Flying from one of the best-known international destinations – Singapore, the island country – Singapore Airlines has been afloat in the aviation business for a little over 75 years, to be precise. The erstwhile name was Malayan Airways, but the renaming took place once the corporate restructuring happened in 1972.
Singapore has proved to be a strategic operational hub for the airline. For years running, Singapore Airlines has enjoyed a competitive edge over other players and has consistently outperformed its competitors in the market, making it an award-winning and most-preferred air carrier in the world. Some of the features that make it a top-ranking airline are – its punctuality and scheduled landings, excellent flight safety record, in-flight entertainment/amenities, top-of-the-line customer service, and use of high-grade technology. With a stellar performance like that, why wouldn’t anyone choose to fly with this commercial airliner?
Singapore Airlines has a dense flying network, serving over 130 global destinations across five continents. Top destinations include London, Frankfurt, Moscow, Paris, Rome, Zurich, Berlin, Munich, Hong Kong, New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Toronto, Melbourne, Sydney, Beijing, Bangkok, Taipei, Seoul, Manila, Kuala Lumpur, Cape Town, Bengaluru, Chennai, New Delhi, Mumbai and Dubai, to name a few.
It is a privilege to be flying with a premium, star-rated airline, but what would you do if you run into rough weather with delayed/damaged or lost luggage? Here’s what you should do when you have just flown with Singapore Airlines and realize that your bag has not traveled with you to the destination airport.
First Approach the Lost Property Office
The officials will do everything possible to help you recover your lost belongings. However, you will be required to first lodge a report at their Lost and Found Office upon arrival at the airport. You can do the same online but ensure you receive a copy of the report along with a File Reference Number for all future correspondence over the matter and to enable you to track the status of baggage claims online. Also, retain your bag tag receipts and flight details.
If you remember leaving your bag in the aircraft or the waiting lounges, you must submit a ‘Search Request’ at Lost and Found.
In case of damage discovery, waste no time reporting at the arrival airport. However, if you make a late discovery of the damage to the bag or underlying contents and/or missing items, fill out their web form within 7 days of your flight. If you have already lodged a physical complaint at the airport upon arrival, you can check the status details by logging in with the File Reference Number that was provided to you at the Lost and Found Office.
Please check with their terms and conditions of carriage on their website before proceeding to make any claims. The airline is legally bound to compensate you but only for the loss that occurs within their care. Please remember to provide them with sufficient proof of the same before any allegation.
Someone from the Lost and Found team will stay in touch with you consistently through emails for the next 7 business days, or until they trace your item/s and deliver them to you intact.
Fill the Online Baggage Claim Form
The airline requests a 7-day window time frame to locate your missing luggage. You are encouraged to file either an online baggage claim or request a claim form at the local Lost and Found Office of the air carrier. You may consider making a claim through your travel insurance if you had purchased a policy.
The claim can be for delayed, damaged, or lost luggage. The compensation is comparable to the price worthiness of the missing items and the inconvenience caused to the passenger during the waiting period. It is important to be prompt with lodging your report because the compensation follows at least after 12 hours of submitting a claims report – the clock starts ticking soon after.
Reach Customer Service via Phone or Social Media
You can consider getting on the phone with their representative at customer care at the local Singapore Airlines office on their hotline number. Here are some important numbers to note – +65 6223 8888 (Singapore), +60 3 2789 8798 (Malaysia), +61 2 7209 4388 (Australia), +7 495 775-30-87 (Russia), 1800 121 212 (India), +971 800 0650 1645 (UAE), 020 7660 8988 (UK), and +1 833-727-0118 (US).
Phone calls can be frustrating when you are stuck with the IVR with no agent to attend to your emergency. The next option would be to go live with their chat option. However, instant resolutions can happen with social media and emails. Irrespective of which option you choose, remember to provide your full name, flight details, and your file reference number, and give a full-length baggage description to the executive handling your query. Consider using all or either one of the airline’s social media pages for posting your SOS message. Here are the their official pages – Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Conclusion
Stressful as it is – missing or losing luggage even with the world’s best carrier can completely knock you out, but the incident is completely avoidable. Keep your packing light; ensure that you have stuck visible and legible contact information (name, e-mail ID, working/reachable phone number) on your luggage exterior; snap off old tags; double check your bag tag for the correct destination airport code; avoid reaching the departure airport at the last hour; take a picture of your bag at the bag drop counter before it leaves you; and last but never the least, consider having travelers insurance.
