Airport revamp takes off

Global recession has sent tourism into a tailspin but it also launched a clean-up to get Bangkok’s terminal flying higher in the global airport ranking.

The first place you will feel the new mood is in the seat of your trousers. Suvarnabhumi Airport is unholstering 19,000 seats so passengers wait on cushions rather than cold metal.

Wi-Fi is also being extended at the airport, which has already installed 126 internet kiosks, and 50 more security cameras will be keeping an eye on the arrivals area.

The police have also rounded up 1,200 in a cleanup on touts and taxi drivers with ‘broken meters’ who charge extortionate fares.

The goal is to have the airport in the top ten in the Airports Council International’s world by the year-end.

Suvarnabhumi has soared from 40th position in 2007 to 28th last year. But it is still way behind its regional rivals of Seoul, Singapore and Hong Kong, reigning at ACI’s top three spots.