https://thelogicalindian.com/exclusive/ ... xperience/

According to this article, the mishandling of passengers by staff/crew on SQ 516 on June 8th is making its rounds the sub-continenant media circle. Long wait times in a buses, and being stuck on a plane with no cool air flowing for hours while awaiting for an aircraft engineer to service the aircraft.

"A passenger on the aircraft mentioned that if they delay boarding of passengers, the airline is charged a heavy penalty and that is why we were forced into the sauna of a plane! Is this true?"

I've been down this road in the late 90s on an AI flight that RTO and no air for 2 hours, not being allowed to disembark, during the hottest time of the year. The only air flow we got was from the doors being opened through out the aircraft.

That sounds horrible. I'm shocked..
Any response from SQ yet?

To me, it sounds like some of the passengers are being drama queens. I am sure it was an unpleasant situation but the hysteria and hyperbole is not credible. If these pax cannot take a few hours in Singapore heat how do they make it in Kolkata?

usflyer msp wrote:

To me, it sounds like some of the passengers are being drama queens. I am sure it was an unpleasant situation but the hysteria and hyperbole is not credible. If these pax cannot take a few hours in Singapore heat how do they make it in Kolkata?

I quite disagree.
ambient heat in Kolkata or Calgary isn't the issue. Its the inability to move freely, whilst sardined in a metal tube with 400 strangers, inadequately ventilated, and no good idea how long this will continue. 3 hours motionless, is a very, very long time. These conditions will make even the most patient avgeek claustrophobic, frustrated and angry.

whether this happens in Singapore, Indianapolis or Athens.... it simply isn't acceptable to put pax thru this kind of stress and uncertainty any more. Its now time to for carriers to do their part and treat their customers better when things go awry, and as it turns out, the only way to get them to change their actions (because, yes - we're not gonna stop flying them) is via public shaming on the Internet.

SQ may be my personal favorite carrier, but they shall not be immune to criticism......

Having had 1st hand experience with SQ recently, I do agree that, when everything runs by the book, they are a great carrier to fly with... but as soon as something goes off-script; they struggle... massively.

With 21 years of experience in the industry, I have observed that Singapore Airlines has a weak and very slow irregularity management... and their post irregularity customer care is virtually non-existent.

Great on-board customer service: Yes. Overall efficiency: Zero

irregking wrote:

Having had 1st hand experience with SQ recently, I do agree that, when everything runs by the book, they are a great carrier to fly with... but as soon as something goes off-script; they struggle... massively.

With 21 years of experience in the industry, I have observed that Singapore Airlines has a weak and very slow irregularity management... and their post irregularity customer care is virtually non-existent.

Great on-board customer service: Yes. Overall efficiency: Zero

Well I personally went through an ATB due A380 pressurisation issue and their handling is just a perfect textbook example on how IRROPS should be. Free food all around the terminal, free phone cards (back in the day when we only just started using 3G), info updated every 15 minutes... After arriving into SIN everything from transfer flights to hotels and breakkies are arranged already and waiting for us. I also had another friend stuck in DPS due to volcano eruption and SQ timely arranged transfers to SUB to catch a replacement flight and keep everyone happy in the meantime..... So I tend to disagree as far as I'm aware of.

Michael

eamondzhang wrote:

irregking wrote:

Having had 1st hand experience with SQ recently, I do agree that, when everything runs by the book, they are a great carrier to fly with... but as soon as something goes off-script; they struggle... massively.

With 21 years of experience in the industry, I have observed that Singapore Airlines has a weak and very slow irregularity management... and their post irregularity customer care is virtually non-existent.

Great on-board customer service: Yes. Overall efficiency: Zero

Well I personally went through an ATB due A380 pressurisation issue and their handling is just a perfect textbook example on how IRROPS should be. Free food all around the terminal, free phone cards (back in the day when we only just started using 3G), info updated every 15 minutes... After arriving into SIN everything from transfer flights to hotels and breakkies are arranged already and waiting for us. I also had another friend stuck in DPS due to volcano eruption and SQ timely arranged transfers to SUB to catch a replacement flight and keep everyone happy in the meantime..... So I tend to disagree as far as I'm aware of.

Michael

That's alright, disagreement is the sport of this website.
And it is wonderful that you felt coddled by SQ during your experience with them. Free phone cards to use for public phones or as in free SIM cards? Cause if it's the latter then I'm sure you're confused.
Free food all around the terminal? You mean a food voucher? Or did they set up buffets for you at every corner?
And yes, one would assume that by the time you arrive at your destination, heavily delayed, they would have prepared alternatives.

Having experienced SQ at my home-base and at many of SQ's outstations for 20+ years now, and ultimately also hearing from affected passengers who end up on my flights (and as a purser you get the brunt of those stories), I can tell you with certainty that SQ is often lost when it comes to irregularities and it takes a large amount of time for them to call shots and organise alternatives.
They are simply not as efficient as they would like to be.

irregking wrote:

eamondzhang wrote:

irregking wrote:

Having had 1st hand experience with SQ recently, I do agree that, when everything runs by the book, they are a great carrier to fly with... but as soon as something goes off-script; they struggle... massively.

With 21 years of experience in the industry, I have observed that Singapore Airlines has a weak and very slow irregularity management... and their post irregularity customer care is virtually non-existent.

Great on-board customer service: Yes. Overall efficiency: Zero

Well I personally went through an ATB due A380 pressurisation issue and their handling is just a perfect textbook example on how IRROPS should be. Free food all around the terminal, free phone cards (back in the day when we only just started using 3G), info updated every 15 minutes... After arriving into SIN everything from transfer flights to hotels and breakkies are arranged already and waiting for us. I also had another friend stuck in DPS due to volcano eruption and SQ timely arranged transfers to SUB to catch a replacement flight and keep everyone happy in the meantime..... So I tend to disagree as far as I'm aware of.

