What if Suvarnabhumi Airport is down?
The hoteliers already hinted at this (see message above): when Suvarnabhumi airport is down, air traffic to and from Thailand will largely come to a standstill. Don Mueang has only one terminal in use (out of three) and the airports in Chiang Mai and Phuket are already experiencing congestion. Naval airport U-Tapao Pattaya International Airport is also not a realistic option; it can only handle 3000 passengers per day, while Suvarnabhumi handles 110.000 international and 28.000 domestic passengers per day. …
'Risks for flooding at Bangkok airports low'
Suvarnabhumi and Don Mueang airports are unlikely to be flooded, said Somchai Sawasdeepon, acting president of Airports of Thailand, the manager of both airports. He bases his optimism on the raising of the flood wall around Suvarnabhumi to its original height of 3,5 meters five years ago, the capacity of a reservoir that now contains 5 million cubic meters of water (1 percent), two pumping stations with a capacity of 25 million cubic meters…
Dike around Suvarnabhumi Airport further raised
The 23,5 km long embankment around Suvarnabhumi airport will be raised by 50 cm to 3,5 meters. So far, 6 km has been raised, the work is expected to be completed by October 20. The airlines are preparing for possible flooding of the airport. The 140 aircraft of Thai Airways International, Bangkok Airways and Thai AirAsia are flown to other airports in the country if necessary. Air traffic is no longer possible when 3 to 4 …
Suvarnabhumi waiting times are getting longer and longer
The waiting times at Suvarnabhumi airport are already not childish and they are only getting longer. The airport, which was designed for 45 million passengers, now has to handle 47 million passengers. In 2012, 49,4 million passengers are expected and this will continue until 68 million in 2016. After Suvarnabhumi came into use five years ago, expansion plans should have started immediately. Now they are still on the drawing board. 'Expansion of…
Travelers ignore Airport Rail Link
The Airport Rail Link has not yet been a resounding success. The train connection to the center of Bangkok was intended for travelers who want to travel quickly and comfortably from Suvarnabhumi Airport to Bangkok. Until now, the Airport Rail Link has mainly been used by commuters and office workers who bypass the heavy traffic in Bangkok. The residents of the eastern suburbs use the train for commuting, saving an hour of travel time. A ride from the…
THAI Airways needs budget subsidiary
Thai Smile, the budget subsidiary of Thai Airways International, which will start in July, will not fly at cut-off rates. THAI therefore needs another subsidiary that can compete in the fast-growing low-fare market, says a source at the Ministry of Transport. Thai AirAsia, part of AirAsia, currently dominates that market. The planned joint venture with Singapore-based Tiger Airways has been shelved, although the joint investment deal has not yet been canceled, pending negotiations with…
The first car scheme is under fire from three sides
The scheme for first car buyers, promised by Pheu Thai during the election campaign and which will be in effect from Friday until the end of next year, has been heavily criticized by three sides. Finance companies fear that the number of defaulters will increase. The automotive industry is concerned that the price difference between a conventional and an eco car is narrowing. And a trade war threatens with neighboring countries because imported cars are not eligible for the scheme. Financing problems The finance companies have proposed…
Ticket Airport Rail Link will be cheaper
To make the loss-making Airport Rail Link more attractive, the rate on the Express Line, now 15-45 baht, will probably be reduced to a unit rate of 20 baht and the waiting time will be sold from 15 to 10 minutes. The Ministry of Transport will also ensure that there are more taxis at Makkasan station during rush hours. According to Wan Yubamrung, secretary of Deputy Minister Kittisak Hatthasonkroh (Transport), there are now only a few taxis because "some influential ...
Bangkok Airways cancels Airbus order
Bangkok Airways is abandoning the purchase of four Airbus A350 jets as plans to go intercontinental have been frozen for the time being. The private company wants to concentrate on the domestic and regional market. The European aircraft manufacturer and Bangkok Airways have agreed that the deposit that Bangkok Airways paid when the order was placed at the end of 2005 will not be confiscated. Bangkok Airways was the first candidate for the A350. The reservation is now being transferred…
Suvarnabhumi gets body scanners and moves security checkpoint
Suvarnabhumi Airport has purchased eight body scanners. They will come into operation at the end of the year. The security checkpoint behind customs then moves to an entrosol of 4500 square meters that was used as a lounge. The departing passengers go up with an escalator, are checked and go down again with an escalator to immigration. According to Airports of Thailand, the airport served 42,38 million passengers last year, including 12 million on domestic flights. …
Should women beware of taxi drivers in Bangkok?
My girlfriend is terrified when she gets into a taxi alone in Bangkok. In this case not because of the expected driving style or the endless traffic jams, but because of the gentlemen taxi drivers themselves. Taxi drivers in Krung Thep don't have the best reputation, they are often mentioned in the Thai news. Mainly negative. These include robberies, assaults and even rapes of female passengers. Scared Now I am not immediately impressed by the fact that …
Study of 4 high-speed lines in Thailand
The State Railway of Thailand will study the feasibility of four high-speed lines: from Bangkok to Chiang Mai in the north, Rayong in the east, Khon Kaen in the northeast and Hua Hin in the south. The study costs approximately 50 million baht per route. Deputy Minister Chatt Kulkiloke (Transport) expects that the contracts for the construction can be signed in 4 years. According to this message, the previous government would have allowed the train to run on a gauge of 1 …
Gasoline and diesel cheaper (but at what cost?)
Petrol and diesel have become cheaper as of today and that is good news for the 10 million motorcyclists, 7 million motorists who drive diesel and 1 million who drive premium petrol. But critics say it's bad news for alternative energy promotion, aside from the lower contribution to the State Oil Fund. A liter of gasoline (95 octane) now costs 39,54 baht; petrol (91) mainly used by…
World's Best Taxis: Bangkok ranked 6th
Travelers have voted London's signature black cabs the best taxis in the world for the fourth consecutive year. This is the conclusion of a worldwide survey of the quality of taxis, which is conducted annually by booking site Hotels.com. Nearly 5.000 travelers from 23 countries were asked for their opinion on traveling by taxi in various world cities. With almost a third of the vote (28 percent), the black cabs in London are the clear favourite. The…
Thai Airways (THAI) this week announced the formation of a low-cost subsidiary. This new airline will be called Thai Smile. Thai Smile will start flying from July next year and consists of a fleet of 11 Airbus A320 aircraft. Ticket prices will be competitive, a spokesman said. The name for this low-cost airline was chosen from 2.229 entries, for which THAI had organized a competition. The creation of Thai Smile will not affect THAI's plans…
Renting a car in Thailand, but well insured
This is the story of Ron van Rees, who rented a car in Pattaya earlier this month. He usually does this during the Dutch construction industry holidays and in December. Ron has been a customer of Highway Car Rent (Pattaya, Sukhumvit) for more than seven years and it always goes well. That means: until Sunday morning August 7 at 7.15 am. He then set off with his girlfriend to spend five days in Surin. Ron rented a…
Safe traffic campaigns urgently needed
In the past 10 years, 124.855 people have died in traffic and every year 11.386 become disabled for life. Speakers at a road safety seminar organized by the Ministry of Health yesterday called on the government to launch more campaigns to reduce road casualties, especially motorcyclists. Apart from the human suffering, those accidents also cost a lot of money: 230 billion baht per year or 2,8 percent …