Tourist saved from "horrific experience" after flight delay thanks to SIA

Getting stranded at an airport can be incredibly stressful but fortunately for one traveller, the top-notch service provided by Singapore Airlines (SIA) made it a positive experience.

Facebook user Marvin Tomandao's post on Monday (Aug 20) of his experience has since gone viral with over 15,000 reactions and 4,000 shares.

Marvin was one of thousands of passengers who were affected by flight disruptions last Friday (Aug 17) when a Xiamen Air plane crash landed at Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) in Manila.

He wrote that he was travelling back to Manila from Singapore on flight SQ918's economy class with his niece as part of her birthday celebrations.

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Their flight was supposed to leave 7.25pm but at 7pm, there was an announcement that their flight would be delayed.

In his post, he praised an SIA manager for providing constant and clear updates on their flight and the situation in Manila.

He also listed the stellar service he received from SIA:

• After the delay was announced, SIA staff began serving "unlimited" refreshments including sandwiches, muffins and drinks.

• He was given a five-star room at luxury hotel Four Points by Sheraton, with a buffet dinner and limousine taxi service to and from the hotel.

• SIA staff were present at the hotel's lobby to ensure their checkout and transport to the airport went smoothly.

• At the airport, special lanes were provided for the cancelled Manila flights.

• At the boarding gate, they were again provided with sandwiches, muffins, and drinks.

• When another delay was announced, passengers were given $15 worth of food vouchers to spend on their breakfasts.

• Flight delay surveys were handed out to allow passengers to feedback on how well the delay was handled.

• When the plane was finally ready to be boarded, ground staff lined up in a row to apologise for the delay and to wish passengers a pleasant flight.

The entire experience left Marvin very impressed.

He told The Straits Times that he noticed other passengers "getting into altercations with the ground staff of the local airlines, without food or money or food, because they have been there for hours".

"I just wanted to share how different and pleasant our flight delay experience was, and that it could be done differently," he said.

He added that he is a frequent traveller but SIA is his "most favourite airline".