Passengers arriving on select airlines and specific routes approved by the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) can transit in Singapore if their connecting flight is in less than 48 hours.
Transit passengers are only allowed to enter specific terminal areas and cannot mix with Singapore originating ones. However, there is a transit hotel available for passengers with longer transit times.
You can access Singapore Changi’s information for transit passengers here.
As I was transiting via Singapore yesterday from Paris to Phuket on Singapore Airlines, I thought that LoyaltyLobby readers would be interested to learn about the current experience.
The information and images that the Changi Airport Group has about the transit experience don’t quite match the reality and are a romanticized version of what takes place.
My original transit time in Singapore was going to be more than 75 minutes, and I thought that I could check out the “Premium Transit Area.” Still, most flights from Europe to Singapore are delayed by an hour or so due to Afghan airspace closure or avoidance.
Connecting flights, in my case, the flight to Phuket, are held until all transit passengers have arrived. The flight I was on had 11 passengers from 70 or so from Paris, continuing to this Thai destination.
1. Deboarding
Singapore-bound passengers in all cabins deboard first. If your destination is not Singapore, sit down and wait for your turn. Even some business class passengers had trouble understanding this.
2. Transit Check
Passengers then line up by the windows in the gate area arranged in groups depending on their destination.
The personnel has a list of all connecting passengers and their destinations.
You get a green wristband
3. Walk To The Gate
Then you walk with the person to the gate holding area first through a temperature check.
4. Gate Transit Area
It looks pretty different from the images provided by the Changi Airport Group.
There are no facilities in this area. Not sure if you can access a toilet if needed. I was surprised that all the passengers in this area were going to Phuket
5. Boarding
There are no public announcements, and passengers sitting were confused when some were brought to the gate to board the plane first. I would assume that these were either Singapore originating or those who needed special assistance.
Then those with kids were allowed to board from the Gate Waiting Area. So I just waited and told the gentleman that I would prefer boarding last I was in the first row.
I was the last one to board from the gate area, but there must have been later incoming flights, as a couple of passengers rushed to the plane after taking my assigned seat.
Transit per Changi Airport Group:
Conclusion
That was quite a different Changi transit experience that I have used to in the past. I should be able to test the Premium Transit Area next month when I fly from Bangkok to Paris on SQ, with a transit time in Singapore exceeding two hours.
All the airport employees were very friendly, as one would expect in Singapore, and it is evident that the airport had made sure that most working in the airport were in their 20s.
Although I have been flying and traveling through the entire pandemic, this was the FIRST airport transit experience with this level of control.
Changi and Singapore cannot have this kind of setup if they plan to allow any significant number of transit passengers. It only works if the flights are mostly empty. There were roughly 70 passengers on my flight from Paris, of which 25 to 30 terminated in Singapore.
Singapore Airlines had a good fare on this route that Freddo wrote about, and I ended up purchasing. Otherwise, I would probably take a more direct flight to Phuket, as the experience in Singapore is not optimal.
What an absolute dystopian nightmare. The entire Asia Pacific region is the off the menu for me for years.
Thank you! Will be there the 16th on route to Phuket as well. Cross my fingers all will go well.
Thank you! Will be there the 16th on route to Phuket as well. Cross my fingers all will go well.
Nightmarish.
Nightmarish.
Nightmarish.
What an absolute dystopian nightmare. The entire Asia Pacific region is the off the menu for me for years.
What an absolute dystopian nightmare. The entire Asia Pacific region is the off the menu for me for years.
Thank you! Will be there the 16th on route to Phuket as well. Cross my fingers all will go well.
Nightmarish.
How sad can it get…. Apocalypse
How sad can it get…. Apocalypse
I was thinking about this route but opted going with Etihad instead. I heard that at least their business lounge is open in AUH.
Yikes, looks dreadful. Definitely only one for those that have no choice but to travel from the looks of it – can’t see the point if it’s just for holiday!
How sad can it get…. Apocalypse
I was thinking about this route but opted going with Etihad instead. I heard that at least their business lounge is open in AUH.
I would say that it depends where you are coming from. From Europe, I rather take one long plus one short over two medium length flights
I had worst experience with Changi. 12 of us. jakarta – sin – istanbul. With young children and teens. Treted like we were in military camp. Walk in straight lines. Do not leave the group. Stay where u are. They made us walk from Terminal 1 to Terminal 3 . Horrendous experience for my 6 yrs old. By the way.. early morning flight, on our return journey. Travellator was not ready. On foot. One Straight line. Transit 3hrs and no facilities such as hot food. The vendors they claim to deliver to the waiting area was either close or unavailable.
My walk was was very brief within terminal 3.
My walk was was very brief within terminal 3.
Travelator was not ready. Yes, a strange quirk in Lion City. Save electricity on such devices but consume a ton of electricity by setting air conditioning well below 20 C. If malls open at 10, don’t turn on the pedestrian bridge escalators until 10 am sharp, never mind that people who want to enter mall at opening time might cross the bridge at 9:50 or so.
