Rew rew! Not just Don Muang - Suvarnabhumi hit by long immigration queues

[Artisi]

48 minutes ago, jaywalker said:

I recall....it was maybe 2002/2003 or so, airport staff would flag everyone down AFTER they'd EXITED a flight, and want to see your BOARDING PASS????? This was in the jetway/walkway, about 10 meters from the aircraft door, nowhere near immigration.

 

Still trying to figure that one out. I was flying in/out of DMK once or twice a month & they did this for about 18 months.

 

The first two times it happened, half the (I was one of them) passengers had to go back and clamber all over the plane to look for our discarded boarding pass, as we were trying to GET OFF/LEAVE a flight!

don't try too hard to figure it out as there is no reason...

[spidermike007]

59 minutes ago, jaywalker said:

Methinks you hit the nail on the head there my friend.

 

I doubt many have ever even traveled and have no earthly idea how one feels after a 27-30 travel time, with 20 of those hours in a metal tube, and on a 12 hour time change feel....NEWSFLASH....It's not all that pleasant.

 

DMK was great 15-20 years ago.

 

Now the Chinese hoards have invaded, along with the Russians & they simply cannot keep up.

 

I doubt they pay for their positions though, as there's generally not much bribery going on at immigration = another reason for them to take another civil service job where they get a cut of everything.

 

And the real shame of it all, lies in the fact that in a desperate bid to keep tourism arrival numbers ever on the rise, they are going after a lower quality tourist, than in the past. The hordes arriving on the super low budget tours, just do not bring in that much cash for the local people. The western tourists who used to be far more common here, spent anywhere from $100 to $2,000 a day. It is representative of the astonishing lack of vision this administration, and everyone within it possesses. The hordes just make the entire tourism experience less pleasant, and more challenging for the people, the roads, the airports, the infrastructure, and the destinations. And who really benefits? 

 

The fact is, Thailand is not keeping up with their neighbors, who are trying harder, streamlining their visa process, making it easier to invest, and own land and property, and offering a far warmer welcome to Westerners than Thailand is. 

[jaywalker]

18 minutes ago, ldiablo72 said:

Nice initial greeting to Thailand "rew rew".

Thing is though, most Chinese feel uncomfortable unless they are pissing, spitting, honking their lungs up, and elbowing somebody in the ribs all at the same time.

 

It makes them feel at home.

Edited August 10, 2017 by jaywalker

[Artisi]

3 hours ago, colinneil said:

 

+

 

Come on folks, please stop moaning/  complaining about this, they are doing their best.

Thailand is such a popular tourist destination, the sudden influx of passengers is not their fault, its all those pesky farangs coming here..

 

 

 

Yes folks, what i just posted is a load of nonsense.

T.A.T. is always spouting about all the extra tourists coming here, but immigration bosses are too brain dead to employ/train new staff.

They just ignore the problems hoping the problems will go away.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

well, the problem will go away if they don't pickup their act- why would anyone getting screwed by waiting for hours on lousy immigration processing ever recommend visiting Thailand - when in fact they will probably do the exact opposite.   

[jaywalker]

1 minute ago, spidermike007 said:

 

And the real shame of it all, lies in the fact that in a desperate bid to keep tourism arrival numbers ever on the rise, they are going after a lower quality tourist, than in the past. The hordes arriving on the super low budget tours, just do not bring in that much cash for the local people. The western tourists who used to be far more common here, spent anywhere from $100 to $2,000 a day. It is representative of the astonishing lack of vision this administration, and everyone within it possesses. The hordes just make the entire tourism experience less pleasant, and more challenging for the people, the roads, the airports, the infrastructure, and the destinations. And who really benefits? 

 

The fact is, Thailand is not keeping up with their neighbors, who are trying harder, streamlining their visa process, making it easier to invest, and own land and property, and offering a far warmer welcome to Westerners than Thailand is. 

I recall flying in from Sandland on a tear around town and blowing 20K baht in an afternoon. Not including hotel either. 

 

Yeah, you are right.

[StayinThailand2much]

3 hours ago, jaywalker said:

I think I'll pretend to be paralyzed from the waist down on my next visit to BKK.

 

I DO have a bad back & standing in line (or even shopping with the wife) is absolute murder on my lower spine.

Wasn't there a sign that "pregnant men" get preferential treatment? Worth a try! 

[jaywalker]

3 minutes ago, StayinThailand2much said:

Wasn't there a sign that "pregnant men" get preferential treatment? Worth a try! 

Good one Bro! I saw that sign!

[NextStationBangkok]

They need to divert 50% of the planes to Myanmar and Cambodia to reduce the immigration queue.

[jaywalker]

14 minutes ago, Artisi said:

well, the problem will go away if they don't pickup their act- why would anyone getting screwed by waiting for hours on lousy immigration processing ever recommend visiting Thailand - when in fact they will probably do the exact opposite.   

