My Story with Singapore Airlines

[ANstar]

I would NEVER say to the airline I am no longer feeling well and would like to consider cancelling.

They will see you as not fit to fly and remove you from the flight without any second thoughts.... better to remove you on the ground than risk a diversion.

I have seen a lady at check in once who didnt get the seat she wanted and then started saying oh if I dont get the seat I could have severe stress that could lead to a heart attack. The agent then consulted the supervisor and the supervisor came back and removed her from the flight (and asked her to get a medical letter saying she was fit to fly) as she had admitted (again) that she was likely to have a heart attack if she didnt get her preferred seat.

So be careful what you say!

 

[munitalP]

Is it just me?


munitalP

 

[Reggie]

Is it just me?


munitalP

Nope......

 

[Reggie]

The comment your luggage was on standby is interesting.

Do yu still have your boarding passes, did you have seating allocated on th BP?

 

[anat0l]

I think this thread should be moved out of Introductions - it's kind of outlived it's stay. Either that or a thread split.


For the record, TA = "travel agent", and BP = "boarding pass". Sorry, we should use less abbreviations here seeing as you're new.

What I don't understand is why would you enquire about cancellation after you've checked in? That doesn't bode well for anyone to say unless you have a medical problem, in which that could also ring alarm bells if you don't really need to (viz. as alluded to, if it seems you have medical concerns, the airline may offload you rather than risk carrying you on the flight, though I must remark it doesn't seem common for this to happen unless you really look incapacitated). Not to mention that I'm surprised the staff didn't ask you why you would want to cancel. Also, your reply could sound potentially very confusing, because it has so many negative modifiers in it:

"if you cannot confirm whether my ticket can be refunded or not, then I will have to travel, and not cancel"

can sound very close to:

"if you cannot confirm whether my ticket can be refunded or not, then I will not travel, and cancel"

We can debate that either or the latter sentence makes no sense, but I almost read it like the second time until I read it more carefully. And then I was confused why would you say something like that.

Kind of odd that your luggage was put on 'standy by'. Only reason I can think of is the plane is overloaded and they can't take your bags on this particular flight. But for a service like PER-SIN and the aircraft they put on, that scenario seems highly unlikely.

Next time you travel do take note of the baggage allowance limits and adhere to these limits before you arrive at the airport. You'll save yourself considerable trouble and possibly save yourself a headache. There's no fun in being told you're overweight and then having to reorganise and remove about 15-25% of what you lugged to the airport.

Finally, it would be interesting to see what happens about your interaction between you and the supervisor. Taking your story on face value and assuming you told the truth, the supervisor certainly did not handle the situation well and should face some sort of reprimand at minimum. However, that is assuming your entire story at complete face value only. It's important to note if you do get a refund (or similar resolution) it will be because of your ticket being cancelled in error, not in response to the conduct of the supervisor.

 

[Al_]

I would NEVER say to the airline I am no longer feeling well

I NEVER told the airline at the airport that I was not feeling well. I told this to my wife. I told the airline I would like to cancel but need to know the process for cancellation, and whether my ticket can be refunded, should I cancel.

I had my passport and the boarding passes in my hand at this time, and it was spontaneous to pass them on to the lady who was helping me.

When the lady who helped me told me that she was unable to give me an answer from the computer system with regards to ticket cancellation and refund, I told her, in this case, if you cannot confirm whether my ticket can be refunded or not, then I will have to travel, and not cancel.

This all happened within a few seconds.

Whilst I was discussing with the lady the above, my luggage suddenly appeared, and the Supervisor ripped off the Singapore Airlines baggage tag from my one-piece luggage.

When I reiterated to the Supervisor the above, he said that my booking had been cancelled, and the flight was closed. At this stage I was denied boarding.

I couldn’t believe what this person said, and communicated to him that he is becoming prejudiced. I believe that he planned the outcome of this situation.

I was never given the chance to consider any options. I did not receive any paperwork in relation to the cancellation of my ticket, and I was still being treated in a short and abrupt manner. The only paperwork I have is the stickers on my suitcase and the corresponding tag on my baggage check receipt. The Supervisor ripped off the label that goes around the handle of the case.

