Fast Track at BKK

[aj 59]

with the new airbus for thai air. the imagration lines longer or same? will

this make fast track wroth the money?

[Fireman Sam 336]

One plane will make no real difference to the immigration lines, more to do with how many planes arrive at the same time. Emirates and more recently Qatar have been flying the A380 into BKK, I have been on both numerous times and never noticed any change to the time it takes to pass through immigration.

 

 

Regards

[TheFiend 1,181]

My experience is Bangkok is great compared to the last 2 times I have returned to the UK where I've had to suffer huge queues to get through immigration at Manchester!

[gs joe 1,773]

No more than a five minute wait for me on my last two trips ,

 

 

Joe

[ThaiLearner 18]

You will probably still have to wait for your baggage

[js007 795]

No more than a five minute wait for me on my last two trips ,

 

 

Joe

 

Maybe I've just been luck, but that's pretty much been my experience as well. You might wait for our or five minutes, and then you're through. The bigger question is this: will your luggage be there? They always seem to lose my luggage if I've had to change planes a few times. Of course, they usually find it in a day or so, but still. Nothing's more annoying than to wait around for your luggage for 45 minutes, only to figure out it's not there. From now on, I'm seriously considering just taking a carry-on. No checked bags.

[Evil Penevil 7,628]

with the new airbus for thai air. the imagration lines longer or same? will

this make fast track wroth the money?

Fast Track via the Premium Lane is a bit like insurance; you don't always need it but you're glad you have it when you do. I use the Premium Lane on nearly every trip for arrival and departure, but that's because I get the vouchers for free, either from the airline or through the company for which I used to work.

 

From what I've observed, Immigration Control goes much faster nowadays at Swampy than a few years ago when lines on occasion could stretch outside the Immigration area. Whether or not you encounter a long queue depends on many factors, some of which are impossible to predict. The time of day and day of the week figure in, but most important is how many planes have landed shortly before your flight. Also, where you sit on the plane can determine how fast you clear IC. If your flight has 300 passengers and 250 deplane before you, it will take longer to clear IC than if you're among the first fifty off the plane.

 

Evil

Edited June 23, 2015 by Evil Penevil

[ttk 236]

Most of my arrivals are on Delta from Narita which lands around midnight. I have had zero long delays and have always had to wait for my bag. The only long delay was arriving on a Philippine Airlines flight around from Manilla around 10. In that case, both areas were packed and it took over an hour. Part of the delay was caused by passengers not having the proper forms filled out. They would be handed those when they got to the front and then sit down to fill them out....blocking the line. As I got clise enough to see, I noticed that on many occasions stations were not being used while these firms were filled out.

[lounge_lizard 108]

The last few times I've been through, I've seen airport empoyees patrolling the queue, checking that the forms had been properly completed, and helping where necessary, before anyone got to the immigration desks. That has made a lot of difference.

[aj 59]

thanks for responses that is the information i was looking for.

4 380-300 arrive with in 1-hour of each other at 06:15.

these are thai air flights.

[marleyboy 140]

I "usually" use Thai Airways, (from L.H.R.)

It arrives about 6 in the morning. Every time Ive been, there is always a longgggg queue! In fairness though, last time (Jan this year) they had lots of staff "directing" the queues! Maybe I might look into using fast track next time.

[bronto 0]

Evil,

I like your food reviews, but why do Americans have to fuck with our language all the time? Deplane?

What's wrong with get off?

Do you de taxi, de bus ,de baht bus, etc ,etc.

Just one example, must be getting old !

[jacko 8,786]

I know the walk to/from the Qatar A380 boarding place is a long one!

 

Won't have any specific impact on immigration queues leaving Thailand, there might be a longer wait on arrival if you are a slow walker, but it should be spread out amongst several lines. There was a bit of a mess due to remodelling going on when I landed early June.

Edited June 27, 2015 by jacko

[nkped 1,208]

Evil,

I like your food reviews, but why do Americans have to fuck with our language all the time? Deplane?

What's wrong with get off?

Do you de taxi, de bus ,de baht bus, etc ,etc.

