Chaos at Don Mueang as unstaffed immigration desks leave thousands of passengers stranded

[overherebc]

25 minutes ago, eddysmit said:

Overherebc, I didn't realize there was a priority lane for such, is this a new one or have I been walking with head down for too long, to be honest it would not have included me before anyway, and may be the reason not to have noticed.

There is in Swampy. Got 7 months to go before I can use it though. Generally SWMBO gets me into her lane so miss the worst of the queues.

[natway09]

The big problem here is the vast amount of numbers that the Tourism minister is attracting to Thailand

who spend nothing & put all amenities under pressure but as long as she "gets her numbers" all is well.

The only Co making any money out of the cheap tourists is the CP Group (7/11.

[kkerry]

Late last year I came back from Singapore. Immigration at DMK and the short taxi ride home took longer than the flight.

 

Suvarnabhumi has long lines as well and is nearly forty kms further away than DMK for me but it has become quicker to get home from.

 

Air Asia and Jetstar are my preferred airlines. If the price is similar then I will usually choose AA but my own experience and similar complaints from my neighbors means I won't be flying Air Asia again until the airport decides to do something about the unacceptable immigration queues.

[eddysmit]

3 minutes ago, overherebc said:

There is in Swampy. Got 7 months to go before I can use it though. Generally SWMBO gets me into her lane so miss the worst of the queues.

Thanks for your reply.

[TSF]

Built into every passenger's ticket are departure & airport taxes which are supposed to go to upgrading services.....not just creamed away as profit. 

[Dave67]

The confusion in planning and interfacing is due to the language having no past, present and future tense I'm sure

 

E.G If you were going to the shop and said "I'm going to the Shop" That's ok

If you had been to the shop and said "I am going to the shop" That's quite confusing.

If you were in the shop and said." I am going to the shop" Even more confusing

 

HTH

[Enoon]

3 hours ago, darksidedog said:

Another success story for Thailand's tourism sector. The incompetence in allowing this to happen is staggering, but no real surprise to those of us who have been here a while. Immigration need to seriously improve their communications with air traffic control. How on earth can you not know that a bunch of planes are coming in, and once they have, how can you not get some bloody staff at posts for four hours?

 

There is also the possibility that everyone knew.......but nobody did anything about it.

 

How strange, a word has just sprung into my mind:

 

Epitaph.

 

 

[eddysmit]

1 minute ago, TSF said:

Built into every passenger's ticket are departure & airport taxes which are supposed to go to upgrading services.....not just creamed away as profit. 

Exactly the same as I said about the 'sudden' chaos for the in/out European flights , you already pay when paying for your ticket for a good service and a smooth as possible run through the procedure even with all the extra security checks because of the nice friendly 'peaceful ones' I see the pro EU ones are trying to blame it on the UK not being in the Schengen agreement when visiting places like Spain, like they didn't know in advance the busy time of the year had arrived.

[hawker9000]

2 hours ago, charmonman said:

I think the problem is, no matter how incompetent and disgraceful the government behaves, the tourists just keep on coming in droves. If only the rest of the authorities could be as good at their jobs as the people who promote Thailand as the "land of smiles" and other such nonsense.

 

As long as they keep coming they seems to have no incentive to improve anything. They just replace the Western tourists who are increasingly aware of the fact that there are better destinations, with naive Chinese, Indian and Arab tourists.

"tourists just keep on coming in droves"

Some do...

 

"They just replace the Western tourists who are increasingly aware of the fact that there are better destinations, with naive Chinese, Indian and Arab tourists."

Exactly.   'Naïve and demographically-speaking lower-spending...   

 

"... better destinations ... "

You betcha'.

 

 

 

 

  

[jenifer d]

3 hours ago, grantbkk said:

This is a job for the coup leader.  He has section 44 and he should use it.  Even he has to draw the line when people have to relieve themselves waiting to clear immigration in a mind boggling 4 hours.  The weak excuse obviously pulled from a list of ready excuses should be the reason for the idiot in charge to be moved.

 

This is Thailand.  Great first impression for the thousands of passengers who must have thought they walked into a refugee center rather than what the TAT and the rest of the government considers a world class airport.

i seriously doubt that even the most rosy-colored glasses-wearing gov't flak would EVER term Don Muang

a "world class airport"

[Rimmer]

An off topic post has been removed

[digbeth]

If you've taken a Thai to get their passport from any of the passport office, you'd see a well run service-oriented government bureau, that of course belongs to the ministry of foreign affairs. They don't even ask for endless tripliate photocopies of things like house books and ID cards, minimum of red tape and time, a properly well run by people that must have been abroad and seen how things are supposed to be run.

 

Immigration on the other hand is a department of the police... 

[hawker9000]

16 minutes ago, TSF said:

Built into every passenger's ticket are departure & airport taxes which are supposed to go to upgrading services.....not just creamed away as profit. 

"...creamed away as profit".  You're being very unfair.  There are expensive submarines, tanks, APCs, etc., to be paid for!

 

We should have a lottery on just when the following headline will appear:

"New airport taxes proposed to fund badly needed and overdue passenger service upgrades at Suvarnabhumi".  

 

 

 

[Emster23]

Thailand too point no

[csabo]

Good thing they were not Chinese tourists. There would have been turd piles everywhere. 

