Guest bobberwi Posted December 1, 2009 Posted December 1, 2009 Hi Guys, I will be returning to Thailand on 18 Dec. (late night around midnight). I plan to continue to Issan Province [Nakhon Phanom] by night bus from the Mo Chit bus terminal on 19 Dec. Please, can anyone advise me/ offer suggestions for: 1- Is the Skytrain running to/from the new airport now...and if it is...does it operate all night (my flight arrives BKK about midnight) ? 2- I've made tenative reservations for 1 night near the Phayo Thai BTS station (S 2 S Botique Resort) ...I just need a modest-priced place to crash and shower and refrigerate some temp sensative medications and perishable food gifts. Is there a better choice for lodging/location ... especially if the Skytrain does not operate from airport late at night? 3-If the Skytrain isn't yet operational...can anyone suggest a modest priced hotel on the Skytrain route that is close to the new airport where I can travel to the Mo Chit station or the Chatuchak Park stations to access the bus terminal. Thank you so very much for your kind suggestions and experiences! Bob Michaels (bobberwi) Madison, WI USA bobberwi53704@yahoo.com Quote
Gaybutton Posted December 1, 2009 Posted December 1, 2009 I don't have a hotel recommendation, but the Skytrain does not go to the airport yet. It will be years before it's ready, if ever. Perhaps someone who lives in Bangkok can respond to your hotel information request. Quote
Guest Posted December 1, 2009 Posted December 1, 2009 According to reports elsewhere, the airport rail link is operating very limited trials, finishing at 4:30 pm, so it will sadly be of no use to you (or me) this year. The airport rail link is not the "Skytrain". Once you get a taxi from the airport, you might as well go right into BKK to somwhere like the Om Yim, right next to Chong Nonsi Skytrain. The increase in taxi cost & journey time should be quite small. No doubt there will be options out on the eastern fringes of the skytrain routes if you really must minimise the time spent in that taxi. Quote
Guest bobberwi Posted December 1, 2009 Posted December 1, 2009 Hi Connoisseur, Thank you so much for your info and suggestion for lodging. I have requested booking at Om Yim online and I am now awaiting confirmation (hopefully). I very much appreciate the updated status of the "dysfyunctional" airport rail service. It does sound like a taxi is the way to go to get to hotel. Thanks again...I really appreciate you taking the time and effort to help me!!! Most sincerely, Bob Michaels (bobberwi) Madison, WI USA Quote
Gaybutton Posted December 2, 2009 Posted December 2, 2009 It does sound like a taxi is the way to go to get to hotel. A taxi should cost 400 baht at the most. Quote
Guest fountainhall Posted December 2, 2009 Posted December 2, 2009 Never a great fan of the Airports Authority or of Suvarnabhumi, I looked on the airport's webpage for information about the Airport Train. Rightly, this is not the inner city Skytrain (more accurately the BTS system); it's called the Airport Rail Link. It will link up with the Skytrain (provided, of course, that the BTS authorities start increasing the size of their trains - if not, and you are travelling at rush hour, you can forget the idea of linking because the Skytrain will be so jam-packed, you'll have little chance of squeezing you and your luggage on to a train). Much of the website is horribly out of date. Surprise On its home page it has various news items, including the fact that Bangkok Airways has started flying from Suvarnabhumi (that interesting piece of news is now more than 3 years old!). However, if you do some digging, you will find the news that the Rail Link is "expected" to open in December for "limited trials" (whatever that may mean) with "full service" in operation in "early 2010". Since this is already many months later than an earlier announcement about a definite opening in mid-2009, I would take this information with several grains of salt. An alternative to taxis are the four Airport Express bus routes that link to many points/hotels within the city. These cost Bt. 150, leave every 30 minutes, take the expressway and so should not take too much longer than a taxi - provided you get off at one of the early stops. For example, the second stop on route AE1 is Central World Plaza. Want to go to Saladaeng, less than half a mile away? Sorry, there are 14 more stops before you'll be dropped off there. Make a mistake and get on to AE3 for Central World Plaza and you have to wait for stop #13. The Express Bus departure point is on the ground floor. Public taxis have also been moved down from the arrivals area to the Ground level - presumably to give the official AAT rip-off taxis a better chance of picking up gullable tourists For a relatively new airport, the whole arrivals experience remains a disgrace - especially if you are there to meet someone from a flight. Last moan on this topic! Arriving at BKK on Sunday morning for an early flight to Hong Kong, I could not believe the number of planes at non-gate parking areas. There were more than 40! I really do wonder if any other newish airport anywhere in the world requires so many passengers to be bused to and from their aircraft. Quote
Bob Posted December 2, 2009 Posted December 2, 2009 Last moan on this topic! Arriving at BKK on Sunday morning for an early flight to Hong Kong, I could not believe the number of planes at non-gate parking areas. There were more than 40! I really do wonder if any other newish airport anywhere in the world requires so many passengers to be bused to and from their aircraft. Yep, a particular pet peeve of mine. A couple of years back, I arrived at Suvarnabhumi on Thai Air on a loaded 747 (yes, a 747) from Chiangmai and they bussed the whole load to the terminal. And I counted 27 shutes open. Unbelievable that they do this but I've been told that they have to pay to use the shutes and it's cheaper to bus everybody in. Some other airports walk people to the planes parked out on the tarmac (that's happened to me in Chiangmai before. Once, on return to Chiangmai from Kuala Lumpur, the Air Asia plane parked way the hell away from the terminal entrance, it was hotter than hell out that afternoon (with the temperature on the tarmac being well over 40C or 100F), and I actually thought a few of the elderly passengers weren't going to make it (it was tough enough walking with hand baggage in that heat for me). I can understand the cheaper airlines (e.g., Air Asia or Nok) doing it but the national carrier? Only in Thailand.... Quote
