Surprising as it may be, given the many construction delays that plagued the Airport Link, everything about the operational start-up of the train service linking Suvarnabhumi Airport to the city seems to be on schedule. In an announcement released today on the government information site, MCOT, the State Railway announced that check-in services for flights will be available for the Airport Express service at the Makassan City Terminal, starting from 4 January 2011.
The airlines to offer check-in services are Thai Airways, Bangkok Air and Lufthansa. More airlines are said to be interested, but don’t expect the budget carriers to be among them. The new services mean that you can check your luggage and receive your boarding pass at the city terminal, then board the train for the short ride to the airport, where you can proceed directly to your departure gate. The express service will cost 150 Baht, effective on 4 January 2011 as well.
The announcement also noted that at present, the City Line service carries approximately 40,000 passengers a day, while the Express service carries 800 to 900 people per day. Having used the City Line a few times, I can vouch for the fact that it gets very crowded, between penny-pinching travelers and students from the university next to the airport.
Lastly, the release stated that a connection between the Petchburi subway station and the City Terminal is planned.