Taoyuan Airport uber alles

Travel Taiwan Travel
#1

Sigh - here we go again with another laughably unrealistic goal - to make Taoyuan airport one of the world’s top 10 airports within 3 years.

focustaiwan.tw/ShowNews/WebNews_ … &Type=aECO

They plan to hand out 600 questionnaires to passengers to find out what’s wrong with it! That’s less than 2 planeloads of people. I’m thinking if they are that stingy with the budget for questionnaires, what kind of improvements are they planning? A few more tables at Burger King? A glade air freshener in the smoking room?

#2

Decent bar.

Just ridiculous that there isn’t one. What sort of an airport is it where a chap can’t have a couple of snifters before boarding?

#3

[quote=“tomthorne”]Decent bar.

Just ridiculous that there isn’t one. What sort of an airport is it where a chap can’t have a couple of snifters before boarding?[/quote]
Well, they mention catering. I’m sure it won’t include anything as obvious as a bar, though.
They’re also talking about stopping filling the postitions there with retired airforce personnel and requiring new employees to be hired based on qualifications and experience. :roflmao:
That, of course, won’t happen either.
Actually, none of it will happen, as this whole thing is just for show. An attempt to make people think they’re actually going to DO something about the shit that goes on at the airport – partying on confiscated food and booze while on duty, that kind of thing. People are OUTRAGED, so a useless committee needs to be set up, and FAST, to do absolutely nothing.
Business as usual in good old touch-your-heart Taiwan. :unamused: :laughing:

#4

In Terminal 1 -the old one:

Please take the food court out of the basement. And change teh elevator for something that looks less than a loading dock at a very old factory.

There is a reason why employees buy biantang and there are people selling clothes there, giving the place an overall market feeling. For starters:

  1. Airport looks and feels like a warehouse. An ugly, messed up, dusty warehouse.

  2. There is nothing to eat at a decent price. Not everyone who is traveling is swimming in dollars and even if they did, they want to spend their money abroad. That is why they go to teh airport, not to be scalped. In a place with so many 7-11s, is it too much to ask? Can you give any better choices aside from BK and mystery meat?

  3. People work there more than 16 hours a day, could you please take them into consideration, too? maybe if they weren’t treated like machines, they would give the customers better service and hence enhance the airport’s image. Seeing that video of that pervert “having fun” with his female underling makes you understand why there is such an oppresive vibe to the place.

#5

[quote=“monkey”]Sigh - here we go again with another laughably unrealistic goal - to make Taoyuan airport one of the world’s top 10 airports within 3 years.

focustaiwan.tw/ShowNews/WebNews_ … &Type=aECO

They plan to hand out 600 questionnaires to passengers to find out what’s wrong with it! That’s less than 2 planeloads of people. I’m thinking if they are that stingy with the budget for questionnaires, what kind of improvements are they planning? A few more tables at Burger King? A glade air freshener in the smoking room?[/quote]

Mr. Chang undertakes to make Taoyuan Airport one of the top 10 in the world… or … let me guess, he will resign if that grand idea fails. :laughing:

I travel very frequently and I survive by going to the VIP room where I indudge on the free beer and other booze.

#6

That’s pretty much my complaint about every airport in the world.

Thank heavens for Burger Kings and Mickey D’s in airports: it’s about the only place you can get a reasonably priced meal in an airport.

To make CKS one of the Top Ten in the world, why not dismantle Singapore’s Changi brick by brick, ship it over to Taoyuan, and reassemble it there? Don’t forget to bring the staff over too.

#7

a food court on the other side of customs.

a bar with big screen TVs to kick back at.

something of interest for non-TWese to browse through or buy.

decent food in the lounges (if I want baochi and cold noodles I’d go to 7/11).

Jack Daniels at duty free (who fucking wants Jim Beam or Evan cocksucking Williams?)

a convenience store (they are everywhere else on the island). wait, is there one there now, or am I thinking of BKK? I have my flights out of TW timed so I spend as little time as possible from my door to my seat on the plane.

the best thing about Taoyuan is you can get checked in and through customs and security much quicker than other airports.

I have friends who live in Thailand and PI who transit through Taoyuan on BR and CI and they say it is the worst possible transit airport on the planet, and that there is absolutely fuck all to do. this comes back to my food court and shopping idea.

IMVHO this will be another classic TW aim for the stars on a ‘cost down’ budget epic failure.

#8

[quote=“Icon”]In Terminal 1 -the old one:

Please take the food court out of the basement. And change teh elevator for something that looks less than a loading dock at a very old factory.

