Guest fountainhall Posted May 26, 2011 Posted May 26, 2011 Two articles about Suvarnabhumi in the media this morning Quote
Bob Posted May 26, 2011 Posted May 26, 2011 I was concerned because of the various stories as to how long it would take me to get through immigration exiting Thailand earlier this month....but it only took about 10 minutes. Still, it'd help if they just hired enough people to do the job (more than half the immigration exit booths were empty of personnel). Quote
Guest anonone Posted May 27, 2011 Posted May 27, 2011 From what I gather from travel boards, it has calmed down quite a bit with the passage of high season. Have to see how things progress once passenger counts climb up again this fall/winter. Can also vary quite a bit by time of day.... Quote
Guest fountainhall Posted May 27, 2011 Posted May 27, 2011 Now that they are solving the Immigration problems, perhaps they could turn their minds to the problems of inadequate signage which has been stressed in almost all complaints. What is so ridiculous is that signage is the easiest thing to get right. When you have many hundreds of people wanting to get to different areas, you have to have signs that are well above head height. Every planner and architect knowns that. But at Suvarnabhumi, far too many signs are boards plonked on the ground with the information at eye level. Fine for the person in front of it - impossible for those behind. The photos were taken last week-end. One is an example of good signage; one has gate information; the other vital transit information. Compare these with photos of signs I took at Hong Kong a few weeks back. Even for a sign placed on the floor, the information is a good 2 meters above eye level. Quote
pong Posted May 27, 2011 Posted May 27, 2011 Those in possession of machine-readable passports will from the end of this year be able to check themselves in and out of Thailand without the need to pass by immigration official. It Quote
Guest voldemar Posted May 27, 2011 Posted May 27, 2011 To be honest in comparison with, say, O'Hare, I see no problems with Suvarnabhumi. I, for once, get stopped every time in Toronto and need to spend 1.5 hours on average in Canadian immigration with no explanation ever given. Never had any problems in Thailand in this respect... Never had any problems with explanation signs.. It seems to me that some of you, guys, have a lot of free time on your hands if you discuss topics like that... Quote
Guest fountainhall Posted May 28, 2011 Posted May 28, 2011 It seems to me that some of you, guys, have a lot of free time on your hands if you discuss topics like that... The failings at Suvarnabhumi are a topic which has been discussed almost constantly and at length in most of the media in Thailand, as well as in many blogs and chat rooms. If this is of little interest to you, you can quite easily skip the thread. It is of interest, I suggest, because it is symptomatic of a basic failing in the Thai way of doing business. There is a certain arrogance – that may be a strongish word, but I feel it is certainly more than pure naiveté – in the way Thais approach major projects. It seems almost a “we know better” attitude, or at least a “we don’t need others to teach us” one. Provided you have the cash, building an international airport from scratch is far easier than adapting older ones, which is generally what happens in many other parts of the world. A huge percentage of what goes in to it is predetermined and is common to every other new international airport. This includes such basic issues as Immigration, baggage services, check-in areas, gates, lounges, F&B outlets, signage, etc., and then secondary issues like how to get to and from the airport. Experts are then needed to put everything in to the mix and come up with a design. Go back 5 years and it was perfectly obvious to everyone that Suvarnabhumi had massive flaws. The TG check-in area was so overcrowded, passengers were lining up way outside the building! Clearly no-one had worked out exactly how much space TG would need for its current, to say nothing of future, operations. As a result, TG had to transfer most of its domestic flights back to Don Mueang for a couple of years. Many of the problems were precisely because of local input. For example, the Transport Ministry and the AOT had decided well in advance that no taxis would be allowed anywhere near the airport terminal. Arriving passengers would have to collect their luggage, clear customs, dump it on another ramp, be bused over to a transport centre, and then pick up their luggage from yet another carousel before they could start their journey. This was patently the height of stupidity dreamed up by some group of people who rarely travelled. Such was the outcry that only a few weeks in advance of opening was this ridiculous plan finally ditched. The airport link train is another project that should have had international experts involved right at the start. Hong Kong has a superb airport link. Did anyone think to check how it works, how passengers get to and from the stations, etc., or bring anyone on board as a consultant at the outset? Nope! The Thai way is to spend a great deal more money to bring in consultants after the event, by which time the flaws are apparent to all. I really do wonder why this is! Quote
Bob Posted May 28, 2011 Posted May 28, 2011 While I acknowledge that there are many who are upset with various aspects of Suvarnabhumi, I've never understood the complaints from a personal point of view. I don't use it all that often - 4 to 6 times a year - but I've never had a problem with signage, finding a chair in which to sit, or finding a bathroom. Some apparently have problems in those areas but it's inexplicable to me based on my personal experiences. The only mild gripe I have with the airport is the occasional crowding in the main hall - with touts and others - once you leave the luggage area but I find even that rather minor. The only other gripe I've had is the occasional bussing of arriving passengers versus using one of the loading shutes (although I acknowledge that this is largely an airline issue given I've always seen plenty of unused shutes). I personally think it's a very good airport and easy to use, far better than Don Muang ever was. Quote
Guest fountainhall Posted August 27, 2011 Posted August 27, 2011 Credit where credit is due. Last Saturday I took the Emirates super-jumbo A380 again to Hong Kong. The daily flight departs at 13:45, and the Saturday lunchtime Immigration queues had only a handful of people at each desk, many of which were manned. I still wish they would have one or two snakes like at most airports, rather than a queue at each desk. But hopefully that will come. King Power still amazes me that it can charge such outrageous alcohol prices. Incidentally, that Emirates A380 Hong Kong flight is now so popular it is almost impossible to get seats on a Friday, Saturday or Sunday until November. Last Saturday, the 76-seat business class cabin was 100% full Quote
