BKK Suvarnabhumi Airport Update

[JohnK]

Have you considered the opportunity cost of your time in the taxi (especially bangkok taxis) in your calculations?

Yes I have factored in the cost of my time in the taxi. It should be an extra 1/2 hour from Sukhumvit, possibly a little more. As I plan to be at the airport 3-4 hours before departure I don't think it will be an issue if there is heavy traffic. If traffic does get heavy then get out of taxi and get on the BTS and go to On Nut station and get another taxi to airport from there.

 

[jasonja3]

Just an update on the QC for those who are interested, staff told me yesterday that the business lounge will not be ready until March and the first class lounge until April.

Travelling on BA009 yesterday I got into the CX lounge, business only. Their first lounge only opens from 9.30 to 5.00pm.

 

[JohnK]

Remember that this is Thailand so I would factor in another 3-6 months before lounge completion.

I visited the Louis Tavern lounge a number of times in the last few weeks and let me say that it is very plain and time is better spent wondering around the shops.

Also used the CX business lounge last week and this is not much better than the Louis Tavern lounge. It does have internet access though but the crowd is much louder for people looking for a quiet time.

If these 2 lounges are any indication of what the QF/BA lounge is going to look like then there will be a lot of disappointed people around.

 

[SeatBackForward]

Suvarnabhumi is primarily a retail outlet for King Power duty free. Passengars and aircraft are mere incidentals.

 

[serfty]

... I visited the Louis Tavern lounge a number of times in the last few weeks and let me say that it is very plain and time is better spent wondering around the shops. ...

Here's something I did for my

Class Trip report: Loui's Tavern.

I describe that place as being like a "Fishtank"

NB. That trip report is a work in progress and I will update my version over here once completed. (I'm doing this because it is a PITA not being able to edit posts here once 24 hours have elapsed.) :-|

 

[infoworks]

I think I posted earlier that the CX lounges are also temporary (hey - maybe the whole place is!).

 

[stryker]

I think I posted earlier that the CX lounges are also temporary (hey - maybe the whole place is!).

I guess you haven't heard that some of the Thai domestic carriers (TG included) are moving back to Don Muang.

DM was a nice little airport (golf courses notwithstanding), and didn't need the corrupt Thaksin to kill it off.

Hopefully, more airlines will go back there, and the hopeless Suvarnabhumi will go back to the swamp it once was.

 

[JohnK]

All jokes aside I actually like the new airport.

I used it 4 times in a 2 week period and most things about it are good. I know the airport still has that new feel about but it looks much better than Don Muang. The public taxi facilities are much better than before and the traffic hassles getting in and out of the airport have mostly disappeared.

It took less than an hour from the time I got off the aircraft, through immigration, collected luggage, got public taxi to Quality Hotel (near Don Muang, 47kms from new airport) and checked in.

It will be even better when the skytrain terminal is completed later this year or early next year.

 

[JohnK]

According to QF news the new QF/BA business lounge opened on 1 March 2007.

The first lounge will not be ready until April 2007.

 

[jasonja3]

Great news, doing a late night transit next week, and hoping for a shower, does anyone know if there are any QF/BA flights after 11.00pm Sunday's? Or how I can easily check this?

 

[serfty]

Not perfect, but to get an idea, go to the Qantas web site and check out "Flight Info"-> Departures, International, Bangkok and enter a date for the same day of the week as your transit. (Note that you will only have the options for Tomorrow, Today, Yesterday and the day before relative to the day you do this.)

BA10's departing at 00:10 daily ATM, QF1 at 00:35.

 

[jasonja3]

Excellent, thanks serfty. As long as I am in before 11.30pm, everything should work nicely.

 

[Kiwi Flyer]

Great news, doing a late night transit next week, and hoping for a shower, does anyone know if there are any QF/BA flights after 11.00pm Sunday's? Or how I can easily check this?

There is an inconsistency between the news item and the QP info. The latter refers to computers but no shower. The news item refers to showers.

Being Bangkok, hopefully there will be showers. Please report back (also the closure time will be useful info - ta).

