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Thai government promises action on painfully long airport queues
Study underway to determine why Suvarnabhumi Airport's immigration process is a mess
Travelers are advised to check in at least two hours prior to their flights to give them enough time to get through the lengthy immigration queues.
Anyone flying through Suvarnabhumi in recent weeks will have noticed the queues stretch well out the doors of the barrier between the check-in area and the immigration zone, causing waits of at least an hour for passengers to get their passports stamped before they go through security.
Letters to the editor in Bangkok’s two daily English-language newspapers complaining about the lines are published daily, while the long waits are reportedly to blame for Suvarnabhumi’s drop in popularity among global travellers in a survey conducted by the Airports Council International.
The Immigration Bureau explained in a recent Bangkok Post article that they did not have enough staff and have a problem with equipment as their computers are old, slow at processing and sometimes malfunction. Meanwhile, there are 70 immigration counters, but only 40 are open during office working hours and at night the numbers are dramatically reduced.
An official with the Transport Ministry says the study will take two weeks, after which their proposals will be submitted to a committee charged with improving services and efficiency at the airport.
