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The Budget terminal is alive and well at T2 E gates

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  • The Budget terminal is alive and well at T2 E gates

    Hi everyone

    I dearly love Changi airport but on my recent transit I found some parts are definitely better than others.

    My SQ978 had its departure gate changed from D twentysomething to E12 at short notice. No problem I thought. I could do with the exercise. The E gates are very different though I didn't notice at first. First there were no shops, then the OSIM massage chairs disappeared, then the drinks machines...

    The other gates listed airlines I had never head of and there were written warnings everywhere that passengers would not be called for boarding. When I got to E12 I found it was closed and would only open when boarding was about to commence.

    When I walked through the metal detector gate I set the alarm off. I had put everything metal on the belt but still st off the alarm and was frisked (using both a metal detector and manual pat-down) which was a first for me. Then I noticed everyone behind me also set off the detector and was frisked. Odd...

    Am I right in thinking these were the old budget gates and that I was just unlucky that this was the only gate free for my SQ flight? I'd rather not be surprised like this again.

    And yes, this definitely counts as a first world problem but it was such a contrast to the rest of Changi.

    Cheers

    J

  • #2
    It's quite impossible that you were at D 20something considering D belongs to T1. Actually I think it doesn't exist. More like E20something. The only T1 gate that is used by T2 is D40 and D41, which are the two nearest gates to T2.

    E12 is literally the last gate of that pier and naturally there are fewer and fewer shops as you get further from the main departure hall. It is the same in all terminals, including the newest terminal 3. Considering you got there when the gate was still closed, you were probably way too early for your flight. In the future, hang around the main departure area and only head to your gate 40 minutes before your flight. That way you won't be disappointed.

    All gates are treated equally in my experience and I have departed from all sorts of far away gates when flying SQ, including B10, E12, F60, and D40 which is actually in terminal 1.

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    • #3
      Thanks pokfur

      Not D? I must have misremembered. It was certainly a change in letter. Every flight this time has had a late change of gate and things are a bit of a blur.

      The gate change at Changi must have been unusual because it was indicated by a hand-written sign not an update to the display board (that may have come later).

      The gate staff at E12 were in a rush arriving and setting up and the gate lounge only admitted pax 20 mins before scheduled take-off.

      Each time I'm due to fly I pay more attention to the news re carriers and airports. There is always a debate between carriers and airport owners about the fees charged and services provided by the airport operators including that home carriers and full-service airlines get access to the best gates. That was in my mind with this gate change.

      Cheers

      J

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