Thailand Raising Fees For International Passengers to Pay for Corruption and Repairing Bangkok's New Airport

Over at Thailand Tattler:

A hefty increase in passenger service charges at airports run by the Airports of Thailand (AoT) went into effect quietly yesterday, as airlines questioned the justification for the move. The charge for international departure flights increased by 40% from 500 baht to 700 baht, and doubled for domestic flights, from 50 baht to 100 baht.

Airlines said the steep rises are unjustified when passengers are still putting up with poor service and facilities at the troubled Suvarnabhumi airport. Most of the problems which have annoyed many passengers, ranging from long waits for luggage to insufficient toilet facilities, poor air-conditioning and general uncleanliness, have not been tackled, they said.

The new fees for international departures at Suvarnabhumi and other AoT airports means passengers will be paying more than passengers do when they leave Singapore and Kuala Lumpur, and slightly less than Hong Kong.

This increase is bound to cause a commotion, especially, as mentioned above, that there are so many complaints about the conditions at Suvarnabhumi. And what will really make things worse is that the AoT has said that the increased charges are needed to pay for the repairs to the runways and other areas. So let’s get this straight if we can. The AoT makes a complete mess out of overseeing the construction of Suvarnabhumi (we’re assuming they had a lot to do with this project from its inception, but correct us if we’re wrong) and then wants airline passengers to pay for their mistakes by hiking up passenger fees. That should go over really well PR-wise. What a dumb thing to tell people