Just one example, must be getting old !

I don't know about you, but, to echo George Carlin, I want to get out of the plane.

Anyway, one gets on de baht bus.

[yselmike 378]

I used a service i got online for 20/25 euro, met of the plane and walked to the fast track booth and through in a few minutes, there she was the otherside waiting and walked me to the carousel got my bag then walked me to the taxi rank, it was all very nice but all I really need is the piece

Of paper that you hand to the immigration officer To show you have paid.

I can get to the bags and taxi on my own,will look for one I can pay and print out next time it was 20 euro well spent.

[Evil Penevil 7,628]

Evil,

I like your food reviews, but why do Americans have to fuck with our language all the time? Deplane?

What's wrong with get off?

Do you de taxi, de bus ,de baht bus, etc ,etc.

Just one example, must be getting old !

"Deplane" has been part of the English language for nearly 100 years. It began as airline jargon in the 1920s and is still pretty much limited to describe getting off an airplane. It's even included in the Oxford Dictionary, albeit with the notation it is a North American term. "Deplane" was clearly patterned on "detrain" (also in the OED, dates from the 1880s).

 

The development of new technology often leads to word usage that isn't always logical. No one thinks it strange that we "board" an aircraft, but that use of "board" has its origin in naval language, in the days when passengers got on a ship by means of a plank. Even embark and disembark have naval origins, ultimately from the Latin barca (a small ship). Even "debark" is a legitimate English verb.

 

I've even heard that deplane originated in Pattaya when a certain BM stood on a beach in Jomtien and yelled, "De plane, boss! De plane!", but that's a false etymology, although perhaps the term "false entomology" might be more accurate in this particular case.

 

In defense of deplane, it's a more specific term than "get off" in that it covers the actions from the time the passengers are free to leave the aircraft until they enter the terminal. One of the strengths of the English language has been the willingness of its speakers to accept new words, either through invention or borrowing from other languages. It's clear what deplane means, so what's the harm?

 

Evil

Edited June 27, 2015 by Evil Penevil

[Harvey 249]

Evil, I generally try to hit the HND-BKK flight on ANA that arrives about 1500. I have always beaten my checked bags into baggage claim. If you're arriving about then, you're golden.

[Butch 3,456]

I "usually" use Thai Airways, (from L.H.R.)

It arrives about 6 in the morning. Every time Ive been, there is always a longgggg queue! In fairness though, last time (Jan this year) they had lots of staff "directing" the queues! Maybe I might look into using fast track next time.

Marleyboy

If you check flightradar24 and filter out everything except Thai airways, then you'll see that there are around 6 planes heading from Europe into BKK within an hour of each other at that time of the morning. There's the UK flight, one from Frankfurt (A380) one coming in from Paris, one from Moscow (I think) plus a couple of others, and they're all wide body "heavies". SVB is a busy place between 0500 and 0630.

If your TG flight arriving at 0600 is behind any of these, then you've got 300 or so people ahead of you, if your flight is behind all of them, then you're effectively fucked.

In that case I'd book the fastrack, money well spent at that time of the morning, time wise it'll save you the best part of 2 hours stood in line I reckon, going on previous experiences.

 

I was fastracked on my recent trip and it made a hell of a difference.

 

By the way, for the benefit of posters, does any know or can provide the relevant link / method to get the fastrack service?.

 

Virtual beer to anyone who does.

 

Cheers

Butch

[jacko 8,786]

Butch there are a couple but they also want to sell a limo service.

http://www.limousine.in.th/fasttrack.php

http://www.bangkokfasttrack.com/payment.html

 

I have not used any of these as I always had the complimentary Fast Track.

[Fatboyfat 361]

I use fast track every time, due to class of flight. In general my arrivals tie in with the general "flood" from the middle-eastern carriers. Every time, without fail, I arrive at the luggage carousel before my bags ( which are additionally fast-tracked by the airline). So if that quick arrival passage through the airport is important, then the extra fee for fast-track would be worth it. (Unless it is silly money of course!)

