News Forum - Suvarnabhumi Airport passengers advised to arrive 3 hours before departure

[Thaiger]

Passengers flying internationally out of Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok are advised to arrive three hours prior to departure due to potential delays caused by renovations. Getting through security might take a little longer for now as the departure terminal gains some snazzy new equipment to ramp up security efforts. Currently, an “automated return tray system” …

The story Suvarnabhumi Airport passengers advised to arrive 3 hours before departure as seen on Thaiger News.

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[MrStretch]

The only reason you would need to arrive THREE hours before your departure is if the airport management and the airlines, themselves, were incompetent to the nth degree.

Ah, Thailand.

[yselmike]

56 minutes ago, MrStretch said:

The only reason you would need to arrive THREE hours before your departure is if the airport management and the airlines, themselves, were incompetent to the nth degree.

Ah, Thailand.

Seems three hours is the the new international standard. Staff problems is the usual excuse,luggage and security mainly.

[Marc26]

7 minutes ago, yselmike said:

Seems three hours is the the new international standard. Staff problems is the usual excuse,luggage and security mainly.

I have a 7:30am flight on the 12th

I don't mind getting to airport early but will be an early 4am wakeup

 

Staying right by the airport 

[KaptainRob]

My last departure in Oct'22 thru Swampy took 55 minutes from finishing at check-in to going airside ... and the walk to my gate added another 15 mins.    That was all on a relatively good day with minimal disruption and queuing at the 'strip & search' section.

Gates close 20 mins before departure so you'd need 90 mins minimum AFTER check-in on a good day.

2hsr might be cutting things a it fine and 3hrs a bit OTT, up 2 you. 

[Marc26]

37 minutes ago, KaptainRob said:

My last departure in Oct'22 thru Swampy took 55 minutes from finishing at check-in to going airside ... and the walk to my gate added another 15 mins.    That was all on a relatively good day with minimal disruption and queuing at the 'strip & search' section.

Gates close 20 mins before departure so you'd need 90 mins minimum AFTER check-in on a good day.

2hsr might be cutting things a it fine and 3hrs a bit OTT, up 2 you. 

The older I get the earlier I get to the airport 5555

[Grumpish]

1 hour ago, yselmike said:

Seems three hours is the the new international standard. Staff problems is the usual excuse,luggage and security mainly.

It has been the case for many years - it is so you have plenty of time to browse the duty free.

[Saunk]

Three hours has always been the recommendation for international flights.  This is a non-story.

[Skip]

Suvarnabhumi Airport is on the way to becoming a “fully digital airport,” according to AOT.

 

55555555

[HiuMak]

They get you 3 hours into the airport and get told during boarding that the flight will be delayed due to late arrival of plane. 

[AdvocatusDiaboli]

16 hours ago, Thaiger said:

Passengers flying internationally out of Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok are advised to arrive three hours prior to departure due to potential delays caused by renovations.

So the airlines should be told to open airline counters 6 hours before flight.

[TheDirtyDurian]

I like getting to the airport early. Take my time, spend a couple of hours in the lounge etc. Gets me relaxed. 

[Grumpish]

1 hour ago, TheDirtyDurian said:

I like getting to the airport early. Take my time, spend a couple of hours in the lounge etc. Gets me relaxed. 

I do these days, as well. Or at least plan to, partly to allow for traffic foulups on the way. I think my record for leaving it to the last minute was back in my days of traveling standby as an airline employee, when I got my boarding pass for a flight LHR-SIN 15 minutes before the gate closed. Amazingly, I made it through security and to the gate in time, and even more amazingly my bag arrived on the same flight as me.

[TWS60]

2 hours ago, TheDirtyDurian said:

I like getting to the airport early. Take my time, spend a couple of hours in the lounge etc. Gets me relaxed. 

+1.  Retired = more time than money.

[Marc26]

5 hours ago, TheDirtyDurian said:

I like getting to the airport early. Take my time, spend a couple of hours in the lounge etc. Gets me relaxed. 

As I said above 

Every year I get older I get to the airport earlier and earlier 555

[BJoe]

Isn’t it AMAZING !  30 months of desperate longing for the return of much needed tourism, , then when it finally happens, INCOMPETENCE rears its ugly head and the airport is unprepared to meet demands. Upgrades and modernization should have occurred months in advance. 

[TheDirtyDurian]

9 hours ago, Marc26 said:

As I said above 

Every year I get older I get to the airport earlier and earlier 555

I don't mind it. It's at least a 3-4 hour bus ride for me coming from Hua Hin, and it's unpredictable because of the never-ending roadworks on Rama 2.

