How is the new airport in Bangkok?
 

Has anyone has experience with the new airport? Any notable changes from the old one? Is baggage handling slow or fast? How long does it take to get to Silom by Taxi?

Most importantly
 

Can I get a head job there while I'm waiting for my flight?

It was possible at the old airport, so let's hope the action has migrated!

No more fun
 

Visited the washroom in the arrival area, they had full length partitions installed between the urinals.

Don’t know about the baggage handling, I had only a carry-on bag. Time spent going to Silom was the same as before but had to pay 50 Bahts extra even though I picked up the cab from the Departure area. I did question the cab driver about the extra charge but could not understand the reason due to my limited Thai.

Forget the urinals, how are the stalls?

Did not check the stalls since urinal cruising was not practical.

Probably the worst desgned arrivals area possible. Past immigration you spill out into a narrow greeting area thats completely jammed with greeters and trolley's . What a joke! They should have checked out HK and KL to see how it should be done. Also all of the services like currency exchange, hotel and taxi kiosks that were in an area screened off from greeters are now in this narrow public area. ...and the immigration queues are just as long as before.

the bus
 

Are they offering the same Airport Bus service at Suvarnbhumi that they did at Don Muang? If so, how much is it now? And on which floor/level does it leave from? I'm already confused all the different floors and the transportation options at each one.

For the public buses etc need to take an airport bus to a separate public transport area just away from main terminal I understand. Yes very confusing. The whole public arrivals area as previous poster has said is a disaster - far too small and as AOT seem to have monopoly on limousine service have touts offering private taxis etc as you arrive. However seems the metered taxi area on lower level (A4 bits of paper stuck up to tell you to go down a level) is better controlled without taxis stopping before the official area trying to pick people up. As at DM is a Bht50 surcharge on having a metered taxi. From Sukhumvit same time and about same metered fare - plus two tolls to pay.

Been through Airport 4 times - I have found immigration to be much quicker each time (not all the desks are visible so if queues at some walk further along). And twice when had baggage it was quick.

On depature - Thai buisiness class check in and passport control very good but lounge far too small - been full every time I have been there.

Lots of constuction workers still around so should be possibilities - will have to just miss lounge completely and look around.

To answer Buzzard, the "dedicated" airport/downtown buses depart from level 1 at the right hand or furthest end of the airport main terminal. They are now refered to as Airport Express buses and are numbered AE1, 2, 3 and 4 and end up in the same place more or less as from Don Muang. Infact they are the same buses but have been repainted pinkish. The price is the same at Bht150. But of course the routes are longer. For example, if you take AE3, it runs down via Bangna and crawls along Sukumvit going west, whereas from Don Muang, AB3 used to come off the expressway at Ploenchit and nip along Sukumvit going east.
If you have a carry-on bag only, then quicker and easier and cheaper to take the white shuttle bus (free) from level 2(arrivals) and go direct to the Bus Terminal and then take bus 551 (Bht35) to Victory Monument passing Asok (Praram 9 underground station). It uses initialy Chonburi-Bangkok motorway and is generaly very fast with almost no stops. There is also a new bus route from the bus terminal direct to Pattaya for Bht90..leaving at 9am, 1pm and 5pm.

This fabulous new airport was designed by a German company and still is operated by a German company so don't blam the Thai's for this, when it is out of there control.
Perhaps the problem lies else where.

Yes the Air con is really bad and the arrival hall is a joke, the signs aren't the best and you have to walk what seams for ever but im sure as Royal International
G. A.Y'S we will soon be with someone special or have checked out all the right places and find our way around.

After all if your B/f or who ever is waiting for you,then im sure your will find each other. Dont forget we are in the LOS after
all :)

The traveling ATM is never lonely!

Just like the old airport, how far you have to walk depends on which gate your plane stops at. At Don Muang, if your international flight landed at Gate 1 and you had to connect to a domestic flight, that would have been about a 3 kilometer walk.

I've only been through the new airport once, but my gate was only one quick travelator away from the immigration counter (no line). I didn't notice any a/c problem, but it was at night so maybe that had something to do with it.

Anyway, expats and regular travelers never seem to be truly happy unless they have something to complain about.

Who controls it and how good/bad is it?
 