There's a fool born every minute.

 

Many come to Thailand. Many are born in Thailand and work for the government.

Edited August 10, 2017 by jaywalker

[jaywalker]

2 minutes ago, NextStationBangkok said:

They need to divert 50% of the planes to Myanmar and Cambodia to reduce the immigration queue.

They need to staff ALL the immigration desks 24/7.

[Cadbury]

27 minutes ago, Artisi said:

Don't worry TAT have it in hand - so it'll be ok mate - no worries we have sorted.

TAT have just announced today they have launched their latest brainchild promo theme.

"Thai Sustainable Tourism in Thai Way of Life Project"

TAT don't miss a trick. Sustained shambles for tourists at major airport immigration counters has certainly become a Thai way of life.

 

 

[Bangkok Barry]

3 hours ago, z42 said:

I expect rotten service from time to time here from those in a uniform... But for other travellers it would have looked utterly dreadful and left a highly negative impression. Same with some members of the immigration staff in my province,  true battle axes that don't give a flying one about good and speedy service with a smile. TIT

 

Interesting to see that you enjoy the same 'service' as me. Last time I arrived, after a one hour wait in the queue he looked through every page of my passport, then asked me why I was there (having seen my marriage visa in the passport), then where I lived (I told him I had entered it on the form). and after he'd done his stamping he just threw the passport back at me. I get that part every time.

 

Gateway to the Land of Smiles. What a joke.

In Beijing they have five buttons by the desk to push indicating your level of satisfaction with the service, from beaming face to scowl.  If Thailand did the same thing they'd only need one button.

[teddydare]

Last Monday on leaving Thailand at Suvarnabhumi  the wait to be processed was almost an hour. On my side of the Immigration exit there were 10 available booths of which only two were manned! Looking over at the other sides booths was a similar situation. 

[jonclark]

30 minutes ago, jaywalker said:

Pfff! The US spent two or three billion USD on the Obamacare website that doesn't work.

 

If you want something to NOT work online, then leave it up to the government.

 

Also, those "menial tasks" as you say are their rice bowls. 

I think you missed the point. Using tech more effectively would free up IO from menial tasks to be redeployed to more important tasks. Not make them unemployed or cut off their rice bowl. 

 

As for the US medical websites I cannot comment. But I have used a number of UK government sites for services that work really well. So maybe the website you refer to is either a one off or the US gov is to blame.

[Blackheart1916]

I was inbound at Swampy 4pm yesterday, yes there were queues but it took me a reasonable 30 mins to clear, passengers going through at 40 to 60 seconds. Bigger frustration was the 2.5 hrs in a taxi to Ekkamai, the last 500m I jumped out and onto the back of a moto taxi.

[jaywalker]

7 minutes ago, jonclark said:

I think you missed the point. Using tech more effectively would free up IO from menial tasks to be redeployed to more important tasks. Not make them unemployed or cut off their rice bowl. 

They are Luddites. That was my main point, also, that ANYTHING, especialy a Thai gov't tries to do will usually take 3 -10 years longer than they say it will take (Pattaya tunnel for example).

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luddite

[jaywalker]

3 minutes ago, Blackheart1916 said:

I was inbound at Swampy 4pm yesterday, yes there were queues but it took me a reasonable 30 mins to clear, passengers going through at 40 to 60 seconds. Bigger frustration was the 2.5 hrs in a taxi to Ekkamai, the last 500m I jumped out and onto the back of a moto taxi.

Rush hour in traffic. If you'd arrived at 1:00 AM it would have been 2.5 hours at immigration & 20 minutes to Eckamai.

[Blackheart1916]

1 minute ago, jaywalker said:

Rush hour in traffic. If you'd arrived at 1:00 AM it would have been 2.5 hours at immigration & 20 minutes to Eckamai.

Yeah I usually get the late flight in but had the pleasure of my own taxi seat rather than the plane seat for those extra hours ha ha. There was an accident and then the downpour held things up and raised the frustration. Immigration was ok but the poor hotel mini bar copped a flogging! 

[BasalBanality]

7 minutes ago, Blackheart1916 said:

I was inbound at Swampy 4pm yesterday, yes there were queues but it took me a reasonable 30 mins to clear, passengers going through at 40 to 60 seconds. Bigger frustration was the 2.5 hrs in a taxi to Ekkamai, the last 500m I jumped out and onto the back of a moto taxi.

I'd hop on the Airport Link till Makkasan and grab a taxi from there to Ekkamai if I arrive on weekdays and during business hours. 4 years in Thonglor and Ekkamai is enough grief to move into the suburbs.

