Changi gears up for year-end travel
Airport to work closely with partners to minimise delays after handling over 5.8 million passengers last December
The holidays are coming, which means it is going to get busy at Changi Airport, especially with flight and traveller numbers increasing every year.
Add the annual north-east monsoon and travellers should be prepared for flights being delayed and, in some cases, diverted to nearby airports.
Careful planning can help, experts said. Try not to fly out or in on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. Avoid peak hours from 5am to 9am, and from 6pm to midnight.
December is traditionally the busiest month of the year for Changi Airport, with traffic peaking on Fridays, said Mr Ivan Tan, spokesman for Changi Airport Group (CAG).
Last year, the airport handled more than 5.8 million passengers during the month, with a record 208,043 passengers on Dec 22, a Friday, he said.
To manage the higher number of flights, passengers and bags, CAG works closely with its partners, including government agencies like the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority of Singapore and ground handling companies like Sats.
To avoid long check-in queues, up to 30 per cent more workers are scheduled to man counters during peak periods.
"For arrivals, we also work with taxi companies to ensure a constant supply of taxis to meet the anticipated increase in demand," said Mr Tan.
This includes disseminating a "taxis-needed request" on CAG's Cabs@Changi app to inform drivers about which terminals are in need of taxis, calling taxi companies to alert them and for the companies to broadcast this message.
When high traffic coincides with the year-end monsoon season, it becomes tougher to maintain smooth operations.
More than half the days of December registered rainfall for the past five years.
Mr Tan said: "When there is rain, ground handlers will have to assess the situation to determine if they should halt the retrieval of baggage, to ensure the safety of the baggage handling staff. In such situations, passengers may experience delays in their collection of luggage."
A Sats spokesman said that when bad weather hits, it is all hands on deck to expedite the baggage handling once lightning warnings have been lifted or when heavy rain subsides.
"We would also prioritise flights that need to be handled first to minimise passenger inconvenience," she said.
Passengers who prefer not to wait for their bags can opt to have them delivered.
In the event of inclement weather, all airlines handled by Sats provide free baggage delivery for passengers. The usual fee is either $16 or $28 a bag, depending on the time of delivery.
When flights are delayed, attempts are made to inform passengers early, airlines said.
A spokesman for Singapore Airlines said: "Whenever flight delays or disruptions occur, we typically post information on our website and advise customers to check our website regularly for updates.
"Customers who have updated their contact details in their bookings will receive SMS and/or e-mail notifications."
Get The New Paper on your phone with the free TNP app. Download from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store now
