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We often hear horror stories about airline delays that have been handled so badly that the situation turns from an inconvenience into a nightmare. But this week, an AFF member has actually complimented an airline on the professional and efficient manner in which they dealt with a significant delay.
luxury-lizard was flying from Frankfurt to Singapore with Singapore Airlines. The inbound aircraft was late departing from New York, resulting in a delay to the Frankfurt-Singapore leg of this flight. It was originally scheduled to leave Frankfurt at 12.30pm, but didn’t depart until 3.40pm. The delay resulted in many missed connections beyond Singapore.
Before luxury-lizard had even arrived at Frankfurt Airport, they were alerted by both SMS and email that there would be a delay. This member still arrived at the airport in time for the original departure. But, not to worry… Singapore Airlines had booked out an entire restaurant to accommodate the delayed passengers! They enjoyed a complimentary lunch courtesy of Singapore Airlines while waiting.
When checking in at Frankfurt Airport, all passengers received a letter which clearly stated the reason for the delay and how to claim compensation. Under EU261 laws, airlines are required to compensate passengers that are delayed in reaching their final destination by more than a certain time. For long-haul flights, €600 (~$950) is payable when the delay is more than 4 hours. This law applies to European airlines when flying to, from or within the European Union, and non-EU airlines only when departing the European Union.
To further apologise, cabin crew handed out boxes of chocolates to passengers when boarding the delayed Singapore Airlines flight.
Due to the late arrival, many passengers missed their onward connections. Upon arrival in Singapore, ground staff were waiting to help affected passengers. Most had already been proactively rebooked. In the case of luxury-lizard, though, the rebooking had already taken place before they even arrived at Frankfurt Airport! This member eventually arrived in Melbourne four hours late, but full of praise for Singapore Airlines.
All in all – very well handled by SQ considering delay was not their fault. Beats many of the horror stories one reads on blogs about poor handling of delays by airlines.
Flight delays happen from time to time to every airline. But few airlines consistently handle delays as well as Singapore Airlines. It is refreshing to see airlines handling irregular operations so effectively, ensuring minimal disruption to passengers.
Once again, Singapore Airlines is setting an example for other airlines all over the world. It’s little wonder that it has repeatedly been voted the world’s best airline!
Join the discussion on the Australian Frequent Flyer forum: SQ 25 delayed on July 17/18
