A narrative goes viral on Singaporean social media a couple of traveler’s “demanding” enterprise class expertise with Singapore Airways, the place he was allegedly downgraded on the airport, then upgraded on the gate however requested to pay the fare distinction in money, then mistaken for an additional individual, after which given the mistaken meal. Or so it’s claimed…
I’m unsure what precisely to make of this story, however I discover it to be an attention-grabbing one.
Traveler particulars “painful” Singapore Airways expertise
The Straits Occasions’ Stomp has the story of what allegedly occurred on June 25, 2022, to a Singapore Airways enterprise class passenger touring from Bangkok (BKK) to Singapore (SIN). That is solely getting consideration now as a result of it took months for the airline to reply to the criticism.
In keeping with the traveler, upon arrival at Bangkok Airport, he was instructed there was no enterprise class seat for him. Right here’s what occurred from there:
“Actually? The choices given had been to simply accept an financial system ticket (compensated with an additional financial system seat for extra space) or to fly on the subsequent flight in enterprise class two to 3 hours later. I needed to work the subsequent day and I wished consolation and relaxation. Although I used to be reluctant, upset and upset, I took the choice of an financial system ticket as I used to be promised expedited customized clearance and entry to the lounge. Mainly, the convenience and luxury I wished, much less the seat.”
“Sadly, it was the precise reverse of ease. At each level from customs clearance to entry to the lounge, I used to be met with query after query – every course of took 15 to half-hour and was demanding as I used to be always questioned and denied what I used to be promised. It was very tiring.”
On the gate there did find yourself being a enterprise class seat obtainable, however the traveler was knowledgeable that he’d need to pay the fare distinction to get it:
“I used to be knowledgeable that there was a seat in enterprise class and was provided the seat. I used to be additionally instructed I needed to prime up the worth distinction on the gate. Who would put together money readily available whereas boarding the airplane? Not me. I used to be nonetheless instructed I needed to pay up earlier than boarding. And naturally, after digging for the money, I used to be the final to board.”
Even onboard, issues didn’t get significantly better:
“After boarding, I used to be mistaken for another person. I needed to clarify the scenario once more. It appears nobody knowledgeable the crew onboard. After that, I used to be nonetheless addressed by the mistaken identify and given the mistaken meal.”
How Singapore Airways responded to this criticism
Within the months since coming back from his journey, the traveler allegedly tried to contact Singapore Airways 15 occasions to have his concern resolved. Lastly on November 3, 2022, he acquired the next e mail from Singapore Airways buyer relations:
We’re sorry that you simply had been initially knowledgeable that you simply had been unable to journey in enterprise class on flight SQ709 on June 25 from Bangkok to Singapore.
Please enable us to share that like many airways, Singapore Airways applies an overbooking coverage on chosen flights as a result of some prospects with confirmed bookings could not present up for the flight. We handle this very rigorously and are usually in a position to accommodate each buyer who has a confirmed reserving of their respective class of journey.
The involuntary downgrade of passengers in an overbooked scenario is finished with cautious consideration, and solely in spite of everything different choices have been exhausted. This course of is mostly carried out on the check-in stage, and boarding will start when the overbooking scenario is resolved, and passenger acceptance is finalised.
We perceive that our floor employees had approached you at check-in for those who could be keen to help with the overbooking scenario. A money compensation of 5,090 baht (S$190) was offered as a token of our apology for the downgrade to financial system class and you’d nonetheless be capable of entry the lounge.
There was one enterprise class passenger who didn’t present up for the flight when passenger acceptance was finalised. The bottom employees knowledgeable you on the boarding gate of the provision of the enterprise class seat so that you can be reinstated. Because the money compensation was to be recalled, an SIA reward voucher of S$150 was offered to you as a substitute. We observe that the voucher has been redeemed by way of our KrisShop web site on July 8.
We now have highlighted your expertise to our Bangkok station supervisor for his steady evaluate of the processes to deal with overbooking conditions. This would come with higher communication with our lounge and cabin crew group to raised meet our passengers’ expectations.
As a token of our honest apology on your total expertise, we want to current you with 10,000 KrisFlyer miles.
The traveler isn’t happy with this decision, and needs a full refund of his ticket as compensation:
“Is it value a mere 10,000 miles for the horrible expertise and silence from SIA for over 4 months? I don’t settle for the decision and would count on to have a full refund of my airplane ticket as compensation. The prolonged non-response has been immensely irritating and it makes me surprise what number of different prospects are struggling via the identical expertise as I’m.”
It is a unusual and complicated story
This is among the stranger airline “horror” tales we’ve seen in fairly a while, because the traveler shared each his tackle issues, and Singapore Airways’ response… but the 2 variations appear to contradict each other?
The primary attention-grabbing factor I observed is that the traveler posted his preliminary enterprise class reserving affirmation, and he was booked in “I” class. That’s the fare class for a enterprise class award when redeeming miles. If he booked via KrisFlyer, the price for such an award could be 24,000 miles one-way. I simply point out this as a result of between the ten,000 miles as compensation, plus the $150 reward voucher, he wasn’t that far off from getting a “full” refund. It’s not like he spent a number of thousand {dollars} on this ticket.
Just a few ideas:
- It’s not completely clear if this traveler was pressured to downgrade, or was merely given the choice of downgrading in trade for compensation; usually the airline will solicit volunteers to downgrade, and the airline appears to counsel he was given the choice
- I’m shocked the traveler was promised expedited customs clearance with an financial system class boarding go, because it’s unlikely customs officers would let him into any kind of precedence line with an financial system boarding go and with out standing
- It appears there have been undoubtedly some communication points, because the lounge brokers ought to have been knowledgeable prematurely that the traveler was in financial system however ought to get entry because of the downgrade
- The traveler’s declare that he was requested to pay the fare distinction on the gate for enterprise class is completely weird; plainly the traveler was requested to offer again the money compensation he had acquired for the downgrade, as he would as a substitute get a present voucher, however the traveler additionally makes it sound like nobody would have money readily available
- Whereas it’s unlucky, I can see how there was additionally a mix-up onboard; odds are that earlier than he acquired his enterprise class seat again, the manifest had already been printed with him listed as being in financial system
- The months that it took for Singapore Airways to reply is irritating, however sadly displays the state of buyer relations at so many airways these days; however he contacted the airline 15 occasions whereas ready on a response? Actually?!
- This traveler appears a bit dramatic; we’re speaking a couple of two hour flight right here and he was touring within the afternoon, but he claims he wanted enterprise class to have the ability to relaxation in order that he may work the subsequent day
Might Singapore Airways have carried out higher right here? Sure, it sounds just like the communication may have been significantly better, particularly with the lounge, a promise of expedited customs, and the way lengthy it took for buyer relations to reply. For one of many world’s finest airways, I can recognize the frustration right here. But it surely additionally appears to me like this incident isn’t fairly because the traveler had initially offered it.
Backside line
A Singapore Airways enterprise class passenger had a nasty expertise flying from Bangkok to Singapore. He was allegedly downgraded at check-in, needed to struggle for expedited customs and lounge entry, and was then upgraded on the gate, however requested to pay the fare distinction. Nevertheless, the response from Singapore Airways buyer relations that the traveler shares suggests there is perhaps extra to this story.
What do you make of this Singapore Airways incident?
(Tip of the hat to SINJim)
