Suvarnabhumi Airport

[Robert]

I came through the airport this morning. Looks great - all steel and concrete but the main roof looks a very dirty white all ready. I have to wonder about the choice of material / design - TIT.
Long walk from gate to immigration but plenty of travelators. Usual problem at immigration - lots of people but few staff. Waited 50 mins from arrival for bags. As you leave customs the area where people wait is way too small and heavily overcrowded at 08.00 this am. I walked out to the road anf flagged down a passing taxi. THB 220 to sukumvit. No idea on the correct procedure. The airport is huge and looks good. Most problems are the usual TIT.

[BKKSTAN]

Thanks Robert,thats what we need more of,first hand reports!Was the taxi cost on the meter,expressway fees etc.?50 mon. for the bags is to long.Thet will probbably get that shortened.
Are ''travelators ,people carriers?And were there luggage carriers in the baggage claim area?

[kevh]

I have not idea why the roof colour looks dark already, but it does make me smile when you say well TIT, does anyone really think that the design of any major construction anywhere in the world, including thailand, is done by THAI's? really?

You people.

Coming from the construction engineering world i can tell you that NO thai company ever designs any major construction anywhere.

In this case the new airport was designed by ze germans.

I guess they can't get everything right.

One interesting point is that this is only phase 1.

the final airport will be able to take 3 times as many passengers.

[arjay]

Stan, travelators are the flat escalators, sometimes known as "moving walkways".

We hope to have a report from Udonmap's own intrepid traveller soon, (Skip) after he has completed his journey through the new airport.

[BKKSTAN]

Do they import quality materials to build the airport?

[beer monkey]

i reckon they might have imported some materials bkkstan,somchai's yard did,nt have it all in stock .
here are the architects .


http://www.murphyjahn.com/english/frameset_intro.htm

[Alagrl]

I came through the airport this morning. Looks great - all steel and concrete but the main roof looks a very dirty white all ready. I have to wonder about the choice of material / design - TIT.

I wonder if the roof is the same fabric material used in Denver -- fantastic design, and it works there because of the dry climate. It's possible the new airport roof is simply mildewing. Yuck -- that will do wonders for anyone with allergies.

[BKKSTAN]

The reason I ask about the materials is that it seems to me,that the quality of things made is very low.Products wear out quickly!

[BKKSTAN]

Well,at least immigration was ''speedy and convenient''

Suvarnabhumi: A traveller's lament

As flight TG 401 touched down at the futuristic-looking Suvarnabhumi Airport on Friday night, the inefficiency of this new Bt150-billion facility took me and other passengers by surprise.

The impressive view from the outside, of architectural structures bathed in blue light, gave way to appalling design flaws and apparent mismanagement by officials.

"It's a new airport, so why did we have to board a bus [after deplaning]?" asked a fellow THAI traveller from Singapore.

Less than two minutes later we were stuck in a bottleneck at the only escalator from the ground floor up to the first floor. We wondered why more planning wasn't put into such a crucial matter.

Then after a considerable hike past a few duty-free shops, I arrived at the hi-tech immigration desk. It was speedy and convenient. But as I got through the counter and proceeded to find out where to reclaim my luggage, my eyes were dazzled by four flashing TV monitors with letters so tiny that anyone over 40 or with reading difficulties would have a hard time deciphering the messages.

After a few minutes of eye-straining search, I discovered that I had to go to carousel 18. But wait! When I got there, the overhead display said the luggage coming through belonged to flights from Siem Reap and Seoul, not Singapore!

There weren't enough luggage carts and it took me 10 minutes to get one.

So which computerised monitors should I trust?

I hung around with other passengers whom I recognised from our flight until one Westerner finally got his luggage. "Amazing," he said to me, as I asked if he was on that THAI flight from Singapore, to make sure that this was where my suitcase would emerge.

Then there was a sign on a pillar next to the conveyor belt printed on A4 paper. "Temporary toilet". The lack of enough toilets appeared to be haunting the new airport on Day Two.

But there was more travail to go through. The arrival lobby is too small. People squeeze together forming a wall so you can't see if someone came to pick you up.

Then I couldn't figure out where to hail a metered taxi. There was no sign and I ended up having to ask for information at an AOT counter. The woman there was pushing a pricey limousine service, but eventually caved in and told me to head one level down.

