Security at Changi

[HKG1]

Hi All,

Got off the 976 from BKK last night after arriving (yet again) at A19 in T3. Not only thrilled to bits with the longest walk to immigration and bag collection in the whole of Changi, I was greeted with the all too familiar sight of the dreaded queue for "the extra security inspection for your safety" fiasco that seems to greet me 2 out of 3 flights on average that I take from Bangkok on the same flight.

This time, I got fed up with the usual, "we are only doing what we are told to do" by the security personnel and tracked down an "official" to get the real story. His answer was that the Singapore Government are on the look out for knuckle dusters and flick knives from Thailand!!!!

Please tell me that this is a joke. Is anyone in the know as to what the hell these people are really looking for and why (in my case anyway), it only seems to happen on ex BKK flights. It also happens in T2 as well.

[UMD]

I have had this for my MES, CGK, BKK, MNL, and KUL flights on SQ and MI although none is on T3.

I also question myself why the arrival security check is necessary at Changi. Although it is for selected flights within Southeast Asia only, it is certainly a hassle and having a negative impact on the whole Changi experience which otherwise is almost always perfect.

[jjpb3]

HKG1, there is a previous discussion in this thread.

I'm also going to move this thread to the Singapore & Changi forum.


jjpb3

[boing]

Not only thrilled to bits with the longest walk to immigration and bag collection in the whole of Changi,

Isn't there a skytrain connecting that part of the airport to the immigration area ? Unless you came between 0200 hrs to 0530 hrs.

[nickbot]

After travelling through Changi today, it's pretty apparent that there is heightened security due to APEC

[MAN Flyer]

Got off the 976 from BKK last night after arriving (yet again) at A19 in T3. Not only thrilled to bits with the longest walk to immigration and bag collection in the whole of Changi

As somewhat of a regular at walking around in our favourite airport, I would estimate that this journey would take the grand total of around 6-8 minutes depending on whether one used the travelator, skytrain or just walked it with a prevailing wind.

I admit the security check on arrival is a PITA, but as you can see in the other thread, this is pretty regular from BKK. Having said that, my last few arrivals at SIN from BKK have been on TG, and I haven't had one with them.

[SQ LPP]

I wonder who are coming to APEC meeting this time? Obama?

[mec]

I wonder who are coming to APEC meeting this time? Obama?

A little bird told me some VVIPs were in town :

[Pinkfloyd]

Hi All,

Got off the 976 from BKK last night after arriving (yet again) at A19 in T3. Not only thrilled to bits with the longest walk to immigration and bag collection in the whole of Changi, I was greeted with the all too familiar sight of the dreaded queue for "the extra security inspection for your safety" fiasco that seems to greet me 2 out of 3 flights on average that I take from Bangkok on the same flight.

This time, I got fed up with the usual, "we are only doing what we are told to do" by the security personnel and tracked down an "official" to get the real story. His answer was that the Singapore Government are on the look out for knuckle dusters and flick knives from Thailand!!!!

Please tell me that this is a joke. Is anyone in the know as to what the hell these people are really looking for and why (in my case anyway), it only seems to happen on ex BKK flights. It also happens in T2 as well.

I normally get picked out when flying (either at the gate or to have my luggage go through the scanner) into Changi... I normally do flights from Europe and I can understand when I fly from AMS (due to the "drug culture") but even from FRA, CPH, CDG and LHR?? Maybe I just have a dodgy look...

[Russ]

I have flown through Changi over 300 times in the past 15 years from many different destinations and I have only been checked by customs about 2 times.

But I have a friend who gets checked almost every time he comes in - same skin colour, does not have any beard, moustache, he has normal looking hair etc, dresses like any decent bloke. Maybe it is his shifty eyes, I don't know.

Like it or not, the customs officials do profiling, and they tend to pick on some and not others based on the way the walk, the way the look, the way they move .....

[MAN Flyer]

In all my visits to Singapore I had never been pulled by customs at Changi either, until my last visit.

I don't know if it had anything to do with me yapping with the crew as we walked up but I was surprised to be asked after waltzing through on all my previous visits.

[SQ LPP]

Got off the 976 from BKK

SQ976 is SIN - BKK.