SIN T3: Terminal 3 user experiences

[abraxis]

But on your way there, just before the info counter, you walked by my chocolates !

A stop over would have sweetened your experience

Mmmmmm chocky! Well, this SQtalker will try try next time I fly into T3. Actually, it will be the first time I fly into T3!

[SQ LPP]

Singaporean crews holding Biometric Passport or Access Card usually clear the immigration using the eIACS. Foreign crews or crews who did not register their fingerprints with ICA or holding a non machine-readable passport will use the crew channel.

Welcome to SQTalk...
And thank you for the explanation!

From what I know (well I am not Singaporean), normal Singaporean passport can use the eIACS, and biometric is not necessary. Basically the crew can use any channel booth... perhaps the SQ Girl went to the right because she knew it would be faster to do so?

[token01]

Hey guys just a quick query...
Have any of you noticed priority lanes in T3 at the gate, ive only used station A i believe twice and both flights to BNE didint have the usual big blue sign. As i have done limited flights out of T3 and only to one destination, i realise this is a terrible spread and am curious of your experiences with this.

[SQBoi]

Welcome to SQTalk...
And thank you for the explanation!

From what I know (well I am not Singaporean), normal Singaporean passport can use the eIACS, and biometric is not necessary. Basically the crew can use any channel booth... perhaps the SQ Girl went to the right because she knew it would be faster to do so?

Thank you SQ LPP.

Yes, you are right, biometric is not necessary, as long as Singaporean holding a machine readable passport will do. Crew can use any of the both channels but it is best for singaporean crew, who can use eIACS, to clear the immigration using the self service machine so the Foreign crews can clear using the crew channel.

I would guess that the SQ gal is a foreign crews.

[SuperJonJon]

I took SQ 897 on 1 Feb that arrived at 10.20pm and only got my bags at 11.30pm! An announcement was made to say that they were facing technical difficulties in the baggage system, not sure if it was the plane or T3.

My overall impression of T3 was a very spacious and large airport. And lots of walking was needed.

I didn't like the fact that there were only two exits from the baggage claim area(four belts to one exit). With this layout, the exit was swarmed with people waiting for the passengers and you had to push your way through. For some reason, this never occurs at T2 and reminds me of PVG.

[jjpb3]

I took SQ 897 on 1 Feb that arrived at 10.20pm and only got my bags at 11.30pm! An announcement was made to say that they were facing technical difficulties in the baggage system, not sure if it was the plane or T3.

That doesn't sound like Changi at all. I hope it's a one-time blip. I've had one flight where I had to wait more than twenty minutes (which is a wholly trivial length of time at BA's current LHR terminals). I had to check with my brother whether there was a strike of some sort going on.

My overall impression of T3 was a very spacious and large airport. And lots of walking was needed.

Note to self: use a wheeled carryon. Thanks, SuperJonJon.

[SQ LPP]

I didn't like the fact that there were only two exits from the baggage claim area(four belts to one exit). With this layout, the exit was swarmed with people waiting for the passengers and you had to push your way through. For some reason, this never occurs at T2 and reminds me of PVG.

I thought the same case for T2? one door for green lane and one door for red lane in each side?
LHR T3 has one door only. Perhaps at that time there was a glitch in baggage handling that made the usage of half part of the baggage claims belts. Thus the greeters were flocking in one side of the exit doors? Just my guess... since when I was there, it was pretty empty...

Note to self: use a wheeled carryon.

[jjpb3]

I'll echo SuperJonJon's experiences, having experienced arriving into T3 this past weekend. The design is a well-executed update of the Changi template: even SQ LPP's excellent pictures didn't quite prepare me for the feeling of spaciousness. And the looong walk to immigration and customs made me very happy about my decision to go with wheeled carryon luggage.

It was also just the second time at Changi that I waited a long (ok, about 10 minutes ) time for my checked luggage to appear, and the first time that priority-tagged bags (including mine) came out after a few bags without the tags.

[otnaicus]

My overall impression of T3 was a very spacious and large airport. And lots of walking was needed.

I totally agree with SuperJonJon on that one. I recently had a flight departing from T1 and decided to enter the airside from T3 to check the place out. Walking from immigration to T1 D gates with the help of the people mover took 15-20mins. You don't know the size of Changi until you've walked it. Haha..

Overall, T3 is a nice place. Like the design, the use of natural light and the openness of the terminal. But the carpets airside can give some people nausea...

[slacker]

I didn't like the fact that there were only two exits from the baggage claim area(four belts to one exit). With this layout, the exit was swarmed with people waiting for the passengers and you had to push your way through. For some reason, this never occurs at T2 and reminds me of PVG.

It is not only that the exit is swamped with people waiting for passengers. The small ratio of exit to baggage claim belt, created a huge bottleneck. The crowd at the bottleneck was so bad that it make it difficult for custom officials to pick up passengers for random check.

This was so after my arrival from a fully loaded jumbo jet (SQ865) last sun together with other flights. It was obviously a poor planning by airport authorities.

[StarG]

It was also just the second time at Changi that I waited a long (ok, about 10 minutes ) time for my checked luggage to appear, and the first time that priority-tagged bags (including mine) came out after a few bags without the tags.

I hope the anomaly is not going to be a trend.
Waited around 10 minutes for my bags last weekend as well (arrived at T3), and Solitaire, Business & First bags are uploaded to the belt in no particular order. They are usually very organized (i.e., Solitaire then First then Business) in SIN.

[sudsoz]

Terminal 3 is not doing it for me. Arrived last Saturday late afternoon and the immigration line was more than 20 deep - even the residents line. They seem to have half the desks of T2.

But the worst was leaving last night. They now have a cut-off time for duty free of 80 mins before departure. The girls in the shop suggested the small shop inside the gate area but they had only limited range. My recollection was that you could buy at T2 up to 30 mins before departure.

Not good for their duty free business.

[wsssaero]

[QUOTE=SuperJonJon;45605]My overall impression of T3 was a very spacious and large airport. And lots of walking was needed. QUOTE]

Imagine walking to gate A18! At least there's the people mover to help

[matt_will_fix_it]

But the worst was leaving last night. They now have a cut-off time for duty free of 80 mins before departure. The girls in the shop suggested the small shop inside the gate area but they had only limited range. My recollection was that you could buy at T2 up to 30 mins before departure.

Not good for their duty free business.

I had the same experience on flights to Australia when SQ was still in T2 last Christmas... I think its more of a regulatory requirement where duty free goods must be delivered directly to the gate for flights to Australia... Not the duty free shops fault...

[Nick C]

Terminal 3 is not doing it for me. Arrived last Saturday late afternoon and the immigration line was more than 20 deep - even the residents line. They seem to have half the desks of T2.

But the worst was leaving last night. They now have a cut-off time for duty free of 80 mins before departure. The girls in the shop suggested the small shop inside the gate area but they had only limited range. My recollection was that you could buy at T2 up to 30 mins before departure.

Not good for their duty free business.

Singapore passport holders ought to be using the automated system since there's only a small portion still using the older non machine readable ones. Yet many of them prefer to stand and queue for whatever reason...

It's 80 mins in T2 as well not just T3. Not sure about QF/BA/EK in T1 though.