"But the queue down there is very long," she warned me. The taxi queue was actually twice, if not thrice, longer than those at Don Muang.

Why? Partly bad coordination and partly because this is a single-terminal airport. The taxi pick-up points must actually be fewer than at Don Muang, which has one domestic and two international terminals. And there was no proper sign telling you this is where you should wait!

While in line, two THAI passengers complained to me. One, an elderly gentleman who flew in from Brisbane, said he waited an hour and a half for his luggage to arrive. When he inquired about it with THAI ground staff, they didn't have a clue as to how long he had to wait.

"It was a long walk," he said, referring to the mega-long terminal and hall.

Another THAI passenger said the exit gate at the arrival hall was simply "miniature", which didn't make any sense.

Nobody seems to want to explain why this new gateway is not laid out better and more conveniently than the 92-year-old complex at Don Muang. I couldn't help wonder why AOT has to force thousands of travellers to undergo such a trying experience.

In the first few days they may claim that many things are not functioning properly because it's still new. But the management's attitude was self-congratulatory even though they should be profusely apologetic and do their best to meet travellers' expectations.

I couldn't see or feel a sense of excellence and a service mindset from them. Suvarnabhumi may end up becoming just another expensive airport that's better to look at than to use.

Perhaps a new management team that is more concerned and attentive to travellers' needs and satisfaction, comforts and convenience might improve things. A few executives deserve - not only to be shifted or reassigned - but fired.

Pravit Rojanaphruk

The Nation

[papaguido]

"Then there was a sign on a pillar next to the conveyor belt printed on A4 paper. "Temporary toilet". The lack of enough toilets appeared to be haunting the new airport on Day Two."

I wonder, was it a porta-john or roving sh*t hole...

[lee]

In the light of the many reported teething troubles at the new airport, Udonmap realises how important it is to its members to be able to successfully navigate their way through the new Suvarnabhumi airport and to be aware of any pitfalls to watch out for.

Well I guess I may be the first forumite to make it through the new Suvarnabhumi airport alive and kicking, so here is my brief repport.

The new building was fine; everything appeared well organized and easy to navigate. The place is huge; it's like a mini marathon from the plane to the taxis. I'm not sure about the decor, very industrial in my opinion, lots of steel construction, large windows, but the nice thing is that there are open park areas and more shops.

My bags arrived with no problems and it looks like Nok Air is doing a great job labeling everything.

The only minus I noticed was the lack of taxis and huge queues of tired passengers waiting in line. This is something I

[BKKSTAN]

I thought they were allowing taxi pick ups at the arrivals also?

[FrazeeDK]

Just spoke with a friend who went through the airport yesterday.. He noted that Immigration does not have the small ball cameras to capture the image of folks going in and out of the country. I wonder if this was something forgotten in the IT contract for the new airport???

[izzix]

Suvarnabhumi: A traveller's lament

As flight TG 401 touched down at the futuristic-looking Suvarnabhumi
Airport on Friday night, the inefficiency of this new Bt150-billion
facility took me and other passengers by surprise.

The impressive view from the outside, of architectural structures
bathed in blue light, gave way to appalling design flaws and apparent
mismanagement by officials.

"It's a new airport, so why did we have to board a bus [after
deplaning]?" asked a fellow THAI traveller from Singapore.

Less than two minutes later we were stuck in a bottleneck at the only
escalator from the ground floor up to the first floor. We wondered why
more planning wasn't put into such a crucial matter.

Then after a considerable hike past a few duty-free shops, I arrived at
the hi-tech immigration desk. It was speedy and convenient. But as I
got through the counter and proceeded to find out where to reclaim my
luggage, my eyes were dazzled by four flashing TV monitors with letters
so tiny that anyone over 40 or with reading difficulties would have a
hard time deciphering the messages.

After a few minutes of eye-straining search, I discovered that I had to
go to carousel 18. But wait! When I got there, the overhead display
said the luggage coming through belonged to flights from Siem Reap and
Seoul, not Singapore!

There weren't enough luggage carts and it took me 10 minutes to get
one.

So which computerised monitors should I trust?

I hung around with other passengers whom I recognised from our flight
until one Westerner finally got his luggage. "Amazing," he said to me,
as I asked if he was on that THAI flight from Singapore, to make sure
that this was where my suitcase would emerge.

