Bangkok Airport Fast Track Immigration Service

[sandmen 0]

I was in Thailand last month. Though I have booked FT earlier, this time the meet and greet service asked for credit card form to be filled and mailed to them. Didn't want to take a chance with that. So I went without that.

 

Went to the fast track counter with the form and 1000 baht visa fee. The guy there says "there is a 200 baht fee for fast track. No receipts"! I paid and was through immigration in under 5 min. Wonder if that was a fee or bribe.

[glynbuk 29]

I had my reply and confirmation yesterday, they cocked up the arrival date as they don't seem to understand the american/thai date system.

 

The system where you fill in the details put the arrival date as "2011/12/16" automatically which they confirmed as

 

Our staff will meet your passenger on:

 

12 Dec 2011 / Ref.00XXXXXX

1 Passengers / Mr Glyn XXXXXXXXX

 

Oh for fucks sake, so thats the 12 day of the 16th month then is it

 

 

After a quick email to tell them they cocked up and i arrive on the 16th December 2011 (OR 16/12/2011)

 

Why oh why do all these foreigners mess about with the calendar system

 

 

Odds on they will be meeting the right plane on the wrong day

Edited November 5, 2011 by glynbuk

[Montydog 135]

I can sell them for 120 since I don't have them just like they don't have any to sell as they say in the ad.

 

Just pay the proper amount and don't be so cheap.

 

Why is it “so cheap” to get a better deal? Seems like it just cut’s out the middle man and the “escorted walk to baggage claim.

 

 

What happened to my post and my sig seems to be wanting to turn Russian. This is what it was supposed to say.

 

Why is it “so cheap” to get a better deal? Seems like it just cuts out the middle man and the escorted walk to baggage claim.

Edited November 5, 2011 by Montydog

[Grandpollo 364]

Did you note they actually don't have any for sale?

 

Thus I can offer non existent ones for 1/2 the price. Since I dont have to fulfill the deal either. I don't trust any old site on the interweb with nothing but a Paypal and a promise anyway.

 

If you are in Bangkok you can try a large travel agency who will sell these cards. They are the same for in and out of the airport and they don't have an expiry date so you can buy several for the cost of the full service and save them. You can also get them in J or F and if you see a small crowd in regular immigration then save the card for later. Of course if you fly J or F all the time there is no later so then don't.

 

The chap above sandmen seems to have paid the cost to the immigration officer. I wouldn't count on that but it worked. It might appear like a bribe to the more officious of them. They sure try to appear unfriendly.

Edited November 6, 2011 by ricktoronto

[Evil Penevil 7,610]

 

If you are in Bangkok you can try a large travel agency who will sell these cards.

 

Do you happen to know which one sells them? It would be great to have coupons that weren't date-stamped so you could check if the lines at Immigration are long and use Fast-Track only if needed.

 

Evil

[2dave 8]

I am thinking of using FT for the first time this month.

Has anyone had any problems scanning the form and emailing it to them?

Is this he only company offering this service?

Thx

Dave

[Grandpollo 364]

Do you happen to know which one sells them? It would be great to have coupons that weren't date-stamped so you could check if the lines at Immigration are long and use Fast-Track only if needed.

 

Evil

No, sorry. I get them from Cathay on arrival and departure. Though they are not date stamped, they just have a CX stamp on them. I have to write the flight number on them so to me they would be good forever until used.

[gimmble 144]

When I went through immigration in August, from getting off the plane to exiting customs was 30 minutes. I dont see the need for fast track

 

cheers

Rodney

[2dave 8]

I think I will use one of them.

Just had a look online at expected arrivals and there are 12 flights due in around the same time as mine

Even if each flight is only half full, that's about 1200 people in a 15 to 20 minute period

[tomcat76 327]

In over 20yrs, arriving during the midnight rush in most of them, it's never really taken me all that long to get through immigration inbound. I DID wish I'd used the service for a departure last January when the outbound lines were severely backed-up and wrapped about halfway around the entire check-in counter area. People were begging to cut the line in order to make their flights (and with good reason).

[Gus 97]

I thought that I read somewhere that if you are over 65 you are allowed to go through the Fast track/VIp immigration desks, anyone know any more?

TIA

[m_holmes 93]

If the Thai govt/Thai airlines were smart, they would do immigration check in on board for business class and above for Thai airlines. Of course the problem is the wait for the luggage.

 

Sent from my GT-N7000 using Tapatalk 2

[Grandpollo 364]

I thought that I read somewhere that if you are over 65 you are allowed to go through the Fast track/VIp immigration desks, anyone know any more?

TIA

 

Not that I have seen. No pass no entry. Either fly in business or first or arrange prior to arrival for the service.

[too_mutt 10]

I assume that the "special" immigration line for first/business class is good for all carriers flying int Swampy ( not just Thai Air ).

[Guest Fatboyfat]

I thought that I read somewhere that if you are over 65 you are allowed to go through the Fast track/VIp immigration desks, anyone know any more?

