Tempers flare at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi International Airport with travelers returning to Laos reporting long lines and delays.
Passengers have taken to social media to report lengthy delays experienced lately, with some reporting 90-minute processing times when passing through security checks and immigration.
Social media users described pushing, shoving, and shouting as some passengers’ patience ran out, notably families with young children.
While the airport’s official response has been to flatly deny the delays, it has also issued advice that passengers ensure that they arrive at the airport two hours in advance of domestic flights and three hours in advance of international flights.
#Bangkok‘s Suvarnabhumi Airport tries to downplay the long wait times passengers have been experiencing recently. Yesterday it took me exactly 78 minutes to get through security check and passport control. Confirmed! https://t.co/q8fryKWaSz
— Mathias Peer (@mpeer) February 20, 2023
The airport has also outlined certain peak times during which a large number of departures are scheduled, informing passengers to prepare for long lines.
According to a media release from the Airport Authority of Thailand (AOT), peak periods include 3 pm to 3:59 pm for arrivals, and 11 pm to 11:59 pm for departures, when 19 flights carrying up to 4,200 passengers regularly leave the airport.
Suvarnabhumi Airport has sent out a “peak time” warning for today advising people to check in for international flights three hours in advance.
✈️ ARRIVAL (3pm-3:59pm): 22 flights with 4,600 passengers
✈️ DEPARTURE (11pm-11:59pm: 19 flights with 4,200 passengers#Thailand pic.twitter.com/09UY3f5als— Richard Barrow (@RichardBarrow) February 21, 2023
The issue is not new, however, with the Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand (CAAT) ordering airlines and airports to make urgent adjustments after seeing long queues for flights at Suvarnabhumi airport in June last year, according to Bangkok Post.
Arrivals from Laos ranked fifth among major tourist source markets for Thailand from January 1 to 15 of this year, while the country hopes to attract approximately 25 million tourists throughout 2023.
