BKK airport not coping: 2 hour queues

[yo yo ma]

Seems to be a case of staff shortage rather than the airport itself?

Two-hour queues: Bangkok's 'futuristic' airport not coping with tourists

[Lindsay Wilson]

And that's the Thai way of doing things...no hurry

[extracta]

I just came across this on the JAL site.

To passengers departing from Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport

To passengers departing from Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport Due to the renovation work of immigration area at Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport, the numbers of the immigration counters are limited and it causes severe congestion. In order to ensure to take your flight, it is recommended to come to the airport for check-in 2 hours before departure time and proceed to the immigration process right after check-in. [Check-in counter open time] JL708 to Narita 5:45am JL034 to Haneda, JL718 to Narita, JL728 to Osaka 7:20pm March 8, 2012 Japan Airlines

[reductionist]

Was fortunate enough to be in CX J on my BKK trip late last year. Had access to the express security/immigration line. I definitely got the impression that I dodged a bullet after seeing the long queues.

[richie9x]

Last year at Easter I flew from KUL to BKK. It took longer to clear immigration and customs at BKK than the actual flight. Maybe there were more foreign passengers than normal because of Easter. But just seemed to be understaffed, about half the immigration desks were empty.

[Sickeningthud]

I arrived last night and inbound immigration was empty.
There was a mob of several hundred pax following me though and another half-dozen flights arriving in quick succession.

[Archphoto]

I fly in and out quite often and I dread outbound immigration - has *always* been a killer, and now with renovations, they're a full section short. It's truly annoying to see the Thai Passport queues empty and Foreign full and they don't even bother to ask you to step forward.

I fly with my Thai PA often, and on some occasions, they'll allow me to go with her through Thai Passport Holders, and at other times, I'll be waved back to the Foreign queue just as we are about to step forward, which is really bad especially when that line has gotten 3x longer! (Inbound they seem more agreeable to allow me into the country with her, go figure.)

Inbound can be long queues, but usually they're pretty good for the flights I'm returning on. I think they could improve, by allowing foreigners through their Thai lanes, when nobody is there, but that would mean thinking a little laterally - something I've found they don't do well at the best of times, so being a government department, it'll probably *never* happen any time soon.

I left yesterday for HKG, and it was pretty quick - the quickest I've been through in a long time - and that was through their newly renovated area.

[ozmille]

I have fly through BKK a couple of times a year and never really had to wait a long time. Will be back there in 3 weeks and will have another look.

[Justchecking]

Last time I passed through it took me 2hrs to find out where I could get an arrival's card from. The crew on my flight didn't hand them out and I thought 'oh well, I'll just pick one up at the counters near the immigration queues'....wrong!! What counters? Not only that but no staff either (aside from the ones checking passports), I wasn't about to line up only to be turned away because of no card. After a mammoth hike of Suvarnabhumi I managed to find an info desk who had no idea where I could get an arrival's card from. I was finally rescued by a Thai Airways fast-track immigration staff member who wasn't very happy to be dealing with a Y pax. Welcome to Thailand. The only thing crazier is the cattle-yard downstairs where tourists are herded into taxi's where the drivers speak no English and cannot read a Thai address written in English. The nice people who tell your taxi driver your destination before you get in don't understand your address written in English either. Last time I needed to get to Ratchada, and ended up on a 8 lane overpass in god knows where, dodging traffic while trying to contact my hotel on the driver's mobile. My visit was so exciting I vowed never to return.

[amaroo]

I have fly through BKK a couple of times a year and never really had to wait a long time. Will be back there in 3 weeks and will have another look.

Same here........unlike LHR