PUBLISHED ONJune 01, 2024 2:57 AMByBhavya RawatOne woman and her friend paid a hefty price for forgetting to complete a mandatory travel document before embarking on their holiday.
The 30-year-old freelancer, who wishes to be known as Jess, told AsiaOne they had to pay an additional $1,200 each to fly to New Zealand on April 17.
Jess said that she and her friend had arrived at Changi Airport Terminal 3 about two hours ahead of the Singapore Airlines (SIA) flight's departure time of 7.50pm.
But they ended up missing their flight after they were stopped at the check-in counter.
The women were told by SIA staff they had to first apply for the New Zealand Electronic Travel Authority (NZeTA), said Jess.
The NZeTA is a compulsory travel document for some visitors from visa waiver countries, like Singapore, and transit passengers travelling to New Zealand without a visa.
The pair immediately applied on the New Zealand immigration website, but their application was pending approval.
Jess then asked a SIA staff member for alternative means of getting the document or ways to expedite the process, but was told there was "no other way" and asked to step aside and wait.
They were also told they could not be issued boarding passes without the approved document.
After an hour-long wait, Jess's friend approached a different staff member, who told them to download an app and apply for the NZeTA via that instead. This time, their application was approved in 15 minutes.
However, it was already 7.20pm by then and the check-in counters had closed.
According to SIA's website, check-in counters usually close 40 minutes before the flight departs.
The women were told that they had to take the next available flight. This meant that they had to fork out another $1,200 each for a new ticket — on top of the $1,487 they paid for the flight they missed.
Jess said that she is very upset and questioned if the ground staff could have been of greater help.
"It's our hard earned money, $1,200 is not a small amount to us," she said.
"[Our trip] was disrupted. We ended up having to replan the whole trip and sacrificing a day of our campervan rental, which we were not refunded for."
The two friends had paid nearly $2,000 to rent the campervan for the full duration of their 13-day holiday.
Jess said that she had emailed SIA's customer service to request for clarification and compensation.
In its reply, which Jess showed to AsiaOne, the airline said: "Although check-in staff may sometimes remind travellers of required travel documents, passengers are solely responsible for complying with all regulations and requirements of the country they are travelling, as stipulated in our General Conditions of Carriage."
It added that the staff whom Jess gave feedback on will be counselled on their actions and responses to her, as well as monitored for service improvement and sent for further training if needed.
In response to AsiaOne's queries, an SIA spokesperson said: "Customers are responsible for ensuring their compliance with all travel requirements of their intended destination and transit country."
Those who do not meet these requirements may not be allowed to board their flight.
SIA also confirmed that its check-in counters at Changi Airport close 40 minutes before the scheduled flight departure time.
"Customers are strongly encouraged to arrive at the airport at least three hours before their flight departs, especially if they have baggage to check in," added the spokesperson.
bhavya.rawat@asiaone.com
