WELCOME TO THE LAND OF SMILES: BANGKOK INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT
Written: May 03 '04 (Updated May 09 '05)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Fairly well organised and easy to get through coming anf going.
Cons: No easy and fast transportation system to and/or from the city.
The Bottom Line: As far as airports go this is one of the better ones in the world.
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| JAMES23's Full Review: Bangkok International Airport |
Thailand is also known as the land of smiles. It would appear however that this official Thai tourism office catch phrase does not apply to the uniformed guardians of Thailand's borders. The Immigration and Customs officials, at least those at Don Muang Airport, or as it is more commonly known Bangkok International Airport, present themselves as professional and helpful but stoic and unsmiling.
According to their official web site BIA is used by more than 70 international carriers and is one of the busiest airports in Asia serving upwards of 16 million international passengers a year.
The International terminal is probably the first thing many foreign visitors to Thailand see. As such it does not differ a lot from any of its counterparts around the world. That is to say it is large, clean and fairly well laid out. There are actually two international terminals (1 and 2) plus a domestic one. The following information pertains to Terminal 1. It has two main levels, arrivals and departures, as is the case with most airports.
Arriving passengers deplane through enclosed gangways and are shepherded along to the Immigration and Customs areas. Small free trolleys for carry on luggage are available at the gateways for departing passengers. Thailand derives a large portion of its income from tourism and this becomes evident in the arrivals hall. There are large billboards advertising the various attractions all along the hallways. Clearly marked signs give one direction throughout the terminal. All these signs are in both Thai and English.
The Immigration barrier is pretty standard with several counters and separate line-ups for Thai nationals and residents and foreign visitors. Prior to reaching it one has to go through a SARS screening and questionnaire for all arriving passengers which is pretty much standard in all South East Asian countries these days. The small trolleys cannot be taken past the Immigration barrier and have to be abandoned here for the next wave of incoming passengers. Larger ones capable of handling your entire luggage are available at the baggage claim.
There may be some line ups/delays at immigration counter if several flights arrive at same time. Immigration and Customs staff will open new counters, or change resident lines to visitors so if there is a line up join a line at the end near where the closed counters are. Immigration is fore the most part perfunctory provided you have the proper documentation, Passport, plane tickets and visas if applicable.
After immigration you descend to ground level and into a large baggage claim hall. After this is the customs barrier. Customs checks are usually quick and perfunctory, after all who's going to smuggle something into Thailand? Most persons I noted appeared to be waved through.
It is probably worth noting that while the Thai's welcome tourism's contribution to the economy they are trying to change the image their country has regarding who comes here and why. While they cannot stop the middle aged sex tourists, and youthful back packer/raver types they are trying to discourage them in favour of more middle of the road family groups. This might have been the reason we experienced little or no delays. Penalties for smuggling narcotics into Thailand are quite severe, as are those for trying to export the same. It should also be noted that the Thai’s revere both their Kong and Buddha and some of the more tacky souvenirs that have images of either may also be confiscated.
Past the Customs barrier one finds themselves in a large chaotic hallway. In this area are several currency exchange booths, rental car agencies and tourist information desks. Be aware that the majority of the later are not really for information, but more to offer high-pressure sales pitches for various excursions and attractions. Do avail yourself of all the free brochures and maps available. Grab more than one of the maps as not all of them have the same information in regards to hotels, shops and other sites on them, only those who advertised in the margins.
The Airport is located 21 kilometres north of Bangkok. The Bangkok Sky Train does not extend all the way to the airport. There is a local public bus that does head into the city though. The fastest easiest way to get from the airport though is by taxi. The taxi stand is outside the terminal and easy to spot by the perpetual line-up by the ticket booth. Join the line up for a ticket. When a cab pulls up give the ticket to the taxi driver and away you go. The average fare to the Sukhumvit Road area runs around 340 Baht including 70 Baht for tolls for the elevated expressway.
Drivers will take this toll road if you request it, and it does save time. However Bangkok traffic has to be experience to be believed. Try and arrange your arrival time as to not conflict with local rush hours if possible. Early in the morning with no traffic, from Sukhumvit Road to the airport may only take 30 minutes. In the middle of a typical afternoon traffic jam this same trip could take up to an hour and a half if not longer.
It's probably a good idea to have the name and address of your hotel written down in Thai for the driver. The staff in the various information booths will do this for you. Make sure though that they write down the correct address. We asked one of them to write name of our hotel in Thai, and she wrote down wrong address, which resulted in an impromptu and unwanted taxi tour of downtown Bangkok during rush hour. This is when I discovered that not all the city maps had all the hotels marked on them.
The departures level is also well organized. All checked luggage screened at the terminal entrance by X-ray machine prior to approaching counter. This baggage is then marked with special stickers over the zippers so nothing can be added prior to checking in.
After check in one goes through Immigration and Passport Control which is similar in layout to that at the arrivals level. International Departure Tax 500 Baht per adult payable in cash and local currency only.
Immigration had warning sign about staying past Visa limits, 1st day no fine, 2nd day 400 Baht, and 200 Baht per day starting on 3rd day. It appears to be enforced as we saw someone dragged off into Immigration office.
Past Immigration is the duty free zone. As always there were plenty of shops here with the normal goods on display, perfume, tobacco, alcohol, jewellery and electronics. Major credit cards were accepted but to be honest I didn't see any bargains here, especially when compared to what was available in Bangkok itself. One of the bookstores did have a good selection of paperbacks in English, but the prices were almost double what one would expect to pay.
I only noticed one restaurant in this area, a Kentucky Fried Chicken place that was ironic as the Bird Flu scare was on. To be honest the chicken was Ok, and cheap. They also had real brewed coffee available. I also noticed advertisements for traditional Thai massages for passengers. However as we were on a very early morning flight it was not open yet.
Surprisingly the security checks come after the Duty Free area, and not after Immigration/Passport Control. It was the normal metal detector, hand held wands and X-ray machines for carry on bags.
There were a couple of small shops and coffee shops in gate area, usually cash only places. Considering the difficulty of getting back through security, it's probably a good idea to wait until the last minute to actually head to your gate, as there is more to do in the Duty Free area.
While waiting for our flight at the gate I glanced out the windows. Judging by the number of logos I saw painted on the planes I saw, most of the major international carriers, almost all the regional ones, and several charter operations all use the airport on a regular basis as well as the Thai national airline.
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Recommended:
Yes
Best Suited For: Students
Best Time to Travel Here: Anytime
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Member: James Smith
Location: Toronto Ontario CANADA
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