The Suvarnabhumni Airport is near completion and will open for operations soon. It was one of Thailand's biggest projects ever and is now Asia's largest airport. It is a fantastic infrastructure project that has cost more than 125 billion Baht.
Some questions are being left for travelers as the opening of the Suvarnabhumi Airport comes closer. Fisrt of all there are a lot of people who actually don't know that there is a new airport being used soon. Some past Thailand visitors might still think they will land at the old Don Muang Airport. The communication of Suvarnabhumi and its opening date have not always been good.

Even more importantly, the new Suvarnabhumi Airport is outside the city in the East. The way to go there is longer than to the old Don Muang Airport for most people. A ride can take up to 30 minutes with a taxi. So it is only clear that many people are inquiring about transportation possibilities. On many Internet forums you can see questions about tghis topic popping up.

So here are the choices travelers will have when landing in Suvarnabhumi Airport:

The most practical way, the soon to come Airport Express Train is not finished yet and will not be finished when the new airprt opens. It will be a hypermodern elevated train that will have a few stops in Bangkok at major hubs and will then go directly to the airprt withpout stopping again.

So what choices are there besides the train?

Taxis

Of course there are taxis. Taxis in Bangkok are cheap and widely available so this is a very viable option. As with the old Don Muang Airport, when you take a taxi at Suvarnabhumi Airport you will have to add a 50 surcharge to the rate from the taxi meter whic is a bout 1 Euro or a bit more than a US Dollar. There will be more than enough taxis always readily avalable. It is planned that 2500 trained taxi drivers will be available to travelers at Suvarnabhumi.

Car Rental
If you should prefer to have your own 4 wheels in Bangkok, you can hire a car right at the airport. After your trip is finished, just drive conveniently to the airport and bring the car back before going to your terminal.

Limousine Service

Also, as on the old airport, there will be a limousine service. This will be better cars including Mercedes and other luxury brands that have a chauffeur and will bring you to your hotel for a fixed price. This price is a bit higher than a public taxi but will normally not exceed 500 Baht.

Airport Express Bus
Airport Express Buses going to and from Suvarnabhumi Airport will bring travelers from the airport to the most popular tourist destinations in downtown Bangkok. The routes covered are Suvarnabhumi Airport to Banglampoo, Suvarnabhumi to Silom, from the airport to Vittayu Road and finally also to Hua Lam Pong. The latter is where Bangkok's main train station is at. The price for a ticket is 150 Baht.

Public Buses
There are public buses available but they are probably not advisable for the typical tourist. There are no special compartments for luggage. For travelers with little luggage or backpackers it migt be the cheapest option available. The public buses going to and from Suvarnabhumi Airport are all air conditioned. The buses that are availble at Suvarnabhumi are the following numbers:

549 (to Minburi-Bangkapi), 550 (to Happy Land), 551 (to Victory Monument by expressway), 552 (to On Nut BTS station), 552 (another 552 bus going to Pak Nam), 553 (to Samut Prakarn) and 554 (going from Suvarnabhumi airport to Rangsit)

Airport Shuttle Bus

There are 3 different routes within the boundaries of the airport that are operated. Every 3 minutes there is a bus going from the passenger terminals to the public transportation center. It goes from the bus terminal to the main terminal building East, then main terminal building West and then bus terminal again.
Every 5 minutes there is bus going from bus terminal to car rental and long-term parking, concourse A, then main terminal building East, main terminal building West, Concourse G, then free zone East and finally bus terminal again.
Also every 5 minutes there is an airport shuttle bus going from bus terminal to car rental and long-term parking F, long-term parking E, main terminal building West and then back to the bus terminal.

Also, there are special lanes for private cars to drop off or pick up passengers.

As you can see, the Suvarnabhumi Airport is well prepared for a huge amount of passengers and it will open on schedule atthe end of September 2006.
If you are coming to Bangkok soon, check your ticket or with your air company on what airport you are landing on.