Chaos at Don Mueang as unstaffed immigration desks leave thousands of passengers stranded

[rooster59]

Chaos at Don Mueang as unstaffed immigration desks leave thousands of passengers stranded

 

Image: Piyabutr Saengkanokkul

 

Thousands of tourists were left queuing for more than four hours at Don Mueang airport on Friday night.

 

The reason was due to unstaffed immigration desks and several flights landing at the same time, officials said.

 

Immigration said that airport officials did not provide them with an updated arrival schedule and consequently desks were left unmanned and unable to cope with the influx of passengers.

 

Immigration chief Pol. Lt. Gen. Nathathorn said that a number of flights which had been delayed due to bad weather then arrived at the same time.

 

Photos of the mayhem were shared on Twitter and Facebook.

 

Sanook News reported about Piyabutr Saengkanokkul, a lecturer at Thammasat University was waiting for his wife who was arriving from Singapore.

 

Mr Piyabutr shared a photo of the crowded arrivals hall and said that it took more than four hours to clear immigration and that one passenger fainted after being forced to wait in line for so long.

 

Thai site Daily News claimed that 25 flights arrived which contributed to the long queues and that almost 5,000 passengers were affected in the delays which began around midnight and lasted until just before 5am on Saturday morning.

 

 

 

Passengers at Don Mueang experiencing delays both at baggage check in and immigration are nothing new.

 

In response to complaints of slow check-in facilities, last month airport chiefs announced that x-ray machines would be relocated and the number of machines increased from four to ten.

 

Also last month, a passenger branded Thai immigration at Don Mueang “a disgrace” after it took him one hour and 45 minutes to get through passport control and said the airport was a safety risk.

 

The passenger identified as ‘Greg T’ wrote to The Nation to complain about his experience. He claimed the situation was so bad, people were forced to urinate on the public concourse.

 

“I saw three different puddles of urine on the floor where people had no choice but to go, as you would never catch your flight if you left the impenetrable crowd.

 

“The floors had become sticky with urine being walked throughout. People were surging and ducking under ropes to queue-jump as they panicked about their flights boarding.  

 

“The problem here is not merely one of “service” but also of the security and safety risks of so many people being jammed into that airport area”, he added.

 

 

 

-- © Copyright Thai Visa News 2017-08-06

[Thian]

Oh boy, standing in puddles of urine for many hours in row...Welcome to Thailand you quality tourists! 

[RotMahKid]

Always easy to blame the other, shame!

 

[YetAnother]

25 minutes ago, rooster59 said:

Thai site Daily News claimed that 25 flights arrived

earlier in the article 'several flights...'; nice job on the part of the airport 'officials' and controllers; cant seem to see that a bunch of flights are arriving at the same time ? that is conforting

[Briggsy]

I wonder if this is some sort of protest. AoT is a big money-spinner. Immigration (a branch of the police) always looking for ways to "self-fund" and bigger income streams. AoT may be being held to ransom here.

 

i.e. "If you don't want your airports smelling of Chinese pee, you need to pay us more to open more booths."

 

Note how immigration immediately blamed AoT for the problem.

[trogers]

Perhaps this immigration task can be contracted out to King Power?

[Dobredin Ghusputin]

29 minutes ago, rooster59 said:

people were forced to urinate on the public concourse

 

I've always wanted to do that on my way out of Bangkok.

[darksidedog]

Another success story for Thailand's tourism sector. The incompetence in allowing this to happen is staggering, but no real surprise to those of us who have been here a while. Immigration need to seriously improve their communications with air traffic control. How on earth can you not know that a bunch of planes are coming in, and once they have, how can you not get some bloody staff at posts for four hours?

[Aachen]

1 minute ago, darksidedog said:

 How on earth can you not know that a bunch of planes are coming in, and once they have, how can you not get some bloody staff at posts for four hours?

They did not get a time table.

[Briggsy]

1 minute ago, darksidedog said:

Another success story for Thailand's tourism sector. The incompetence in allowing this to happen is staggering, but no real surprise to those of us who have been here a while. Immigration need to seriously improve their communications with air traffic control. How on earth can you not know that a bunch of planes are coming in, and once they have, how can you not get some bloody staff at posts for four hours?

You are assuming the reason was incompetence. I suggest that this was a deliberate act of sabotage by Immigration for more money from AoT. We have seen this before.

 

It is important to look behind official press statements in Thailand as they are usually some form of lie.

[quadperfect]

This is unacceptable. 

[JeezeLooeze]

And to add to injury many immigration staff are not familiar with the Permanent Residence Book or the 1 year Business Visas and how to process them.

[overherebc]

10 minutes ago, trogers said:

Perhaps this immigration task can be contracted out to King Power?

I couldn't afford the price of the passport stamp if that was the case.

Is there a priority or over 70's lane in DM as there is in Swampy?

[metisdead]

Off topic posts and replies have been removed.  Someone's encounter at 7-11 is not related to the immigration staff problem at Don Mueang airport. 

