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.
karam@sph.com.sg
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