I had the misfortune to experience first-hand the new combined Scoot/Tiger check-in procedure at Singapore Changi Airport recently. To say that it was chaotic would be an understatement.
On arrival at the airport, as per normal procedure, I checked the board which said that I was supposed to check in at row 12. So I went to row 12 and found
- The screens on that row specified a different flight number and destination.
- The queue of people queuing was extremely long, extending beyond the normal queuing area (which I have not normally seen at Changi).
So I double-checked the board. Yep, Row 12. So I lined up at the end of the queue.
After a few minutes, a roaming staff member asked me what my destination was. I told him, and he directed me to Row 11. I told him that the board said Row 12, and he said that the check-in row has been changed but the change has not yet been reflected in the board. So I went to Row 11 - and was completely stumped.
Firstly, there was no destination posted on Row 11, just FAST Bag Drop and FAST Assistance. And in front of that row was around 8 self-service kiosks.
Now, I am not a novice when it comes to travelling by plane. I make at least one return international trip a year, and actually made the same trip three months ago and had no problems at all with the normal check-in. I have also done Web Check-in on a previous trip (V Aust) and printed out my boarding passes at home. But I was completely at a loss on what to do next. I saw no signs or notices advising travellers to use the kiosks. With nothing to lose, I decided to try a kiosk.
On the plus side, the kiosk was quite easy to use. (I just did a search and found instructions on
Checking In). They also had a few roaming staff helping passengers use the kiosks. Basically, you scan your passport, enter the booking reference and the number of bags you have, and it prints out your boarding pass and your baggage tag. You then attach the baggage tag on your bag and bring it to the FAST Bag Drop counter.
I did that and joined the FAST Bag Drop queue. Except it was anything but FAST. The reason for the exceptional speed? Of the ~10 counters available, only three were staffed, and two of them were marked FAST Assistance (which was again, anything but). After a long wait, which was slightly shorten by a staff directly our queue into one of the FAST Assistance counter - sorry to those in that queue), I was finally able to drop my bag off.
Obviously this is a cost saving exercise. Scoot is trying to cut staff costs by having us enter our details, print out our boarding passes and label our own checked-in baggage. I just have a few questions.
- Why oh why did Scoot not inform their customers of the changes in the email that they send to their customers?
- Why add to traveller confusion by having mismatched information between the main board and the screens at the counters?
- Why don't they have large signs at the check-in rows advising travellers to use the kiosks?
- I believe that airlines get fined if they carry passengers to a country which refuses them entry. I have been held at the check-in counter while staff calls the destination country to check whether my visa was valid. Wouldn't this self-service not increase the risk of rejected passengers?
The issues I faced may have been exacerbated by the merger of Scoot and Tiger. There were at least two (fairly full, judging by the long queues at rows 10 and 12) flights to India at that time. But they handled those flights before they were merged, why should it all break down after?