The automatic baggage handling system at Suvarnabhumi airport has been upgraded with more data-processing capacity in a move authorities believe will solve the problem of stranded luggage. Airports of Thailand (AoT) finished the system upgrade at noon yesterday, allowing passenger luggage to again be sorted automatically by the conveyor belt system.

The data-processing capacity was increased 2.5 times, said AoT president Chotisak Asapaviriya.

On Saturday, the system failed to read about 6,700 pieces of outbound luggage, resulting in luggage being stranded in the conveyor system.

Mr Chotisak said the problem was the system could not sort luggage quickly enough because bags from other countries were tagged with excessive information that overloaded Suvarnabhumi's system.

Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc’s global hotel brand Le Méridien Hotels & Resorts, continues to expand its presence in Asia Pacific with the signing of Le Méridien Suvarnabhumi Golf Resort & Spa, Thailand. Starwood Hotels & Resorts and Summit Windmill Golf Club Co., Limited announced the agreement to manage this brand new resort in Samut Prakan, just south east of Bangkok and approximately 3 miles from the new Suvarnabhumi International Airport of Bangkok, Thailand. This newly built resort, which will open in July 2008, will also be one of the first international upscale hotels to be built in the up and coming Suvarnabhumi area, where the new airport is located.

Suvarnabhumi Airport has received a passing grade in its first week of operation, but still has a long way to go before it can compete with world-class airports in Hong Kong and Singapore, international airline managers say.

Many executives were poised for the worst when the 125-billion-baht airport opened on September 28, expecting a host of baggage system malfunctions and computer glitches. But the problems turned out to be largely similar to those that airlines faced at the old Bangkok International Airport (Don Muang) right up until its closure.

"Before the opening, we were so worried about problems, particularly with the baggage system," said Seiichi Iwasaki, the Southeast Asia regional manager for Japan Airlines. "But it turned out to be okay, though there are still small problems."

Bangkok’s new international airport – Suvarnabhumi – opened officially on September 28th with the touchdown at 03:02 of a Lufthansa cargo plane.

The airport is set to become one of the world’s most important aviation hubs, and with Bangkok a key hub for flights to Europe, the Middle East, the Indochina region and the rest of Asia, the airport opening will have particular significance for travellers from Australia. In particular, it will open up new stop-over destinations in Thailand, such as Pattaya, which will now be just 1½ hours from Suvarnabhumi Airport.

Initially, Suvarnabhumi Airport is expected to handle up to 45 million passengers annually, based on two parallel runways with a total capacity of 76 flights per hour. Upon full completion, it will have four runways ankd passenger terminals capable of handling 100 million movements a year.

The rush to open Suvarnabhumi Airport on September 28 has taken its toll on premium passengers who have very limited access to a handful of lounges that were opened just in time but are not fully functional.

Only the lounges belonging to Thai Airways International, Bangkok Airways, Cathay Pacific and China Airlines came on stream in the departure area.

Two other lounges, for first- and business-class passengers, operated by privately owned Master Mind by Louis Tavern are also open, albeit not fully.

Although the basic amenities, including furniture, and food and beverages, are in place at the opened lounges, facilities such as wireless Internet, telephone and fax are not available. The hardware is installed but not yet operating.