Phuket Airport on Saturdays

[Coolhand]

Well I arrived at Phuket at 11:30am on the Saturday before Christmas, and we landed behind two or three big charter flights from Scandinavia (I was on a full wide bodied airbus). The queues for immigration were very long, but to give the thais their due, almost every immigration desk was manned. Got through immigration, and then had to wait for the baggage handlers to finish unloading other aircraft before getting to ours. All in all, it wasn't too bad about an hour from disemabarking to clearing customs.
Going out on Saturday morning two weeks later, arrived at the airport to be confronted with three long queues for baggage screening, that went quite smoothly, negotiated myself passed the queue for a scandinavian charter that was the length of the check in hall, and to Dragonair check in, three desks no queue. Joined one of the eight queues for immigration, and then security. From taxi to smoking lounge 35 minutes, not bad at all.
I was impressed with the number of immigration staff on hand to handle all the people.
International departure lounge at Phuket has been extended. Gone is the little shoe box smoking room by gate 11 - it is now an open air terrace overlooking the front of the airport.

[floppy]

for the number of travellers who pass inbound and out of phuket and the size of the airport I have found things move along fairly smoothly ..but in saying that when things back up on them you can be in for a bit of a wait.

[palaceboy]

I have never in all the years I have been coming to Phuket had any delays in the airport, not with immigration or baggage.
I find it's a smooth operating airport for the size and number of passengers coming through.