Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport

In a year this has leapt forward no standing in line for passport control on arrival bags delivered quickly and out of the airport within 35 mins of leaving the plane. Still the usual amount of people approach you airside asking if you want a taxi when its a AOT limo service. Overall a good arrival experience. On departure no lines at check-in as all Thai Airways desks looked open passport control I had 2 people in line before me and would have been quick but one of them had lost their departure card. Security lines were longer but nothing huge. My one big gripe with this airport is the shopping there is a great range of shops - but - they are very expensive and one shop can blend into another and you do not know you have crossed into another shop. Good food selection. Walk to some gates can be longer than you think.

BKK airport is basically an overpriced shopping mall with attached gates. The airport is functional and if you are lucky like me immigration can be quite fast (less then 5 min on the last few occasions). However without access to a lounge you can't expect many amenities only bare bones seating areas. Other modern airports in the region such as SIN KUL HG and ICN are way ahead of BKK in terms of customer amenities. Also the distances within the airport such as from your gate to immigration or transfer can be quite long up to 1 km! Overall a 3 star airport best avoided for long transfers but ok for arrivals and departures.

Airport has certainly improved in many areas: Immigration now faster and better organised even staff friendlier. Security centralised and faster better organised. Toilets clean and restaurants fairly priced and ok. Only the huge amount of so called duty-free shops are overpriced.

It is not just the queuing which has improved but the attitude of immigration staff. The Duty free is grossly overpriced restaurants are ok. Toilet facilities are fine.

There are serious problems with huge delays at Immigration both directions. I shuffled and staggered in an arrivals 'mob' for 2 hours. One poor lady just in front of me reached the Immigration counter and was sent away (to the end) because she had not held onto to her Boarding Pass from the flight she just arrived on. By the way I didn't have mine either but was in the next line and not asked. Thailand is called the Land of Smiles but not at the airport!

The worst feature by far is the ridiculous transfer counter system which the airlines and counters split at either ends of the airport meaning 850m walks between them. The airport is dreary grey with unfinished decor pipes and electric's showing on the ceilings in arrivals. It's 'H' shape means walking 900m+ from one end to the other if transferring. If you're upstairs in the eating / departure area it's very hot as the sun comes in through the glass roof. Recently the passport control waiting has been exceptionally long maybe due to work being carried out. The best feature is the fast sky train into the centre of the city at Phaya Thai station (but beware the one that terminates at Makassan station as you have to walk a long way).

Immigration lines have been out of control for almost a year now. Expect to queue for 2 hours unless you are lucky. Add to this long corridors to reach the gate and few seating areas (everywhere it is crammed with overpriced "Duty Free" shops - charging about 30% more than Bangkok High street - and you have a contender for "worst airport in SEA".

Flew for a quick getaway to Seoul Korea and then back to BKK. Passport control issue depends on when your flight is. Certain bottle neck rush hours (3-4pm and 8-9pm) are the worst and passengers line up out of the immigration area to the check-in counters. The snake system was finally introduced at arrivals and passed very quickly in 20min. Individual passport processing time is still long though. Duty free isn't really duty free at all food is too expensive and free airport wifi never works. Staff try to smile as much as they can but unable to help other than giving directions anything more complicated and you're on your own.

Was in transit Good parts - picked up from tarmac to First Class lounge with private van then buggy inside the terminal. Lounge spacious adequate food wifi bathing facilities. 1 hour full body massage was luxurious and effective. Bad parts - although flight connected to aerobridge we then had to walk down to the tarmac! Inexcusable for a new airport. Walk to departure gate had several escalator up/down and one stairs down although a ramp is provided.

Arrived last night around 00.20 on a full A380. After all the stinging criticism of the Departures Immigration problems when I departed 2 weeks ago I discovered these have been partly solved with more staff and the introduction of a snake queue system. So having seen that this works why is it that the management of this airport still insist on no snake system at Arrivals? Worst of all last night was the almost complete absence of public taxis at 01.00 am. The queue for these snaked right back into the building. Trying then to get back up to Arrivals level to take one of the notoriously expensive Airport Limousine Taxis I discovered that despite an abundance of escalators and moving walkways you can not get back up! Either they are deliberately switched off or there is a guard on duty who will not permit you to access them! There are also lifts but even these will not permit access to the Arrivals level! What on earth is the purpose of expensive limousine taxis if passengers can not get access to them! I go in and out of this airport a couple of dozen times a year and the continual difficulties passengers are subjected are sadly farcical!