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  • #31
    Another shocker yesterday 09/8: arriving on SQ238 at T3 around 1515, took all of 45 mins to clear immigration, with 6 desks operating and about 20 pax in each line. Do the powers that be not know about this, or do they just not care, or what? I remember the "good old days" when you usually just walked through immigration almost literally without stopping! I felt compelled to use the "performance review" kiosk to give them a "very poor", which presumably will make no difference at all.
    Last edited by whughes3; 11 August 2018, 08:21 AM. Reason: Add ref to T3

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    • #32
      Another couple of bad ones for us recently as well.

      Arrived in T3 from LHR on the delayed SQ321 a few weeks ago and it took us 25 minutes to get through. Came in again last week, this time into T1 on QF and when we got to the arrivals area at the T3 end / C Gates I took one look at the queue, that I estimate was 25-30 deep (seriously), and said f*ck that, we are going to the other end. Fortunately there was only a handful of people there so we were through in about 5 minutes.

      Unfortunately the speed through was somewhat wasted as our luggage belt broke for about 20 minutes. What also baffled was they loaded three inbound QF flights on the same belt (SYD, BNE and PER (I think )), which then broke, while the belts either side were empty and not used.

      What on earth goes on at Changi these days ?!. Have they lost a lot of their key/experienced people to another airport or something ?.

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      • #33
        I have had 3 shockers in the last 3 weeks.

        First into T3 and it took 40 minutes to process a line of no more than 10 deep.

        Arrived start of August into T2 and Immigration "Left side" was full, so much so they forced everyone to the other side and that took 45 mins to clear.

        Finally Friday afternoon, took 65 minutes to clear immigration. Was absolutely appalling - so much so we have written a letter of complaint: not sure what they will do but...We too clicked the poor performance button. Its interesting watching the videos displayed - a person can go through immigration in 26 seconds...or so the video suggests!

        Gone are the days where in could be in a downtown hotel in 30 minutes from stepping off the aircraft. What used to to be great Singapore efficiency, baggage and taxi seems to have fallen by the wayside. As a ME resident it would be quicker and easier to go direct on EK!

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        • #34
          Originally posted by FlyingDobber View Post
          First into T3 and it took 40 minutes to process a line of no more than 10 deep.

          The IT infrastructure behind seems to be max'd out. Going through automated gates is steadily taking longer, checking against an ever increasing database at a same quite slow scan rate.

          At manual counters, it doesn't help now that everybody has to scan thumbprints - that takes time. Four minutes per person, seems about right for these scans given passport reading also seems to take an ever increasing time.

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          • #35
            Originally posted by FlyingDobber View Post
            Finally Friday afternoon, took 65 minutes to clear immigration. Was absolutely appalling - so much so we have written a letter of complaint: not sure what they will do but...
            Wow, 65 minutes to enter Singapore. That is truly shocking for what many consider to be the best airport in the world.

            Gone are the days where in could be in a downtown hotel in 30 minutes from stepping off the aircraft. What used to to be great Singapore efficiency, baggage and taxi seems to have fallen by the wayside. As a ME resident it would be quicker and easier to go direct on EK!
            Absolutely. That's exactly what most people used to say about arriving in Singapore. An ambition used to be to one day beat your luggage (if you had any) to the luggage belt. Those days have well and truly gone for now, as will all the awards it keeps getting (I know, I know, all awards are ........ ) and has worked hard for unless they sort this out.

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            • #36
              I managed to clear immigration in a breeze all my flights last few weeks but interestingly, on one flight in, I noticed just 4 pcs of priority luggage reaching the belt really fast (one was mine) and then..... a long break before the rest started appearing (inclu priority pieces intermixed with others).

              I wonder if this was a "play the stats" game - ie grab a few pieces, rush to the belt and pop them on ahead of the "real" time needed to unload. Just to get a fast "first luggage on belt" timing. Not good if so. Anyone with similar observation?

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              • #37
                Originally posted by KC* View Post
                I managed to clear immigration in a breeze all my flights last few weeks but interestingly, on one flight in, I noticed just 4 pcs of priority luggage reaching the belt really fast (one was mine) and then..... a long break before the rest started appearing (inclu priority pieces intermixed with others).

                I wonder if this was a "play the stats" game - ie grab a few pieces, rush to the belt and pop them on ahead of the "real" time needed to unload. Just to get a fast "first luggage on belt" timing. Not good if so. Anyone with similar observation?
                Yes, it has happened to me several times, all on my flight back from KUL. In one of the worst cases, my luggage was literally the second last piece on the belt and there was only 1 other guy waiting for his luggage (Non-priority tagged). I was almost on the verge of going to report my luggage lost.

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                • #38
                  Originally posted by PPSFlyer View Post
                  Yes, it has happened to me several times, all on my flight back from KUL.
                  Oh Gosh!!! Mine was a flight back from KUL!

                  Had not happened to me from any other flights.

                  Hmmm... this was the first time that I had checked luggage from KUL. So is this an issue with Changi or with MH, I wonder....hahaha.

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                  • #39
                    Flew back into DXB on EK last night, and although I complained about the time at immigration (see post 33) at Changi, my SQ bags (Priority tags) were off the belt before I got to them and could walk straight out.
                    However, last night at DXB it was 95 minutes to collect bags!!!!
                    Perhaps I should take back my complaint to Changi?!?!

