Bangkok Reports

[QUOTE=Wandere;1661099]Question for experts on Thai visa.

I am scheduled to fly to Phuket via Bangkok.

Do I have to get visa on arrival at Bangkok (First port of arrival) or can get at Phuket too.

The reason the time available between two flights is 90 Minutes, in which I have to get off the plane, get visa on arrival, security and have to board next plane.

Thanks in advance.

Cheers![/QUOTE]You always clear immigration in BKK, it is customs you do at the final destination if your luggage has been checked through.

Depends on your nationality if you need VoA.

[QUOTE=EthanHunt123;1661174]You will have to pass immigration to get onto Phuket flight. I think there is a seperate queue for connecting flights so it shouldn't be a issue. Just keep all the documents / money etc ready and rush once your first flight lands.[/QUOTE]That is correct. Immigration with direct connection to domestic departures after the security check.

[QUOTE=LAGuy5;1661044]Thai Airways used to give fast track coupons for business and first class passengers, but now all you need to use the fast track lane is your boarding pass (assuming you are flying business or first class). Because there are a couple of immigration areas, I get confused about exactly where the fast track lane is.[/QUOTE]One of the fast track lines is aside the Visa on Arrival, a sort of hidden access indeed. Depends from which wing you arrive BUTNT memory helps it might eve be in between the two main immigration halls. So you might always have to pass the access to one fo these. If you follow the signs Visa on arrival you will to fail.

Airlines now do seldom give the coupon so keep the business or first class tag of the boarding pass and show it. It suffices.

Thanks see. Let me try the "sprint" to city and back. .

[QUOTE=Carpaccio18;1660986]If you got 5 hours for the action, its not much but possible still. Takes you about hour from touch down until you can be in Sukhumvit area. A bit faster if you're between fights and don't need to pick up you luggage. Need to spare around 1 hour to get thru security if you don't need checking either on a stopover. You will probably need a taxi from the airport.

Depending on time of day several options are possible. But midday you can go to Eden on Sukhumvit Soi 7/1 and get a 2-girl 90 minute session for about 4000 bath. With the time you appear to have this could be possible.[/QUOTE]

[QUOTE=LAGuy5;1660980]In my experience two hours to get out of immigration / customs is a gross overestimate. At immigration the lines are not that long and rarely take more than fifteen minutes. If in a pinch one can purchase a pass to get through the expedited line (or arrive business class on Thai Air or some other carriers and it is free) and immigration then would take maybe five minutes at most. Baggage is usually delivered within about 20 or 30 minutes of arrival time, and customs consists of walking past some officers without stopping (unless they peg you as suspicious, which in about thirty trips they never have in my experience).

On the other hand, getting to the airport only one hour before departure may be cutting it a bit close, particularly if flying economy class on an airline that has long check-in lines.[/QUOTE]I am sorry, but I meant 2 hrs total. You are right that on the return leg 1 HR. May be too tight. Depending on the flight arrival time, immigration can be anywhere between 15 minutes to an hour. I have had both experience. Anyway the bottom line is the person has 2-3 hrs to go to the city, have a good time and get back. IMHO, it's not worth it even if it is doable.

[QUOTE=AsianGeek;1661193]Thanks see. Let me try the "sprint" to city and back. .[/QUOTE]I do sometime the sprint run landing at 3 pm and taking off at midnight. Leaving town at 9/9. 30 pm airport bound with or without boarding pass alewady in my hands. I just allow some 30 minutes extra if I need to check in baggage as need to recollect at the baggage locker service where I left it on arrival.

Not needed if my bags have already been checked through from my origin airport to final destination.

Have to say that flying business class gives some time saving advantages.

Plenty of offers and plenty of options during those hours in town.

[QUOTE=Duniawala;1661222]Anyway the bottom line is the person has 2-3 hrs to go to the city, have a good time and get back. IMHO, it's not worth it even if it is doable.[/QUOTE]Indeed 2-3 hrs is not worth and risky.

[QUOTE=BionicMan;1661188]One of the fast track lines is aside the Visa on Arrival, a sort of hidden access indeed. Depends from which wing you arrive BUTNT memory helps it might eve be in between the two main immigration halls. So you might always have to pass the access to one fo these. If you follow the signs Visa on arrival you will to fail.

Airlines now do seldom give the coupon so keep the business or first class tag of the boarding pass and show it. It suffices.[/QUOTE]That does jog my memory about fast track being next to Visa on Arrival. Thanks for the info.

Regarding airlines other than Thai, are you saying if they do not give out the fast track coupon, business class passengers can use fast track by showing their boarding pass irrespective of which airline they flew in on? I guess there are two levels of answer to this (1) whether officially only certain airlines are allowed to have their business class passengers go through fast track, and (2) irrespective of what the official rule is, whether the immigration officers just let any business class passenger through. I had always thought this was something only passengers from particular airlines were allowed to use, and indeed I was told this by a couple of flight attendants from the supposedly excluded airlines, but if the actual practice is to let any business class passenger use fast track, that would be something worth knowing (as I don't always fly Thai Airways into Bangkok).

[QUOTE=LAGuy5;1661383]That does jog my memory about fast track being next to Visa on Arrival. Thanks for the info.

