Suvarnabarrassment
It's interesting that despite the almost universal uproar about Suvarnabhumi Airport's toilets and other facilities, nothing is being done to correct even the easiest problems. Instead, one is regularly bombarded by radio and TV ads extolling the greatness of the new airport as a symbol of Thai pride. I suppose the goal is that if you hear them enough times, you will begin to believe that the airport isn't really that big a national embarrassment after all.
Here's a recent opinion piece in the good old Bangkok Post. We couldn't agree more.
Flaws at new airport need fixing
Boonsong Kositchotethana
Bangkok Post, 7 December 2006
More than two months have passed since the opening of Suvarnabhumi Airport on Sept 28, and it is a pity that many of the facility's drawbacks don't seem to be getting fixed. Unresolved problems which have irked travellers and those whose work evolve around the airport have grown in such magnitude that many are disgusted at the idea of going through, or working at, the airport. Judging from the hundreds of letters to newspapers and websites almost every day lamenting the hassles, and the news stories and editorials in many media detailing the airport's deficiencies and scandals, clearly not enough is being done to improve Bangkok's new international airport.
My recent personal visit to Suvarnabhumi served to confirm that little has indeed been done to correct the flaws, which unfortunately have given the facility a bad name internationally, rather than being the ''pride of Thailand''. There have been statements made by Transport Minister Theera Haocharoen and the Airports of Thailand Plc's (AoT) new board chairman Gen Saprang Kalayanamitr about the need to urgently address the problems, but the public has not seen any real action being taken.
It is a shame that some very easy fixes _ like enlarging display fonts, posting plentiful correct direction signs in locations where people can clearly see them, and adding more foreign languages such as Mandarin to the signage _ have not been carried out, even though these problems were identified well before the airport's opening. Many of the airport's restrooms are a disgrace to the country (which recently hosted the World Toilet Expo and Forum), with flushes not working properly, broken water taps, the absence of toilet paper and dirty, wet floors.
That is so much easier to tackle than building over 200 additional toilets at the airport, which AoT president Chotisak Asapaviriya has vowed to do, in the wake of scathing criticism from passengers and the public over the insufficiency of toilets there. It will take a while before these new toilets will be in service.
Several spots at the terminal are littered with rubbish discarded by construction workers and others working at the airport, due to the lack of cleaning and garbage collection. The area in front of the terminal has become extremely dirty, with cigarette butts and discarded chewing gum on the pavements. A poor welcome to a country.
Very poor lighting and the expanses of unpainted concrete make the terminal look so drab, and make working conditions for immigration officers difficult _ little wonder it takes so long for them to process passports. Poor lighting has also contributed to the recent spate of complaints from female employees on night shifts about being sexually harassed by construction workers and security guards. Why can't the AoT quickly install more lights where they are needed, and paint the walls and ceiling white to mitigate the problems?
Air-conditioning is another problem-plagued area which needs immediate attention, as it has been hot and sweaty on the top floor of the terminal and along the main walkways between terminal arms.
The public continues to put up with the lack of comfort, as the chairs there are only steel-framed with no padding, and cold!
One can witness the premature breakdown of the terminal's facilities. Lifts get stuck and the revolving doors at the terminal's entrances do not operate properly.
What I have dwelt on so far are just some of the fixes which can be done quicker than the mountains of bigger improvements, like widening the egress for arriving passengers and constructing more restrooms _ if the AoT is really serious about correcting the flaws.
It is good news that the AoT's new chairman, Gen Saprang, has ordered all relevant contracts, fraught with alleged widespread corruption, to be examined and made available for public vetting.
But as important as netting the crooks, Gen Saprang should make the improvements at the airport a top priority, as well as making AoT management and other parties involved such as contractors, suppliers and designers accountable for the flaws at Suvarnabhumi.
Boonsong Kositchotethana is Deputy Assignment Editor (Business), Bangkok Post.
Here's a recent opinion piece in the good old Bangkok Post. We couldn't agree more.
Flaws at new airport need fixing
Boonsong Kositchotethana
Bangkok Post, 7 December 2006
More than two months have passed since the opening of Suvarnabhumi Airport on Sept 28, and it is a pity that many of the facility's drawbacks don't seem to be getting fixed. Unresolved problems which have irked travellers and those whose work evolve around the airport have grown in such magnitude that many are disgusted at the idea of going through, or working at, the airport. Judging from the hundreds of letters to newspapers and websites almost every day lamenting the hassles, and the news stories and editorials in many media detailing the airport's deficiencies and scandals, clearly not enough is being done to improve Bangkok's new international airport.
My recent personal visit to Suvarnabhumi served to confirm that little has indeed been done to correct the flaws, which unfortunately have given the facility a bad name internationally, rather than being the ''pride of Thailand''. There have been statements made by Transport Minister Theera Haocharoen and the Airports of Thailand Plc's (AoT) new board chairman Gen Saprang Kalayanamitr about the need to urgently address the problems, but the public has not seen any real action being taken.
It is a shame that some very easy fixes _ like enlarging display fonts, posting plentiful correct direction signs in locations where people can clearly see them, and adding more foreign languages such as Mandarin to the signage _ have not been carried out, even though these problems were identified well before the airport's opening. Many of the airport's restrooms are a disgrace to the country (which recently hosted the World Toilet Expo and Forum), with flushes not working properly, broken water taps, the absence of toilet paper and dirty, wet floors.
That is so much easier to tackle than building over 200 additional toilets at the airport, which AoT president Chotisak Asapaviriya has vowed to do, in the wake of scathing criticism from passengers and the public over the insufficiency of toilets there. It will take a while before these new toilets will be in service.
Several spots at the terminal are littered with rubbish discarded by construction workers and others working at the airport, due to the lack of cleaning and garbage collection. The area in front of the terminal has become extremely dirty, with cigarette butts and discarded chewing gum on the pavements. A poor welcome to a country.
Very poor lighting and the expanses of unpainted concrete make the terminal look so drab, and make working conditions for immigration officers difficult _ little wonder it takes so long for them to process passports. Poor lighting has also contributed to the recent spate of complaints from female employees on night shifts about being sexually harassed by construction workers and security guards. Why can't the AoT quickly install more lights where they are needed, and paint the walls and ceiling white to mitigate the problems?
Air-conditioning is another problem-plagued area which needs immediate attention, as it has been hot and sweaty on the top floor of the terminal and along the main walkways between terminal arms.
The public continues to put up with the lack of comfort, as the chairs there are only steel-framed with no padding, and cold!
One can witness the premature breakdown of the terminal's facilities. Lifts get stuck and the revolving doors at the terminal's entrances do not operate properly.
What I have dwelt on so far are just some of the fixes which can be done quicker than the mountains of bigger improvements, like widening the egress for arriving passengers and constructing more restrooms _ if the AoT is really serious about correcting the flaws.
It is good news that the AoT's new chairman, Gen Saprang, has ordered all relevant contracts, fraught with alleged widespread corruption, to be examined and made available for public vetting.
But as important as netting the crooks, Gen Saprang should make the improvements at the airport a top priority, as well as making AoT management and other parties involved such as contractors, suppliers and designers accountable for the flaws at Suvarnabhumi.
Boonsong Kositchotethana is Deputy Assignment Editor (Business), Bangkok Post.
posted by Bob Boonhod at 12/07/2006 12:57:00 AM
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