One of the most common questions we have been receiving recently in our mailbox and at the ThailandQA.com forums is how to go from the new airport at Suvarnabhumi to Pattaya. I had been planning to pay a return visit to the airport ever since people have been telling us about the limousine scams. Basically, what happens is that when you pass through Immigration and Customs and come out into the arrival lounge, you are accosted by this mob of people who want you to take their so called taxi to your destination. If you ask about public taxis they often say that there isn’t any. Back in April, the Airport Authority of Thailand announced that they will move the public taxis up to the second floor so that it is on the same level as the arrival lounge. Also in the newspaper recently, there were reports of security cracking down on unauthorized tour agents at the airport. I decided to head over there this afternoon to do some undercover work for our sister blogs at BangkokScams.com. I wanted to know whether the situation had improved.

I dressed up to look like a passenger who had just gotten off the plane. I even took along a small backpack to complete the image of a tourist. When you come out of customs you have a choice of turning left or right. On both sides you will pass through crowds of waiting people. My plan was to go in one of these exits, walk around and then walk out the other exit to make it look like I had just arrived in Thailand. They have security at these exits and you are not really supposed to walk through. However, I avoided eye contact and just kept walking. Usually works. In this no-man’s-land I saw some new signs which clearly said which direction to go for public taxi, airport express and shuttle bus. I then walked out the opposite exit. To my surprise, there wasn’t one single taxi tout. There only people waiting were people holding signs with names on and members of the public. Looks like there had been a clean up after all.

There a number of different ways to go to Pattaya. I first wanted to check out the taxi. The newspaper had said that the public taxi would be moved to the second floor by now so I made my way outside. Straight away it was “Hello sir. Where do you want to go?” I said Pattaya and they replied, “No problem sir. Only 2,600 baht!” I told him that was expensive. I asked about the public taxis but he wasn’t interested to help. So, I just kept walking. The problem is, once you stop for one tout, then the rest of the vultures start to circle and swoop. The average price for the limousine service to Pattaya seemed to be about 1,400 baht. However, one shady guy went as far as 800 baht as I was walking away. I asked him why so cheap and he said that Pattaya was his home town and he wanted to go home!

Back inside the arrival lounge, I decided to ask for help. I knew of course that the public taxis were on the level below. But, I wanted to see how much help I would get. I went up to a security guard and asked him where the public taxis were. He correctly told me to keep walking towards the escalators and then go down to level one. At least one honest person. There were a few signs around pointing the way, but I still saw other tourists looking lost and trying to find their way. Downstairs I went up to the official counter for the public taxis. This is the place where you have to pay a 50 baht surcharge. I asked if I could go to Pattaya by taxi. He said yes and that it would be 1,400 baht. I said that was a bit expensive and could I go to Pattaya by bus. He said yes, but I would have to take a taxi into Bangkok first. I asked him if there was any buses to Pattaya from the airport. He again said no and that I need to go to Ekamai bus station. Of course that was a complete lie.

Again, I knew very well how to get to the bus terminal at the airport. But, I wanted to pretend I was a tourist fresh off the boat. Up in the arrivals lounge there were two signs for buses. One said “Airport Express” and the other “Airport Shuttle”. Not too clear which one is which. So, I went to the desk for Airport Express which is next to the taxi rank. They provide a bus service into Bangkok for 150 baht each. I asked the lady on duty where I can catch a bus to Pattaya. She said she didn’t know and suggested I asked the security guard. Which I did and he said I needed to get on the Shuttle Bus back up on level 2 to the bus terminal at the airport. So, up I went to the arrival lounge again and then outside where I had to deal with the limousine drivers again. At first they didn’t want to help me find the shuttle bus stop, but in the end they did help me. Actually, they are easy to find. There are stops at each end of level 2 and also in the middle.

