The Suvarnabhumi Airport, pronounced "su-wa-na-poom", opened recently in September 2007 and replaced the overloaded and aging Don Muaeng International Airport. The name was given by H.M. the King Bhumibol Adulyadej which means "The Golden Land", referring to the continental Indochina as "Golden Peninsula" or "Golden Land" is a traditional name for the Thailand-Cambodia-Laos-Burma region. It is located in Racha Thewa in the Bang Phli district of Samut Prakan province, 30 kilometers east of Bangkok. The advantage of the new airport is the availability of space. At a size of 563,000sq m, Suvarnabhumi’s terminal building is the largest in the world and can cope with 45 million travelers a year. Also, the newly constructed 4-5 lane roads that lead to the airport reduced a part of endless traffic jams around the old Don Muaeng airport.
 

The new airport

Other than the Don Muaeng Airport which has 3 terminals and 3 floors, the new Suvarnabhumi Airport is a one terminal seven-story building with 7 concourse buildings. At its opening, there weren't enough clear signs which led to a lot of confusion. But the airport has been re-organized making it now very easy to move around and find one's way; even for first time visitors.

The seven floors

The 7 concourse buildings (from A to G) are connected to the passenger terminal. The combined area of the concourse buildings and the passenger terminal stretches over 563,000 square meters, whereas the area of the Don Muaeng Bangkok International Airport (Terminals 1&2) totals 321,166 square meters. The concourse buildings are made of glass and a special synthetic material, design in a very modern and fancy way. Passengers can walk to the concourse buildings from the terminal complex via the concourse building D, which is directly connected to the terminal complex.

Restaurants and Money

The new Suvarnabhumi Airport offers a lot of fast-food chains, Thai and Chinese restaurants, bars and other food and beverage outlets. They can be found throughout the airport, but mainly on the 6th level. There is also a Thai food court located on the Departures Area (level 4), offering a wide range of different kind of street food to a fair price. Duty-free shopping options are plentiful, as are shops specialized in Thai products and handicrafts; and stands that sell clothing, jewellery and gift items. For visitors that care about their budget, it is advised to buy alimentation and drinks in at the 'Family Mart' where prices are not subject to any kind of extra-charges.
ATM, Banks and exchange counters are located in arrival area and most of them operate on a daily basis for 24h. The exchange rates are, for some cases, better than those in other countries.

Note: The annoying 500 Baht per person Passenger Service Charge which had to be paid for every departure from the old Don Muaeng Airport is now, fortunately, included in the price of your flight ticket. However, for all domestic flights there is a 60 Baht tax which is paid at the check-in.

Leaving the airport and getting around

Once you enter the arrival area (red dot on the picture below) you can find various information desks that can help you out. Hotels, Limousines or Car Rentals can be registered there. If you don't need all of this and just want to get a taxi, walk outside to find the waiting drivers ready to take you to you desired location. There is a 50 Baht (1.2 USD / 1 Euro) supplementary fee for hiring a Taxi at the Airport. Unfortunately, the train that connects the airport with the city is not available yet. It is scheduled to run in 2009.