Flights to/from Thailand status, news, and updates

[joelle]

A friend arrived from Hong Kong last Thursday evening, we were at Swampy to meet her, and at 19.27 she sent a message that she was in the immigration queue, with signage saying a 10 minute queue, at 19.47 she came through the gates. There seemed to be an awful lot of flights arriving at the same time, so I was surprised how quickly she came through.

Was she in the normal queue or did she go through the priority lane ?

[STEVE G]

This should at least improve the departure situation:

Suvarnabhumi Airport opens automated channels to foreign travellers

Today, Lieutenant Police General Itthiphon Itthisanronnachai, Chief of the Immigration Bureau, divulged that the IB has developed an automated channel or an automatic passport control system for departures at Suvarnabhumi Airport. Initially, it could only check Thai passport holders, but from December 15, it will also accommodate foreign passport holders.
The automated channel system for departures at Suvarnabhumi Airport, in operation since 2012, comprises 16 machines primarily used to check Thai passengers. The process, which includes cross-checking faces and fingerprints, takes approximately 20 seconds per person. In comparison, manual checking by officers takes about 45 seconds per person.
https://thethaiger.com/news/national/su ... travellers

[Dannie Boy]

Not sure I’ve ever been processed within 45 seconds - will we still get an exit stamp?


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[caller]

Was she in the normal queue or did she go through the priority lane ?

Normal queue, because of the good info posted here (thanks!), I told her to look out for the signs and to walk on if the 1st queue was busy. It wasn't.

[buksida]

Immigration police prepare for holiday rush at airports
The Immigration Bureau has prepared a number of measures to facilitate air travel during the upcoming New Year holidays.

Pol Maj Gen Choengron Rimpadee, commander of immigration officers at the international airport, said on Sunday the number of passengers on international flights is likely to rise, with a rise of 30,000 to 150,000 travellers a day at Suvarnabhumi airport alone, partly due to the government's visa-free scheme.

"During peak hours, there are 5,000-6,000 inbound travelers and 4,000-5,000 outbound passengers an hour," he said, referring to traffic at the country's main airport, Suvarnabhumi.

According to the commander, more immigration officers will be deployed at international airports during each shift, with some reassigned from border checkpoints nationwide. All immigration police have been asked to work during the New Year holidays.

Passengers travelling with the elderly, the disabled and young children will wers will be guided to use priority channels.

Thai travellers will not be required to scan their fingerprints scanned for both inbound and outbound flightrs because the Immigration Bureau already had their data in its system.

Immigration officers will work with airlines to coordinate quick passage for travellers in danger of missing their flights.

https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/ge ... t-airports

Its not rocket science, open more channels to get people through faster.

[2/cb]

For those thinking of booking flights from Blighty to BKK:
Yesterday I booked through a local travel agent a return flight for March 2024. It’s with EVA direct Premium Economy and was a shade under £2k which I think is pretty good.
Business was £4k so a lot more than I would pay.
One point is that they were unable to find any other airline flying direct, including Thai.

[Dannie Boy]

They are the only two airlines that fly direct so will be busy especially at peak times - late March could be the school Easter Holiday period


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[STEVE G]

Bangkok Airport Is Making a Mockery Of Its New Fast Track Facilities, Allowing Families To Congest It:

https://loyaltylobby.com/2023/12/23/ban ... ongest-it/

"Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi International Airport installed new Fast Track facilities in February of this year but the experience so far has been absolutely dismal as they are notoriously understaffed and way too many passengers are allowed to use them."

[buksida]

Of course, the Thai authorities will always blame someone else ...

Delayed flights caused congestion at Suvarnabhumi
The arrival of delayed flights was the cause of the long queues and lengthy waits for incoming passengers at Suvarnabhumi airport early Monday morning, according to the Immigration Bureau.

Pol Maj Gen Choengron Rimpadee, chief of Immigration Division 2, said the influx occurred between midnight and 2am on Monday, when 5,563 passengers arrived on 22 flights.

