Chaotic Experiences during Recent SQ 801 Flight Delay

I was a big fan of Singapore Airline (SIA). In my many years of travelling throughout Asia, Europe and North America, I started with many different airlines. Eventually, Singapore Airline has convinced me that they provide the best services, comfort and reliability. When I started working in my current company, I have even convinced my business admin manager to use Singapore Airline as our main airline for all business trips.

However, my recent private trip to Beijing with my family members has left me with a doubt on whether I have advocated a correct airline.

The experience started on 9th Sept after a very good but exhaustive trip to Beijing with my wife and two young children. We reached the Beijing airport before 2pm and checked in smoothly for the SQ 801. The flight was scheduled to take off at 4.00pm. At about 3.30pm, we heard an announcement that the flight would be delay due to some technical problems. No deadline on when the flight would be taken off was announced. This was normal and expected since the engineers were trying hard to resolve the problem. At about 4.30pm, the ground crews were distributing newspapers, beverages and sandwiches. The assistant station manager, Mr. Marvin Ho, was making his round to assure passengers that it was a very small technical issue. He also explained that since SIA was very concern on safety and would not allow flight to take off even when the issue was very small. This was very comforting.

Eventually, at 6.00pm, we were allowed to board the plane. However, after settling down, the pilot announced that there were still technical problems that the engineers needed to resolve. Sometime later, we were informed that we might need to leave the plane as the engineers still could not solve the problem. We waited again for the ground crews to prepare our disembarkation.

The chaos started after we disembarked the plane. We did not know where to go, what to do or what was expected ahead of us. We did not even know what options we have or whether we were able to get back on a flight on the same day. The ground crew along the way did not know anything as well and could not answer any of our questions. They could only advise us to follow the group. This was frustrating as we were feeling like a group of blind people following a blind.

We were eventually led to a place where we were to collect our checked-in luggage. There were so many people crowding around the luggage and not enough trolleys going around. There were however a line of trolleys near the luggage area but were chained. The ground crew could not unchain them. Hence there were passengers that were left without any trolleys. When we reached the luggage holding place, only parts of the luggage were in place. There was still a lot of luggage not brought in yet. We wasted our time going through the place to locate our luggage; just to find that there were not brought in yet. We did not understand why we were led to the luggage holding place when the luggage was not ready for collection.

The assistant station manager, Mr Marvin Ho, was busy arranging for the Raffle class and first class passengers to take the next flight. All the economic class passengers were being sidelined. We did not have any information on what to do next. Some passengers were questioning Marvin. He brushed them aside angrily saying that he could not do anything if they kept asking questions.

We were then led to the check-in area. By this time, it was already round 7.30pm. On the way to the check-in area, I overheard an old Chinese lady asking a ground crew for a phone so that she could make a call to her son in Singapore to inform him that the flight was delay. However, the ground crew told her that he did not have any phone for her to make phone call. I pitied the old lady thinking that her poor son might be waiting for her and worrying for her for the whole night if she could not inform him on time. I decided to lend her my mobile phone. I was disappointed that the ground crew could not provide such help to a poor old lady. I was sure that such phone call would be provided free for the passengers that were strand by delayed fight. However, nobody from the crew announced such service. This was another disappointment that such a reputable airline lack behind.

We were held at the check-in area knowing neither what to do nor what options we have. Marvin Ho was talking to a small group. When I realised that and joined in the discussion, I found that we do have some options as follows:

1. To wait until the problem of SQ801 is fully resolved and take the flight back. However, no assurance when the problem will be resolved. It might be 2am or 5am or never. Who knows?

2. To take the next flight (SQ821) that is leaving before midnight. However, the vacancies were reserved for the first and Raffle class passengers and the few fortunate ones. By the time we knew about this option, the flight was fully booked. Hence this option was just to piss us off. Poor economic class passengers, you are just nobody. Who cares?

3. To take the earliest next morning flight (SQ811) at 8.45am which might still have some vacancies. However, this is on a first come first serve basic.

These discussions were only conducted to a small group of people that could understand English. Most of the passengers just stood around without knowing what was happening. I do not understand why such options could not be provided in the plane before disembarkation. The announcement could also be given in both Chinese and English. I also do not understand why no body announced what we should do and expect in the plane before disembarkation. Doesn’t SIA have hired a lot of highly intelligence people?

Those people that took option 1, they left the airport to their hotel after long wait.

For those that aimed for option 3, we were told to queue at counter 16 and counter 15. We waited for more than 1 hour and found that the queues were not moving at all. The same people in the front of the queues were still there. We were then told to move to counter 13 and 14 as another airline was using these counters. In one of these queues, there was a handicap westerner that was wheelchair bounded. He was made to move from counter to counter by Marvin. Didn’t SIA have some compassion on handicap? Where was the service quality during such unforeseen circumstances?

