Travelling by day, you can easily spot dust on the high glass roof and walls, which,  no matter how much we love it, might not be the perfect material for Bangkok, where millions of vehicles emit black smoke, and dry weather raises the dust. Under such conditions, glass needs constant cleaning. How often is Suvarnabhumi going to get its cleaners harnessed up for the crystal climb? Weekly? Certainly not.

Last week in the airport, I was surprised to see that one of the floor tiles in the arrival area was cracked, only two months after the official opening. Even the tiles in Frankfurt are in better condition, and it has accommodated a great many more flights than Suvarnabhumi has, goodness knows. I suppose travel to Thailand just needs bigger bags than travel to Europe, so Suvarnabhumi's tiles get more of a pounding than Frankfurt's.

I will say I was impressed with the gigantic size of the passenger terminal, though it can't conduce to an intimate relationship between travellers and the paintings on the walls, in which Airports of Thailand invested more than Bt100 million: it's a long, brisk walk to immigration, and then the baggage-claim area is a cavern too. All this after hours on board doesn't put you in a receptive mood for art, however stunning.

achara_d@nationgroup.com