Our airplane had a technical issue on the Moscow-Singapore (Airbus 350 SQ361 dep 3/01/17) leg on the journey to Australia. Passengers were kept inside of the airplane for 6 hours while the airplane was remaining on the ground in Moscow airport. SQ did not arrange return of passengers back to the terminal. No hot meal was served onboard, only a pack of chips within 6 hours. Crew provided little and infrequent information. Some passengers panicked and disembarked.
We missed our connecting flight to Sydney and had to spend an extra 9 hours waiting for the next flight. As a result of the delay I had to go to work straight from the airport after 38 hours of the prolonged joureney.
The airline asked me to write a detailed letter describing what happend. I spent my time and did that. In return I received a standard email with apologies, nothing else to compensate for the worst flight I had so far.
God, Domodedovo sucks, once I got stuck there for 5 hours on SQ62 (Now SQ362 without IAH) to Houston back in 2011, missed my connecting United flight to ORD and rebooked myself on AA, which costs $512 in Main Cabin instead of $187. (USD)
There's due to some Russian regulation that pax has to stay on the plane? SQ has no fault.
No russian regulation requires to keep pax onboard. It was SQ decision (as they explained to me in their letter).However russians require to provide hot meal if a delay is more than 4 hours. Thats what SQ breached as well.
Why did they delay flight in your case? Was it SQ fault? Did SQ provided any compensatation for it (points, upgrades)?
That sucks. But that's a risk of travelling, I suppose.
6 Hours inside the plane, not the terminal is interesting. Were you pushed back from the gate? Was the door open? Did the issue appear to be mechanical?
The airplane was taxing to the runway and then stopped. It was standing for 20 minutes and then they moved it to remote area of the airport. They said it was a failure of the deicing system. The door was open.
Of course such situations are inevitable when you fly often. But it was quite unbelivable how bad SQ handled it. Surely they dont have any contingency plans for such situations.
My question is whats happening to Singapore airlines? They are positioning themselves as a premium airline but act as budget. I know that they are cutting costs as they face competition from Gulf airlines on quality and price competition from Chinese mainland airlines. Havent they started it from the wrong end? I am afraid that with their negligence to customer experience they are poised to loose their market share.
Airlines and other corporations tend sometimes to offer minimal compensation until pushed. You can see their reasoning, if they offer it freely, everyone will take it but this way they rely on people bothering to follow up firmly. Do you deserve compensation? Maybe but not much. In the realm of air travel these things happen.
Of course I deserve compensation. If passengers pay extra to make their flight more comfortable (business class, convinient connections) then airlines should pay to passengers when they make their flight uncomfortable (missed connections, delays, overbooking etc). Especially when it is a premium airline and not a budget one. Are you saying that I have to push for compensation harder?
Mike, their agreement with you is to get you from Point X to Point Y, and their conditions of carriage would allow for unplanned changes to that, including delays, mechanical or weather, diversions, or cancellations.
They got you there. You didn't need to pay for a hotel - if you had, you'd deserve to be compensated. You didn't need to be rebooked onto another carrier, if you'd done that and paid for it yourself, you'd deserve to be compensated.
They completed their contract with you, albeit later than planned, but well within their agreement with you.
MikeZ I can see your point but this is not the place to complain. As the others mentioned this is a business traveller website. You're better off going to an airline forum or better yet directly to Singapore Airlines and asking them for some sort of compensation.
Although you may feel like this is SQ's fault, technical issues do occur on all airlines. Be thankful they detected the issue on ground rather than in the air and causing more delays.
It reflects what I said above - SQ charges passengers for premium service but acts as a budget one. Delivery from A to B - who cares about keeping passengers for 6 hours with no meal in the grounded airplane. SQ apparantely assumes that by default it is normal and there is nothing extra-ordinary to suggest anything more than a standard letter with apology.
It reflects what I said above - SQ charges passengers for premium service but acts as a budget one. Delivery from A to B - who cares about keeping passengers for 6 hours in the grounded airplane.
If they'd treated you like a budget one they'd have not even given you the chips. Delivery from A to B is what you agreed to.
And regarding your complaint about no hot food - Meals on board are booked in advance and loaded with very little leverage room. They don't have a freezer full of enough steak and cheese pies to quell the crowds in the event of a delay.
I hope you had some good reading material with you, but as myself and other have said, if you're just here for a whinge and sympathy, you're in the wrong place.
I was on board for 3 hours on Dragon in business on tarmac. We got served lunch, then got off and into the lounge and fed again by order from lounge stewardess. They bent over backwards for us.
7 hour delay and 15ousd compensation sent via email sign here type email.
MikeZ
MikeZ
Member since 24 Jan 2017
Total posts 26
btaus
btaus
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
Member since 15 Dec 2016
Total posts 171
God, Domodedovo sucks, once I got stuck there for 5 hours on SQ62 (Now SQ362 without IAH) to Houston back in 2011, missed my connecting United flight to ORD and rebooked myself on AA, which costs $512 in Main Cabin instead of $187. (USD)
There's due to some Russian regulation that pax has to stay on the plane? SQ has no fault.
