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Lingering problems dim sparkle of Bangkok’s new airport

Copyright Observer News

by Nareerat Wiriyapong 
 
BANGKOK, Nov 23, 2006 

Flying into Bangkok’s new Suvarnabhumi Airport, there’s enough sparkle to ensure the terminal building lives up to its name, which means ‘‘golden land’’ in Thai.
But inside, passengers complain that the magnificent exterior is marred by grimy and inadequate bathrooms, long lines and crowded check-in counters.
‘‘It has gotten dirty already -- not only the toilets, but in general -- even though it’s brand new. It’s poor maintenance,’’ said American property manager Brian Hodde, pointing at rubbish on the floor in a restaurant he just left.
‘‘From outside, it is very impressive. But when sitting here, it looks unfinished as you can see bare concrete ceiling and uncovered coils hanging at the top of the restaurant,’’ the 44-year-old said.
The airport authority has said the bare walls are part of the building’s modern design, but with construction still going on in parts of the terminal, the confusion is understandable.
And since the airport opened on September 28, complaints have poured in from passengers.
‘‘I was approached by too many taxi drivers stopping me everywhere and asking aggressive questions,’’ said 65-year-old Briton Peter Wood.
‘‘It took me a very long time to walk from the aircraft to the immigration. It is not comfortable,’’ Wood said after arriving from Phnom Penh.
Some of the most glaring problems have already been fixed. Computer glitches with the baggage system have been repaired, and signs in the terminal have been improved after complaints they were too confusing to navigate the long halls.
Airport of Thailand, which operates Suvarnabhumi, says it will spend 40 million baht (one million dollars) to add 200 toilets to address complaints about the restrooms being too few and too dirty.
But less visible problems remain -- including cracks in the runways, noise pollution for the surrounding neighborhoods, and allegations of sexual harassment of flight attendants.
AoT has pledged to spend one billion baht to improve security to address the complaints of flight attendants, who said they were groped and stalked by construction workers at the airport.
Compensation for the noise pollution is expected to cost seven billion baht so nearby residents can soundproof their homes or move away.
‘‘There is a load of problems to be fixed,’’ Air Chief Marshal Chalit Phukphasuk told the Bangkok Post newspaper, estimating it would take six months to address them all.
Deposed prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who was ousted in a coup less than two weeks before the airport opened, had pushed to open the airport months before experts believed it would be ready.
But travel agents blame poor management rather than hurried construction for many of the problems, saying service at Suvarnabhumi still lags behind regional rivals like Hong Kong and Singapore.
‘‘Speeding up the completion contributed to the havoc, but poor management since the opening is the main reason,’’ said Suparerk Soorangura, managing director of NS Travel and Tours.
‘‘The management was aware of the problems for some time but so far they have yet to fix them,’’ Suparerk told AFP.
He noted that Hong Kong experienced far more serious problems with its cargo and gate systems when its new airport opened in 1998.
‘‘Now, Hong Kong airport is perfect. Don’t even think about Singapore’s airport, which has been long established,’’ he said.
‘‘It will take some time for Thailand to improve our services to compete with those two hubs, even with the world-class facility we have now,’’ said Suparerk, a former president of the Association of Thai Travel Agents.
AOT president Chotisak Asapaviriya said that all the complaints were being taken into account and improvements were underway.
‘‘We’re handling over 100,000 passengers and 10 million bags every day, and the new airport is still perfecting its services,’’ said Chotisak.