"Haughty Airline Humiliates Youth Orchestra"

[kevin-sg]

The ground crew insisted that she take out 3-5KG into her hand carry. That's still fine, but what got me rolling was the fact that when a fellow Singapore flying Biz offered to check in with her together, thus increasing the total weight limit, the crew refused to process saying its not allowed

It is not about exceeding the weight allowance for the flight, but it exceeds the legal limit of 32kg per item for airport workers to lift the baggage using their bare hands.

If you MIL arrived with 2 bags with a combined weight of 35kg (for example each bag at 18kg), I doubt there will be problem at checked-in.

Please do not complain if you are in the wrong.

[inix]

It is not about exceeding the weight allowance for the flight, but it exceeds the legal limit of 32kg per item for airport workers to lift the baggage using their bare hands.

If you MIL arrived with 2 bags with a combined weight of 35kg (for example each bag at 18kg), I doubt there will be problem at checked-in.

Please do not complain if you are in the wrong.

I never said my MIL had 1 luggage. She had 2. And that's besides the point. The point was that the staffer was rude for 1, didn't allow someone who wanted to help her to, for 2, but more importantly, refuse to use any common sense.

[inix]

Aren't there laws in certain countries stating that check in luggage cannot be more than a certain wt (to protect the baggage handlers). I'm assuming here your MIL packed 35kg into 1 luggage, though.

Anw, they didn't even allow her to pay for the check in?

She had 2 pieces. 1st piece was 20KG, the other was +-15KG. The staff looked at her hand luggage, ask her to weigh, found that it was only 2KG, and asked her to shift 3-5KG of luggage there.

She tried to explain that she have difficulty walking and her back isn't very good. The gentleman wasn't at all sympathetic. What pisses me off wasn't so much the fact that he refused. Rules are rules. People can be hung up on them sometime. I'm cool with that. I know about all the OHS reasons, but if a young man can't carry 32KG due to OHS, more so a elderly woman

What got me riled was more about his attitude. Even when I was trying to explain nicely asking him to see if there is anything he can do, he threaten to not check my MIL in and refused to allow me to speak to his manager. At the same time, a fellow singaporean passenger on J had saw the commotion and offered to share luggage. He refused to allow and I heard it over the phone. He even gave my MIL a snide smirk on the side while talking to me apparently, as though as there is nothing I could have done.

I called SQ immediately, and escalated. The local guy was initially trying to avoid the complain. I wasn't having it and I pushed. Eventually I got a more senior ops manager who agreed with me that they could be more compassionate and helpful. Again, it wasn't so much about the luggage. Heck, I could have gotten her to throw stuff away IF required. but it was the attitude.

30 minutes later, she checked in everything without paying for anything, nor being asked to shift again. The fella's manager also calls me to apologise for everything. Saying that her guy could have done better and she was sorry for that.