The Transport Ministry has ordered baggage-handling companies at Suvarnabhumi airport to speed up their services after receiving complaints from people who had to wait up to 90 minutes to collect their luggage.
Transport Minister Saksayam Chidchob said the congestion issues at immigration counters have also been resolved. According to him, the immigration procedure for arriving tourists now takes just 15 minutes per person and most tourists spend about a minute at a manned desk. However, many passengers have experienced delays at the baggage claim section.
Mr Saksayam said there are two baggage reclaim service providers -- Thai Airways International (THAI) Plc and Bangkok Flight Services (BFS) -- which are currently understaffed, leading to baggage claim delays for many flights.
Some passengers had to wait from 30 to 90 minutes to collect their bags. Before the pandemic, the average waiting time was less than half an hour, said Mr Saksayam.
THAI and BFS are required to propose a new action plan to avoid delays and proceed with the new arrangement within a month. Mr Saksayam added the two baggage reclaim service providers will be replaced if they fail to deliver baggage on schedule.
Taxi numbers were not an issue, he added. "We have enough taxis for passengers. And if Airports of Thailand, the Suvarnabhumi Taxi Coordination Association, and the Thai Public Taxi Association agree to bring Grab taxis to meet the higher demand, we will place Grab taxis at the airport," he said.
Suvarnabhumi airport will see an estimated 130,000 international and domestic passengers per day in December, up 13% from 115,000 per day in November.
Mr Saksayam said the Satellite Terminal 1 extension will be ready to open in the first quarter of 2023 to ease congestion at the main terminal, as the airport expects even more passengers next year.
