estnet

Was this the 12th? Part of new Kings ceremonies very big boat ceremony. Tons of seats by the river, etc. My guess would be that lots of the drivers were there.

Davvidd

No the 13th. Maybe because it's Friday?

Davvidd

Another huge queue at departure immigration at BKK this morning. Again the queue up to the security machines.
I hope they get this sorted out soon..

transpac

DMK Bus Updates A1, A2....A5 as of 5 Dec 2019

https://www.thailandee.com/en/transp...gkok-don-muang

GoSh4rks

I'm arriving BKK Jan 30 on HX 765 - scheduled 7:15pm. Would it be advisable to book a separate ticket on WE to CNX, departing at 10:25pm? I will have a checked bag to pick up, and do have an ABTC (but I'm traveling for leisure, if they're strict about that)

Davvidd

You have more than 3 hours. Plenty of time.

LoungeLizzard

I wonder if there is a visible effect of fewer Chinese travellers at BKK.

The latest data I found only includes traffic up to January 20th.
It will be interesting to see how that develops once the full January Data is reported.

Link to ATTA data

ChrisBub

I have a quite general question that I can't seem to find any answer for on the BKK airport website nor here (apologies if I haven't searched enough).

What is the purpose of the transfer counters in BKK airport? In SIN, for example, you can go and get your boarding pass for your next flight and even get bags transferred if on separate tickets (as long as full service airlines), but I can't find an explanation anywhere about all of the services a transfer counter in BKK can provide.

For example, I'm flying QR J to BKK in April, and then have a 5 or 6hr connection to HAN with VN on sep tickets. If I have only hand luggage, can I go to the VN transfer counter desk without going through immigration?

If, on the other hand I have checked luggage which is not interlined, can I go to the transfer counter, get boarding pass and show them the luggage tag to send my bags on to HAN, as would be the case for the same transfer in SIN?

It doesn't really matter to me personally either way (although obviously it would be easier if the system was like SIN), I'm just confused about the purpose of the transfer counters in the transit area of BKK airport.

Does anyone have any personal experience of using these transfer counters?

LIH Prem

Singapore is unique .. in SIN except for T4, incoming and outgoing pax are co-mingled. So unless you are flying out of T4 you just go to your departure gate when you arrive in Singapore, co-mingling with arriving and departing pax on the same level, even using the train if necessary between terminals (except for T4).

Most airports do it the way BKK does it, incoming international pax are sent to the arrivals level, isolated from the departures level and departing pax. The transfer counter allows you to get a boarding pass for your connecting flight (you can't use mobile BP at the transfer security, I believe) and use the transfer security to stay airside, not cross the border into Thailand and go back up to the departures level to catch your flight leaving BKK.

-David

estnet

And if you are connecting without a boarding pass for your next flight you CANNOT cross back into the departing area until you get one.

I can't remember if it was BKK or HKG where I was stuck for HOURS b/c the security would not accept the phone boarding pass for the airline I was flying (they only had 2 flights a day and the transit desk was only open a few hours to issue boarding passes AND their partners could not/would not issue bp). A very uncomfortable few hours.

SIN does security checks at the boarding gate which is very different from most - maybe why it consistently gets so many awards - they make it easy and pleasant for the traveler!

CJKatl

I have connected in both airports and can add a few details, but like the poster above I cannot remember a couple key details.

• A problem when flying from the US is I leave my house long before the check-in window for the connecting flight so I cannot print my boarding pass at home so I always have to get the connection boarding pass after the first ticketed flights.
• My phone boarding pass was once not accepted at BKK and the connecting airline, which may have actually been Vietnam going to HAN, did not have an agent at the connections area. Since then I have printed the pass when connecting through ICN or NRT or PVG.
• IIRC many airlines, especially those with few flights out of BKK, do not have a presence at the transit area. Hopefully someone else can tell you if Vietnam has agents at the transit desks.
• IME unless your checked bag is ticketed through to the next flight you will have to leave the secure area at BKK, collect it at baggage claim and recheck it for the next flight. In SIN you can take care of that without leaving the secure area but not at BKK.
• Once I was able to get to get the boarding pass printed by a different airline in the same alliance, but once I had to exit the secure area and had to sit for hours until the KE desk opened.
• In SIN I once had an issue with an AirAsia ticket and they did not have an agent inside the secure area so I had to leave and reenter. It was a very fast and easy process.

Davvidd

I am surprised. I was able to do international transfer in BKK without going thru immigration at the transfer desk. In fact showed my ticket for the ongoing flight and the security accepted it and screened and let me go thru to the transfer desk ( where I had to wait a long time) for the connecting flight to open the counter to get my onward boarding card.
there was no luggage involved and it was two separate tickets.

ChrisBub

Thanks for all the input. Seems clearer to me now. Basically on sep tickets with different full service airlines, if we have no luggage and onward BP it'll be fine, but onward BP with checked luggage will mean having to go through immigration, unless first airline interlines your luggage.

Transfer counters good for printing BPs based on printed check-in confirmations/BPs, but could be more problematic when BP is on the phone.

Hopefully I can report back my experience from April.

dsquared37

In BKK, the transit counters are on the far side of Xfer security. Any documentation of a connecting flight will get you past the escalator dragons.

In HKG BPs on the phone are accepted, though I don't know if they are accepted for ALL airlines.

CJKatl

Maybe something has changed since the last time I used the transfer area, or maybe I am misunderstanding what you mean by the far side of transfer security, but doesn't which arrival airline you are on, which determines your arrival gate, determine whether the transit counters are on the far or close side? IIRC where KE arrives and where DL used to arrive meant you would hit the transfer counter before the escalator/security area. The best advice is to follow the signs for the transfer area.

Also, it has been at least three or four years since I tried using my phone BP so things may have changed. I have always been sure to have the paper copy since I had an issue with the phone BP.