There is a reason why employees buy biantang and there are people selling clothes there, giving the place an overall market feeling. For starters:

  1. Airport looks and feels like a warehouse. An ugly, messed up, dusty warehouse.

  2. There is nothing to eat at a decent price. Not everyone who is traveling is swimming in dollars and even if they did, they want to spend their money abroad. That is why they go to teh airport, not to be scalped. In a place with so many 7-11s, is it too much to ask? Can you give any better choices aside from BK and mystery meat?

  3. People work there more than 16 hours a day, could you please take them into consideration, too? maybe if they weren’t treated like machines, they would give the customers better service and hence enhance the airport’s image. Seeing that video of that pervert “having fun” with his female underling makes you understand why there is such an oppresive vibe to the place.[/quote]

I haven’t flown into Terminal 1 for many years. Presumably those cheerful “death to drug dealers” signs have gone already?

#9

The airport needs (among other things):

  1. A light rail link to the Big City, like Hong Kong, KL and San Francisco do. (Currently under construction.)

  2. Better decor. The airport looks like, as said before, a dusty warehouse. It needs art.

  3. Better escalators going up to the departure level. I always use the stairs because the escalator is narrow and blocked with “standers”, with no room for “walkers”.

  4. A better Duty Free shop. Their liquor selection is dismal. Hell, better shops in general, on both sides of customs/immigration. More choices for food and drink, more book/magazine/snack shops, etc.

  5. Someone to vet the ads so there are no more “Taiwan Velly Goo! Taiwan Number One! Go go go!” Chinglish ads.

  6. The corridors need to be wider. It feels cramped.

  7. Some agent at the immigration lines to hustle ROC citizens out of the non-citizen lines (and vice versa, though I’ve rarely seen that happen).

But what really needs to be done is for the airport terminals to be bigger.

#10

Sure, it’s going to be a failure. But probably not because they won’t pour tons of money into it – much of which will disappear into one of the developers’ cousins’ consultancies that supposedly specializes in internationalization services (i.e., running poorly written Mandarin texts through Dr. Eye to get “English”).

#11

There’s a shopping mall being built in between 1 and 3 which will connect the two terminals…once that’s up and running things will be better. A bit of a joke of an airport but yes it is one of the quickest in the world to get through!

#12

Ah…but no one has really nailed the real problem yet…and what really needs to be addressed at TaoYuan airport.

http://www.chinapost.com.tw/taiwan/national/national-news/2010/07/17/265029/Service-the.htm

Those bastards overcharging me for a bowl of beef noodles…glad they’re on it and going to sort this out pronto! :roflmao:

#13

If I got asked, maybe my first priority wouldn’t be the food, rest areas or shopping. Nor even having fast checkin, security checks or quick baggage retrieval.

I might really just ask for somewhere that’s safe to land. Seems the service life for the runways at the airport expired quite a while ago:

focustaiwan.tw/ShowNews/WebNews_ … &Type=aTOD

#14

Back in the day when I roamed the skies, Taoyuan already had a reputation for chabuduo.

The airport is being hit especially on TV news.Gosh, they only took away the front parking lot, why make such a fuss for having to walk 20 minutes?

#15

[quote=“Icon”]Back in the day when I roamed the skies, Taoyuan already had a reputation for chabuduo.

The airport is being hit especially on TV news.Gosh, they only took away the front parking lot, why make such a fuss for having to walk 20 minutes?[/quote]
Because that’s what people do. Huge kick-up in Edinburgh right now over plans to charge people a quid just to drop people off at the airport there.

#16

Yep could be worse…could be forced to fly through Heathrow or Madrid or Rome airport every time…shudder.

#17

I haven’t flown through Heathrow for more than 12 years, thank GOD! I’d willingly pay a bloody tenner for a kiss and ride to avoid that place.

#18

Hualian has to be the best airport in Taiwan. Bloody beautiful. :pray:

#19

Kaoshiung is not too bad, looks nice from the outside Hualian is indeed a lovely situated airport, it’s great watching the prop planes taking off and landing there. Taidong is very tropical feeling, palm trees waving in the breeze, as is Green Island’s airport…a lot of fun doing the hop in between!
Taichung’s airport is getting a big renovation now, it needs it as it is one of the worst airport terminals I have EVER been in, basically a barn. Getting a taxi from it involves standing outside on the pavement…with no order or signage. Their customs seems to be the strictest in Taiwan as most flights come in from China. A little known fact about Taichung airport, it is the biggest airport space-wise in S.E. Asia…it can take about 20 mins to taxi down one runway and up the other to the terminal…it’s basically a massive natural park inside. In fact I’m pretty sure it is the largest unspoilt plateau in Taiwan.

#20

it was intended for B52 bombers.