I'd rather get there 4 hours before the flight than 2 hours before the flight. 

I've always got free lounge access so it's just time to kick back and sink a few beers before heading back to the Middle East. A kind of decompression as it were too get my head in the right space. 

[Marc26]

8 hours ago, BJoe said:

Isn’t it AMAZING !  30 months of desperate longing for the return of much needed tourism, , then when it finally happens, INCOMPETENCE rears its ugly head and the airport is unprepared to meet demands. Upgrades and modernization should have occurred months in advance. 

Did you see pretty much every airport in the world once they opened up for tourism?

 

It happened all over

Toronto Airport basically stopped functioning for 3 months 

[Thommo]

I Flew to sing on Sunday on Thai About 60min from checkin to terminal.   Would have been quicker but had use the checkin counter due to excess luggage 

but I do have a useful card that’s get me priority line though security

[TWS60]

I wasn't sure when we'd see some light at the end of the COVID tunnel we (were all) in, so I don't fault businesses for pausing on expansion/improvement projects when revenue streams were in the toilet.  Airline and airport products don't transition very well to GRAB Delivery like pizzas and noodles do.

Although there certainly is an element of lacking logic and foresight in that even the most ardent, mask-loving negative nancy had to know mass air travel would eventually return.  It was just a matter of time.  This too shall pass.

Reminds me of politicians in parts of the USA suffering through a decade-long drought, rejecting plans to construct more water reservoirs because, quote, "Why dig holes to collect water when it's not raining!".   Several years on, it's (finally) raining and snowing cats and dogs, refilling existing reservoirs, which is great, but once again, highlights the previous, long-known fact there already weren't enough of them to meet growing population and industrial demands.   Those same politicos are suddenly keen to dig more reservoirs but have to wait....for it to stop raining. 

Same strain of politicos who'd stand in public chambers holding up a snowball as evidence of a sinister global warming hoax.

Edited March 9, 2023 by TWS60

[yselmike]

1 hour ago, TWS60 said:

I wasn't sure when we'd see some light at the end of the COVID tunnel we (were all) in, so I don't fault businesses for pausing on expansion/improvement projects when revenue streams were in the toilet.  Airline and airport products don't transition very well to GRAB Delivery like pizzas and noodles do.

Although there certainly is an element of lacking logic and foresight in that even the most ardent, mask-loving negative nancy had to know mass air travel would eventually return.  It was just a matter of time.  This too shall pass.

Reminds me of politicians in parts of the USA suffering through a decade-long drought, rejecting plans to construct more water reservoirs because, quote, "Why dig holes to collect water when it's not raining!".   Several years on, it's (finally) raining and snowing cats and dogs, refilling existing reservoirs, which is great, but once again, highlights the previous, long-known fact there already weren't enough of them to meet growing population and industrial demands.   Those same politicos are suddenly keen to dig more reservoirs but have to wait....for it to stop raining. 

Same strain of politicos who'd stand in public chambers holding up a snowball as evidence of a sinister global warming hoax.

I wonder if mass air travel will return any time soon.Now the first rush to get away after lockdowns and restrictions is over,the sky high prices are going to have a negative affect. Arguably the days of mass air travel, certainly long haul may be over.Pre COVID it cost me about €600-670 return from Amsterdam, currently it's about €1300-1400 and rising, that's flying economy.Thailand may be wise to target Indian and Chinese tourists as they are a shortish flight away.

[BigHewer]

58 minutes ago, yselmike said:

Pre COVID it cost me about €600-670 return from Amsterdam, currently it's about €1300-1400 and rising, that's flying economy.

Same here and I feel your pain. 
Spring holidays (end of April / start of May here) and even the low cost airline fares are 100,000 yen + return. Full service carriers were cheaper than that pre-COVID.

Airlines cashing in on “revenge travel”?

Fares will come down again, but not this year.

[socal]

On 3/7/2023 at 3:09 AM, MrStretch said:

The only reason you would need to arrive THREE hours before your departure is if the airport management and the airlines, themselves, were incompetent to the nth degree.

Ah, Thailand.

It isn't different anywhere else really. Try flying out of Toronto these days

[Marc26]

Took me 15 minutes to check-in and go through security this morning at BKK

 

But I could see where the new boarding pass scanner could hold things up if busy

 

And, of course, we had to scan out boarding pass but they still checked your boarding pass at the top of the escalator 

 

So that didn't make any sense