[LennyW]

I fly into Swampy a few times a month and i can tell you that over the last 4 - 5 months this has become a lot more common sight, definitely an issue with immigration staff or the lack of, but also you get 2 or 3 fully loaded A380s arriving at the same time and that sure does not help.

 

[Blackheart1916]

3 minutes ago, BasalBanality said:

I'd hop on the Airport Link till Makkasan and grab a taxi from there to Ekkamai if I arrive on weekdays and during business hours. 4 years in Thonglor and Ekkamai is enough grief to move into the suburbs.

Thanks for the advice I will give it a try. I only go there for the first night to catch up with some friends, i am up country now. And loving it. 

[Wim1954]

4 hours ago, Bluespunk said:

Ok, not good, but hardly as bad as the chaos that engulfed DM. 

They tranfer immigration officers from Suvarnabhumi to DonMuang so problem solved great job.

[jaywalker]

10 minutes ago, LennyW said:

I fly into Swampy a few times a month and i can tell you that over the last 4 - 5 months this has become a lot more common sight, definitely an issue with immigration staff or the lack of, but also you get 2 or 3 fully loaded A380s arriving at the same time and that sure does not help.

 

Just wait till they get the Indians they are pandering to bring in.

 

Most are nice enough folks, but PEE-YOOO!

 

I broke my toe once when stepping out of a shower. The Indian guy said "You Americans", and shook his head "You are always bathing" like I was an idiot for taking a shower.

 

First time I arrived in Abu Dhabi Air India had just landed a 747. Utter, and total chaos.

Edited August 10, 2017 by jaywalker

[jaywalker]

3 minutes ago, Father Fintan Stack said:

+1 for the airport link suggestion. 

 

You can change trains at Phaya Thai and get off at Ekkamai BTS. 

 

Total cost 80thb. Time taken 50 minutes. 

Never tried it. How is it with two suitcase and a carry-on bag?

[Thaidream]

It is really sad that travelling to Bangkok has become such a chore and the degrading levels of service are within the last year. Prior to that I used to clear immigration with 20 minutes and a taxi to the city center 30-45 minutes.

 

I really don't think it is the number of planes inbound or outbound but the lack of  Immigration Officers and the lack of a cogent system of routing people quick enough to proper queques.They should completely do away with the TM6 which slows down the system

 

In addition, the traffic situation in Bangkok is getting completely out of hand and some areas are almost gridlocked. Without the skytrain and MRT  systems- it would be almost impossible to move around Bangkok. I have to believe tourism must be affected. It would make more sense to route air traffic to  UTapao airport directly for those inbound passengers who are coming to the Pattaya area rather than have them go through Don Mueang or Swampy. There just doesn't seem to good co-operation between all the stakeholders  and if it keeps up- the problem will be solved- no one will want to come to Thailand because of the chaos.

[mikiea]

4 hours ago, jaywalker said:

They remind me of the Dutch boy trying to stick his fingers in all the holes in the dyke.

i tried that and she slapped the shxt outta me ......

[Artisi]

10 minutes ago, LennyW said:

I fly into Swampy a few times a month and i can tell you that over the last 4 - 5 months this has become a lot more common sight, definitely an issue with immigration staff or the lack of, but also you get 2 or 3 fully loaded A380s arriving at the same time and that sure does not help.

 

See, it's not Thailand's fault, if you didn't send all those A380's at the same time -  no problems. 

[jaywalker]

9 minutes ago, Thaidream said:

There just doesn't seem to good co-operation between all the stakeholders  and if it keeps up- the problem will be solved- no one will want to come to Thailand because of the chaos.

Already there Bro. 

 

I agree with you it's a shame. Last time I flew Utapao to Samui & back, I just parked....about 5 cars out there. No parking attendants.

 

I was there about 5 days.

 

When I went to leave some Yo-yo appeared & asked me how many days I had parked there. Now there was about 3 cars on 10 acres/24 rai of parking lot, that my Dad's tax money had paid for.

 

I told him one day. He said "OK. 50 baht".

 

Utapao is marginally closer than Swampy to Pattaya. Definitely closer to Koh Samet.

 

It has runways for B-52 bombers. It was an alternative landing site for the NASA Space Shuttle.

 

They just cannot seem to figure out who is going to line their pockets it would seem?

 

Oh yeah, they'd have to hire more immigration officers too.

Edited August 10, 2017 by jaywalker

[mikiea]

2 minutes ago, jaywalker said:

Never tried it. How is it with two suitcase and a carry-on bag?

if you can afford a thailand vacation , you can afford a taxi to the hotel  .. do not be one of those foreign  assholds that drag two suitcases and a carry on's up and down the MRT and BTS  . i see these assholds every day pushing  and shoving their way onto the cars . have they no shame ? i think not . pathetic they are ......

[Bluespunk]

19 minutes ago, Wim1954 said:

 

Edited August 10, 2017 by Bluespunk