Bangkok Airport is Getting Worse

[BUCKY]

If you are transiting, you don't leave the custom area right? Even if you do, I think you can use the escalator if you can show them your air ticket. There's a sign on the escalator saying "airport pass holder only" or something like that. Then again, you still can use the lifts except the lifts are kinda difficult to find.

[moppet61]

If you are transiting, you don't leave the custom area right? Even if you do, I think you can use the escalator if you can show them your air ticket. There's a sign on the escalator saying "airport pass holder only" or something like that. Then again, you still can use the lifts except the lifts are kinda difficult to find.

Bucky,and if i dont leave custom area,is there a lift inside custom area.So i can go direct to Dosmestic checkin?
I have only 2hrs.from arrival to re-checkin.from International flight to Domestic.Is it O.K. or too rush....first time given such a short time to clear custom and collect baggage .

[Khun Don]

Angry taxi drivers block roads to Suvarnabhumi Airport

Some 300 taxi drivers block roads to Suvarnbhumi Airport on Thursday to protest police who arrested them for not using meters when being hired to go out of Bangkok.

The blockage of the roads to arrival and departure lounges which are on the second and fourth floors respectively forced many people both Thais and foreigners to get off their vehicles and walked to the lounges.

The taxi drivers claimed they did not have to use meters to go to areas out of Bangkok because rates of fees have been stipulated by land transport regulations..

Police said the taxi drivers were angry that they were arrested and fined for not using meters.

At the press time, Rachateva police are negotiating with representatives of the taxi drivers in order to open routes for passengers.

Land transport regulations specified rate for taxi to go to areas out of Bangkok or to other provinces. They did not have to use meters.

However some taxi drivers reportedly did not follow the regulations and demanded for high fees from passengers particularly foreigners.

One of their demands was that they should be allowed to negotiate fees with passengers who wanted to go out of the capital.

However a taxi driver who joined the rally claimed that a gang at the airport which he said had police as a member forced them to use meters or face arrest unless they paid tea money to the gang.

This is the fourth time that the angry taxi drivers blocked the road to protest the similar problems.

The Nation

[PPeter]

a friend of mine who has been living in Bangkok for 3 years says that up until two or three months ago, he had absolutely no problems with taxi drivers (he used them every day!), but recently they ignore directions (like, his Thai girlfriend says "turn off the elevated highway at the next exit" repeatedly and they drive on), they take him on round trips, they refuse to turn on the meter, they demand 500 baht for airport transfer, etc. he was so shocked to find such a big change in the quality of service that it finally tipped the scale and he made up his mind to buy a car, which he had been considering for a while.
it's still only high fuel prices that we can put the blame on, he says some meters have been adjusted and now there are slightly higher fares, but not in all taxis.

I also thought that some meters were adjusted, and I got a little xxxxx at one taxi driver for it when he brought me to SUV. But later I heard from another taxi driver that because of the high fuel prices the basic fare (37 after 1 km instead of after 2km) and the fare per km was increased. But not all the taxi's have altered their meters, so you can catch an old fare one every now and then when you are lucky.

[BUCKY]

Airport is getting better... so they say...
Recent advertisements at the airport.

[Betti]

last time I got through immigration in about two minutes.... but then of course had to make up for it waiting for my luggage for over half an hour :-) and I still had to trek about 800 metres from the gate to immigration (they have signs telling you the distance).
but at least it hasn't been blockaded for a while. I guess that counts for something....

[Khun Don]

but at least it hasn't been blockaded for a while. I guess that counts for something....

Sshh! Don't tempt fate!

[paul_au]

It's got a long way to catch up with Singapore Changi Airport.

[fileeep]

It's got a long way to catch up with Singapore Changi Airport.

Yes...Changi must rate as one of the top airports of the world, but no matter how bad Suvarnbhumi Airport is, it is still miles ahead of Perth International Airport....now that’s a really bad Airport.

[Jerome]

I always fly on Thai Air and we always deplane at what seems like the furthest possible gate from the terminal. Sometimes we don't even get a gate, and we park on the tarmac and have to get a bus that drives around in circles for 20 minutes.

I wonder what factors determine which gate you deplane at? I would have thought that Thai Airways would get preferential treatment and get the gates closest to the terminal, and that smaller airlines would be made to walk from the gates at the very end of each "arm" of the airport.
Apparently not...