International/Domestic transfer Suvarnabhumi

Does anyone yet know how far to walk and how long it takes from International Immigration/Baggage retrieval to Domestic Departures ?

Arriving in early December and transferring directly to Khon Kaen. Have been told that I have to do Immigration and collect bags on arrival in BKK before transferring to the Khon Kaen flight.

This is the text of a letter in today's Bangkok Post:

"Two friends left this week from the new airport; this is their feedback.

There are almost no signs, including at counters. There are long lines at check-in and immigration. People are generally confused about where to go and the directions by the staff are often incorrect.

The airport has A, B C and D wings but beyond that it is not easy to find out where to go, as sometimes airlines have multiple flights leaving at the same time and you can end up at the wrong gate.

All of this with long distances to walk each time, causing airlines to complain that people are missing connecting flights, particularly between international and domestic.

The floors are slippery and the airconditioning is spotty and in some places non-existent. My Thai friend heard a lot of cursing from people. I was told that most of the TOT lines were not working on the first day, making it difficult to fix teething problems.

While I realise that this is only the first week of a new and rushed-to-open international airport, many of the advantages we were told about do not seem to have occurred, and while the airport is pretty to look at, it is still poor at the functional level.

Carry additional money for the trip out and add at least one hour to the travel time to get there on what it took at the same time of day to the old airport, plus another hour for the new queue lengths.

LetтАЩs hope next week sees some improvements."

[Smiles]

Oh for christ sake ... whiners. Give it a year.

There was a lot of face to be garnered (or lost) when "they" (?) chose the original opening dates. Looks like "they" lost that one (wrong date ~ wrong PM) ... but then "they" are now in London living in Hamstead (or wherever .... no squat toilets) having to put up with Heathrow (that flithy pile).

Should be much nicer in a year (or so) ~ Suvarnabhumi, not Heathrow . . . . just in time for my retirement flight :cheers: :cheers: :cheers:

To be quite honest, I shall miss the old Don Muang. There's no memories like heart memories, and some of my great ones have to do with those sublime anticipatory moments of finally getting through immgration and seeing the beloved's arm waving for me in that great roiling cavern full of screaming hotel touts as you finally get out through that big open doorway (like Gloria Swanson) into the sticky heat of Bangkok. My guess is that the new shiny-metal horse barn will never hold a candle to those exquisite moments "back then".

Cheers ...

Whiners, indeed.

I used the airport for the first time yesterday and experienced no delays and no queues whatsoever. In fact, taking the advice of whiners like the one quoted above, I arrived so early that I ended up sitting around waiting for my flight for three hours.

You'd have to be and idiot not to be able to find the correct check-in line (just look at a monitor), and even more of an idiot not to be able to find your departure gate: A, B, C, or D, then follow the numbers.

The floors aren't "slippery", but the white color does attract scuffs. Probably not the best choice, but anything is better than the light mustard yellow motif of the old airport.

No one has mentioned that one line -- the one to have your check-in bags X-rayed, which you used to have to do before check-in at Don Muang -- has been eliminated. One less line to wait in, and one less opportunity to twist your back handling suitcases.

Security now asks you to remove laptops from your check-in bags, and to put them through the X-ray separately. That is different from before. They asked me to take off my watch and put it through with my mobile phone and keys, as well.

Also, no little cameras at immigration, so you don't have to worry about fixing your bed head for your photo op after a long flight.

Oh, and another plus is that parking is free -- at least for the moment.

Altogether, this is a world class airport. Perhaps not up to the exalted levels of Changi, put certainly right up there with HK and KL.

[Bob]

Oh for christ sake ... whiners. Give it a year.


Hmmm.......how about one more week? (I arrive about 11:30AM and have a flight at 1:15PM to CNX.....I'll let you know if I make it).

Guys, I asked if anyone yet knew how far and how long it takes to get from International Immigration/baggage reclaim to the Domestic departures ?

Whilst your posts are interesting they don't answer the problem. Help please from anyone who has some knowledge to answer the question. Thanks

Oh, and another plus is that parking is free -- at least for the moment.

BG, where did you park (at a short term or long term carpark?), for how long?, and if it is a longterm carpark how did you travel from the carpark to terminal?. Many thanks.

I parked right at the terminal. There is a six-floor parking building attached to it, with a foot bridge linking the departures level to level five of the parking building. Just stroll across and you're there.