MikeZ
MikeZ
Member since 24 Jan 2017
Total posts 26
Its SQ fault that their airplane broke.
No russian regulation requires to keep pax onboard. It was SQ decision (as they explained to me in their letter).However russians require to provide hot meal if a delay is more than 4 hours. Thats what SQ breached as well.
Why did they delay flight in your case? Was it SQ fault? Did SQ provided any compensatation for it (points, upgrades)?Grannular
Grannular
Member since 31 Mar 2014
Total posts 283
MikeZ
MikeZ
Member since 24 Jan 2017
Total posts 26
Well, it is SQ fault!
If your car broke on the way to airport and you missed your flight. Wouldnt it be your fault?
MRYJDrake
MRYJDrake
Air New Zealand - Airpoints
Member since 31 Oct 2016
Total posts 206
That sucks. But that's a risk of travelling, I suppose.
6 Hours inside the plane, not the terminal is interesting. Were you pushed back from the gate? Was the door open? Did the issue appear to be mechanical?
MikeZ
MikeZ
Member since 24 Jan 2017
Total posts 26
The airplane was taxing to the runway and then stopped. It was standing for 20 minutes and then they moved it to remote area of the airport. They said it was a failure of the deicing system. The door was open.
Of course such situations are inevitable when you fly often. But it was quite unbelivable how bad SQ handled it. Surely they dont have any contingency plans for such situations.
MikeZ
MikeZ
Member since 24 Jan 2017
Total posts 26
My question is whats happening to Singapore airlines? They are positioning themselves as a premium airline but act as budget. I know that they are cutting costs as they face competition from Gulf airlines on quality and price competition from Chinese mainland airlines. Havent they started it from the wrong end? I am afraid that with their negligence to customer experience they are poised to loose their market share.
ajstubbs
ajstubbs
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
Member since 15 Mar 2016
Total posts 117
Airlines and other corporations tend sometimes to offer minimal compensation until pushed. You can see their reasoning, if they offer it freely, everyone will take it but this way they rely on people bothering to follow up firmly. Do you deserve compensation? Maybe but not much. In the realm of air travel these things happen.
MikeZ
MikeZ
Member since 24 Jan 2017
Total posts 26
Of course I deserve compensation. If passengers pay extra to make their flight more comfortable (business class, convinient connections) then airlines should pay to passengers when they make their flight uncomfortable (missed connections, delays, overbooking etc). Especially when it is a premium airline and not a budget one. Are you saying that I have to push for compensation harder?
MRYJDrake
MRYJDrake
Air New Zealand - Airpoints
Member since 31 Oct 2016
Total posts 206
Mike, their agreement with you is to get you from Point X to Point Y, and their conditions of carriage would allow for unplanned changes to that, including delays, mechanical or weather, diversions, or cancellations.
They got you there. You didn't need to pay for a hotel - if you had, you'd deserve to be compensated. You didn't need to be rebooked onto another carrier, if you'd done that and paid for it yourself, you'd deserve to be compensated.
They completed their contract with you, albeit later than planned, but well within their agreement with you.
Jedinak K
Jedinak K
Virgin Australia - Velocity Rewards
Member since 06 Sep 2012
Total posts 106
MikeZ I can see your point but this is not the place to complain. As the others mentioned this is a business traveller website. You're better off going to an airline forum or better yet directly to Singapore Airlines and asking them for some sort of compensation.
Although you may feel like this is SQ's fault, technical issues do occur on all airlines. Be thankful they detected the issue on ground rather than in the air and causing more delays.
MikeZ
MikeZ
Member since 24 Jan 2017
Total posts 26
It reflects what I said above - SQ charges passengers for premium service but acts as a budget one. Delivery from A to B - who cares about keeping passengers for 6 hours with no meal in the grounded airplane. SQ apparantely assumes that by default it is normal and there is nothing extra-ordinary to suggest anything more than a standard letter with apology.
MRYJDrake
MRYJDrake
Air New Zealand - Airpoints
Member since 31 Oct 2016
Total posts 206
If they'd treated you like a budget one they'd have not even given you the chips. Delivery from A to B is what you agreed to.
And regarding your complaint about no hot food - Meals on board are booked in advance and loaded with very little leverage room. They don't have a freezer full of enough steak and cheese pies to quell the crowds in the event of a delay.
I hope you had some good reading material with you, but as myself and other have said, if you're just here for a whinge and sympathy, you're in the wrong place.
airADL
airADL
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
Member since 25 Mar 2014
Total posts 214
I was on board for 3 hours on Dragon in business on tarmac. We got served lunch, then got off and into the lounge and fed again by order from lounge stewardess. They bent over backwards for us.