities to blame their poor ranking on the survey's unreliable and unscientific data is not seeing the fair criticism of the airport.

 

When I last visited I had a 9 hour wait for my internal journey. There was nowhere to get my head down; nowhere I could get decent, cheap coffee (or tea) and no mobile masseurs. I went to the very top (observation floor) and the floor was covered with sleeping Thais. Very uncomfortable for me to do that. If I am in the same predic' again I'll get a blow up beach bed before I leave UK.

Edited June 19, 2017 by owl sees all

[friendofthai]

Maybe the authors of this "rating" just collect money from the airports. And those who did not send them money become "the worst airports ever".

I have never believed "ratings" because they almost always reflects the subjective opinion of those people who pay for it.

[owl sees all]

6 minutes ago, Prbkk said:

I guess someone has to pay for the vast number of superfluous staff ...many either snoozing or playing with phones.

Yes!! Candy crush staff!

[halloween]

16 minutes ago, friendofthai said:

Maybe the authors of this "rating" just collect money from the airports. And those who did not send them money become "the worst airports ever".

I have never believed "ratings" because they almost always reflects the subjective opinion of those people who pay for it.

Had that been the case, it would have been in the top 10. Thais understand the use of a bribe.

 

BTW whatever happened with the stink over the parking concession? IIRC the holder was being forced out by some (alleged) reds backed by the Whopper.

[Aachen]

1 hour ago, Lammbock said:

The Suvarnabhumi Airport is not that bad. They just need to get the immigration queue for economy travelers under control and offer better food selection in the Thai Air lounges.

- Immigration is not business of the airport.

- Food at "Thai Air lounches" (Thai Airways or Thai Air Asia?) is not their business.

[WhyYouTalkMeBad]

There had never been an airport crackdown. It's long overdue due.

[KhunBENQ]

2 hours ago, darksidedog said:

I wish that just for once, when Thailand ranks badly at anything, that they would take a look at the problem and address it, rather than issue denials that no one believes.

Here for example, addressing immigration queues would be a better idea, than just questioning the surveys results.

It's absolutely justified and necessary to question this crap of a "survey".

It's not only the list of worst but also of best airports and best/worst airlines that is highly different from other rankings.

I am too tired to list the details again.

Just browse through the initial thread on this survey.

 

https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/987642-thailand’s-suvarnabhumi-named-among-the-world’s-worst-airports/

 

[t8769]

Swampy is one of my favourite airports.

 

Friendly people, great food, clean, comfortable and usually through quite quickly - even when packed with Chinese tourists.

 

The transport is superb these days and cheap too. 

 

A lot better than it used to be, I remember 30 years ago having to stand for an hour in the old airport, with no air conditioning, then taking a 1 hour tuktuk ending up covered in diesel fumes and black soot.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited June 19, 2017 by t8769

[bdenner]

3 hours ago, daboyz1 said:

The airport has it's issues, but there's no way it's 9th worst in the world. I'd have to agree the study is suspect based on that ranking.

IMHO - Even based on the excessive Immigration queues, on arrival, Swampy does not warrant this rating. Get that sorted and I'll place it in the top 10 --- NOT BOTTOM 10

Edited June 19, 2017 by bdenner
Clarification

[chainarong]

3 hours ago, Father Fintan Stack said:

By issuing 'statements' condemning the findings they just increase awareness of the survey and the airport's low ranking. 

 

It's an average airport at best but it isn't that bad. 

 

What are you doing still flying TG? CX are half the price in bus regionally and the lounge in BKK is a corker. 

All depends where u fly, taking CX for me is like going backwards, although sometimes I feel I'm permanently doing that.........................

[YetAnother]

hahaha thais are so thin skilled , introspection is unknown here; blame shifting so that the stupid believe it is an art here

[Becker]

1 hour ago, halloween said:

Had that been the case, it would have been in the top 10. Thais understand the use of a bribe.

 

BTW whatever happened with the stink over the parking concession? IIRC the holder was being forced out by some (alleged) reds backed by the Whopper.

There you go! Managed to get the Shins inserted even into this thread. Magnanimous of you to say "alleged" though!

 

Back on topic: Swampy has many faults but no way it's in the bottom ten worst airports in the world, that's OTT.

[daboyz1]

The fact that BKK is on that list and MNL isn't, is proof that the people that came up with the list have no idea what is good and what is bad.

That said, Changi is an awesome airport.

[Blinky62]

I recon it's a great airport, up there with Singapore. There is a lot worse in so called 1st world countries.


Sent from my iPhone using Thaivisa Connect

[Becker]

4 hours ago, Blinky62 said:

I recon it's a great airport, up there with Singapore. There is a lot worse in so called 1st world countries.


Sent from my iPhone using Thaivisa Connect

Even though I believe Swampy does not deserve to be called the 9th worst airport in the world it's not even close to Changi standards. They're not even playing in the same league.