Problems with Left Luggage in Bangkok
 

:confused:
We are in the middle of DONE5. From Bangkok we took a side trip to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Thinking this is only a side trip we left our large bag at a left luggage place at the Bangkok terminal. We then proceeded to check in, were made to pay a departure tax of 500 bahts per person, and boarded the place. On May 21 we are flying back to Bangkok to pick up our flight to Hongkong and Auckland. The problem is if in Bangkok we go into the transit lounge, we can't get out to retrieve the bag. If we go thru immigration, customs, retrieve the bag, we have to pay the departure tax all over again.

Does any one with more experience have any creative idea of how to solve this problem??

Ken Kotecha

If the bag is small enough for carry-on, you should be able to arrange for delivery of the bag to you in the transit lounge....but the fee for this service might be higher than 500 Baht. They cannot check the bag for you (for security reasons), so if it is checked baggage you have no choice but to clear customs and go landside to get your bag.

Not sure if BKK has a departure tax exemption for same-day arrival and departure, but many airports do so it might be worth checking as you probably need to get a special form stamped upon arrival.

Sure... one of you go to the transit lounge. The other will go through immigration/customs, retrieve the bag, check it in, unfortunately you have to pay the B 500 departure tax, and then rejoin the other at the lounge.

You just spent how much on that DONE ticket, and you're quibbering over B500? That's uh, about US$12?

Usually when you check in at the Transit Counter, the agent will stamp your BP that says "TRANSIT". This will indicate to the other agents at the departure gate that as you are on transit, you would not have the "Departure Cards". This "transit" stamp however does not exempt you from the B500 departure tax as you are basically leaving the terminal and re-entering.