Yet another fee from Swampy?

[JimboPSM]

From Bangkok Post:

SUVARNABHUMI AIRPORT

Passengers may pay noise compensation

AMORNRAT MAHITTHIROOK

Airports of Thailand (AoT) is considering collecting a special fee from passengers and airlines using Suvarnabhumi airport to compensate residents affected by aircraft noise.

The AoT board, led by assistant army chief Saprang Kalayanamitr, yesterday discussed sources of funding for the compensation and came up with an idea used in Australia and Japan, where a special fee is collected from those who cause the noise pollution. Passengers and airline operators who use the airport would be charged the fee, said AoT board spokesman Chirmsak Pinthong.

The board has asked AoT to study details of the proposal and set a suitable rate before submitting its findings to the board before the end of next month. If approved, the proposal will be sent to the Transport Ministry, which will forward it for cabinet approval no later than November, he said.

''The proposed special fee is collected in several countries. This is a good thing as it will create a good moral sense. This is fair and better than using taxpayer money or AoT coffers [to compensate affected residents],'' he said.

He maintained that AoT was willing to help all affected residents. The authority would follow a cabinet resolution and the AoT board's resolution on compensation payments, he said.

The board also considered the resignation of acting AoT president Kulya Pakakrong.

Gen Saprang, who is AoT chairman, said the board agreed to have her serve as acting president until the end of the month, during which the selection of a new president will be finalised.

Mrs Kulya tendered her resignation on Aug 27 and proposed that her resignation take effect on Sept 11 as she wanted to complete her final task of evaluating the performance of Suvarnabhumi after one year of operations.

She said she would not mind continuing as acting president until Sept 30. However, if a new president was not chosen this month, she would leave the post, she said. Mrs Kulya cited health problems as the reason for her decision to leave AoT's top post.

Hmm... I wonder if the phrase "own goal" translates into Thai?

It appears (if you are gullible enough to believe some press reports) that because of the large increases in charges, some airlines are already looking to relocate operations to other cheaper competing Asian Airports; tourist numbers are also down according to THA but denied by TAT (no surprise there).

[beer monkey]

Mmmm do we as traveller's using the swamp get some compo for the inconvinience and extra costs incurred of having to trek across town to use the old domestic terminal ?

The AoT board, led by assistant army chief Saprang Kalayanamitr, yesterday discussed sources of funding for the compensation and came up with an idea used in Australia and Japan, where a special fee is collected from those who cause the noise pollution. Passengers and airline operators who use the airport would be charged the fee, said AoT board spokesman Chirmsak Pinthong.

so its us as passengers that cause some of the noise, maybe if we all whisper around the airport it would bring the levels down.

[tawan3]

Swampy that is a good one.

[JimboPSM]

Swampy that is a good one.

I thought it was a good nickname as well but I can't take the credit.

From doing a search it looks like the original user of "Swampy" on the forum was a member called "mackayae".

[laphanphon]

ok, let's be fair, charge the people who cause the noise pollution. that would be all the politicians who bought then sold the swamp to build the airport on. profitted from the sale and then the contracts to build this mess in the worst place possible, with no consideration of the local residents who warned before hand the noise levels would be too high. the enviromentalist who warned of migrating bird patterns, the non profitting people who warned, well, common sense, you just don't build an airport on a swamp.

but hey, charge the people who had nothing to do with it, makes sense to me, then make them pay extra money and waste time with transferring to don muang. all makes sense to me.

[rickfarang]

If the homeowners are due compensation, the its clear that either in the end the tab will be picked up by either the passengers or the public. I cannot imagine anybody stepping up and offering to pay.

How many of those actually deserve compensation from the Airport Authority? How many of those homes were built after the airport construction started in 1973? Should we believe that all of those people bought houses not knowing that an airport was under construction? And if they did, who is it that should be blamed for the deceptive sale?