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                    • #40
                      Originally posted by MAN Flyer View Post
                      Wow, 65 minutes to enter Singapore. That is truly shocking for what many consider to be the best airport in the world.



                      Absolutely. That's exactly what most people used to say about arriving in Singapore. An ambition used to be to one day beat your luggage (if you had any) to the luggage belt. Those days have well and truly gone for now, as will all the awards it keeps getting (I know, I know, all awards are ........ ) and has worked hard for unless they sort this out.
                      I think the main reason for all these delays is the lack of manpower in the ground handling companies. Manpower growth has not rised in tandem with air traffic growth. Wages have been stagnant( as with almost every blue collar jobs in SG) the past 10+ years and benefits have slowly eroded away.
                      Airport authorities are trying to solve this issue with technology( autonomous vehicle) but personally, I feel this is all in vain and these lengthy delays for baggages would remain for some time to come.

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                      • #41
                        Originally posted by KC* View Post
                        Oh Gosh!!! Mine was a flight back from KUL!

                        Had not happened to me from any other flights.

                        Hmmm... this was the first time that I had checked luggage from KUL. So is this an issue with Changi or with MH, I wonder....hahaha.
                        I think its Changi since I am on SQ or MI. Happened to me again last night back on SQ119. Maybe its due to the timing of our flights, with many flights arriving at the same time and manpower is spread thin.

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                        • #42
                          Originally posted by FlyingDobber View Post
                          Perhaps I should take back my complaint to Changi?!?!
                          Definitely not, we need to keep the pressure on or they'll do nothing about it!. Changi is the place that enjoys boasting about how highly rated it is remember, so it's got to be pulled up when this stuff is going on.

                          Originally posted by boing View Post
                          I think the main reason for all these delays is the lack of manpower in the ground handling companies. Manpower growth has not rised in tandem with air traffic growth. Wages have been stagnant( as with almost every blue collar jobs in SG) the past 10+ years and benefits have slowly eroded away.
                          Airport authorities are trying to solve this issue with technology( autonomous vehicle) but personally, I feel this is all in vain and these lengthy delays for baggages would remain for some time to come.
                          You could be right about that. To be honest from a purely selfish perspective I am not bothered about how long luggage takes as most of the time I am hand luggage only.

                          The immigration queue's however....

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                          • #43
                            Two entries in to Singapore over the weekend. First one was T3 Saturday evening from SQ319. Arrived at A11 and the 'A' arrivals was a zoo, with a minimum 25-30 deep so easily looking at around an hour to get through. Headed up to 'B' arrivals with the idea if that was also bad I would head to TPR for a while. As it happened 'B' arrivals was deserted, with not a single person at any desk. While this was fantastic for me, and reminded me of the good old days at Changi, you have to wonder how they can have a situation where one of the two arrival areas in the same terminal is absolutely mobbed and an hour to get through and the other one is absolutely deserted. As either entry point gets you to the same baggage area when that happens they should think of redirecting people, or manning all the desks at the busy end.

                            Second entry was T2 late afternoon on Monday off SQ959 from Jakarta at F41. Once we had been through the pointless and annoying arrival security check.......… again the first area at 'F' arrivals was very busy and the gamble to head to the other end to 'E' arrivals paid off as that was much quieter, although neither were to the same extreme as the T3 arrival on Saturday.

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                            • #44
                              Originally posted by MAN Flyer View Post
                              Two entries in to Singapore over the weekend. First one was T3 Saturday evening from SQ319. Arrived at A11 and the 'A' arrivals was a zoo, with a minimum 25-30 deep so easily looking at around an hour to get through. Headed up to 'B' arrivals with the idea if that was also bad I would head to TPR for a while. As it happened 'B' arrivals was deserted, with not a single person at any desk. While this was fantastic for me, and reminded me of the good old days at Changi, you have to wonder how they can have a situation where one of the two arrival areas in the same terminal is absolutely mobbed and an hour to get through and the other one is absolutely deserted. As either entry point gets you to the same baggage area when that happens they should think of redirecting people, or manning all the desks at the busy end.

                              Second entry was T2 late afternoon on Monday off SQ959 from Jakarta at F41. Once we had been through the pointless and annoying arrival security check.......… again the first area at 'F' arrivals was very busy and the gamble to head to the other end to 'E' arrivals paid off as that was much quieter, although neither were to the same extreme as the T3 arrival on Saturday.
                              The 'A' arrivals should be generally busier as it caters to more A gates compared to the 'B' arrivals side. When you have a situation when Changi decides to dock a number of arrival aircraft together at the 'A' gates within a short time, expect a very busy situation.
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                              • #45
                                Originally posted by KC* View Post
                                I managed to clear immigration in a breeze all my flights last few weeks but interestingly, on one flight in, I noticed just 4 pcs of priority luggage reaching the belt really fast (one was mine) and then..... a long break before the rest started appearing (inclu priority pieces intermixed with others).

                                I wonder if this was a "play the stats" game - ie grab a few pieces, rush to the belt and pop them on ahead of the "real" time needed to unload. Just to get a fast "first luggage on belt" timing. Not good if so. Anyone with similar observation?

                                Just arrived at T2 today and at the baggage belt, the 1st bags were a couple of priority bags and all the crew bags, followed by almost 10min of nothing till the rest of the priority bags started showing up. It was weird with the priority passengers and the rest waiting at the belt, and seeing the crew coming down last, picked up their luggage immediately and left.
                                My past and future travels

                                My Travel Map

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