 

[jasonja3]

I decided to call QF and get it straight from them....... they did not know, so they got back to me via email, still not sure they know

Hello Mr Jasonja3
Thank you for your enquiry this morning.
I looked extensively online to try & determine the facilities at the QF-BA Lounge in BKK. The Business class lounge opened last week, with the First due to open in April.
With the help of Reservations we've determined that shower facilities are available in the Miracle Day Room located on the 4th flor above the lounge.
There's no additional charge. There were also 3 showers available in the
temp lounge but we're not sure whether these are still available. We
weren't able to determine when the Lounge closes, only that it opens at 1 pm and closes after the last flight (which would be the last QF flight).
The BKK-LHR flight leaves BKK at 1245 am (according to Res) so we assume it will close around 1.am. The BA flight leaves BKK around 12.20 am for LHR.

 

[jasonja3]

Being Bangkok, hopefully there will be showers. Please report back (also the closure time will be useful info - ta).

Just arrived on BA010. There are showers (take a number). Front desk informed me the lounge closes at midnight which seems more realistic than the email sent by QF (see previous post).

The lounge is standard QF issue, reasonably large, located on concource G, right down near the security screening (past CX and Louis Taven).

From what I can see, the F lounge will be totally seperate to the J lounge. Have to wait until April to sample....

 

[Kiwi Flyer]

Thanks jasonja3

 

[jasonja3]

From what I can see, the F lounge will be totally seperate to the J lounge. Have to wait until April to sample....

Ok, I am back and awake this time :shock: . F lounge (currently under construction) will be directly opposite J lounge.

 

[N860CR]

Just to update what's going on with Don Muang for those with domestic connections, on the 25th March the old airport will reopen for selected domestic flights. Orient Thai and Nok Air will move all domestic operations back to Don Muang. Thai are also moving selected domestic flights back (the word given is "flights without international connections" so I'm not 100% sure how they've figured it out.

So basically Thai will move the following:
Flights to and from Don Muang :
1. All flights between Bangkok and Khon Kaen
2. All flights between Bangkok and Ubon Ratchathani
3. All flights between Bangkok and Udon Thani
4. All flights between Bangkok and Phitsanulok
5. All flights between Bangkok and Surat Thani
6. All flights between Bangkok and Hat Yai
7. Selected flights between Bangkok and Chiang Mai - 11 flights with 4-digit flight numbers e.g. TG1106, 1114 1116 etc.
8. Selected flights between Bangkok and Chiang Rai - 2 flights
9. Selected flights between Bangkok and coughet - 11 flights

All flights from Don Muang (DMK) will carry a four digit flight number.

The minimum connecting time between flights within Don Muang is 30 minutes.
The minimum connecting time between Don Muang and Suvarnabhumi airport is 3 hours and 30 minutes.

At this stage, Bangkok Air and Air Asia are remaining at Suvarnabhumi. No word on PB Air as yet.

It's all a bit inconvienient. Sigh of relief from me though, I'm glad I booked Bangkok Air to Air Asia connection and not on Thai!

 

[serfty]

I am posting this from the Qantas Flounge at BKK. It opened 3 days ago.

It was empty when I arrived, but QF2 has just landed and a few people etc are filtering in,

Note that you can see the G1/2/3/4 gates from this lounge; this is where QF2 and BA9 are scehduled to depart today. In fact, G xray is right out side the lounge.

It's not large. It has free wifi ^ and about 5 showers.

 

[serfty]

Here's a link to FT's Photo gallery where I placed some images in relation to the new QF/BA First Class lounge at BKK.

FlyerTalk Photo Albums - Qantas First Lounge BKK

The New lounge had been open 2 days before these were taken. I arrived three hours before my BA9 flight and it was quite empty until QF2 and BA9 disgorged their transiting elites.

If you are there, hope the the plumbing doesn't clog up as happened while I was there. The Showers and toilets were closed and Floungers had to walk across the 'road' and use the J lounge facilities.

When BA9 and QF2 were transiting it was standing room only (in both lounges).