I travel on SQ extensively, and to date have only experienced one flight cancellation

I arrived at MNL to be informed that the 18.00 had been cancelled. Ground staff were very apologetic – they had moved other passengers to earlier departures but they did not have contact details for me in Manila. (This was true, and since there were no other passengers waiting around I guess they must have been accommodated on earlier flights).

They offered to put me up in a hotel and get me on the first SQ flight the next morning. I was unhappy with this as I needed to be back in Sydney and could not afford to be delayed by a day.

I requested they get me on the QF flight. I was present when they phoned the QF agent – the flight was overbooked.

My second choice was CX. Same story, no seats available.

Ground Staff continued to search for options to get me out of MNL and on to SYD. They eventually found a solution – KLM through to KUL, connecting to an Austrian flight later that night (this is going back some years). Since there was going to be an extensive wait at KUL I requested that a day room be provided at the hotel airport. This was agreed to. On arrival at KUL there was an SQ agent waiting to greet me and escort me to the hotel.

Clearly SQ staff are capable of showing initiative. Like most, I have experienced frustrations with ground staff and Krisfyer agents on occasions. Staff employed in Customer Service roles are subject to the same human failings and mood swings as the rest of us.

Incidentally, I was traveling on an award ticket – SQ would have been out of pocket for both the KLM and Austrian flight as well as the KUL airport hotel.