 

[rechoboam]

Your flight probably was closing at this point and to be fair there wouldn't have been time for them to get into a discussion about your hurt feelings then and there. They were under pressure to load the flight and leave.

 

[Al_]

The comment your luggage was on standby is interesting.

Do yu still have your boarding passes, did you have seating allocated on th BP?

Do you know what it means, my luggage was on standby that is?

Yes, I had boarding passes and seating allocated.

 

[Al_]

Your flight probably was closing at this point and to be fair there wouldn't have been time for them to get into a discussion about your hurt feelings then and there. They were under pressure to load the flight and leave.

There was no discussion about my feelings! I was already checked in at this stage.

I went back to the check-in desk to inquire and make a request subject to clarification with regards to refund process of my ticket, should I cancel.

 

[cove]

It is time for you to buy the hand scales thu AFF to avoid over the limit weight.The less you draw attention to yourself the less likely you are to get stopped from flying.The check in staff are contractors and there are very few directly employed Singapore Airlines staff in attendance at Perth.

 

[Al_]

What I don't understand is why would you enquire about cancellation after you've checked in?

I enquired about cancellation because I was mistreated by the Supervisor, and should my ticket be refundable, I would rather pay more to another airliner, and not be treated with disrespect.

 

[TheInsider]

I'm finding this 'stand-by' bags really odd. I've never seen or heard of an airline take bags for any stand-by passenger or remove them and place them behind the desk for international (domestic is different). This is a security issue for starters as the bag has not been scanned, and just does not seem right.

I'm thinking there is something missing in the story.

 

[Al_]

your reply could sound potentially very confusing, because it has so many negative modifiers in it:

"if you cannot confirm whether my ticket can be refunded or not, then I will have to travel, and not cancel"

can sound very close to:

"if you cannot confirm whether my ticket can be refunded or not, then I will not travel, and cancel"

I see your point. Even more reason for a Supervisor to make sure that they understand what the passenger wants before taking such a drastic step. The Supervisor created this unfortunate situation due to his abrupt handling of the matter from start to finish.

 

[TheInsider]

I enquired about cancellation because I was mistreated by the Supervisor, and should my ticket be refundable, I would rather pay more to another airliner, and not be treated with disrespect.

Surely there is something else to the story? Just because you didn't like how you were delt with by the airline rep, shouldn't mean you don't take your flight to Egypt

 

[Al_]

Kind of odd that your luggage was put on 'standy by'. Only reason I can think of is the plane is overloaded and they can't take your bags on this particular flight. But for a service like PER-SIN and the aircraft they put on, that scenario seems highly unlikely.

I am intrigued to know what it means to have a piece of luggage on 'stand-by'?

 

[TheInsider]

I am intrigued to know what it means to have a piece of luggage on 'stand-by'?

It just doesn't happen for international flights. There are too many extra hurdles that you have to go through getting the bag back if the person is not loaded onto the flight.

 

[Al_]

Surely there is something else to the story? Just because you didn't like how you were delt with by the airline rep, shouldn't mean you don't take your flight to Egypt

When I say aggressive and rude; this guy was the perfect example. I felt strongly about it. Also, with 12 hrs transit in Singapore, and the treatment I received, it all compounded, and at the end it was only an enquiry - I am travelling today with only 2 hrs transit in Singapore. I only hope that there will be no further intimidation from the airliner.

 

[Al_]

It just doesn't happen for international flights. There are too many extra hurdles that you have to go through getting the bag back if the person is not loaded onto the flight.

I have no idea; all what I know is that I heard that my luggage was on stand-by and that they were located and brought to the counter within a minute or two - Maybe my luggage would not have made it at all to Cairo!

 

[Al_]

The check in staff are contractors and there are very few directly employed Singapore Airlines staff in attendance at Perth.

The check-in staff was very good. Everything was going well until the SQ Supervisor got involved. The gentleman who checked me in was exceptionally helpful and professional. It was only when the SQ Supervisor charged in with his index finger nearly poking my eye, things went bad.

 

[Sprucegoose]

I have no idea; all what I know is that I heard that my luggage was on stand-by and that they were located and brought to the counter within a minute or two - Maybe my luggage would not have made it at all to Cairo!

Hey Al, write it off to experience mate. The Chinese say if you want revenge dig two graves. Get on with your holiday mate.Happy Landings.