Nov 30, 2007
Glitch hits baggage system at
Changi
Software error leads to several hundred bags being left off planes,
some flight delays
By Karamjit Kaur
THE passengers took off on their flights but their luggage, several
hundred bags in all, never made it on board the departing aircraft
at Changi Airport on Wednesday night.
There was a technical glitch in the baggage sorting system at
Terminal 2. Lasting over three hours from about 5.30pm, it affected
one in 10 departing bags and led to some flight delays as airport
staff had to manually sort the bags and get them to the right
aircraft.
Singapore Airlines - T2's main tenant - said that more than 500 of
its bags were grounded.
Spokesman Stephen Forshaw said that as a result of the incident, 14
flights to cities in Australia, New Zealand, and India, among
others, were delayed by between four and 33 minutes.
Confirming the incident, a Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore
(CAAS) spokesman said that the hiccup was caused by a software
error which affected an electronic component of the baggage sorting
system.
About 90 per cent of all bags handled during the period met their
flights, she said, adding that the glitch did not affect arriving
luggage.
As for affected passengers, they discovered they were without clean
clothes, toiletries and other essentials when they arrived at their
destinations.
By late yesterday, almost all the bags were security-cleared and
sent off to be reunited with their owners, Mr Forshaw said.
Apologising to affected customers for the inconvenience, he said
that in such cases, wherever possible, the airline will deliver the
bags to the doorsteps of the rightful owners.
He said: 'For those travelling away from their homes, we also made
arrangements to provide them with a kit of essentials, such as
toiletries, to tide them over till their bags could be
delivered.'
Insured passengers may also be able to claim some compensation,
said Mr Robert Khoo, chief executive officer of the National
Association of Travel Agents Singapore (Natas).
He said: 'We always advise people to buy insurance when they travel
so that when things like this happen, they have some protection and
avenue for compensation.'
Mr Forshaw said: 'From time to time, baggage handling systems at
airports do malfunction.
'Obviously, we want to minimise those failures and the impact
caused by them, and we reiterate our apology to affected customers
for the inconvenience caused.'
The Straits Times understands that a minor glitch a few days ago
led to about 25 bags missing their flights.
Changi Airport last had a major baggage problem two years ago in
November 2005.
Close to 2,000 bags missed their flights when a computer glitch
caused a five-hour breakdown in the luggage screening system.
The cause of the software problem on Wednesday is still being
investigated, a CAAS spokesman said.
[email protected]
Copyright © 2007 Singapore Press Holdings. All rights reserved.