Guest fountainhall Posted December 2, 2009 Posted December 2, 2009 I've been told that they have to pay to use the shutes and it's cheaper to bus everybody in. I'm sure that's true, but even if an airline wanted to pay, it probably couldn't because there are just far too many planes now that they have moved domestic flights and most low cost carriers back to Suvarnabhumi. A ticket on TG to Kathmandu is expensive at this time of year because there is almost no competition out of BKK. So TG's daily 777 on the route is always full and could surely afford a proper gate. With departure and arrival back at peak times, however, I didn't notice many free shutes as we were bused all over the place on both sectors a few weeks ago. Quote
Guest aot87 Posted December 2, 2009 Posted December 2, 2009 Only in Thailand would they bus a full 747 load to the terminal, i hope it dosnt happen to me when i arrive early next week ex Doha ,0700 arrivial Quote
Guest HeyGay Posted December 2, 2009 Posted December 2, 2009 Hate to tell you whats really going on, but the sky train will open free from 5th December, if you apply for tikets, then normal paying tickets from APRIL............tickets will then be 30/40 and 150 baht depending on your service required. http://www.hotelthai...-rail-link.html Quote
Guest Posted December 2, 2009 Posted December 2, 2009 Hate to tell you whats really going on, but the sky train will open free from 5th December, if you apply for tikets, then normal paying tickets from APRIL............tickets will then be 30/40 and 150 baht depending on your service required. Am not sure what relevance this has. An opening ceremony may well take place on His Majesties birthday to keep up appearances. Do not think this has the remotest connection with being able to catch a train at 24:00 to BKK, which is the real point of interest. As for walking from planes to the terminal, often this is a very quick way of emptying planes, as all the exits can be used. That's how Ryan Air get superb turn around times & keep their flights on schedule. Air Asia is run by an Irishman who learnt the trade with Ryan Air. Does this airport express bus run anything resembling as timetable? If you know the bus is due to go in the next 5 minutes, it might just be a good option. Quote
Guest shockdevil Posted December 3, 2009 Posted December 3, 2009 Hey Bobberwi: I, too, was hoping that the Airport Rail Link would be up and running by the time I got here. I just knew that I would be able to catch for this trip. I also doubt that this train will be operational on a commercial basis for years to come. When I left Thailand in April of this year I saw Airport Rail Link trains parked near stations along the the way to the airport. I was very hopeful since I knew that I would be staying in Bangkok for most of my trip this year. I see now that I have yet a few more trip to LOS before we can utilize this service...Ugh! Quote
fedssocr Posted December 3, 2009 Posted December 3, 2009 Taxis are so inexpensive I am not sure how useful the train is really going to be. It may save some time at some times of day. Arriving late at night the taxi fare to the Silom area will be in the 400 range if you decide the take the toll way since that adds Bt70 and the airport pickup fee is Bt50. But it gets you door to door with minimal trouble. Unfortunately it is not "only in Thailand" that they use buses to get you to your plane. Stop off in Doha, Qatar and you will get to ride the bus from the plane to the terminal. And that is on "the world's 5 star airline" Qatar Airways or any other airline at that airport. I think the biggest problem is climbing the stairs in those situations. Vietnam Airlines uses lots of buses as well. I had to ride the bus to my plane at the Saigon airport as well as the small airports in Hue and Da Nang. It is ridiculous. Quote
Guest fountainhall Posted December 3, 2009 Posted December 3, 2009 Stop off in Doha, Qatar and you will get to ride the bus from the plane to the terminal. And that is on "the world's 5 star airline" Qatar Airways or any other airline at that airport. True. But the point I was making is that Suvarnabhumi is a 'new' airport. Doha has been around for ages and is in the process of a massive expansion. Re z909's comments - As for walking from planes to the terminal, often this is a very quick way of emptying planes, as all the exits can be used. That's how Ryan Air get superb turn around times & keep their flights on schedule. Air Asia is run by an Irishman who learnt the trade with Ryan Air Try walking from the plane to the terminal in BKK with the monsoon rains in full swing. Even Air Asia use buses here. And I don't think Tony Fernandez, the Malaysian boss of Air Asia, would like to be described as an Irishman! Quote
Gaybutton Posted December 3, 2009 Posted December 3, 2009 Taxis are so inexpensive I am not sure how useful the train is really going to be. Another factor to consider is where the train makes its stops when coming from the airport into town. In all likelihood you'll still need a taxi once you get to the stop, not to mention whatever you'll have to go through hauling your luggage around if no luggage carts are provided. It seems to me the rail link might be much more useful getting from the city to the airport, but far less useful coming into the city from the airport. Either way, the rail link will be useless to many who arrive and depart in the wee hours if the service doesn't run 24 hours a day. So far I haven't found anything that tells us just what the operating hours will be. Quote
Guest Posted December 3, 2009 Posted December 3, 2009 And I don't think Tony Fernandez, the Malaysian boss of Air Asia, would like to be described as an Irishman! Whoops! You are quite right too. The person I was referring to was Conor McCarthy, who is merely a director but did essentially map out the business plan for Air Asia along Ryan Air lines. As for the airport rail link: If it ever works, I expect it to be cheaper, safer & a more pleasant experience than an airport taxi. Should have a good view from up there. Quote
Guest fountainhall Posted December 4, 2009 Posted December 4, 2009 Should have a good view from up there. "Should" being the operative word. I'll bet they do what they've done on the Skytrain: cover the sides and windows with advertisements so that when it rains, you can see nothing Quote
Guest richsilver Posted December 4, 2009 Posted December 4, 2009 Some news today in the Bangkok Post: Testing the Airport Link Quote
