December 18th, 2010
Bangkok Airport Tax Free Shopping
What Do You Do During A Long Flight Layover?
If you are a regular traveler, you should be very familiar with overseas layovers. Non-availability of direct flights is the core reason behind layovers. For example, there are no unbroken flight-routes from Hawaii to Bangkok, Thailand. You will have to deviate and go through either Japan, Korea, or Taiwan.
Most travelers try to reach destinations during day-time, but the delay is unavoidable. Sometimes you only have to suffer short breaks between flights. If it is a half an hour or one hour break, you will not get enough time to do anything serious. Actually, most of the travelers prefer short layovers to get over that lazy feeling during traveling.
This will not be the case when you have to wait for a much longer time. You must find something interesting, or something which can keep you engaged, or else it will be extremely boring and irritating. We can look at some of the options available beforehand with which you can keep yourself busy.
You can avail the airport’s Internet wireless connection, if you have a laptop in your hand with the necessary requisites. The facility is not free of cost, but you only have to pay about 10 U.S. dollars for 24 hour Internet access. There will be reasonable speed for the connection, and you can use the break for chatting or checking email.
With enough miles in your disposal, and if you are qualified to access the airline lounges, you can actually make your delay an excellent time-pass. These lounges in Asia are expecting businessmen, and have all the comforts you need. The facilities on offer include TV, free Internet access, food and drink (including adult beverages), newspapers, and excellent seating arrangements. If you are interested in sleeping, you can actually inform the hostess what time you should be woken up. Some lounges even provide capabilities for showering.
Don’t worry if you are not qualified to make use of the lounge, because there are quality shopping arrangements available. There is an abundance of duty free shops where you can buy alcohol, perfume, cigarettes, and some costly brand name supplies at a tax-free deduction.
Don’t forget to ensure that you can bring the liquids on your consecutive flights. If you forget about any of the security arrangements, you can retrieve your luggage and transfer it to stowed baggage. If you are willing to spend some money, you can taste some of the regional cuisine at the airport.
You can also purchase at some of the small shops spread throughout the airport, and receive some gifts at moderate prices. Small boxes of candy or snacks can be bought for less than 10 dollars. Almost every one of these little shops possesses a wide range of snacks and drinks. Drinking alcohol is not recommended, but keeping hydrated is extremely necessary. Bottled water can be ideal for this. It is available at the shops or in the vending machines that are present in big numbers.
Spending long periods of time at the airport can be extremely taxing for you. But with the opportunities on offer before you, you can convert the delay into an enjoyable time. In the present circumstances, maybe the right thing to do is to sincerely search for flights with the shortest layover time. Such breaks during travel can dampen your spirits during a vacation tour. So be careful before you boarding a flight.
Launched in Hong Kong on 26 October 2006, Oasis Hong Kong Airlines pioneers a fresh approach to flying. We are now flying daily between Hong Kong, London and Vancouver.
Bangkok duty free thieves malaysian
http://teakdoor.com ‘Gift’ lands man in Bangkok lock-up
New Straits Times
2009/03/26
BANGKOK: A retired Malaysian pensioner’s maiden visit to Bangkok turned into a nightmare when he ended up in a police lock-up — all because of a presumed gift cigar packet.
The 58-year-old former high-ranking government officer was detained by security guards at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi International Airport on March 1 while waiting to board an AirAsia flight to Kuala Lumpur.
News of his detention at a police station in Rachatewa and the attempts by family members and the Malaysian embassy to get him freed have been spread in blogs and through emails in Malaysia over the past few days.
A Malaysian embassy official here said the man and his wife had stopped at a duty-free shop to buy cartons of cigarettes and chocolates during a holiday in Thailand.
“The wife was given a gift for her purchase of chocolates.
“After the husband paid for his cigarettes, he saw a small pack of cigars on the carton but put it aside.
“However, the wife thought that it was a gift too and asked her husband to put it in their bag,” the official said.
“After the couple left the counter, another foreigner asked the cashier for a cigar pack which he had left at the counter.
“Suspecting something amiss, they checked the CCTV and trailed the couple to the boarding gate,” added the official.
He said embassy officials met the pensioner at the police station and tried their best to get him released.
The man’s brother-in-law arrived the next day to bail him out.
After much persuasion from embassy officials and family members, the police gave him two options — either seek a lawyer to fight his case or pay an “administration fee” of 150,000 baht.
“The police officer who recorded the statement assured them it was legal.
“We left the matter to the family to decide, and they finally agreed to pay after the amount was reduced to 100,000 baht,” he said.
The official dismissed reports in some blogs that claimed the money was divided by several policemen in their presence, adding that the pensioner was taken to the court on the third day where he pleaded “guilty without intention” and was asked to pay a nominal fee of 2,000 baht.
“Our officials were with him until he boarded the flight to Kuala Lumpur.
“We even made sure all his records were cleared by the court, duty-free shop and immigration,” said the official.