 

7. Please do not post off-topic responses in an attempt to hijack the thread. Such posts will be deleted. 

[BasalBanality]

At least they are dedicated to the pursuit of incompetence.

[owl sees all]

36 minutes ago, Thian said:

Oh boy, standing in puddles of urine for many hours in row...Welcome to Thailand you quality tourists!

I think there is a call for portable toilets. Just push them up and down the queues and let the waiting passengers use them. 

[shady86]

This problem has been ongoing for the past few years also at Suvarnabhumi. Most of the time only half of the counters are manned. My worst experience so far was 1 hr queue at DMK. I hope I never need to use that airport again.

[Cadbury]

And all these thousands of stranded people are now walking, talking free advertisements for reasons NOT to visit Thailand.

Once again the buck stops with the man at the top. If he spent less time controlling twerking dancers and more time controlling immigration the country might be a lot better off.

[colinneil]

Again more pathetic excuses from Thai immigration.

Problem happened because several aircraft landed at the same time, first that is impossible.

Second the same flights land at the airport all the time, so immigration should have officers available.

Always it is somebody else to blame.

The biggest problem Thailand has is passing the blame all the time, never our fault. Bloody pathetic.

[Dap]

17 minutes ago, quadperfect said:

This is unacceptable. 

I agree, but that said, totally acceptable (here) as TIT 

See @Briggsy (post 11)

[connda]

Why, in God's name, can't the country get its collective act together in regard to the infrastructure necessary to make this a tourist 'go-to' location.  Instead.....this.  I wonder how many of these poor people are planning a scenic holiday on the filthy Pattaya beaches, flooded cities that are flooded year, after year after year, not to mention traveling on mountain road that are constructed with a foot of weak asphate the washes out with the first heavy rains.  
My next vacation?  I'm going somewhere else who can actually cater to tourist instead of herding them like cows through immigration cattle chutes and treating them like human sewage.  This is pathetic.  The first encounter with Thailand should be a well functioning, efficient immigration service.  Not a quarter-staffed, queue of closed immigration terminals staffed with dour-face staff who immediately let you know that you're not really welcome by them, and by extension, Thailand.
This problem is part apathy and part hubris.  The sun, moon, and stars revolve around kon Thai - and everyone else is kon dang, literally "different people."  Not quite human.  Not due even a little bit of respect, especially by immigration who act as gatekeepers but not Thai emissaries of Thai good-will. And I'm speaking directly from my own experiences dealing with immigration inside points of entry.  That's the institutionalize problem.  They have no respect for the "Outsiders."  
Sorta like this -- "Jolly good.  Welcome to Thailand <Pow!>

 

[Nip]

38 minutes ago, trogers said:

Perhaps this immigration task can be contracted out to King Power?

7/11

[tomwct]

I thought Don Muang was supposed to be a Domestic Airport?

[yellowboat]

1 hour ago, rooster59 said:

The passenger identified as ‘Greg T’ wrote to The Nation to complain about his experience. He claimed the situation was so bad, people were forced to urinate on the public concourse.

How is TAT going to spin this when they want more "quality" tourists ?    Don Mueang is your only alternative once you have crossed a land border more than twice, not a great option.  Immigration does not answer to anyone, but these people will not want to return to Thailand soon.  Will be excited to hear the TAT response. 

[kotsak]

Didn't I read very recently about BKK being a world class tourist destination? Bwahahahahaha..

[KIWIBATCH]

1 hour ago, rooster59 said:

Immigration said that airport officials did not provide them with an updated arrival schedule and consequently desks were left unmanned and unable to cope with the influx of passengers.

1. So did anybody at Immigration get off their arse...pickup the phone and call airport officials and ask for the updated arrival schedule?....NO..!

 

2. Did the immigration boss pickup the phone and tell the off duty immigration officers to quickly get down to DM as we have a problem and large queues (and yes.... you will be paid overtime)....NO..!

 

3. Did the immigration official blame the bad weather and 3 planes arriving at once as being the problem?....YES..!!

 

Aaahaa...so it was the damn weather again and the 3 planes were at fault for arriving at the same time...right I got it..now I understand.

[kingkenny]

3 minutes ago, tomwct said:

I thought Don Muang was supposed to be a Domestic Airport?

Low cost airport for local and international flights. 

 

I flew in from Siem Reap recently after a weekend away and had a two hour wait at Immigration.  Not sure what happened to the 20 minute promise. 

[trogers]

2 minutes ago, kingkenny said:

Low cost airport for local and international flights. 

 

I flew in from Siem Reap recently after a weekend away and had a two hour wait at Immigration.  Not sure what happened to the 20 minute promise. 

You have to acquire a clock with Thai numerals...

[binjalin]

I think some of the comments are completely unfair. How can anyone expect Thai Immigration to look at timetables?  that is NOT their job!  

[KarenBravo]

Amateurs.........