They look like they are gearing up guard boxes to give tickets and take payment, but for the moment it is 100% free. I left my car there for three days while making a quick trip.

[llz]

Guys, I asked if anyone yet knew how far and how long it takes to get from International Immigration/baggage reclaim to the Domestic departures ?

Snowcat, did you read this (http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=87371) ?

Guys, I asked if anyone yet knew how far and how long it takes to get from International Immigration/baggage reclaim to the Domestic departures ?

Snowcat, did you read this (http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=87371) ?

Thanks VM. No, I hadn't read it but have now done so and it answers my question.
However, it does appear to be quite daunting to have to struggle up and down escalators and moving walkways with suitcase(s) - not looking forward to it one little bit ! :pukeright:

Use the elevators if you don't fancy escalators. At least it's all the same building now, unlike at Don Muang.

However, it does appear to be quite daunting to have to struggle up and down escalators and moving walkways with suitcase(s) - not looking forward to it one little bit ! :pukeright:Passenger-friendly was not one of the success criteria in the design

Doesn't sound so bad to me. At the old airport, you would have lugged your bags onto and off of a bus (after waiting for it for possibly a good, long while), or trudged about a kilometer on an un-airconditioned, un-mechanized walkway between Terminal Two and the Domestic Terminal.

The new airport is a great, great improvement -- but I understand that Homi is still looking for his "schadenfreude"...


Depending on your arrival gate and departure gate, the distance you need to travel can be quite far, but there are moving walkways everywhere, so there is very little actual walking. Unlike Don Muang, there is no separate domestic terminal at Suvarnabhumi - it is all one big terminal for both international and domestic. So after you arrive and pass through baggage claim / customs, you merely go up two floors (either by moving walkways, escalators, or elevators) and go to the domestic check-in counter. Depending on which airline you are taking and where their check-in counter is, you might have to walk a bit, but not really all that much and then walk from there to the domestic departure area. After going through door to the domestic departure area, you go down an escalator and again moving walkways to take you to your gate. So the only real walking that needs to be done is through immigration/baggage claim/customs and again in the departure hall. Certainly no more walking than would be required in any other airport around the world, provided you just stand on the moving walkways. I'd estimate that the total time spent actually walking would be something like 5 minutes worth distributed in the various areas. You'll spend a lot more time standing than you will walking.

[Boxer]

Chuckwow wrote BG, where did you park (at a short term or long term carpark?), for how long?, and if it is a longterm carpark how did you travel from the carpark to terminal?. Many thanks.

All Car Parks are free at moment until equipment is brought in to charge. Short Term Car Parks 2 and 3 by Terminal building just follow signs from approach roads no problem. International go for the Car Park 3 further along road way not first entrance Car Park 2. Access from Car Park to Terminal is a bridge then go up to Departures down to arrivals. Cost will be per hour up to 280 baht a day i believe.
Long Term is out at the Transportation Centre and you then get a free Shuttle Bus to Terminal to return, they go from the ends of each road way outside building on Arrivals or Depature levels. Cost is 40 baht a day i believe but check my Airport Guide Transport Centre page for latest. See Maps also.


Boxers Airport Guide (http://www.boxertravels.net/airport/index.htm)

Doesn't sound so bad to me. At the old airport, you would have lugged your bags onto and off of a bus (after waiting for it for possibly a good, long while), or trudged about a kilometer on an un-airconditioned, un-mechanized walkway between Terminal Two and the Domestic Terminal.


Yep I realised that but had only travelled direct from the old Domestic terminal and not on transfer.

This will be my first trip where I am transferring immediately on arrival, and given all the reports on how large the new place is, just thought I would try to find out how far and how long.

Thanks to all for the info.

Have now used the new airport three times, including one international to domestic connection. In my view, the new airport is much worse than the one it has replaced. It's more cramped, difficult to find your way around, and downright ugly inside (from the outside, on the other hand, it is beautiful). Even though the domestic and international flights go from the same terminal, the distance you have to walk may be as far as in Dom Muang because the airport is just one long corridor with some short spurs off it. This isn't a matter of teething problems but of bad design. Compared to the airports in Singapore and KL it is simply a dump, and an uncomfortable, overcrowded dump at that.

(from the outside, on the other hand, it is beautiful)Surely that's the only important thing. Remember, you're in Asia - it's form over substance here, every time. I'll be sampling the airport myself later today (Monday) on my way to London - I'll be posting my trip report when I'm back