Update: story from IHT --
http://www.iht.com/bin/print.php?id=3497268
Bangkok airport experiences severe birthing pains. By Thomas Fuller, International Herald Tribune
From a distance it is a shimmering edifice that rises above the surrounding flatlands like a giant space pod, a prime candidate for the cover of an architecture magazine.
But do not look too closely. Six weeks after opening, the tarmac at Bangkok's new airport is cracked in several places, the bare concrete walls of the sprawling terminal appear unfinished and the arrival hall is chronically overcrowded.
These are only a few of the problems and complaints that have emerged at Suvarnabhumi airport, which after four decades of debate, planning and construction opened on Sept. 28 and was supposed to cement Bangkok's role as an air hub for the region.
"I hear so many complaints from my clients I don't know where to begin," said Onsuma Prompong, 38, the owner of the Tour Agency Travel Corner. "The most common are the crowding in the check-in areas, delays in check-ins and this marathon walk passengers have to endure when they're trying to reach the plane.
"Dirty toilets are also a big concern," she said. That is, when travelers can find a toilet.
see link to read article in its entirety