Regarding airlines other than Thai, are you saying if they do not give out the fast track coupon, business class passengers can use fast track by showing their boarding pass irrespective of which airline they flew in on? I guess there are two levels of answer to this (1) whether officially only certain airlines are allowed to have their business class passengers go through fast track, and (2) irrespective of what the official rule is, whether the immigration officers just let any business class passenger through. I had always thought this was something only passengers from particular airlines were allowed to use, and indeed I was told this by a couple of flight attendants from the supposedly excluded airlines, but if the actual practice is to let any business class passenger use fast track, that would be something worth knowing (as I don't always fly Thai Airways into Bangkok).[/QUOTE]I fly Thai Airways all the time, only occasionally I land with Emirates. Always on business class. If I don't get the voucher I show the boarding pass. Voluntary, kind of not giving them the option, as if I know my way. Was once asked for the coupon (shown the fast track one by the agent) and I have shown the boarding pass in a polite but assertive way.

There is seldom people on line, so even in the unlikely case of not being legitimate you are not doing any harm.

I would then say option 2 is the case.

[QUOTE=Duniawala;1661222]Anyway the bottom line is the person has 2-3 hrs to go to the city, have a good time and get back. IMHO, it's not worth it even if it is doable.[/QUOTE]If someone wants to have fun in Thailand, have a proper stopover. I always stop in Bangkok for at least a day or 2 minimum, if flying in the general direction (which is 90% of the time). Can't see any reason to ever do otherwise. A very short stop is super dumb unless you have a completely different agenda.

I hate to ever fly more than a 11 hour stretch in one go anyway. Its possible, but why do it if it can be avoided?

Know your rights if a policeman stops you in Bangkok.

[URL]http://www.richardbarrow.com/2014/12/know-your-rights-if-a-policeman-stops-you-in-bangkok/[/URL]

Does anybody know where to post stuff about BKK in gerenal?

[QUOTE=Zahle;1661625]Does anybody know where to post stuff about BKK in gerenal?[/QUOTE]The BKK or general threads would be 2 possibilities.

[QUOTE=Aviator12;1661132]My last night in Bangkok I had an interesting experience in Spankys in Nana Plaza. I was there with a girl I had barfined from Soi Cowboy. We did some barhopping and ended up at this particular bar were spanking is the "theme" but they also have a shower in there. In comes a bunch of guys in their twenties. Just regular guys having a good time. After a while one of them takes his clothes off and join the naked girl in the shower. The girl seems to be happy and she starts gyrating against him and work her magic. After some time she moves on to give the guy a blow job. The guy plays along and do not seem to be bothered even his member is fully erect. The girls on stage are cheering and even the audience seems to enjoy the show. It was the closest to a live show I ever saw in Bangkok. Does this happens in other bars? I have seen some explicit pussy licking at several bars in Pattaya butnever in Bangkok. Can any of the forum members fill in with similar experience from Bangkok? Everybody in the bar was happy and it was all for good fun, but what would happen if the couple continued to full sex? Would the bar allow it? The girl that was with me refused to look because she felt it was "over the top" even she does nude shows herself at her bar![/QUOTE]That is a nice show. I would hope that this girl got some nice tips not just from the guy and his group of buddies but from the other patrons as well.

I'd even leave a little tip for the mamasan.

[QUOTE=LAGuy5;1661383]Regarding airlines other than Thai, are you saying if they do not give out the fast track coupon, business class passengers can use fast track by showing their boarding pass irrespective of which airline they flew in on? I guess there are two levels of answer to this (1) whether officially only certain airlines are allowed to have their business class passengers go through fast track, and (2) irrespective of what the official rule is, whether the immigration officers just let any business class passenger through. I had always thought this was something only passengers from particular airlines were allowed to use, and indeed I was told this by a couple of flight attendants from the supposedly excluded airlines, but if the actual practice is to let any business class passenger use fast track, that would be something worth knowing (as I don't always fly Thai Airways into Bangkok).[/QUOTE]The correct answer is (1). Most legacy carriers (confirmed list: AF, BR, CX, EK, JL, KE, KL, LX, MH, NH, QF, QR, SQ, UA) give out priority lane cards to their business class passengers onboard; for a few lower priced ones (Austrian, Finnair and Turkish come to mind), their ground service rep at the end of the air bridge have them, but only hand them out on request. For the rest (DL, many regional carriers eg. VN, most Chinese ones, etc.), no fast track.

Only Thai Airways business class boarding passes qualify for fast track.

That said, I once had a rather enterprising seatmate who talked his way through it (directly with the immigration official); I tried the same without success; my Austrian business class boarding pass didn't help.

For first class, if you get a priority card on board, don't fill it out and keep it for next time as your escort will take you through the VIP lane without having to show the card. Actually, never fill out those cards; the immigration staff couldn't care less, and if the regular lanes are empty that allows you to keep it for when that upcoming flight in economy.

As for the fast track booths, there is a main area in the middle between the two normal immigration areas, but one can also use the 2nd booth on the rightmost of the normal areas (1st one is diplomats' lane, 3rd one families with small children and seniors, IIRC).