I just wanted to let you all know abot amazing experience at BKK following all negative news lately about BKK and DMK. I landed from Istanbul at 9.28 was at gate and offloaded from plane 9.37. I went through immigration, although I had priority lane the normal lane was dead too. I got my suitcase off nelt and got to bus desk at 9.58 and managed to get the last seat on the 10am ro Jomtien. Arrived at 11.45 2 hours 15 minutes after landing...first and probably the last. 

If this was a negative post the Thai bashers would have been all over it.  But 24 hours after posting a positive experience there are no replies.  It says a lot.

 

I travel a lot for work.  I have had many great experiences at the airport - been through just as quickly, I've even had smiling, helpful, and jovial immigration officers.  I have also had some long queues, surly immigration officers, and slow baggage retrieval.  But more often than not it's not a bad experience to pass through the airport either way.  

 

Guess what?  It's an airport - it has good days and bad days just like Heathrow or any other airport.  I think most of the bashers just read the reports of unusual and awful queues and don't actually travel that much.  But credit where it is due.

I have sailed through BKK airport quickly many times with no fuss. The longest i have waited at immigration is about 30mins one time. I am trying to think of anything thats really bad but nothing.

 

     There are some stand out good points that dont get much praise and are taken for granted but would be rare anywhere else in the world. 

      Free shuttle bus between BKK and DMK. Does Heathrow and Gatwick have free frequent speedy connection? JFK and LaGuardia or Newark. No you have to spend proper money.

       Lots of nearby ok airport hotels for about $20 and up with free shuttles. 

     The departure area has Family Mart stores selling all kinds of stuff at normal prices. 

         Sim cards and service are easy to find. Sometimes given away free at the baggage reclaim area. LAX had a booth in arrivals for sim cards but the cheapest one was $100. 

        Lots of restaurants and food including a normal thai food court coupon place in the basement. 50 baht and up. 

           Decent money changers like Superrich. Even the Thai banks exchange counters (all over the place) give decent exchange rates compared to European airports, Australia, USA etc.

         I could go on. 

When I arrived at New York's JFK airport last time I noticed that even by the luggage carousels for international arrivals, the luggage carts/trolleys were not free.  IIRC, they were US$7 (~B230).

I flew in from Singapore yesterday.  From exiting the plane to exiting the airport (I had check-in baggage) was 17 minutes.  And absolute breeze.

And this article just popped up on the BBC homepage abouut long queues at LHR:

 

http://www.bbc.com/news/business-41051140

Travelled many times via Swampy and as others, max delay experienced was about 20 minutes and was even helped once by Immigration Officer when I made a nonesense with my arrival form.

Great to hear a positive story and the first reply was exactly right......BUT.....why oh why did you have to end your OP on such a negative note,..... your last 5 words?  If you are already not expecting the standard to be as good again, then the lightlyhood is it won't be.

  

    

I arrived in Bangkok on 7 March and every employee was extremely polite and helpful. 

Majority of the times, its pretty good. There are days when planes of tourist fly in during different country holidays, those are the days that are bad.

I have been through both Don Muang; Swampy and other Thai airports at least 150  times over the decades. I have never waited in Immigration more than 30 minutes and never encountered an issue from an IO.  Suitcases on the belt quickly.

 

On the contrary,  going back to the US via San Francisco; Seattle; Los Angeles and New York- all horrid experiences. Long Immigration lines; unfriendly IOs; customs officials with attitudes. The airport amenities expensive and lacking.  The USA may have the biggest economy in the World but undoubtedly some of the worst airports I have ever been in.  Thailand's airports are great in comparison.

On 8/23/2017 at 9:48 PM, josephbloggs said:

If this was a negative post the Thai bashers would have been all over it.  But 24 hours after posting a positive experience there are no replies.  It says a lot.

 

 

Maybe because that's the way it's supposed to work. More often, people are still hiking up to a kilometre from the plane to immigration in the time it took the OP to collect his bags and exit.

No 0 visa holders should be allowed to go through the express lanes

They have been vetted in the past 

 

 

On 8/27/2017 at 4:46 PM, josephbloggs said:

And this article just popped up on the BBC homepage abouut long queues at LHR:

 

http://www.bbc.com/news/business-41051140

And I have just spotted this one about horrendous queues at the Paris airports - of which I had personal bitter experience upon arriving at CDG for my latest European trip a few months ago:-

 

https://www.thelocal.fr/20170712/airlines-sound-alarm-over-chaotic-border-queues-at-paris-airports

 

Two trips ago I was standing in line for immigration and a lady walks over and directs me to the express line, quickly thru and on to the luggage belt.

Last trip through immigration a young lady wanted to see my passport before I went to the lines; she directed me to the Thai Only lines because I was a retirement extension; quickly thru and on to the conveyor belt. 

On 8/24/2017 at 4:02 PM, wpcoe said:

When I arrived at New York's JFK airport last time I noticed that even by the luggage carousels for international arrivals, the luggage carts/trolleys were not free.  IIRC, they were US$7 (~B230).

At LAX earlier this year they were $5.00 and wowie zowie you can pay by cc/debit. 

6 hours ago, Grumpy Duck said:

At LAX earlier this year they were $5.00 and wowie zowie you can pay by cc/debit. 

Last time I arrived in Terminal 6 international arrivals at LAX they were still free, though in the domestic arrival areas there was a charge.  Is there a charge now in international arrivals, too?  

2 hours ago, wpcoe said:

Last time I arrived in Terminal 6 international arrivals at LAX they were still free, though in the domestic arrival areas there was a charge.  Is there a charge now in international arrivals, too?  

Not sure about arrivals now that you mention it, I don't remember. I do remember paying $5 for one when I returned to bkk

I appreciate there is no charge in BKK.