The ride to the bus terminal only took about ten minutes. Make sure you take the express bus and not the ordinary one. The former is not only quicker but has room for your luggage too. At the bus terminal there were buses for destinations inside Bangkok and also other cities. Walk to the far end where you will see bilingual signs above the coaches. The orange ones are for other cities in the country. The ticket office there has a big sign for a company called The Transport Ltd. I asked about Pattaya and they told me there was a bus about to go in ten minutes. How much? Only 106 baht! A big difference to my first quoted price of 2,600 baht for a limo. They have buses going at 6.30 a.m., 9 a.m., 1 p.m., 5 p.m. and 8.30 p.m. I was about to walk away when I noticed another sign in the same window for a different company called Pattaya Bus. These had buses at 8 a.m., 11 a.m., 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. There is a 7–Eleven here if you arrive at the wrong time. I bought some hot dogs and sat and waited to see if the Pattaya bus would leave on time. While I waited, some public buses from Bangkok came and went. They were going to other destinations like Chonburi but I guess there would be some for Pattaya too. The disadvantage about these buses is that they all looked full. However, the private buses I mentioned before started at the airport and were empty.  I think if you have a two hour wait then don’t rush to buy your ticket from the private company. Wait and see if a public bus comes and then pay the driver.

From the Airport to Bangkok

For most people heading to Bangkok, the easiest and most convenient method is by public taxi. Don’t be fooled by the people that come up to you asking where you are going. They are more often than not private limousine companies. On average, they will charge about 900 baht for a trip into Central Bangkok. It will be cheaper for you if you take the escalater down one floor and then out to where the public meter taxis are waiting. There is more than one taxi rank, and if the nearest one has a long queue, then just walk a few minutes to the next one. There is a desk here where you are expected to pay a 50 baht surcharge. Tell them where you want to go. If you want to go into Bangkok, then insist that the taxi uses the meter. Say to the taxi driver in Thai “bert meter”. For longer distances, it is common to negotiate a price. For example, to Pattaya it is about 1,400 baht. Some taxis into Bangkok don’t want to put on the meter. They might ask for something like 500 baht. It is actually against the law for them to carry a passenger without using the meter. They have been fined by the police in the past. A trip into Bangkok would cost you at least 250 baht on the meter – this includes the surcharge and the 40 baht tollway if you go that way. It shouldn’t be more than 350 baht. Though that depends a lot on the traffic.

Another alternative from the same floor are the Airport Express buses. These run on four set routes for a fare of 150 baht per person. This is alright if you are alone and the bus passes near your hotel. But, two or three people with not a lot of luggage are advised to share costs of using a public taxi. The three Airport Express Routes are as follows:

AE1 Suvarnabhumi – Silom Rd. (by expressway)
AE2 Suvarnabhumi – Khao San Rd.(by expressway)
AE3 Suvarnabhumi – Central World via Sukhumvit Rd.
AE4 Suvarnabhumi – Hua Lamphong Train Station via Victory Monument

The final method is by normal public buses. It is the cheapest method at only 35 baht ($1) however, it is more inconvenient. You will need to catch a free shuttle bus back up on the arrival lounge floor. This then takes you the short distance to the bus terminal in the airport. Here you will find regular buses into Bangkok. One of them even goes past my house in Samut Prakan.  The bus routes are as follows:

549 Suvarnabhumi-Minburi-Bangkapi via Seri Thai Rd.
550 Suvarnabhumi-Happy Land
551 Suvarnabhumi-Victory Monument (by expressway)
552 Suvarnabhumi-Khlong Toei (Customs Dept.) via Onnut BTS station
552A Suvarnabhumi-Samut Prakarn (Praeksa Garage)
553 Suvarnabhumi-Samut Prakarn (Crocodile Farm Garage)
554 Suvarnabhumi-Rangsit via Don Mueang and Ram Indra Rd. (by expressway)
555 Suvarnabhumi-Rangsit via Don Mueang and Central Plaza LadPhrao (by expressway)
556 Suvarnabhumi-Bangkok Southern Bus Terminal via Democracy Monument and Khaosan Rd.(by expressway)
557 Suvarnabhumi-Wong Wian Yai (The Great Circle)
558 Suvarnabhumi-Central Plaza Rama II
559 Suvarnabhumi-Future Park Rangsit via Dream World (by expressway)

Unless you are familiar with bus routes, I would advise you to go by public meter taxi. Just make sure you make a note of the details of the taxi driver. To the left of the front windscreen, on the inside, is the name of the driver in English and Thai and also his registration number. This could be useful later if you forget something in the taxi or you have a dispute with the driver regarding the fare.If you can wait two years, there will also be an Airport Link train with its own station in the basement of the airport.

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