A sure way to guarantee a successful opening day - cancel all of your flights - no queues, no delays, no lost baggage. A significant improvement, and an overwhelming success!
However, it was announced earlier today that BA lost 40 Million Pounds during the recent terror alert using a similar approach of cancelling flights - do you think they know what they're doing at Suvarnabhumi Airport?........................no need to answer that one!
SUVARNABHUMI AIRPORT
Pete
Customs inspections break speed barrier at Suvarnabhumi Airport
Customs Department has adjusted procedures at Suvarnabhumi Airport to ensure faster service.
Paisal Chuenjit, director of the Passenger Processing Division at Suvarnabhumi Airport’s Customs Bureau, said a total of 300 customs officials will service the new airport when it opens later this month, up from 210 at Bangkok International Airport (Don Muang).
Officials will be divided into four shifts. There will be 20 counters for travelers to declare goods, each equipped with an X-ray machine.
Paisal revealed that a new data checking system will be implemented. Passenger and flight information will be forwarded to the bureau before an aircraft arrives. Officials hope this system quickens the declaration of goods at customs and immigration procedures.
The bureau will also implement a new tax payment practice. Under the current system, travelers were inconvenienced by having to bring certain declared goods to a counter away from the passenger terminal in order to pay tax.
At Suvarnabhumi Airport, it will be a one stop service with travelers able to pay the necessary tax at the customs counter.
TNA 2006-09-07
Customs Department has adjusted procedures at Suvarnabhumi Airport to ensure faster service.
Paisal Chuenjit, director of the Passenger Processing Division at Suvarnabhumi Airport’s Customs Bureau, said a total of 300 customs officials will service the new airport when it opens later this month, up from 210 at Bangkok International Airport (Don Muang).
Officials will be divided into four shifts. There will be 20 counters for travelers to declare goods, each equipped with an X-ray machine.
Paisal revealed that a new data checking system will be implemented. Passenger and flight information will be forwarded to the bureau before an aircraft arrives. Officials hope this system quickens the declaration of goods at customs and immigration procedures.
The bureau will also implement a new tax payment practice. Under the current system, travelers were inconvenienced by having to bring certain declared goods to a counter away from the passenger terminal in order to pay tax.
At Suvarnabhumi Airport, it will be a one stop service with travelers able to pay the necessary tax at the customs counter.
TNA 2006-09-07
With A Name Like Bas, It Has To Be Good.
If you are flying from new airport go very early as it took me over 3 hours to almost reach the new airport from bangkok in a taxi yesterday.
And 70% of taxis take long cuts with foreigners so i feel for all the foreigners who are going to be misled in the future there. best make sure the meter is running too or it will be 3 times the price.
The Thais tell me it is the most advanced airport in the world. amazing.
And 70% of taxis take long cuts with foreigners so i feel for all the foreigners who are going to be misled in the future there. best make sure the meter is running too or it will be 3 times the price.
The Thais tell me it is the most advanced airport in the world. amazing.
Check-in system sputters in test
Modern' machines spit out blank boarding passes and luggage tags, yet trial is hailed as an unqualified success
Less than three weeks before its opening, Suvarnabhumi Airport's check-in system is not yet complete. It failed to print boarding passes and baggage tags during tests in front of representatives from 23 airlines yesterday.
Still, the airlines said they happy with the overall demonstration results, saying that the system was more modern and would be less time-consuming than at Don Muang airport.
Moreover, say airport representatives, there is still ample time to correct the problems that were evident yesterday before the airport will be officially opened on September 28.
According to Sopin Daengteth, chairman of the Airline Operators Committee (AOC), which represents more than 65 airlines and associated bodies, only 23 airlines that have completed their own information technology systems participated in the testing yesterday, which was organised by Airports of Thailand (AOT), which runs the Kingdom's main airports.
"Others were absent because they could not yet complete their own check-in systems," she said, noting that the system was not yet ready though many airlines had started testing individually in March.
Among the missing airlines were Swiss Air, Scandinavian Airlines and FinnAir.
They have not yet completed their own IT systems, which was developed by information technology firm SITA.
Many airlines were absent from the testing because they could not spare any employees from their current operations at Don Muang airport. So far, SITA has confirmed with the airlines that it will complete the IT installation next Monday September 11. Then operators can conduct tests individually.
During the first official check-in system test yesterday, luggage tags and boarding passes could not be printed out at several points, including the Thai Airways International (THAI) counter.