Departure does not seem to have much effect, but only put it to the test once, when the "missus" went through normal and I went through fast-track (only economy seats left for her due to a last minute booking... honest!!); We both came out into the concourse at about the same time. So I would say that fast-track for departure alone would not be of great value, without additional lounge upgrade.

[aj 59]

has anyone used this fastrack service. It sounds to cheap to be true.

here is address fasttrackcoupon.blog.fc2.com.

For 500 baht not bad if true.

[jacko 8,786]

has anyone used this fastrack service. It sounds to cheap to be true.

here is address fasttrackcoupon.blog.fc2.com.

For 500 baht not bad if true.

You are paying 500 baht to simply avoid the queue when you arrive.

There is also a possibility there will only be a few people waiting when you arrive and it will not help, really depends on the time.

Then you are waiting for your suitcase.

[yorta2 686]

"Deplane" has been part of the English language for nearly 100 years. It began as airline jargon in the 1920s and is still pretty much limited to describe getting off an airplane. It's even included in the Oxford Dictionary, albeit with the notation it is a North American term. "Deplane" was clearly patterned on "detrain" (also in the OED, dates from the 1880s).

 

The development of new technology often leads to word usage that isn't always logical. No one thinks it strange that we "board" an aircraft, but that use of "board" has its origin in naval language, in the days when passengers got on a ship by means of a plank. Even embark and disembark have naval origins, ultimately from the Latin barca (a small ship). Even "debark" is a legitimate English verb.

 

I've even heard that deplane originated in Pattaya when a certain BM stood on a beach in Jomtien and yelled, "De plane, boss! De plane!", but that's a false etymology, although perhaps the term "false entomology" might be more accurate in this particular case.

 

In defense of deplane, it's a more specific term than "get off" in that it covers the actions from the time the passengers are free to leave the aircraft until they enter the terminal. One of the strengths of the English language has been the willingness of its speakers to accept new words, either through invention or borrowing from other languages. It's clear what deplane means, so what's the harm?

 

Evil

Hmm, yes, I believe it IS North American slang. So are many other Americanisms that only Americans use but, similarly, there are other American words that are, in fact, older English than the English use - words such as "hogs" when speaking about pigs. Many such words crossed to the Americas before the Great Vowel Change in England, and continue to be used. Personally, I always have fears when American airline crews announce that, "We will be in the air momentarily". I tend to think that we should be in the air a great deal longer than that, as "momentarily", to me, means "for only a moment". Don't other non-American flyers ever notice that?

[aj 59]

sorry i should have explained better. it is a coupon for the flight creww line and can be use anytime for entry or exit.

so if queue is short save for next time, if not i am out fast. they are 400 baht each and 100 baht delivery charge.

i am thinking of get several since 100 baht charge is for 1 or 21.i have had house in patts since 2000 so i

do not have check bags all the time. last checked bag was 2 years ago 1 hour to get it after 20 min queue.

only reason for it is us airlines are flying thur europe now which means 6:00 am arrival. last time i checked arrivals

it appeared to have 7 to 8 380 landing 5:45-7:00 am thats alot of people and thia imagration never seems to change pace

regardless the number. cheers

[jacko 8,786]

sorry i should have explained better. it is a coupon for the flight creww line and can be use anytime for entry or exit.

so if queue is short save for next time, if not i am out fast. they are 400 baht each and 100 baht delivery charge.

i am thinking of get several since 100 baht charge is for 1 or 21.i have had house in patts since 2000 so i

do not have check bags all the time. last checked bag was 2 years ago 1 hour to get it after 20 min queue.

only reason for it is us airlines are flying thur europe now which means 6:00 am arrival. last time i checked arrivals

it appeared to have 7 to 8 380 landing 5:45-7:00 am thats alot of people and thia imagration never seems to change pace

regardless the number. cheers

I think it would be useful for leaving Thailand as sometimes the security queues are very long.

And of course some days the arrivals queues are very long too and you could carry on walking to Fast Track area.

If I remember correctly the flight crew line is also a specific one within the Fast-Track area although are you required to be in uniform?