Having read so many damming reports of the new airport and recently, and having had 3 very good experiences myself, i thought it was time to balance the scales and wrote to the Bangkok post POSTBAG, they chose not to publish the item, maybe because it would have taken up the post bag space for 2 days, i can rabbit on when i get the bit between my teeth, they could have given it the front page though.
Anyhow a little while after another damming report appeared so i slightly amended the item to include the concerns of this disgruntled contributor, see the first 2 paragraphs, they relate to his experience and my retort for him, if you please, UPSET over a perfume advert! Whatever next? Upset he had to walk to immigration but the disabled get a ride!? Who's faults that? break a leg!
After that is my rantings on what i have so far found to be a great place, admittedly with lots of room for improvement but has anyone been home lately, it's not just the airports in chaos.
Is your cup half full or half empty?
Dear Amazed in Thailand, post bag 1st March 2007.
I am sure it is frustrating having to take a bus from the aircraft to the terminal, but believe me Bangkok is not the only place in the world where this occurs, every time I land at Dubai, and believe me that is often, I have been bussed to the terminal, they are rectifying this as I am sure are Bangkok
In the mean time I am sure you would not want them to suspend Domestic and International fights to resolve this problem because believe me taking the bus from Chiang Mai to Bangkok would be far more inconvenient. I am really not sure how a perfume advert has any bearing on the issue of busing people to the terminal unless of course you would be happier to see an advertisement listing all the perceived failures of the new airport, negativity does not breed progress.
It certainly makes the world a more interesting place with peoples different
perceptions to the same situation, and mine regarding the new airport in Bangkok certainly seems to be different. In November 2006 I left this fine and pleasant land for a trip to the UK, a nightmare thought at the best of times, and all the comments on how poorly the new airport was performing made it no easier.
However to my pleasant surprise I certainly had a different story to tell. I flew from Chiang Mai to Bangkok to connect directly with an Emirates flight to the UK via Dubai and was concerned about the luggage appearing on time along with, will I find my way and GOD FORBID I may need to find a toilet! Amazement, not only were my bags on the carousel before I got there, I found a toilet and a very clean and empty one at that. The airport staff pointed me without hesitation to the connection for International departures and although it looked like it still needed a lick of paint, it was organised efficient and had a calming effect, unusual to say the least for any busy international airport.
Having kept up to date with current affairs during my absence I was once again dreading the mayhem promised to me by various articles and comments on web sites. A double whammy I returned to the same smooth operation I had left. It took a lot less time to get to immigration which unlike the old airport had most of the booths opened and manned. I cleared immigration within minutes not hours, and thanks to the signage ( yes it is there if you open your eyes) was soon by the luggage carousel, admittedly I was travelling in Business class and am a Gold member of Skywards, but my luggage was there within 5 minutes and I was off. From the Aircraft doors opening to my arrival at my hotel in Bangkok took a whole 65 minutes, maybe something to do with more road connections.
Well if your not envious yet, the next day, having had my one obligatory night of fun in Bangkok I gave myself plenty of time to reach the airport, it was a Friday and did not wish to risk missing my flight and trying to get on another, and what a surprise when it took less time than in THE GOOD OLD DAYS!
Check in was swift and courteous, thank you Thai airways, and again finding my way from check in to the business class lounge with nothing more than signage to guide my way was swift. The facilities were beautiful and after a spot on the Internet and a bit of snacking, I went off to explore and find some of the reported nightmares.
Oh shock horror, the food court is magnificent, the selection vast and my first let down, the first and last, it’s not cheap, but find me an airport that is.
Having had a mooch around the shops it was time to head to the gate for boarding, but en-route that Singha beer made itself known and a toilet stop was required, like an oasis in the desert the SIGN showing me the way, and the way lead to an admittedly small but clean facility that I only had to share with one other and she was there to clean, and was certainly not holding up the proceedings.
A few minutes later I found myself at the departure gate, and unlike the nightmare of Don Muang, I did not see one person having to stand, sit on the floor or share their seat with a friend, there was a copious amount of seating until the flight was called to board.
I appreciate that human beings are not a great one for change, unless it’s their mobile phone or car, but I really feel people are just not comfortable with the new surroundings yet. People were so used to the old airport and navigated its facilities on autopilot, it is suddenly a shock to the senses to not know where you’re going, and I have the same experience whenever I visit a new airport wherever it is in the world
I worked in travel for many years and have travelled extensively myself and I find the new airport to have the most calming effect of any I have visited even on a busy Friday afternoon. The gardens are stunning and accessible to all and I am sure with time things will be sorted.
To put things into prospective, the opening of a new restaurant, a much smaller occurrence, at least has the chance for a burn off, a night or several where friends and family of the staff can eat for free so they may test the systems, not even David Copperfield could magic up several days of flights and passengers to test the new systems to capacity and find the flaws, and face it on a size basis pro rata they could do with it.
As far as missing baggage is concerned check out the UK news on British Airways failure to repatriate 7000 bags with their owners after 2 days of freezing fog. Several weeks later they are still miles apart.
One thing that cannot be changed is the fact that some greedy moron decided to build the whole new airport on a swamp, there is an old fable of a man who built his castle on sand, and as much as it is a fable great heed could be taken form it’s sentiment, but isn’t that part of the reason for the events in Thailand of September last year? Be proud of your airport and give the new regime chance to resolve what was inherited form the last.
