Thailand: AoT caves to furious travellers

Airports of Thailand (AoT) has vowed to expedite efforts to solve overcrowding at Don Mueang airport after it received a torrent of abuse from irate netizens over the weekend, and said it would add eight additional immigration counters by next month. "The number of immigration counters at the departure zone will be increased to 11 to accommodate passengers in line with the airport's third-phase development plan," said Wg Cdr Suthirawat Suwanawat, general manager of the airport. The pledge was given after passengers took to social media to vent their anger and frustration over the long queues that occurred from late Friday night until early Saturday morning. Many claimed they had to endure waits of nearly five hours to have their passports stamped. AoT president Nitinai Sirisamatthakarn said Monday the company is waiting for the Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand (CAAT) to approve its design plan to accommodate the extra arrival counters. The plan is likely to be approved late this month, he said. Work will be carried out next month to add the eight counters, which will almost double the passenger-handling capacity from 1,000 people per hour to 1,800 people, he said.<br/>