Catching a Cab in The Bangkok Airport Couldn’t Be Easier
When I get to a new country, after I clear customs and collect my luggage, my first concern is getting from the airport to the hotel. The amount of stress this causes me varies considerably from country to country. But the first time I visited Suvarnabhumi airport in Bangkok, back in 2001, catching a cab was difficult. Once you entered the arrivals area, you were set upon by touts. And the most confusing part is they all had uniforms on so you’d think they’re there to help you. They weren’t. They were promoting some form of overpriced taxi service. If you made it past the touts outside to the curb and found a taxi, there was no meter so you had to haggle for a price.
But now, catching a cab in the Bangkok Airport couldn’t be easier. I was just there and documented the whole process for anyone who might be interested.
People may approach you in the airport but getting a metered taxi is easy. Ignore anyone offering you a taxi in the airport. Instead, go down to level one. From there you’ll follow the signs out the front door. Then more signs directing you to the right. There will be a well-marked queue of people waiting by the curb where there is a kiosk. When I was there, they had staff to help you but the process is incredibly simple.
1. Approach the kiosk.
2. Wait for the green signal.
3. Press the button.
4. Take the ticket.
5. Go to the parking space number printed on the ticket.
6. Wait for taxi driver to pull into the spot.
7. Show driver address of hotel.
This may seem obvious to seasoned travelers, but in addition to the name of the hotel you should have the address (in Thai). And you should also have the phone number of the hotel. In my case, even with the address the driver didn’t know how to get there. That happened a lot to me in Thailand.
When getting a taxi back to the airport from the hotel, make sure you know which Bangkok airport you are going to since there are two. The big, international airport is Suvarnabhumi.
