SQ Economy class sees complains in The Straits Times forums recently

[Singapore_Air]

At Y check-in in December 2006 there was a sats checkin agent that I had a confrontation with. My parents had arrived on SQ173 SGNSIN and they were overnighting. They wanted to be rid of one suitcase as it was not necessary so I decided to check one of them in.

However the sats agent W# refused to accept the bag because it was 9kg over the limit (SGN allows 10kg grace unlike most stations). After much arguing and him going to-and-fro with sats colleagues (ending in a "really?!" to one of his colleagues who probably said in Malay that +10KG is OK) would he check in the pax and the suitcase.

However, "If you get charged then I am not responsible OK?"

Anyway, I wrote a considerable letter to Customer Relations highlighting the incident and how it was unacceptable and a few days later they had counselled the staff member involved (or so they said).

Again it shows that sometimes the ground experience is spoiled by poor recruitment and internal marketing.

For shame.

[boing]

Again it shows that sometimes the ground experience is spoiled by poor recruitment and internal marketing.

For Y and J class pax, expect more of these incidents, as SATS, their ground handler has been sold off by SIA.

The old timers, after slogging for years for the company are going to have their benefits taken away. Not to mention their inferior bonuses. And I'm pretty sure this "pissed off" feeling is going to trickle down to the pax they are serving.

[LionCity]

The ground staff are generally not very well paid. It is also shift work and working on holidays to service us. With the various cost cutting it maintain SQ at low cost will have its impact. No doubt we are paying more for SQ tickets, a lot don't go back to the ground staff.

My personal experiences are that we see more difficult passengers asking for all kinds of demands that plainly the staff can't do anything about it than poor service. The more we shout at the front staff, the more demoralised they will be. We have an "off" day but we expect them not to have an "off" day dealing with us. That is not to say that all the ground are angels though.

[wsssaero]

I feel that every airline has its bad days and a fair share of bad experiences. It's just because SIA is marketed (and believed to be) a airline above others that people expect much more. In actual fact fares on SIA are also not always the highest as well.

As for ground staff sometimes it's probably because they do not want to risk answering to their bosses about giving the passenger this and that and they just stick to the rules.

Just my thoughts.

[LionCity]

I have had an experience where I checked on a Saturday night and I thanked a Passenger Service Agent for working on a Saturday to service us where most young people were supposed to have fun.

He was visibly moved and he mentioned "Mr. LionCity, this is the first time I heard this from a passenger and I really appreciated you for thinking about us". For a while, I thought he was about to break down.

[Danny Bhoy]

I have had an experience where I checked on a Saturday night and I thanked a Passenger Service Agent for working on a Saturday to service us where most young people were supposed to have fun.

He was visibly moved and he mentioned "Mr. LionCity, this is the first time I heard this from a passenger and I really appreciated you for thinking about us". For a while, I thought he was about to break down.

Do you thank fast food restaurant staff working weekends as well?

To be sure, what you did was very nice and very gracious, but it's part of the job that those who are doing have to put up with, and those who don't like it, are free to leave. As a Palestinian expression here goes (transliterated): laa shukur aala waajeb or "no thanks for a duty".

And lest I sound like some heartless bassa, one of the aspects of my job (without going into specifics) involves the equivalent of the military's watch officer duty, usually involving rostered night/overnight shift duty as well as day and night shifts on weekends/public holidays. Probably one of the few degree-holder occupations I know that involves rostered night shift duty on top of normal daytime work, and one that is not well known/acknowledged.

[concept|infinit]

But there're also some passengers for whom no manner of rejection is satisfactory if their requests were rejected...

That's true though. So its a matter of where you draw the line between poor service and passengers demanding too much.

By a reasonable yardstick, I think the two incidents at the start of these thread were rather poor service. These were minor things that could have been easily improved.

[LionCity]

Do you thank fast food restaurant staff working weekends as well?

Usually no. But I do say thank you and give a smile.

At fast food chain is liked a factory...staff are mostly transient in nature, job standardized/routine and has a less complaining lot that don't write to the press as much over real or imaginative slights.

Yes, they are free to leave....usually the better ones leave after they found the job dealing with PITAs....ended up with fresh staff or the more "care less" type. It is vicious service cycle.

Liked what they said in Singapore Hokkien "You think your five cent coin is bigger than a bullock cart's wheel!". To translate: you spend a little bit of money but you want the heavenly treatment should be applied to some passengers. No opinion on the letters in the forum page though.

[Megatop]

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[kelvgoh]

i think that was a pretty smart reply. Score SQ.

[sudsoz]

To add to the concerns about the website bookings.

If you want to book multi sector and pay a premium for a more flexible fare that you need to book each return sector separately. The system will only show the cheap and nasty fare for multi-sectors.

The comments about seat allocation made previously are correct - agent bookings cannot provide seat allocation whereas they can with QF, UA, NZ at least.

Even if you made a booking on the website and you want to change a return flight you cannot do it at the website - you must call or go to an SQ office.

If you made a booking with an agent the agent can change the subsequent flights - provided the fare allows it. But if it is a weekend and you go direct (indirect is more correct for the phone service) then SQ will hijack the system and the agent is blocked out.

[KC*]

From my personal experience with SQ - in both J and Y class.

1. Their top level customer policies are weak (ok - they suck!)
2. Ground handling is average
3. Cabin crew attitude varies tremendously - from horrendous to really, really good. Overall, I have been more impressed than disappointed. In fact, the crew have often been the saving factor in bad situations.

Some recent experiences:

1. My wife's overcoat dropped a button on the flight. The air stewardess not only found the button but offered to sew it back on for her. (J)

2. When the flight steward realised I was away from Singapore for the weekend and missed the ST, he got me back copies (yes!) to read on the flight - in Y class! I was stunned - wow!

3. When my VOD's sound was faulty, the crew hunted down an alternative seat, tested the VOD and then moved me. And my bag, drinks and papers. Plenty of apologies and smiles. Also came back to check and offered me a drink. (Y)

4. One of my flights to Barcelona required a plane and crew change. SQ offered Y passengers only a fixed meal at Burger King in T3 (how yucks is that???). The off-loaded crew stayed back to apologise and help the affected. The new crew obviously took pains to make up for the situation with extra rounds of drinks and continual apologies. To me - the crew saved the day. (Y)

At the end of the day, it is attitude that matters.

[Chesty]

It is the crew attitude that makes a great flight or breaks it. However we are dealing with human beings, who regardless of policies instilled by SIA, still have bad days for whatever reason. Some are better at hiding those bad days, some are not.

[KC*]

Good top-end policies make life alot easier for the crew. SQ has much to learn in this area.

Understanding passengers also help a great deal. I have more often been annoyed by unreasonable passengers than by unhelpful crew. By being polite to the crew, I have usually been rewarded with more smiles and better service. Regardless of class of travel.

[trekkie]

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