The airport was designed by Murphy/Jahn Architects, a Chicago-based firm. It's true that the firm's principal, Helmut Jahn, is of German birth, but he has been based in Chicago since 1966.

The designing architects were hired by the airport's owner, which was then the New Bangkok International Airport company. The current owner and operator is Airports of Thailand PCL (the result of privatizing the Airport Authority of Thailand). The company's entire board of directors resigned on Oct. 24 in the wake of Thailand's recent change of government, but all of them were Thai, as are all of the company's senior management.

How much of the original design was "modified" as the result of management irregularities is a good question, but the management was in Thailand.

I'll be paying a visit to the Land of Smiles next month for the first time in about two years, so I guess I'll soon see how the airport is running.

I find the signage and the very, very long walk to the departure gates the worst parts of the new airport. The video monitor information in all areas is so small it's virtually impossible to read unless you are up close to the screens. And signage is mostly at chest or head height - absolutely hopeless in any crowded situation. It took me 20 minutes to find the CX lounge - but that's as much CX's fault as the airport's and I told them so in no uncertain terms!

Checking in at 10:00 am last Sunday, the terminal was certainly too warm and the length of time at Immigration longer than I have ever spent at Don Muang. Being charitable, though, that's probably peak departure time in the entire week. Also, both times I have returned to Suvarnabhumi, I have been out of the plane, got my bag and into a taxi faster than ever before. Against that, as others have said, the arrival area after customs is a total disgrace. I completely fail to understand how new airports can make so many relatively stupid mistakes!

Merely Teething Problem?
 

I left my home in BKK to fly to SGN on 26 October which was my first foray into the new BKK airport.

I'd agree with everything already said plus, if I were Thai, I'd be mighty upset with the obvious corruption. Having said that, something this BIG (and, I am talking about the airport now), is bound to have teething problems as opposed to real 'organic' problems;

(A) For example, every 20-30 meters, there are huge, "stereo speaker"-looking things almost 2 meters high. They are air conditioning units separate from whatever else is there. TEETHING PROBLEM.

Because 'whatever else what is there' isn't working, inbound/outbound passengers lean on these units to cool off. There are large sections of this HUGE airport terminal with temperatures in the mid 30s C.

(B) Nearly all of the flooring is dirty, scruffed up and looks as if it has been in place for well over a decade. Clearly, unlike (A) above which is a teething problem, (B) is no teething problem. There obviously was no oversight, no accountability and repairing this would be many millions of dollars. They'll just have to live with it but it is a potent symbol of the structure of the airport being poorly managed. ORGANIC PROBLEM.

(C) The lack of toilets/urinals (sometimes as few as 2 terminals off of major arrival gates) is pure Thai corruption. They knew it! And now, a BKK Post article says that adding 50 more toilets will cost THB 40 million (just over US$1 million). This is a typical way a vendor skims off more money. Between TEETHING and ORGANIC depending on how quickly they correct it.



Architecturally, it is a really beautiful airport. Last Thursday, when I was in it, it was bright blue skies and the light coming through was really extraordinary. They've thought that out very well.

As a private pilot with an expired license, my fear is that they (AOT) cut so many corners in getting this airport up and running that safety was compromised.

Any fun for a guy waiting for the next flight?
 

I have three hours to kill between an international arrival and a domestic departure. Where to have fun at BKK?

It's great
 

I arrived back to the new airport on Monday late afternoon. I was very impressed with the beauty of the buildings as was GayThailand. Despite all the harbingers of doom I had no major compaints. It was a long way from de-planing to Immigration - that is not exclusive to this airport - but there are superb moving walkways to help and little trollies for one's luggage - if anyone has luggage without wheels these days?

Immigration was a tad slow but it was a busy time. How wonderful if everyone could be greeted with a wai and a smiles and a "Welcome to Thailand" by the Immigration Police. They seemed a particularly sour bunch that day.

Luggage arrived promptly and I popped it on a nice trolley to go to the taxis which I knew were one floor down - why I don't know. A few were waiting for the lift but I risked the moving walkway (travellator?) and happily the trolley freezes into position on the treads - as at Carrefour.