The airlines had to address the problem by hand writing all passenger information on tags and boarding passes instead of using the computerised system.
"Still, overall, we are happy with the result," said Sopin.
Sopin also said that the official opening of the new airport would be on schedule although some airlines have decided to cancel flights on September 27 and 28 to avoid confusion.
"We believe that the airport will iron out the problems before the opening date of September 28," she said.
AOC and AOT plan to hold another test at the passenger gates soon.
Chaiwat Wararaj, area station manager of Austrian Airlines, said the airport check-in system was ready. Chaiwat said he did not see any serious troubles in the check-in test yesterday, noting that airlines will be happy with the new technology.
Somchai Sawasdeepon, director of Suvarnabhumi Airport, said that tests have been ongoing since the beginning of this year.
The new system is called Common Use Terminal Equipment - or CUTE - which can work at all 460 counters at the same time.
Somchai said the airport would use the test results to improve service for both airlines and passengers.
Suchat Sritama
The Nation 2006-09-08
Modern' machines spit out blank boarding passes and luggage tags, yet trial is hailed as an unqualified success
Less than three weeks before its opening, Suvarnabhumi Airport's check-in system is not yet complete. It failed to print boarding passes and baggage tags during tests in front of representatives from 23 airlines yesterday.
Still, the airlines said they happy with the overall demonstration results, saying that the system was more modern and would be less time-consuming than at Don Muang airport.
Moreover, say airport representatives, there is still ample time to correct the problems that were evident yesterday before the airport will be officially opened on September 28.
According to Sopin Daengteth, chairman of the Airline Operators Committee (AOC), which represents more than 65 airlines and associated bodies, only 23 airlines that have completed their own information technology systems participated in the testing yesterday, which was organised by Airports of Thailand (AOT), which runs the Kingdom's main airports.
"Others were absent because they could not yet complete their own check-in systems," she said, noting that the system was not yet ready though many airlines had started testing individually in March.
Among the missing airlines were Swiss Air, Scandinavian Airlines and FinnAir.
They have not yet completed their own IT systems, which was developed by information technology firm SITA.
Many airlines were absent from the testing because they could not spare any employees from their current operations at Don Muang airport. So far, SITA has confirmed with the airlines that it will complete the IT installation next Monday September 11. Then operators can conduct tests individually.
During the first official check-in system test yesterday, luggage tags and boarding passes could not be printed out at several points, including the Thai Airways International (THAI) counter.
The airlines had to address the problem by hand writing all passenger information on tags and boarding passes instead of using the computerised system.
"Still, overall, we are happy with the result," said Sopin.
Sopin also said that the official opening of the new airport would be on schedule although some airlines have decided to cancel flights on September 27 and 28 to avoid confusion.
"We believe that the airport will iron out the problems before the opening date of September 28," she said.
AOC and AOT plan to hold another test at the passenger gates soon.
Chaiwat Wararaj, area station manager of Austrian Airlines, said the airport check-in system was ready. Chaiwat said he did not see any serious troubles in the check-in test yesterday, noting that airlines will be happy with the new technology.
Somchai Sawasdeepon, director of Suvarnabhumi Airport, said that tests have been ongoing since the beginning of this year.
The new system is called Common Use Terminal Equipment - or CUTE - which can work at all 460 counters at the same time.
Somchai said the airport would use the test results to improve service for both airlines and passengers.
Suchat Sritama
The Nation 2006-09-08
With A Name Like Bas, It Has To Be Good.
New airport to sport taxi stands
Heeding passenger concerns, a taxi stand will be installed on the second floor of Suvarnabhumi Airport's passenger terminal.
Somchai Sawasdeepon, Airports of Thailand Plc (AOT) general manager, said the decision was in response to problems during the September 1 test flights when many travellers had difficulty catching taxis from the public bus terminal.
The AOT's previous plan was to only allow taxi drop-offs at the passenger terminal. Pick-up service was conducted at the public bus terminal, 2.5 kilometres from the main terminal. A shuttle runs between the bus and passenger terminals.
AOT officials came to the realisation that this system would be inconvenient for passengers arriving with heavy luggage.
A stand will be established at the passenger terminal with at least 20 taxis available at all times. Somchai said officials would ensure that there are enough vehicles to serve passengers.
People will still be able to take a shuttle to the public bus terminal to catch a cab. Shuttles will be available every three to five minutes.
From the bus terminal, the Bangkok Mass Transit Authority will provide service along six routes between Suvarnabhumi Airport and Bangkok.
