Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport

Things seem to have gone downhill with Suvarnabhumi a little since my last trip here but only with passing through immigration. Not sure maybe the number of arrivals has picked up? Waited about 20 minutes inbound but outbound back to Australia waited over an hour - I really cannot see the point of having such a large airport and only having 2-3 gates open - perhaps they are low on staff. Aside from that some nice comfortable areas to rest and eat in the airport prior to departure although the internet IS a little slow. Airport is an amazing design as well - lots to look at. Hope that customs/immigration can pick up their game a little before my next trip.

Arriving at almost 11 pm there were shorter queues to immigration/passport control. I noticed that the toilets are more well-maintained. Taxi queue is also efficient. However on departure horrors! First the Customs Office was not manned at all (I arrived at 10am) so I was not able to have my VAT Refund validated. I couldn't wait any further after seeing the extensively long queues to passport control and subsequently to security check. I must have queued for almost an hour. Naturally since my refund forms were not validated I was not able to get my refund back (was told I have 60 days) to claim my refund (if and when I return to Bangkok during this time frame). After reading a lot of reviews re duty free prices I decided to skip shopping. Most restaurants are filled with customers so I was not able to grab a snack and decided to wait for the inflight meal served at almost 2:30pm. Overall Suvarnabhumi Airport is comparably better with other airports in Asia (except Changi HKIA and KLIA in that order). As I am a frequent visitor to Bangkok small improvements in this airport are appreciated and hope that they remain consistent. And free wi-fi should be extended to everyone who needs it without any time usage limitations.

Having used this airport several times this year already I am constantly dismayed by the ever lengthening lines at immigration both going into and out of the country. The time between landing and getting out of immigration can be extremely long if you are unfortunate enough to have the double whammy of a long taxi once the plane has landed and understaffed immigration desks. Unfortunately this is not uncommon.

I arrived 2nd April to huge queues again (came out in July). It took me 90 minutes to get through immigration. I have travelled all over the world and I dread arriving here. My elderly parents want to come here and I have told them that with the heat and queues that they would faint. It is a horrible experience and I was alone I bet it's worse for families. Keep away if possible.

A lot of negative comments (quite rightly) about Immigration at BKK. On the plus side last time I travelled earlier in the evening (1800hrs) things were much improved in Departure Immigration (10-15mins) all desks were operational and there was no segregation between Thai and Foreign Passports. Security fine and there are now some decent seating areas close to the Gates with soft seating TV's plants etc. On Arrivals it's very much hit and miss - I've rarely taken longer than 15mins to get through Immigration baggage is still slow (30 mins from aircraft parked to bags on the belt) but there are fewer taxi touts cluttering up Arrivals. They've also done away with this ridiculous system where Landside some of the travelators were restricted to Airport Pass users (ie to get between floors you had to use the Elevators). BKK airport management have finally come to realise that the airport is there to serve the needs of the customers - not preferences of the employees. I have to agree with the earlier comment - Don Mueang was a better airport than Suvarnabhumi for the passenger.

The old Don Muang airport leaves this new one for dead. Immigration lines are so slow now over an hour - used to clear customs in 10-15 min at Don Muang. Suvarnabhumi feels like a warehouse.

I have read the reviews which are mainly accurate. Used the airport on several occasions in Jnauary/Feb/March. Immigration is sometimes extremely slow due almost entirely to the increase in passenger numbers. I was pleased to note there is now a priority queue for oldies (like me) and parents with young children. This saved me a long wait. One of the problems is that when new flights come in queues can get very long in seconds.

Immigration is a nightmare. We queued for 1 hr to enter and 1.30 hr to leave. Only half the desks were manned. You would think they would do better to alleviate the queues.

Outbound immigration just doesn't get any better and there seems no will on the part of the Thai authorities to get a grip with the problem. I have tried morning noon and night and its still the same regardless of the time of day. Some airlines are sending out search parties to find their pax. Other airlines are advising their pax to turn up four hours before flight because of the long lines. If you are in another major city in Thailand make sure your carriers co-operate and clear outbound immigration before you get to Bangkok. Immigration in Chaing Mai means no lines no waiting and through in less than 2 minutes. And the departure lounge is less busy as it is apart from the domestic departure area.

The service (or lack of it) is getting worse by the day. Long queues sometimes one and a half hours are not uncommon. I wish I could enter Thailand at another airport. When I left Thailand recently the queue at immigration was so long we had to queue outside the immigration hall. Then we found that only half the booths were being used. Then there are still so many touts at the airport trying to entice weary arrivals.