There was no line at the taxi kiosk to I was speedily whizzed to Suriwong Road for 370 baht including 60 baht tolls and 50 baht airport tax.

I spoke to a friend from Canada today and he had seen the sign to Visa On Arrival and gone there confused as to the difference between that and a Visa free 30 days permission. He took a ticker number 167 and saw that they were serving number 65. After fuming for a while he spoke to an attendant and was sent off to Immigration proper.

I thought that the signage was good for arrivals. I did not see and signs for going down a floor for taxis but maybe they are on the way or I missed them.

Even the arrivals hall where people met was not as bad as expected.

Overall I felt pretty happy about the place.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v27/wowpow/main2.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v27/wowpow/main3.jpg

Airport to and from Silom area by Taxi

I found it cheaper and faster to take Rama 9 motorway ( 210 baht ) than Bang-Na motorway (260 baht) - based on travel in early morning with no traffic on both occasions.

With DON MEUANG - DMK., (note new orthography!), having re-opened for some domestic/internal flts. with S'BHUMI. - BKK., remaining for all int'l. flts. the question of inter-airport tpt. is with us.
From checking-around the likely answers seem to be:
1.- Taxi-cabs;
2.- Municipal, air-cond. & yellow 'bus. #554. -
2.1.- At DM.: quit the airport's bldg. and go-out to the main high-rd. outside and pick-up the 'bus. there,(check that it's going in the right dir'n. before boarding!), - it'll drop one off at S'bhumi's. internal shuttle-'bus. i'change;
2.2- At S'bhumi.: take an intra- airport 'bus. to the shuttle-'bus. i'change. and pick-up the municipal 'bus. there.
NB. - I've NOT availed of this svce. - E&OE.!
'bye..

According to a report in today's 'BKK. Post.' AoT. has co-ordinated with BMTA. to provide qty. 10 Euro2. 'buses. to shuttle between Don Meuang & S'bhumi. Airports; the 'buses. will depart every 30 mins.; the flat fare will be 34Bh..
Do NOT rely-on taxi-cab drivers for advice!
TG. has set-up a Service Cntr. for travellers at S'bhumi..
TG. domestic/local flts. are -
1.- DMK.: C. Mai, C. Rai, Phuket, Krabi, Phitsanulok, H. Yai, S. Thani, U. R'thani., U. Thani, & K. Kaen;
2.- BKK.: C. Mai, C. Rai, Phuket & Krabi.
I have NOT availed of this service; E&OE..
'bye..

From reading the press I had assumed that all Phuket and C'mai flights remain at BKK but as you will see they are split between the two airports so do double check.

What's yr flight number ?

I can tell you which airport they use .

Anyone here gotten lucky yet at Suvarnabhumi?

Look here for information
http://www.donmuangairportonline.com/
or
http://www.bangkokairportonline.com/

Have not been yet but at Don Muang I was lucky very often. It was easy there with a lot of quiet and well hidden toilets.
I dont think it is the same at new airport.
Thai Airways head office used to be a good cruising spot, I havent been for a long time.

According to a short article in today's, (thu.), 'BKK. Post.'
WEF. 17 apr., (after Songkran.), at S'bhumi. Int'l. airport, (BKK.), the public taxis. stands will be moved UP to the 2fl. of the Main airport Bldg. to collect arrivals;
'buses. will be allowed to pick-up arrivals from the frontal rd. along 2fl.;
Limos. & hotels' vehs. will move-DOWN to the 1fl..
'bye..

Looking at The TG website for flights to KL I was surprised to see some shown as being from Don Muang. I thought that was going to be domestic only? I'm back in Sydney for a couple of weeks...did I miss an announcement about TG moving international flights as well?

No international TG flights have been announced as switching over to Don Mueang. The TG website still says flights leave from and arrive at BKK which has been the code for the new airport since its opening.

Yes agreed...but go into the Thai site and try to book on 26th MAy. Some flights are shown departing BKK while the 07.20, 10.40, 11.05 and 16.50 departure are designated as departing DMK (Don Muang.) Same story for arrivals, a mix of BKK and DMK. Seems wierd, but that's what's on their boopking system.

Ahh...the penny just dropped. They're showing connecting flights via Phuket...so domestic DMK to Phuket, then international to KL. Mystery solved!