Michael

That's alright, disagreement is the sport of this website.
And it is wonderful that you felt coddled by SQ during your experience with them. Free phone cards to use for public phones or as in free SIM cards? Cause if it's the latter then I'm sure you're confused.
Free food all around the terminal? You mean a food voucher? Or did they set up buffets for you at every corner?
And yes, one would assume that by the time you arrive at your destination, heavily delayed, they would have prepared alternatives.

Having experienced SQ at my home-base and at many of SQ's outstations for 20+ years now, and ultimately also hearing from affected passengers who end up on my flights (and as a purser you get the brunt of those stories), I can tell you with certainty that SQ is often lost when it comes to irregularities and it takes a large amount of time for them to call shots and organise alternatives.
They are simply not as efficient as they would like to be.

Free phone cards on public phones as mobile and 3G wasn't as popular back in the day. Free food means show your boarding pass at any eatery around the terminal and you can just order whatever you want (granted MEL was a cr@p place in terms of food quality those days).

Unfortunately I've experienced too many times afterwards when we had heavy delays (often more than 6 hours), there was no plan B whatsoever when we arrived into the transit point and I have to fight my way to get onto the next flight (one extreme case is MU @ PVG when 20 passengers waited 2 hrs just to rebook). So when comparing them with what I had from SQ this is pure textbook example on good or bad.

Michael

If it was an "air conditioning problem," could it have been a problem with the APU? If that was the case, they could've just plugged in an air cooling unit (as they didn't mention anything else happening for the rest of the flight). If the flight attendants were indeed rude (saying this as I didn't see any evidence in the article), that reflects badly on SQ's image and I'm pretty sure some corrective action would have to be undertaken in many departments. There could've also been poor communication on the part of the crew as they said it would be a "minor problem," yet they apparently showed inability to relay the gravity of the situation.

While it might have posed some difficulty to let everyone deplane, the crew should've at least let passengers who might suffer adversely from the heat to disembark the plane. In the end, the ground staff shouldn't have let the passengers board the aircraft, and the whole situation could've been more manageable in the terminal (which is air conditioned at least).

usflyer msp wrote:

To me, it sounds like some of the passengers are being drama queens. I am sure it was an unpleasant situation but the hysteria and hyperbole is not credible. If these pax cannot take a few hours in Singapore heat how do they make it in Kolkata?

Sure, staying at your home (with possible Air Conditioning) is same as being stuffed in a metal tube with 300 people with no open window or ventilation and little place to move ! Did you even think before posting this or do you just think people in the third world countries are not human ?

usflyer msp wrote:

If these pax cannot take a few hours in Singapore heat how do they make it in Kolkata?

USFLYER, Why are you being so aggressive? Have you been to either of these cities?

flyenthu wrote:

usflyer msp wrote:

If these pax cannot take a few hours in Singapore heat how do they make it in Kolkata?

USFLYER, Why are you being so aggressive? Have you been to either of these cities?

Yes, I'm going to echo your comments.

This is not even a US airline so there isn't any need to get so defensive.

flyenthu wrote:

usflyer msp wrote:

If these pax cannot take a few hours in Singapore heat how do they make it in Kolkata?

USFLYER, Why are you being so aggressive? Have you been to either of these cities?

I don't see where I am being aggressive??? I am sure SQ could have been more organized and handled the delay better but I highly doubt pax were collapsing and vomiting all over the plane. The hyperbole is not helpful and reeks of hysterical pax looking for attention and freebies.

BTW, I have been to both SIN and CCU.

indcwby wrote:

A passenger on the aircraft mentioned that if they delay boarding of passengers, the airline is charged a heavy penalty and that is why we were forced into the sauna of a plane! Is this true?

This shows us that people are not pigs.

If you are in a different transport business, transporting pigs to the slaughterhouse, and you mistreat the pigs like this, then you will receive a hefty fine, and lose your license to transport live animals if things are not rectified immediately.

Mistreating live animals is expensive, potentially putting you out of business. Mistreating people is a money saver. Yes, people are not pigs.

usflyer msp wrote:

flyenthu wrote:

usflyer msp wrote:

If these pax cannot take a few hours in Singapore heat how do they make it in Kolkata?

USFLYER, Why are you being so aggressive? Have you been to either of these cities?

I don't see where I am being aggressive??? I am sure SQ could have been more organized and handled the delay better but I highly doubt pax were collapsing and vomiting all over the plane. The hyperbole is not helpful and reeks of hysterical pax looking for attention and freebies.

BTW, I have been to both SIN and CCU.

Again, the main issue is not the delay. The issue is forcing pax in the bus and into the plane fully knowing there was no ventilation. SQ should have allowed pax to disembark and re-boarded them when the issue was resolved. You being in SIN/CCU is worthless unless you've been stuck on a plane there with no ventilation with 400 people on the ground for 3 hours.

usflyer msp wrote:

I don't see where I am being aggressive??? I am sure SQ could have been more organized and handled the delay better but I highly doubt pax were collapsing and vomiting all over the plane. The hyperbole is not helpful and reeks of hysterical pax looking for attention and freebies.

BTW, I have been to both SIN and CCU.

I have no doubt in my mind that people were collapsing and vomiting. Obviously not everyone would have, but everyone reacts to heat differently, and after three hours with no air flow I'm sure even the young and healthy people on board couldn't have been feeling great. I know I wouldn't feel great.