[pattayadon]

1 hour ago, Beats56 said:

Why isn't the airport near pattaya used more if you are going to that area? If it's domestic then i would rather use that airport than driving all the way to Bangkok to go to DM.

cost!

[pattayadon]

3 minutes ago, csabo said:

Good thing they were not Chinese tourists. There would have been turd piles everywhere. 

Of course they were Chinese. Who else?  Watch your step!!! 555

[SunsetT]

4 hours ago, YetAnother said:

earlier in the article 'several flights...'; nice job on the part of the airport 'officials' and controllers; cant seem to see that a bunch of flights are arriving at the same time ? that is conforting

........And how about Air Traffic Control? Were they similarly unprepared and overstretched?

 

.........OMG............Probably forced to eat their somtam with one hand while manning the screens...........!

[owl sees all]

17 minutes ago, csabo said:

Good thing they were not Chinese tourists. There would have been turd piles everywhere. 

There were! Just got trodden in by the hordes.

[gandalf12]

4 hours ago, darksidedog said:

Another success story for Thailand's tourism sector. The incompetence in allowing this to happen is staggering, but no real surprise to those of us who have been here a while. Immigration need to seriously improve their communications with air traffic control. How on earth can you not know that a bunch of planes are coming in, and once they have, how can you not get some bloody staff at posts for four hours?

The AIMS (Airport Information Management system) provides that information.  I looks like DM does not have one. 

[NCC1701A]

I love the urine on the airport floor. I hope the tourists were slipping and falling face first and maybe some kids dragging their toys through the puddles.   

 

It is a nice touch and a good way to start your authentic Thai vacation. 

 

 

 

 

[DerekMarshall]

4 hours ago, darksidedog said:

how can you not get some bloody staff at posts for four hours?

Because it is Thailand, that's how! Takes four to man a till at any 7-11 one to work it, two tp watch and the other to, well playing about on their smart phone. 

[moe666]

I never fly to DM not even the domestic, the prices are not that cheap to put up with the long lines. People do have options but o well trying to save a few bucks by flying Air Asia

[JAG]

Desperation calls for the last resort........order the wheelchair. That will test the Dragon lady.
When everyone who qualifies for the "oldie" lane starts using the wheelchair there will be a wheelchair traffic jam at the immigration lanes. Then what will they do?

Close the wheelchair lane of course!

[sanemax]

5 minutes ago, DerekMarshall said:

Because it is Thailand, that's how! Takes four to man a till at any 7-11 one to work it, two tp watch and the other to, well playing about on their smart phone. 

That is quite unfair on 7/11s

I quite often get served promptly

Delays are usually caused by people paying bills , getting telephone cards or getting toasted sandwiches .

    Even saying that , other tills are opened quite promptly when queues form

 

 

[Thaidream]

No flight schedule given by AOT.  There is a flight board in the airport which shows departures and arrivals many hours in advance. The airport Immigration head that evening could have easily looked at the board to determine the arrivals schedule. It appears someone wanted to make a statement  by forcing a huge queque that would be noticed by the media.

[hhinhh]

I traveled more than 100 countries and found that there are two location where you can quickly see what a country is like. One is the airport (hard and soft ware) and public toiletts. You may check this on your next trips and I guess you will agree.

[overherebc]

1 hour ago, eddysmit said:

Thanks for your reply.

Immigration zone according to google.

[Megasin1]

You have to admire the Thais ability to defy convention and disprove misconceived views. I now know that the view that all Asians are good at maths is total fabrication. A simple sum of 1 plus 1 equals zero in this case. The immigration department has a schedule of all planes due to land and when those planes don't land at the expected time, they no longer exist. Marvellous. I certainly hope that those managing traffic control have either attended maths classes, or at the very least are Chinese or Japanese (renowned for their shoe dodging abilities).

As I have waited in many an immigration queue either, coming into or exiting Thailand, I have always enjoyed the opportunity offered to attain a level of enlightenment afforded normally only to monks whom secrete themselves away in caves for a lifetime or two and contemplate on the important things in life, rather than worrying about minor things like will my luggage still be there, or the cost of my ex-wife's car parking ticket.

I have realised that the amount of time taken to open a passport and stare into it (pretending that you understand the written language) is directly proportionate to the length of the rising queue of people and that it is much more important in life to never exceed your quota, never pride yourself on customer services (unless your are the urine mopperuperer) and to always blame someone else for your own inadequacies. I am becoming more and more Thai and have developed my 'yes' /'no' male grunt to near perfection. All I need now is a few years of toting around a huge machete, a 9mm pistol and a medical certificate declaring me as 'mentally ill' then life will really be sweet....

And for 1 week, whatever happens it is 'Airline Blaming Day' - You are now authorised to use the 'Its the Airlines Fault' card for the rest of the week. Please use it liberally. If you commit any major crimes just add some colour to the background, loss of face caused by self urination in a public place etc. then lay the card firmly on the desk in front of the police officer. He will contemplate it for what feels like approx. 10 minutes and then finally allow you to pass.

[sandemara]

5 hours ago, Briggsy said:

It is important to look behind official press statements in Thailand as they are usually some form of lie.

What else does an ordinary citizen need to know?