Airport vultures still circle prey

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SUVARNABHUMI RIP-OFFS

Airport vultures still circle prey

Published: 29 Sep 2012 at 00.00
Newspaper section: News

Illegal tour guides and taxi drivers are still preying on both Thai and foreign passengers at Suvarnabhumi airport six years after its opening.

A file photo shows licensed taxis queueing up to wait for passengers at Suvarnabhumi airport, but the problem of unlicensed operators inside the terminal persists. SOMCHAI POOMLARD

When Suvarnabhumi airport was opened on Sept 28, 2006, illegal tour guides and taxi drivers moved from Don Mueang airport to the new airport.

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John

Discussion 48 : 30 Sep 2012 at 00.1348
don't understand the problem. Just follow the sign to the public taxi stand and everything is fine and make sure he switches on the meter. Everybody who travels should now by know that everybody who approaches you is most likely a scam. It is not only in Thailand like that .. even in Europe it happens a lot. Somebody who does not prepare his trip decently will get ripped off sooner or later. I have never ever been ripped off at an airport, I just take the effort of using google.. some people really are naive. But I don't deny that the authorities should give more effort to contain this issue
from iPhone application.
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Luetzow
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Discussion 47 : 29 Sep 2012 at 22.5847
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When I first arrived in Bangkok I did not know where to go. SO I halted at the booth in the arrival hall that sells hotels. They sold me a shitty hotel for far too much. And then took me to a private taxi that cost far too much.

Why isnt a government tourist information in place instead of a private buisiness?

That the police and security cant do anything is bullshit. These guys arent hiding out and it should be easy to keep the airport clean and these guys far away. But as usual some gets paid to look the other way.
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pointoffew
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Discussion 46 : 29 Sep 2012 at 22.2646
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aussie, discussion 42, I appreciate your sense of humour :)
All those “thumbs down” suggest I’m lying, but fact is that it was real life. I too was very surprised - and awake - in the broad daylight of the early afternoon. Amazing Thailand, in a positive way, for a change.
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opiner
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Discussion 45 : 29 Sep 2012 at 21.5245
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It's a very sad situation, but I often find that the first thing I utter on arriving back in Thailand is "F*** off" to a tout in the arrivals hall. It's a terrible thing to start off angry but it's rather satisfying to abuse a lowlife in public and he can do nothing about it.
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pitanu
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Discussion 44 : 29 Sep 2012 at 21.4444
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The airport arrival hall is badly designed. Licensed tour guides are squeezed into a small narrow area at each exit, arriving passengers are confused and are uncertain where to focus to find their guides. However prior to this they've already been approached by 'suits' selling everything from taxi, limousines, hotels, and sightseeing tours BEFORE they've passed through customs, to create even more confusion there's a counter named Travel Agent.

Another set of 'suits' are available in the secure passageway after customs clearance, but it's the same bunch. Basically you get accosted visually and mentally before having a chance to get focused.
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bluebottle
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Discussion 43 : 29 Sep 2012 at 21.2843
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People should be given information on the plane or when they cue for immigration give them a leaflet in there own language.Give them info via TV screens whilst in the cues.It would help pass the time and be cost effective.Thy said they were thinking outside the box with the water pushers.think outside the box here.It not rocket science is it.
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aussie
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Discussion 42 : 29 Sep 2012 at 21.1242
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point off ewww Dis#35 , Was it then , that you awoke ?
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montreal11
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Discussion 41 : 29 Sep 2012 at 20.3141
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2-3 years ago i arrive at airport with 2 friends we want to take a taxin to go to KAOSAN the taxi driver dint want to take us because we where 3 except if we pay more fore the third person he said it was max 2 person per taxi ...i never had that experience before but i am always with one friend usaly ....anyway everybody knows about the situation and nobody will do to solve the problem ...no big deal because i never travel with taxi after i arrive ..i prefer bus and metro...it a fix price and dont need to argue for the fare
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alexa
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Discussion 40 : 29 Sep 2012 at 19.1640
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alive555, Disc 32. Your comments are vicious and I totally agree with them. I have just made three recent round trips between Bangkok and Singapore. It is a nightmare returning to Suvarnabhumi after being in Changi. To give your comment a boost, not only are the touts illegal pests, but AOT limousines are helping them by charging more than 4 times that which a taxi would cost, the fist time visitor will gladly take the touts price of about 2/3 the price of AOT and think it is a good deal, these touts hang about close to the AOT counter. Then they find out the truth that they were ripped off, before returning home with bad memories of Thailand and telling all their friends.
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kasper
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Discussion 39 : 29 Sep 2012 at 18.2539
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@ringmaster, d3.

I think one has to hurt, kill or at least threaten to hurt or kill other people in order to be declared a terrorist? What do you think?

Refresh my memory, was it in 2008 or 2010 demonstrators hurt and killed several people (before the army cleaned up) and thereby got labeled terrorists?
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Airport vultures still circle prey | Bangkok Post: news