TIA

Not seen that. Could you possibly be mixing it up with wheelchair passengers?

[loupole 4]

Last time I went was May this year, I used BFS http://www.bangkokflightservices.com/index.html was 700bt to be met off the plane, fastracked through immigration, as others have said, walk past the usual passport control about 100 metres there is the fast track, usually empty, I only use it depending on my time of landing, with Etihad its 18:05. so I want to be out as soon as I can, I go in November with Eva. land 15:00 so I have plenty of time so wont bother fastracking. up to you as they say.

 

BFS - select our services - then choose Premium Services. 700bt walking 1200bt to be collected with a cart.

[Grandpollo 364]

I assume that the "special" immigration line for first/business class is good for all carriers flying int Swampy ( not just Thai Air ).

 

Not so. If you fly in business or first on an airline that has a policy of giving out fast track cards then use the lane. Otherwise you can't.

 

I have heard that many airlines do not give these out. Cathay does. Thai has its own facility for premium class that is not part of the same queues.

 

This is not a special services lane for wheelchairs and diplomats have a separate one within the same entrance.

[dennismoore 8]

Last time I went was May this year, I used BFS http://www.bangkokfl....com/index.html was 700bt to be met off the plane, fastracked through immigration,

 

This (BFS) is the cheapest one! No need to use any of the other providers as they offer the same service for more money. I've used BFS on several occassions. They are okay!

[tomcat76 327]

'Have come in through immigration 3x now since late May, arriving at different times of day and different days of the week. The first two times were literally no-waiting at all; the last one late Tuesday night I waited maybe 5mins. There was a line, but it moved extremely fast - almost no stopping at all. Two line monitor girls were checking everyone for complete Arrival forms, and doing a good job of shoving the dopes off to one side and directing others on by. I arrived at a counter queue with only one person actually at the counter ahead of me and that person was finishing up. Baggage was out swiftly in all 3 cases as well. 'Can't currently see any reason to pay for Fast Track, but I realize that I've maybe just been lucky. 'Sure seems to me though that immigration is being handled much better than it used to be.

[Grandpollo 364]

Arrived today at 1045. At least 400 people in immigration, appear to be tour groups.

 

My CX fast track card now called Premium Card led me to an empty fast track setup. Five wickets and just me.

 

Plane to immigration to luggage to exit was 20 minutes. Stopped at AIS and met Mr. T guy barely half an hour after they opened the aircraft door.

 

Only one runway open. We circled for 25 minutes.

[tomcat76 327]

Oh yeah - the runway thing. No matter what the talking heads say, the single runway ops ARE causing delays for arriving aircraft. TUE night we circled for about 20 mins as well (as we did on my flight back in mid-June). Well not circling or holding exactly. This time I started timing the pilot's turns & legs and discovered he was really just performing a series of whifferdills... Anyway, multiply that by the number of arriving aircraft, and that must add up to a whole lot of expensive jetfuel being wasted... You would think they'd just get ATC to just start "slotting" (slowing down & metering) inbound traffic to Bangkok. Maybe SE Asian ATCs just don't coordinate well enough to be able to do that.

[bigmick 839]

I came in last Friday evening and after circling for half an hour the plane landed and the immigration hall # 2 was packed, so i walked to the hall # 1 and it was empty, the lady there said as i am with my wife we can go through the VIP desk each time as we are married But i did have to walk back the entire length of the baggadge hall to get our bags, no real problems

[Grandpollo 364]

Cathay has a camera under the fuselage and I swear I started to recognize the clouds.

 

In all fairness to the airport we were scheduled to be at the gate at 10:35 and we were overhead BKK at 10 and we were at the gate at 10:40.

 

It would have made more sense and saved fuel for Cathay to have left HKG half an hour late instead.

[MM 6,562]

Oh yeah - the runway thing. No matter what the talking heads say, the single runway ops ARE causing delays for arriving aircraft. TUE night we circled for about 20 mins as well (as we did on my flight back in mid-June). Well not circling or holding exactly. This time I started timing the pilot's turns & legs and discovered he was really just performing a series of whifferdills... Anyway, multiply that by the number of arriving aircraft, and that must add up to a whole lot of expensive jetfuel being wasted... You would think they'd just get ATC to just start "slotting" (slowing down & metering) inbound traffic to Bangkok. Maybe SE Asian ATCs just don't coordinate well enough to be able to do that.

 

You mean like this definition?

Whifferdill turn

A whifferdill turn turn (also wolferdil or whiferdill) refers to any number of fancy aerobatic maneuvers performed in an aerial flight show or while flying aggressively. It is a turn with both horizontal and vertical components, usually performed at the end of one maneuver in preparation for the ne...

Found on http://en.wikipedia....iki/Whifferdill

[js007 795]

When I first heard about this service, I thought about using it, but I never did. Anyway, when I stop to think about it, I guess I've never experienced much of a wait at immigration. My last arrival was typical: a wait of about five minutes. My last departure: a wait of about one minute. The longest wait I've experienced was in Phuket, and that was because all of the Russians cutting in line.