Then there was a sign on a pillar next to the conveyor belt printed on
A4 paper. "Temporary toilet". The lack of enough toilets appeared to be
haunting the new airport on Day Two.

But there was more travail to go through. The arrival lobby is too
small. People squeeze together forming a wall so you can't see if
someone came to pick you up.

Then I couldn't figure out where to hail a metered taxi. There was no
sign and I ended up having to ask for information at an AOT counter.
The woman there was pushing a pricey limousine service, but eventually
caved in and told me to head one level down.

"But the queue down there is very long," she warned me. The taxi queue
was actually twice, if not thrice, longer than those at Don Muang.

Why? Partly bad coordination and partly because this is a
single-terminal airport. The taxi pick-up points must actually be fewer
than at Don Muang, which has one domestic and two international
terminals. And there was no proper sign telling you this is where you
should wait!

While in line, two THAI passengers complained to me. One, an elderly
gentleman who flew in from Brisbane, said he waited an hour and a half
for his luggage to arrive. When he inquired about it with THAI ground
staff, they didn't have a clue as to how long he had to wait.

"It was a long walk," he said, referring to the mega-long terminal and
hall.

Another THAI passenger said the exit gate at the arrival hall was
simply "miniature", which didn't make any sense.

Nobody seems to want to explain why this new gateway is not laid out
better and more conveniently than the 92-year-old complex at Don Muang.
I couldn't help wonder why AOT has to force thousands of travellers to
undergo such a trying experience.

In the first few days they may claim that many things are not
functioning properly because it's still new. But the management's
attitude was self-congratulatory even though they should be profusely
apologetic and do their best to meet travellers' expectations.

I couldn't see or feel a sense of excellence and a service mindset from
them. Suvarnabhumi may end up becoming just another expensive airport
that's better to look at than to use.

Perhaps a new management team that is more concerned and attentive to
travellers' needs and satisfaction, comforts and convenience might
improve things. A few executives deserve - not only to be shifted or
reassigned - but fired.

Pravit Rojanaphruk

The Nation

from the Nation

[izzix]

[quote="BKKSTAN"]:) I thought they were allowing taxi pick ups at the arrivals also?[/quote]

the limos get the easy meat and you go downstairs for the public meter taxis
apparently

[izzix]

[quote="gulfcoastUSA"][quote="Robert"]I came through the airport this morning. Looks great - all steel and concrete but the main roof looks a very dirty white all ready. I have to wonder about the choice of material / design - TIT.[/quote]

I wonder if the roof is the same fabric material used in Denver -- fantastic design, and it works there because of the dry climate. It's possible the new airport roof is simply mildewing. Yuck -- that will do wonders for anyone with allergies.[/quote]

there have been problems with the roof right from the start ,and probably always will be . maybe fibre glass is the answer

[beer monkey]

Glitches continue at new airport


Minor problems continued to plague the new Suvarnabhumi Airport Sunday, four days after the airport's commercial opening, with soldiers called in to help carry passenger baggage as machines proved too slow. And then, a large number of sightseers turned up, causing congestion and inconvenience at the single-terminal airport.

An operations centre, informally dubbed 'the war room,' has been set up on the seventh floor of the passenger building and 25 soldiers were drafted to help move baggage, while Thai Airports Ground Service Co. Ltd. (TAGS) has dispatched another 150 baggage-transport carts to help speed up the work, said Airports of Thailand president Chotisak Asapaviriya.

He said work flexibility has been achieved at only 70% and the remaining problem of 30% is resulted from staff members who have become very tired.

Although the airport has been opened for four days as of Sunday, as many as 100,000 people are turning up daily for pleasure visits, while the number of passengers is estimated at 80,000 - 90,000 persons, Mr. Chotisak said, adding that the number of cleaners and rubbish collectors must be increased.

Many toilets in the domestic passenger terminal have become clogged, he said, while the roof of the car park is not expected to be complete for about one month, he said.

Many black-plated taxis were seen waiting for customers on the first and second floors of the passenger building yesterday, Mr. Chotisak said. Police have been asked to order taxi drivers not to park their vehicles in the area, he said.

Mr. Chotisak said officials will be assigned to monitor expected heavy rainfall Sunday night, but indicated there should not be a problem as the new airport can absorb as much as three million cubic metres of water.