The Nation 2006-09-09
Heeding passenger concerns, a taxi stand will be installed on the second floor of Suvarnabhumi Airport's passenger terminal.
Somchai Sawasdeepon, Airports of Thailand Plc (AOT) general manager, said the decision was in response to problems during the September 1 test flights when many travellers had difficulty catching taxis from the public bus terminal.
The AOT's previous plan was to only allow taxi drop-offs at the passenger terminal. Pick-up service was conducted at the public bus terminal, 2.5 kilometres from the main terminal. A shuttle runs between the bus and passenger terminals.
AOT officials came to the realisation that this system would be inconvenient for passengers arriving with heavy luggage.
A stand will be established at the passenger terminal with at least 20 taxis available at all times. Somchai said officials would ensure that there are enough vehicles to serve passengers.
People will still be able to take a shuttle to the public bus terminal to catch a cab. Shuttles will be available every three to five minutes.
From the bus terminal, the Bangkok Mass Transit Authority will provide service along six routes between Suvarnabhumi Airport and Bangkok.
The Nation 2006-09-09
With A Name Like Bas, It Has To Be Good.
James61 wrote:The Thais tell me it is the most advanced airport in the world. amazing.
Sure...for our Thai-friends it is the most advanced airport...and their "world" is Thailand, of course!
Sometimes I can't understand all these confusing discussions about the opening-date, and running or non-running systems.
No Thai-Official has anything to do with the permission to open the new international airport for international flights, or not.
The Thais have just to proof, that all is ok...than they'll get the permission to run the new international airport.
It's the duty of the IATA, ICAO etc. to control this.
If they're saying it's safety and ok, than it should be.
...and the responsible authorities for this decision are all foreigners!
No flood in Suvarnabhumi Airport
Thailand's new Suvarnabhumi Airport will never be flooded, even if there is a five-day downpour, according to Airports of Thailand Plc. (AoT) officials.
Surajit Surapholchai, AoT senior vice president of project management, said flooding was a primary concern in designing Suvarnabhumi Airport. The land, on which the airport is built, was once low-lying rice paddies.
As a result, a flood prevention system has been put in place, which includes a 3.5 m dike on the airport’s perimeter and six holding ponds equipped with two pump stations. In addition, a number of canals have been dug to accelerate water drainage into the neighbouring river system.
The Department of Royal Irrigation is also building three pumps stations near the Gulf of Thailand to help discharge floodwater into the ocean.
The airport’s flood prevention system will not cause problems for residents in neighbouring communities, according to officials.
The system is ready for the airport’s September 28 opening.
TNA 2006-09-10
Thailand's new Suvarnabhumi Airport will never be flooded, even if there is a five-day downpour, according to Airports of Thailand Plc. (AoT) officials.
Surajit Surapholchai, AoT senior vice president of project management, said flooding was a primary concern in designing Suvarnabhumi Airport. The land, on which the airport is built, was once low-lying rice paddies.
As a result, a flood prevention system has been put in place, which includes a 3.5 m dike on the airport’s perimeter and six holding ponds equipped with two pump stations. In addition, a number of canals have been dug to accelerate water drainage into the neighbouring river system.
The Department of Royal Irrigation is also building three pumps stations near the Gulf of Thailand to help discharge floodwater into the ocean.
The airport’s flood prevention system will not cause problems for residents in neighbouring communities, according to officials.
The system is ready for the airport’s September 28 opening.
TNA 2006-09-10
With A Name Like Bas, It Has To Be Good.
I caught the tail half last night. Not much. "Richard" seemed to spend more time on Pi Pi Island than he did at the airport. I really saw nothing of substance concerning constructive criticism of anything at the new airport. But, I missed the first half. About 10 days ago, they also had a Thai channel clip that he was staying at the Oriental Hotel...tough life for these traveling correspondents. CNN did steal him from the BBC though...LOL.STEVE G wrote:CNN business traveller, are doing a feature on the new airport this week, I haven’t seen it yet, so I don’t know what it has to say.
PetePS: Forgot to mention, CNN is a paid sponsor for TAT and the Thailand Elite program to the tune of a million $ or more a year. I don't think CNN is going to shed a dim light on anything concerning Thai tourism. Maybe if the BBC comes here and does a follow up after it opens, we'll see some good investigative reporting.
Thai economy to greatly benefit from Suvarnabhumi Airport
Transport Minister Pongsak Raktapongpaisal on Tuesday expressed confidence that the Thai economy would hugely benefit once Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi Airport is opened for commercial services late this month.
