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dirty guru
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Here's an article on the increasing time it takes at the airport and why
The following is an article that was sent from Bangkokpost.com.
The Immigration Bureau is defending itself against a recent rash of criticism over its handling of arrivals and departures at Suvarnabhumi international airport, saying a combination of understaffing and a steady increase in the number of passengers has left it overwhelmed.
Natthorn Phrosuwan, chief of Immigration Division 2, which is responsible for immigration at the country's biggest and busiest airport, said the bureau was set up to manage a maximum capacity of 80,000 passengers per day when Suvarnabhumi opened in 2006.
However the number of people flying in and out of the airport has since increased to between 160,000 and 180,000 a day, he said.
Pol Maj Gen Natthorn said estimates point to the annual number of departures and arrivals increasing by another 5 million, or nearly 14,000 per day, within the next five years.
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http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/local/283917/immigration-deflects-criticism
Immigration deflects criticism
Above is the whole story
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Bangkok Girls : Meet Attractive Thai Girls
Posted on: 4:15 pm on Mar. 11, 2012
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bkkz
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They are really doing something about it...
Riot police to check passports
Forty female riot police officers will be deployed to help ease the increasing workload at immigration desks at Suvarnabhumi airport today.
Pol Maj Gen Natthorn Phrosunthorn, chief of Immigration Division 2 which supervises five international airports in the country, said the female officers, from the so-called Sweet Company, or Kong Roi Namwan, will help with passport checks to speed up immigration clearance of passengers.
More immigration officers will also be brought in to staff all immigration booths during peak hours, he said.
Pol Maj Gen Natthorn said screening should improve further after an automatic passport screening system, known as auto-gates, is installed at the airport on April 11. The installation of the 16 auto-gates will be split equally between the departure area and arrival halls.
The system can process a passenger's passport in 32 seconds, compared to 45 seconds if it is handled manually.
Pol Maj Gen Natthorn said a project is under way to improve airport space at Suvarnabhumi, in which an x-ray system will be shifted to a mezzanine floor. More space will be opened up to ease the congestion at immigration as a result.
Suvarnabhumi airport director Somchai Sawasdipol said the airport will give 100,000 baht a day to support the Immigration Division 2's efforts to hire more staff to handle passengers during peak hours.
Mr Somchai said the airport has also employed 57 outside staff to pre-check passengers' documents before they reach immigration counters.
http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/transport/284396/riot-police-to-check-passports
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Bangkok Women : Meet Sensual Bangkok Women
Posted on: 12:18 am on Mar. 15, 2012
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China Sailor
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Quote: from bkkz on 1:18 pm on Mar. 15, 2012
...The system can process a passenger's passport in 32 seconds, compared to 45 seconds if it is handled manually...
He is kidding, isn't he?
The automated systems in the US and Singapore take less than 10 seconds...
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Thai Girls : Meet Sexy Thai Girls
Posted on: 8:32 am on Mar. 15, 2012
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PussyLover 69
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Report from The Nation dated 16 March 2012 :-
Budget air to fly from Don Mueang
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Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra has ordered that all low-cost airlines move to Don Mueang Airport to improve air and runway traffic at Suvarnabhumi, but the plan is unlikely to ease the current turmoil frustrating countless travellers.
The shift of low-cost carriers to Don Mueang was announced by Deputy Prime Minister and Tourism and Sports Minister Chumpol Silapa-archa yesterday in response to a growing outcry from departing Suvarnabhumi passengers, many of whom have missed flights or suffered close calls.
People familiar with the problem doubt whether the long-planned move of low-cost services to Don Mueang will ease the current crisis at Suvarnabhumi, where renovation work has cut the capacity of immigration checkpoints by two-thirds.
Officials contacted by The Nation yesterday could not say for certain when the renovation work would be completed.
Chumpol admitted that the current problem of passenger congestion stemmed from the fact that only one of Suvarnabhumi's three immigration gates was operating.
International passengers are now being advised to arrive at the airport at least three hours before their flight leaves, rather than the standard two hours.
Chumpol said news of the passenger bottleneck only reached him on Wednesday. He said he could not get involved with the problem but gave assurances that the transfer of low-cost airlines to Don Mueang Airport would help reduce the congestion.
He is now working with the Ministry of Tourism and Sports, the Tourism Authority of Thailand, Tourist Police, and Airports of Thailand (AOT) to help increase personnel by 30 to 40.
Meanwhile, Deputy Transport Minister Chatchart Sithipan said yesterday that in the short term, the ministry would increase officers at the Suvarnabhumi's immigration areas to help relieve congestion in the short term. AOT, as the airport operator, has been assigned the task. In addition, the ministry is coordinating with police to help out.
In the long term, he said the airport would deploy technologies such as an e-passport system that consumes less time, especially with Thai passengers. This would also resolve the problem of congestion at the airport during rush hours. Currently, Suvarnabhumi has annual traffic of 48 million passengers, in excess of its capacity of 45 million.
An Immigration Police source said increasing checkpoint staff was not the answer. "All checkpoints are being manned to full capacity. The problem is not shortage of personnel," the source said.