Again, after booking for the SQ 811 flight, we were left to stand at the check-in area without knowing what to do next. Poor kids and old folks, they do not have any place to rest but to stand around with heavy luggage and tired souls. By then, it was after 10.30pm. Hungry and thirsty without dinner, we were left without any help. The sandwich and drink stall was no longer available.

Seeing so many passengers were left without instruction and help, especially among them were old folks and young kids (my two kids aged 6 and 12 were among them), I was frustrated. I do not believe that flight delay due to technical reason was the first time that SIA had encountered. I also do not believe that SIA does not have a proper standard procedure that could make the passenger less painful in such instances. However, look like the ground crew, especially the assistance station manager, were not familiar to these procedures.

The mess did not happen only in Beijing Airport. One of the passengers called his family members to inform them that the flight will be delayed to further notice. His family members told him that they have just checked with the Teletext, it showed that the arrival time for the SQ801 as 12.45am. I was speechless for such mistake. Isn’t Singapore pride itself as an information hub? Why that SIA is still lacking behind in such area. Look like SIA has made all the textbook case mistakes when comes to unplanned situations.

At 11pm, frustrated, I approached the check-in receptionist asking for the responsible person that I could talk to. The receptionist told me that the person in charge was busy coordinating and could not be reached. Annoyed, I demanded to talk to the manager in charge immediately. The receptionist talked to the manager through walkie-talkie. Marvin Ho came to the check-in area. Realized that he was the only responsible person there, I asked for the telephone number from the receptionist so that I could log a complaint and seek help to reduce the pain for all the left behind passengers. The receptionist gave me the number (65) 62238888. Immediately, I dial the phone but found that it was a reservation line and there wasn’t any avenue available to complain. I asked the receptionist. She told me that normally complaint was made through email or website.

Distressed, I approached Marvin Ho and asked him what was his plan. He told us that it was possible that there were some no-shows for the SQ821. He suggested that we wait for another 15 minutes when the check-in counter for the SQ821 would be closed. He told us that up to that time, there were about 22 no-shows for SQ 821. Suddenly, we realized that the reason for not sending us to hotel was for cost saving. It was a very painful realization. SIA was worst than a budget airline. Instead of doing damage control, SIA embarked on cost saving in such instances. To save on hotel charges and transportation cost, SIA did not consider the exhaustion of the old folks and young kids. Forcing the fully exhausted passengers to wait for a few hours in the hope that we could be squeezed into the flight even when we have decided to take the next morning flight.

Marvin Ho promised that family with small kids will have priority. Feeling no other better choice as both my kids are too exhausted and there were only two families with kids, I had decided to stay with another group of about 18 passengers. When the check-in counters for SQ821 were closed, we were informed by Marvin that all of us could check in. All the passengers rushed to the counters to check in. Marvin Ho informed one of the receptionists to give priority to passengers with young kids and walked away. There were a few check-in counters checking in all the passengers. My family and another family with young kids were assigned a single check-in counter. I was the second family in this counter. When the receptionist tried to check my family in, he only managed to check one in. The flight was full after that. I was frustrated and asked the receptionist whether there were any seats available in raffle class or first class. The receptionist told me that the Raffle class was full. However, there were 6 seats available in the first class.

When Marvin Ho came back from his disappearance, he tried to blame the receptionist saying that he had already given instruction to her that priority should be given to families with young kids. However, as a bystander, I could clearly see that it was impossible to prevent others from checking in before my family since all check in were done simultaneously. It was really out of the receptionist control. The two families with young kids should not be queued on the same counter.

At this time, it was already 12.15am. I asked Marvin since there were still 6 seats available in the first class cabin, why not upgrade us to these seats. Marvin told me that he did not have authority to upgrade me in such situation. We were than ushered to the taxi queue to take a taxi to the Redisson Hotel. It took us more than an hour to reach this hotel. Worst, we need to pay for the taxi first in RMB. Luckily, I still have some RMB. Otherwise, it will be a big shame to me. When we reached the hotel, there was nobody to help us on the luggage. I needed to ask my poor wife and exhausted son to help me on the luggage.

After we checked in the hotel, the ground crew from SIA informed me that there would be a morning call at 4am and the bus would leave at 5am. As I was booked into the SQ811 that was to depart at 8.45am, I questioned the ground crew why the morning call was so early. He told me that the flight was leaving at 7am. I realised that he thought that I was booked into the SQ801 flight. It was a real disappointment that information was not relayed correctly to him from Marvin. If I was not alert enough, I would be called up two hours later. What a shame, SIA. What a pain, SIA passengers!

The worst was not over yet. The next morning when we tried to check in at a special check-in counter for the delayed SQ801 passengers, a lady passenger from Taiwan was told by the receptionist that although she has confirmed her booking and seat for SQ811, her seat had been given to other passenger. She was frustrated. She angrily commented that what type of airline is SIA. I really feel shameful that my country airline, Singapore Airlines, the one airline that was rated as the "world's best international airline" for the 11th consecutive year by prestigious travel magazine Travel + Leisure has degraded its service to such standard.

Shame on you, SIA.