Speaking at a seminar on "Unveil Strategic Plan to Develop Suvarnabhumi Airport as Regional Aviation Hub," he said Suvarnabhumi Airport would not only be a place for planes to take off and land, but it would also become a gateway that could build added value to the Thai economy in terms of trade, transport and tourism expansions.
He said Don Muang International Airport is currently capable to accommodate only 38 million passengers a year since it is relatively small and old when compared with airports in Singapore and Hong Kong.
Also, although there are two runways in the Don Muang Airport, only one can be used.
This, coupled with a limited accommodation of the number of planes wanting to land, made the Don Muang Airport lose revenue of around 500,000 baht per flight.
Suvarnabhumi Airport, when commercially opened, could allow airplanes to land in its two runways and accommodate about 45 million passengers per year, he noted.
This, together with a geologically comparative advantage Thailand has over other countries in terms of tourist sites and transit spots, would make it easier for the country to become a regional aviation hub, he pointed out.
Once Suvarnabhumi Airpot is opened for commercial services, he said, the building of the planned Suvarnabhumi City would follow.
So, communities in the vicinity of the new airport would expand promisingly since trade and economic activities would increase when the city is completely built, he indicated.
This could bring about the added value to the industry and tourism in the area.
"Suvarnabhumi Airport will not only be a common airport for planes to take off and land, but it will also serve as a branding of the country's state-of-the-art and modern architecture that can impress passengers and tourists and attract them to come back," the minister said.
TNA 2006-09-12
Transport Minister Pongsak Raktapongpaisal on Tuesday expressed confidence that the Thai economy would hugely benefit once Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi Airport is opened for commercial services late this month.
Speaking at a seminar on "Unveil Strategic Plan to Develop Suvarnabhumi Airport as Regional Aviation Hub," he said Suvarnabhumi Airport would not only be a place for planes to take off and land, but it would also become a gateway that could build added value to the Thai economy in terms of trade, transport and tourism expansions.
He said Don Muang International Airport is currently capable to accommodate only 38 million passengers a year since it is relatively small and old when compared with airports in Singapore and Hong Kong.
Also, although there are two runways in the Don Muang Airport, only one can be used.
This, coupled with a limited accommodation of the number of planes wanting to land, made the Don Muang Airport lose revenue of around 500,000 baht per flight.
Suvarnabhumi Airport, when commercially opened, could allow airplanes to land in its two runways and accommodate about 45 million passengers per year, he noted.
This, together with a geologically comparative advantage Thailand has over other countries in terms of tourist sites and transit spots, would make it easier for the country to become a regional aviation hub, he pointed out.
Once Suvarnabhumi Airpot is opened for commercial services, he said, the building of the planned Suvarnabhumi City would follow.
So, communities in the vicinity of the new airport would expand promisingly since trade and economic activities would increase when the city is completely built, he indicated.
This could bring about the added value to the industry and tourism in the area.
"Suvarnabhumi Airport will not only be a common airport for planes to take off and land, but it will also serve as a branding of the country's state-of-the-art and modern architecture that can impress passengers and tourists and attract them to come back," the minister said.
TNA 2006-09-12
With A Name Like Bas, It Has To Be Good.
GETTING THERE
Travellers are concerned about getting to the new airport on time, but the AOT says don’t worry
Time is ticking away for a tired-looking Bangkok International Airport at Don Muang. The hour has almost arrived for the brand-new Suvarnabhumi Airport.
Worries and rumours are flying ahead of the world’s major airlines starting to jet into its new runways.
Travellers worry how they will reach the new airport without missing flights.
Tucked away in the vast stretches to Bangkok’s east, the new airport carves out a giant letter “Hâ€
Travellers are concerned about getting to the new airport on time, but the AOT says don’t worry
Time is ticking away for a tired-looking Bangkok International Airport at Don Muang. The hour has almost arrived for the brand-new Suvarnabhumi Airport.
Worries and rumours are flying ahead of the world’s major airlines starting to jet into its new runways.
Travellers worry how they will reach the new airport without missing flights.
Tucked away in the vast stretches to Bangkok’s east, the new airport carves out a giant letter “Hâ€
With A Name Like Bas, It Has To Be Good.
Contrary to what I have previously posted about the new airport being no further from HH than the old one, I am now dreading getting caught in traffic on the Bang-na Trat highway. I was stuck on there for four hours last April. Could be some very unpleasant trips ahead and many flights missed methinks.