"Inbound traffic surged 33% above normal because of some delayed flights and the number of inbound passengers rose by about 1,000 above the usual number," Pol Maj Gen Choengron said.

Inbound passenger queues overflowed the immigration hall at Suvarnabhumi airport. Passengers took about 40 minutes to pass through immigration, even though immigration booths were staffed to the maximum, he said.

Arriving flights normally peaked between 1pm and 8pm, he said.

He also advised travellers to ensure they kept their boarding passes handy to speed up the process, because immigration officers needed to register the documents.

https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/ge ... varnabhumi

[PGS]

The market is recovering from the Chinavirus period. Thai Arways directflight Oslo - Bangkok is resuming from the 1st of July this summer. And that is very welcome

[buksida]

Looks like they still cant get it right at Swampy ...

PM EVALUATES THE SUVARNABHUMI ISSUES WITH HIS OWN EYES
rime Minister Srettha Thavisin paid an unscheduled visit to Suvarnabhumi Airport on Monday morning, February 5, 2024, to evaluate the situation and examine the troubled immigration system.

Previously, the biometric system had failed twice, causing problems with the automated channels and rendering them unusable. This had a significant impact at times, with many arriving and departing flights, especially for departing passengers.

This was a good opportunity for him to gather first-hand information so he could make improvements and write a template.

The Prime Minister spent about one hour visiting the airport. He was received and briefed by Pol. Maj. Gen. Chengron Rimpadee, Commander of Immigration Division 2. The Prime Minister then returned to Government House to hold a meeting with all relevant parties involved in the matter. It has already been announced that the modernization of all airports in Thailand will be announced in early March.

“I do not just want to hear reports, I want to see it for myself. We have the opportunity to improve our services in many areas. Starting with the IT system, which is currently operated by several companies without any integration. This applies to both the backup system and the stability of the system. When the number of people increases, the system becomes slow. There is also a lack of immigration police officers,” said Srettha.

He added that during his inspection this morning he saw very long queues, from passport control to baggage x-ray and even when leaving the airport. There are two main problems: People overstaying their visas and people wanted for crimes and trying to leave the country. The IT system can link all this information together, so the systems need to be integrated.

https://www.khaosodenglish.com/life/tou ... -own-eyes/

[buksida]

It aint astrophysics ... well maybe it is in Thailand ...

Thailand to solve issue of long passenger queues at Suvarnabhumi Airport
Airports of Thailand (AOT) and immigration authorities are taking steps to address the issue of long passenger queues at Suvarnabhumi Airport, following complaints by Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin about the slow processing times.

During a follow-up inspection jointly conducted by AOT President Kerati Kijmanawat and Pol Maj Gen Choengron Rimpadee of Immigration Division 2, it was discovered that passengers spend up to 1 hour and 30 minutes on immigration procedures during peak times with the airport handling 5,000-6,000 passengers per hour.

To reduce waiting times to their 30-minute target, AOT plans to add 800 staff members by March 30 to assist with searches and guide passengers. Additionally, immigration is to fully staff all booths during busy periods. Starting March 1, 200 new immigration officers will be stationed at the airport, with a total of 400 expected by year-end.

https://www.pattayamail.com/thailandnew ... ort-453568

[Big Boy]

Isn't this an annual problem? Why do they have to study it every year, and then come up with the same solutions?

Maybe they should be studying what must be a decline in staffing levels at slower times of the year, and realise one solution doesn't fit all. They are fast enough to tell us how many extra visitors will be coming each month - why not be dynamic and plan ahead, as opposed to wait for complaints before doing something about it?

[buksida]

That would require forward-thinking, a logical approach, and practical solutions ... we're in Thailand mate, the land of doing everything backwards ... (deploy a load more staff as high season comes to an end).

[Dannie Boy]

But how did they cope pre Covid when visitors were at least double what they are now?


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