A source at the Transport Ministry said the government planned to move all domestic and international flights serviced by low-cost airlines to Don Mueang Airport in a bid to resolve congestion at Suvarnabhumi Airport in the long run.
"It's believed that the government must encourage low-cost airlines with incentives to move their services to Don Mueang Airport," said the source, adding that AirAsia alone had 82-90 flights daily.
Apart from AirAsia, major low-cost airlines using Suvarnabhumi Airport are Bangkok Airways and Orient Thai.
Somchai Sawasdipol, acting director of Suvarnabhumi Airport, said he had coordinated with immigration officials to solve the problem of long queues and would pay overtime to officials of Bt100,000 per day as incentive.
Of total immigration counters, 124 are for inbound passengers and 80 are for the outbound.
Maiyarat Pheerayakoses, president of the Association of Domestic Travel, said she had no problem with the government move to shift all low-cost flights to Don Mueang Airport. However, the government should do it very carefully, especially in cases of passengers with connecting flights.
As a long-term solution, she said she did not mind having two airports in Bangkok. It is common in other nations to have separate domestic and international airports. However, transport connection between the two must be developed well to make it convenient for passengers.
The new phase of construction development at Suvarnabhumi should proceed quickly so as to be ready to serve the growing number of passengers after the implementation of the Asean Economic Community in 2015, she said.
Speaking of the current congestion, she said the problem was due to mismanagement by the Immigration Bureau at the airport. She urged the agency to tackle the problem quickly by increasing the number of officers working at the airport.
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Bangkok Girls : Meet Sexy Bangkok Girls
Posted on: 10:33 pm on Mar. 15, 2012
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PussyLover 69
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Report from Bangkok Post dated 16 March 2012 :-
Single-airport policy ends
Don Mueang to be used for more budget flights
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The government will scrap its single-airport policy and encourage low-cost carriers to shift to Don Mueang airport to help ease congestion at Suvarnabhumi airport.
Transport Minister Jarupong Ruangsuwan yesterday said expanding Suvarnabhumi would take at least five years. In the meantime, Don Mueang could easily handle more than 16 million passengers a year, helping relieve pressure at Suvarnabhumi.
"Don Mueang airport will continue for the near future. It's clear that the single-airport policy isn't practical due to the problems of congestion," Mr Jarupong said.
"I don't want to say we are adopting a dual-airport policy. But for the long term, we must put Don Mueang to use." Don Mueang, officially opened for commercial service in 1924, was replaced as Bangkok's main international airport in 2006 with the opening of Suvarnabhumi.
Don Mueang reopened for commercial services this month after being shut for four months due to last year's floods.
Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra has said incentives should be offered to encourage low-cost airlines to shift to Don Mueang.
Mr Jarupong, quoting the prime minister, said seven to nine low-cost and chartered airlines could ultimately move to the older airport.
Suvarnabhumi is expected to handle 51 million passengers this year, up from 47.2 million in 2011 and well beyond its designed capacity of 45 million. Flight delays of 15-30 minutes have been increasingly common in recent months, while passengers complain of lengthy queues at check-in and immigration counters.
Authorities have long discussed plans to build a second terminal, satellite terminals and two new runways to help double Suvarnabhumi's passenger and cargo handling capacity.
Previous policies called for Don Mueang's eventual closure, with former transport minister Sukumpol Suwanatat saying in December that Suvarnabhumi should be Bangkok's sole airport.
Airline executives expressed reservations over the latest policy change.
Orient Thai founder Udom Tantiprasong said policy clarity was needed from the government.
"It is more convenient to operate from Don Mueang than Suvarnabhumi, but the point is that a clear policy is needed. The government shouldn't mention a single-airport approach one day then change later."
Mr Udom said Orient Thai has had to move its operations three times in recent years, with staff forced to relocate each time.
The flooding at Don Mueang late last year was another concern, he said, adding that the government needed to clearly explain its flood prevention plans for the airport.
Tassapon Bijleveld, chief executive officer of Thai AirAsia, said he did not strongly oppose the relocation policy but would wait and see if the government would come up with reasonable incentives. He agreed that relocation to Don Mueang would pose many problems, including negative impacts on staff who had already relocated to be near Suvarnabhumi.
Since Don Mueang reopened on March 6, only Nok Air has resumed operations there. Airports of Thailand Plc has tried to woo both Orient Thai and Thai AirAsia to Don Mueang _ with no success _ to help ease traffic at Suvarnabhumi.
Airlines say one major obstacle is a long-standing policy calling for Don Mueang to service only point-to-point domestic services. The policy was set by the Surayud Chulanont government in 2007 as part of its decision to reopen Don Mueang following the opening of Suvarnabhumi the previous year.
If all three major budget airlines _ AirAsia, Nok Air and Orient Thai _ shifted to Don Mueang, it would reduce passenger loads at Suvarnabhumi by up to 17 to 18 million a year.
Airlines are also concerned about overseas tourists who may be forced to transit between the two airports.
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Bangkok Girls : Meet Attractive Thai Girls
Posted on: 10:40 pm on Mar. 15, 2012
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