Take Suvarnabhumi Airport.

Despite much-heralded problems - which are still not entirely fixed - the airport is still operational, and those airlines returning to Don Muang are not doing so because of safety concerns.

Does that mean the problems are not as serious as some people made them out to be?

Or take Don Muang Airport. At first, Airports of Thailand (AOT) planned to reopen it just for domestic flights. Then the Cabinet approved reopening it for both domestic and international flights.

But then after protests from foreign airlines, the services were scaled back to only domestic flights.

However, Kulya Pakakrong, AOT's acting president, yesterday said Don Muang could extend its services to international flights.

Can we ask here if we have any long-term national aviation development plan?

Or maybe we do, but the plan is constantly subject to changes - like other things in our society.

The reopening of Don Muang is just another bag full of surprises.

Another surprise concerns the special fee for taxis taking passengers from the airport.

When Suvarnabhumi Airport was about to open and the former government vowed to clear out the taxi mafia, I was hopeful that the special Bt50 fee that passengers had to pay at Don Muang would be scrapped. All taxis would be able to pick up the passengers at the new airport at will, and passengers would pay according to the meter, just like anywhere else in the world.

But not so. To date, we are charged Bt50 extra beyond the fare if we summon a taxi from the airport. And now that Don Muang is to be reopened, the system there will also be revived. So far, passengers have received no explanation as to why they must pay extra. In return for what?

Can we expect greater convenience in calling taxis at the airport?

Actually, it is more convenient at Suvarnabhumi than at Don Muang, due to the higher number of routes and better traffic management. Moreover, taxis are always in the queue, waiting for their turn to pick up passengers.

But I don't see why we should be charged extra when such a convenience is what all airports around the world are offering free of charge.

At foreign airports, which are usually about a half-hour ride from the city centre, I have never been charged extra for taxi service to the city centre.

As such, the extra fare should be enlisted as another of Thailand's wonders, awaiting all who land at our airports.

achara_d@nationgroup.com