Phuket Airport Asleep at the Wheel?

While the mounting storm of controversy concerning foreign nominees, land rights and that elusive beach front land issue its important to take a step back and realize that the engine which makes Phuket tug along continues to be tourism and the service industry.

Perhaps the same consideration as is fueling a heated depart on property could be better directed to looking after our tourism industry and ensuring care, safety and international standards are in place which will ensure long term stability. Traveling often to Bangkok the past month it's been a pleasure to walk through the airport, no touts hassling you, get into a metered tax (paying a THB 50 baht surcharge) and arriving at your destination.

Returning to Phuket is like running a virtual gauntlet with taxi touts, guides, and hotel bookings and of course vacation ownership reps. Visitors are for the most part denied access to proper curbside metered taxis and concessionaires rule with prices well in excess of the norm. The same can be said for someone wanting to go from Patong to Laguna in a tuk tuk in what would cost well under THB 100 baht in a metered taxi in Bangkok costs THB 600-1000 here.

With tourists drowning almost every week perhaps the airport needs a spring cleaning, preventative information handed out about safe swimming and tourists lives saved instead of being jeopardized by taxi touts, jet ski operators and a number of other tourist scams.

If they can clean up Bangkok airport, why can't the same be done on this island? We are still targeting over 5 million visitors this year and instead of chasing the demons of nominees perhaps equal vigor should be applied to the tourism dollar meal ticket, which is the underpinning economic mother lode of destination Phuket.

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Couldn't agree more! i just posted this issue a few days ago at one of BKK Post articles. Phuket Airport is actually worse than Suvarnabhumi Airport has ever been talking about taxi, limousine, boat to phi-phi island etc. touts.

Regarding Suvarnabhumi Airport:

Arriving last week Wednesday at Suvarnabhumi Airport from Phuket and on my way to Starbucks at the Airport to meet a friend, i was approached twice and offered a taxi to Pattaya.

The people who approached me – actually they walked besides me like other travelers – did carry luggage like any other travelers arriving at the airport. Now the gang still operates disguised as normal travelers with luggage. One person had a bigger piece of luggage with trolley and the other one had just hand luggage only.

I informed security and pointed to this people! Security only smiled at me and walked away …. :)

Still a lot to be cleaned up it seems…

Klaus R. Rauter, 14 Sep 2009 | 5:55 pm

as a regular visitor to phuket 5times a year for 24 yrs i have just about had enough of the transport here. and why do they ask you how many passangers.think it is maby time to park somewhere nearby and walk

Brian, 11 Sep 2009 | 12:27 pm

The price of transport from the airport to Phuket Town, Karon, and other destinations is a rip-off, and does not reflect the cost for petrol, auto insurance, taxi licence, and reasonable profit for the providers.

It appears to be yet another example of 'if you can afford to fly to our island, you can afford to be overcharged'.

Hanuman, 10 Sep 2009 | 11:16 pm

The airport authority is also guilty of 'rip-off's' Last year the Airport Car Park cost was 50 Baht per day. Now it is 200 Baht per day. Why the big increase? I think to support the Taxi Mafia!

J. Haley, 10 Sep 2009 | 10:32 am

New wings planned, expansion but the current building is dirty, worn out, the escalators don't work., and haven't for yonks..Isn't the AOT ashamed of what it does to Phuket's image ? Of course the VIPS (policitians etc) arriving never notice any of the squalor because they arrive via different entrances and exits. There is almost nowhere to sit in the departure hall, its messy, dirty...

Ian, 10 Sep 2009 | 10:07 am