The airport made headlines a few years back when there were clashes in Thailand's politics. The airport was held up illegally by the People's Alliance of Democracy, forcing airline services to stop. However, all is well now, and there is no imminent danger in visiting or transiting through Thailand.
Orientation and Experience
Suvarnabhumi Airport (pronounced sù-wan-ná-phūm) is a sprawling, one terminal airport that connects South-East Asia with pretty much the entire world. If you do decide to visit South East Asia, chances are that a transit will be made here, unless you decide to fly via Singapore.
Let's start with some criticisms first. My visit to Suvarnabhumi airport was because of a transfer; I was flying from Singapore to Amman, Jordan via Bangkok. The airport terminal, I found, was long. I don't mean long like regularly long. It was so long that my connecting flight was what it felt like kilometers away. It didn't really help that there was no where I could dump my rubbish, maybe that got me annoyed in the first place.
I had to dump that candy wrapper discreetly at a booth where they were giving out samples for a drink.
On the good side, despite it's apparent lack of receptacles in which one can place one's rubbish, the airport is clean and well maintained. The experience I had with airport staff is good, and they are helpful, but of course, remember to be nice and try not to like a vagrant, because airport staff are known to put you through hoops if you do so.
The interior left me with mixed reactions. While the many glass panels make it look eco-friendly and modern, the pillars were rather dreary because it was cement grey. It didn't help that at night, the lights were white, bringing out the dreariness of the pillars. But the little structures showcasing Thai culture and architecture (last I visited was in 2008) were a definite boost to the interior.
Ratings
Amenities = 6/10 (the rubbish bin thing was a turn-off for me)
Staff = 8/10 (kudos to the people of the land of a thousand smiles)
Atmosphere = 7/10 (painting the interior will help)
Comfort = 7/10
Total = 28/40 (70% - that's a Grade B for me)
Last words
Suvarnabhumi airport is not the bad place to be, but a few changes will surely put make it the best.
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