My walk was was very brief within terminal 3.
Yikes, looks dreadful. Definitely only one for those that have no choice but to travel from the looks of it – can’t see the point if it’s just for holiday!
You have to remember we are still in a pandemic. They are still running a risk of getting their staff infected by travelers who are just transiting. That’s the only way of getting the covid numbers low in the country.
I had a pretty good experience transiting through Singapore from Sydney to Paris in July. I had access to the transit lounge and it did look more or less like the pictures provided by the airport. It was located only a short distance from the gate where I landed and departed from. Definitely not a business class lounge but better than the main waiting area. The lining up for health check was a bit unsettling but nothing bad. It might just depends on which terminal and gates you arrive at or whether you’re coming from a green country or not.
I had a pretty good experience transiting through Singapore from Sydney to Paris in July. I had access to the transit lounge and it did look more or less like the pictures provided by the airport. It was located only a short distance from the gate where I landed and departed from. Definitely not a business class lounge but better than the main waiting area. The lining up for health check was a bit unsettling but nothing bad. It might just depends on which terminal and gates you arrive at or whether you’re coming from a green country or not.
I had a pretty good experience transiting through Singapore from Sydney to Paris in July. I had access to the transit lounge and it did look more or less like the pictures provided by the airport. It was located only a short distance from the gate where I landed and departed from. Definitely not a business class lounge but better than the main waiting area. The lining up for health check was a bit unsettling but nothing bad. It might just depends on which terminal and gates you arrive at or whether you’re coming from a green country or not.
How did you get out of Australia? Are you a politician?
99.9 per cent of Australians are not permitted to leave.
If you have urgent personal business it’s possible to get an exception on the ban on international travel to leave Australia. The issue is getting back as the caps on arrivals imposed by individual states means airlines are forced to fly with 10 or 20 passengers on a flight and often need to bump passengers to meet the daily intakes
If you have urgent personal business it’s possible to get an exception on the ban on international travel to leave Australia. The issue is getting back as the caps on arrivals imposed by individual states means airlines are forced to fly with 10 or 20 passengers on a flight and often need to bump passengers to meet the daily intakes
The arrangements for limiting the spread of COVID have been ongoing at Changi Airport since the start of the pandemic in March of 2020. I had a similar experience transiting through to Phnom Penh last October when I overnighted at the transit hotel. I appreciate the duty of care and level attention to detail that Singapore Airport places on ensuring passengers have the safest experience while in transit. Effectively border controls for COVID and responsiveness to the changing level of risk posed by Delta are one of the reasons why Singapore has been able to limit the spread of the disease and ensure and orderly and comfortable transit through its airport.
Are you a PR of Singapore Airlines ? What a bunch of BS.
Orderly and comfortable transit ? When you have only 50 passengers how to don’t be orderly ? Then let me know where is the comfort, what is that plastic cover everywhere ?
You need to wake up and try maybe Al Mourjan lounge in Doha ? and fly QR.
I am in Switzerland actually and until now the Delta version changed NOTHING to our life, no more restriction than before this variant arrived, more case yes, but already going down.
Vaccines are here for a reason, if you need to be vaccinated and paranoid, better to live in a grotto.
Asian system/management is just a failure, liberty movement doesn’t exist anymore, and for sure it’s go nowhere.
No not Singapore Air PR but a genuine customer. Your claim about the Asian system/management failure is just plain wrong as Singapore and Hong Kong have led the way in managing pandemic travel through their airports.
HK SAR is a disaster example of how not to handle airport traffic. One or two passengers on any flight test positive and flights on that airline are banned for a week or two.
We might need to agree to disagree that “one or two passengers” testing positive on a flight is a disaster! The volumes of passengers passing through any gateway ensures at least that. The point is whether those infections are detected or not during transit or when they reach their destination.
We might need to agree to disagree that “one or two passengers” testing positive on a flight is a disaster! The volumes of passengers passing through any gateway ensures at least that. The point is whether those infections are detected or not during transit or when they reach their destination.
I transited there in July and it was not a good experience, especially compared to being able to use an airport lounge. It felt chaotic and disorganized. It’s exacerbated by the fact that many Singapore airlines connections have layovers of 10 hours or more.
I transited there in July and it was not a good experience, especially compared to being able to use an airport lounge. It felt chaotic and disorganized. It’s exacerbated by the fact that many Singapore airlines connections have layovers of 10 hours or more.
With transit times exceeding a few hours, I would look into transit hotel option.
The most remarkable for me is that there are actually people who voluntarily shoulder something like this?
The most remarkable for me is that there are actually people who voluntarily shoulder something like this?
Deplaning.
The person in blue plastic wrap was trying to do his job even he was concerned about getting infected. Hero!