SINGAPORE: A woman has claimed that Scoot Airlines prevented five members of her family from checking in for their flight due to her daughter's passpo
SINGAPORE: A woman has claimed that Scoot Airlines prevented five members of her family from checking in for their flight due to her daughter’s passport, which had less than six months’ validity.
In an interview with Shin Min Daily News, Lin, 39, explained that she and her husband had purchased eight tickets for a trip to Macau on June 11, intending to take their year-old toddler, six-year-old daughter, elderly parents, a 62-year-old aunt, and an 85-year-old wheelchair-bound grandmother on the journey. Their flight, TR904, was set to depart at 1:50 PM and arrive in Macau at 6:05 PM.
However, when the family arrived at the airport check-in counter on the morning of their flight, a Scoot ground staff member informed them that they could not proceed due to the passport issue. “We suggested that the other five family members check in first while my husband and I took our daughter to the Immigration and Checkpoint Authority (ICA) to resolve the passport problem. We could buy tickets for the next flight afterward,” Lin recounted.
The ground staff allegedly rejected this suggestion, stating that all family members needed to check in together since the bookings were made simultaneously.
Family Forced to Buy New Tickets
While heading to the ICA, Lin contacted Scoot via Facebook and its hotline, where an officer confirmed that the rest of the family could check in without her. However, her mother reported that the ground staff continued to refuse assistance. By around noon, they were told the boarding gate had already closed.
When Lin and her husband returned to the airport at 1:30 PM with their daughter’s new passport, they found it was too late. They ended up spending around S$2,100 on new business class tickets to Hong Kong, with plans to travel to Macau by ferry. They also had to book two hotel rooms for the night due to the inconvenience.
After receiving a reply from Scoot on June 16, which reiterated that the other five family members could check in first, Lin took to social media to share her experience, seeking a reasonable explanation and compensation for the extra expenses incurred.
Response from Scoot
In response to Mothership’s inquiries, Scoot expressed regret over Lin’s experience. They clarified that while Lin and two family members attended to the passport issue, they did not return before the check-in counter closed at 12:55 PM. Consequently, the remaining five family members were unable to check in on time.
Scoot also stated that they assisted Lin and her family with securing a booking for their return flight from Macau to Singapore on June 17 after she purchased new one-way tickets. They clarified that, for multiple-passenger bookings, it is not necessary for all passengers to check in together.
Additionally, Scoot mentioned that their check-in counters open up to three hours before departure and close 60 minutes prior to scheduled departures. They have since reached out to Lin to provide further assistance and a resolution out of goodwill.
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