The Meteorological Department earlier warned that Typhoon Xangsane, which earlier devastated the Philippines, would enter Vietnam and Thailand Sunday. The storm was expected to trigger another round of heavy rainfall, especially in northeastern provinces.

Meanwhile, a senior Thai Airways International executive said Sunday that work at the airport have become smoother, although more casual visitors are congesting the airport, especially during the weekend.

These admirers are causing inconvenience for passengers checking in. The executive asked people to refrain from visiting the airport for the time being in order to make for smoother service. (TNA)-

Many toilets in the domestic passenger terminal have become clogged

[beer monkey]

Mmmm clogged..... wonder if its people waiting to use them they are talking about or....

[Paul]

I experienced the airport yesterday. My impression was not favourable - but it may get better as we all get used to the place. After a very very long ground-taxi from touch down to the terminal, there was an equally long trek (4 moving walkways) to the baggage reclaim hall. There are no exit signs, just a direction to the baggage hall. I stopped at the first toilets I saw - as did most passengers and was gobsmacked. ONE urinal and two toilets - that was it - for all the arriving passengers !!!Talk about a long wait !!!
Shortly before the baggage hall - arrival passengers mingle with departing passengers in the same corridor - which is strange and then you have to pass through an area bursting with shops on both sides before you can enter the baggage hall.
The baggage hall is huge and spacious and there is a small exit door with (at last) a sign which says 'exit'

This is then the main terminal building, 7 floors and what strikes you is a mass if steel and glass.
Inadequate signboards giving directions and I just followed one which said 'bus' - as I had heard the wait for taxis is huge. Without a car, the only option is taxi or bus. I had heard that there is a bus station at the airport for which there is a free shuttle bus to take you there - but I could find neither the shuttle bus or indeed the bus station. (I later discovered the bus station is on the airport perimeter road. I could see no way of getting there unless you found the shuttle bus.

Passing by International arrivals I was amazed that in an airport as huge as this - there is so little space for passengers once they exit the international arrivals hall. From the end of the barriers on each side of the exit door - to the row of (more) shops and tour desks, probrably was about 2 metres. So all the exiting passengers have to push past all those people walking past the area, all in about 2 meters of space (see picture below). The problem was made worse by the mass of touts and greeters. There is supposed to be a meeting area on the 3rd floor between the arrivals floor and departures floor - but of course people wanted to wait at the door where passengers exit from the baggage hall/immigration.

There are hundreds and hundreds of shops in the airport strategically placed so you have to walk around them - not in a straight line (marketing plan?) and a rather small observation area on the 7th floor which appeared to be full of Thais having a sightseeing day at the new airport. Look on the pictures and see the zig-zag line of people marching to the top floor.

On the lower floor I eventually saw a sign for 'bus' and enquired how to get to the BTS in Bangkok. Of the 4 girls on duty - they each gave me a different answer. From - "no we dont go there, to how about you go to world trade centre" !!!
It turned out this was the dedicated airport bus - similar to the one at Don Muang, and unfortunately the old decrepid buses are still in use - just painted outside. As there was no way I was going to get to the actual bus station I decided to use this rickety old bus, and of course the price has increased too. At Don Muang it was 100 baht to Bkk, now it is 150 baht.

It takes ages to get around the airport perimeter road and passing hundreds of cars lining both sides of the road with onlooking Thais sat watching planes take off - and have a picnic of course.

The journey to Bkk took about 1 hour and journeying down Sukhumvit Road - when I saw a BTS station - I asked the driver to stop and let me off at the traffic lights which were on red.

Maybe next time I will get a taxi at the 'departures' level (just like in Don Muang), and if there are two or more people, then it will be cheaper and certainly more comfortable.

To me they have utilised space in the wrong areas and places with high passenger traffic appear far too crowded, where as there are other area with unused open space - lots of it.

In summary. There is one main terminal building, for both domestic and international, seven floors, one floor serves arrivals, one floor serves departures, a meeting floor (with shops), basement taxi/airport bus floor, observation floor and the others - I dont know.

If you are in a rush to get to Bkk as soon as you touch down - don't be. !

[BKKSTAN]

Great report Paul!Looks like a nightmare to me!Glad I don't have to go anywhere at the moment!
Sometimes,I think my attitude about how things are done in Thailand will never change!My first minds thought upon reading this and looking at the pictures was ''idiot farm''!