Anyhow a little while after another damming report appeared so i slightly amended the item to include the concerns of this disgruntled contributor, see the first 2 paragraphs, they relate to his experience and my retort for him, if you please, UPSET over a perfume advert! Whatever next? Upset he had to walk to immigration but the disabled get a ride!? Who's faults that? break a leg!
After that is my rantings on what i have so far found to be a great place, admittedly with lots of room for improvement but has anyone been home lately, it's not just the airports in chaos.
Is your cup half full or half empty?
Dear Amazed in Thailand, post bag 1st March 2007.
I am sure it is frustrating having to take a bus from the aircraft to the terminal, but believe me Bangkok is not the only place in the world where this occurs, every time I land at Dubai, and believe me that is often, I have been bussed to the terminal, they are rectifying this as I am sure are Bangkok
In the mean time I am sure you would not want them to suspend Domestic and International fights to resolve this problem because believe me taking the bus from Chiang Mai to Bangkok would be far more inconvenient. I am really not sure how a perfume advert has any bearing on the issue of busing people to the terminal unless of course you would be happier to see an advertisement listing all the perceived failures of the new airport, negativity does not breed progress.
It certainly makes the world a more interesting place with peoples different
perceptions to the same situation, and mine regarding the new airport in Bangkok certainly seems to be different. In November 2006 I left this fine and pleasant land for a trip to the UK, a nightmare thought at the best of times, and all the comments on how poorly the new airport was performing made it no easier.
However to my pleasant surprise I certainly had a different story to tell. I flew from Chiang Mai to Bangkok to connect directly with an Emirates flight to the UK via Dubai and was concerned about the luggage appearing on time along with, will I find my way and GOD FORBID I may need to find a toilet! Amazement, not only were my bags on the carousel before I got there, I found a toilet and a very clean and empty one at that. The airport staff pointed me without hesitation to the connection for International departures and although it looked like it still needed a lick of paint, it was organised efficient and had a calming effect, unusual to say the least for any busy international airport.
Having kept up to date with current affairs during my absence I was once again dreading the mayhem promised to me by various articles and comments on web sites. A double whammy I returned to the same smooth operation I had left. It took a lot less time to get to immigration which unlike the old airport had most of the booths opened and manned. I cleared immigration within minutes not hours, and thanks to the signage ( yes it is there if you open your eyes) was soon by the luggage carousel, admittedly I was travelling in Business class and am a Gold member of Skywards, but my luggage was there within 5 minutes and I was off. From the Aircraft doors opening to my arrival at my hotel in Bangkok took a whole 65 minutes, maybe something to do with more road connections.
Well if your not envious yet, the next day, having had my one obligatory night of fun in Bangkok I gave myself plenty of time to reach the airport, it was a Friday and did not wish to risk missing my flight and trying to get on another, and what a surprise when it took less time than in THE GOOD OLD DAYS!
Check in was swift and courteous, thank you Thai airways, and again finding my way from check in to the business class lounge with nothing more than signage to guide my way was swift. The facilities were beautiful and after a spot on the Internet and a bit of snacking, I went off to explore and find some of the reported nightmares.
Oh shock horror, the food court is magnificent, the selection vast and my first let down, the first and last, it’s not cheap, but find me an airport that is.
Having had a mooch around the shops it was time to head to the gate for boarding, but en-route that Singha beer made itself known and a toilet stop was required, like an oasis in the desert the SIGN showing me the way, and the way lead to an admittedly small but clean facility that I only had to share with one other and she was there to clean, and was certainly not holding up the proceedings.
A few minutes later I found myself at the departure gate, and unlike the nightmare of Don Muang, I did not see one person having to stand, sit on the floor or share their seat with a friend, there was a copious amount of seating until the flight was called to board.
I appreciate that human beings are not a great one for change, unless it’s their mobile phone or car, but I really feel people are just not comfortable with the new surroundings yet. People were so used to the old airport and navigated its facilities on autopilot, it is suddenly a shock to the senses to not know where you’re going, and I have the same experience whenever I visit a new airport wherever it is in the world
I worked in travel for many years and have travelled extensively myself and I find the new airport to have the most calming effect of any I have visited even on a busy Friday afternoon. The gardens are stunning and accessible to all and I am sure with time things will be sorted.
To put things into prospective, the opening of a new restaurant, a much smaller occurrence, at least has the chance for a burn off, a night or several where friends and family of the staff can eat for free so they may test the systems, not even David Copperfield could magic up several days of flights and passengers to test the new systems to capacity and find the flaws, and face it on a size basis pro rata they could do with it.
As far as missing baggage is concerned check out the UK news on British Airways failure to repatriate 7000 bags with their owners after 2 days of freezing fog. Several weeks later they are still miles apart.
One thing that cannot be changed is the fact that some greedy moron decided to build the whole new airport on a swamp, there is an old fable of a man who built his castle on sand, and as much as it is a fable great heed could be taken form it’s sentiment, but isn’t that part of the reason for the events in Thailand of September last year? Be proud of your airport and give the new regime chance to resolve what was inherited form the last.
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