Being stranded in a foreign country is one of the worst fears for travellers. Unfortunately, a Singapore tour group on a guided trip with Chan Brother
Being stranded in a foreign country is one of the worst fears for travellers. Unfortunately, a Singapore tour group on a guided trip with Chan Brothers Travel found themselves in this situation during their holiday in New Zealand.
In a Facebook post on Monday (Dec 12), tour member Faith Tan shared that their group was left “stranded” without a return flight. The group of 16 was scheduled to return to Singapore on Dec 11 via Air New Zealand, but the flight was cancelled at the last minute.
Their trip, which ran from Nov 30 to Dec 12, was disrupted when Air New Zealand cancelled their return flight unexpectedly. In a series of WhatsApp messages, the tour group asked their travel agent leader from Chan Brothers Travel for updates, but were unable to get information as the airline required the travel agent to contact them directly.
The travellers voiced their frustrations, with some pointing out that the tour guide’s responses—such as “wait for the airline to reply” and “if the airline [has] good news, they [will] call your room”—left them feeling uncertain and anxious.
“It is the tour guide’s responsibility to take care of the tour members and not leave us in limbo. We are on a guided tour, not a free and easy trip,” one traveller said.
In a later update, Tan shared that Chan Brothers Travel confirmed return flights for the group on Wednesday via Malaysian Airlines, with a transit stop in Kuala Lumpur. Group members with chronic health conditions were flown back earlier on Tuesday at midnight.
While some group members paid for their own return flights, Tan commented, “Not the most ideal as we paid for Air New Zealand tickets, but better than nothing, I guess.”
Her original Facebook post has since been taken down.
Chan Brothers Travel Responds
In response to AsiaOne’s queries, a spokesperson for Chan Brothers Travel explained that the flight cancellation was due to “operational requirements” as per Air New Zealand’s official notice. The agency only learned of the cancellation while checking in the group at Auckland airport.
“Our tour leader and team in Singapore have been working tirelessly to liaise with Air New Zealand for a resolution. This was not a deflection of responsibility but a standard procedure, as the airline was the one to cancel the flight,” the spokesperson said.
They added that despite peak season challenges, the agency was able to secure return flights for the group. “The tour members were well taken care of by our leader on the ground,” they emphasized, noting that Air New Zealand provided accommodation and meal vouchers during the wait.
Earlier this year, another Singapore tour group was delayed for nine hours in Japan after a Scoot flight back to Singapore was repeatedly postponed due to a technical fault.
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