[top photo: Ms Ye faced a difficult time battling the cold in Guangzhou after her luggage was left behind at Changi Airport]

20 TIGER Airways passengers landed in Guangzhou last month without their check-in luggage, reported the Shin Min Daily News.

Left behind at Changi Airport, the luggage only arrived a day after the flight.

The Chinese daily reported on Monday that without their bags and cold wear, some flyers on the flight from Singapore also fell ill in the 10 degrees Celsius weather.

The affected passengers were on flight TR 986, which left Changi Airport's Budget Terminal in the early morning of February 17 and arrived at Guangzhou Bai Yun International Airport at around 10am.

50-year-old Ms Ye, one of the passengers, said she spent an hour waiting at the baggage claim area. She found out later from an inquiry counter that her luggage was left behind in Changi and would only arrive the next day.

She remarked that some 20 others were in a similar predicament.

Ms Ye was left without her cold wear, which she had packed inside her check-in bag, and had to brave the 10 degrees Celsius weather on a trip to the hotel and around the city for her purchasing business.

She managed to retrieve the delayed luggage the next day, but had already caught a cold and had to endure the discomfort till her return to Singapore on February 20.

Response from Tiger Airways

Upon her return, Ms Ye and her son lodged a complaint with Tiger Airways, hoping to obtain an explanation.

But according to Ms Ye, the service staff only furnished them with the company's address and phone numbers, and did not want to offer further assistance.

She said this was not the first time the budget airline has mishandled baggage. On a return flight from China last year, the baggage was also left behind and only returned a few days later

In an interview with Shin Min, a spokesperson from Tiger Airways acknowledged that the incident did happen, and said that arrangements were promptly made to deliver the luggage the next day.

Investigations have been carried out, and harsh punishments were meted out to the staff responsible, said the spokesperson.

According to airline policy, passengers whose baggage is delayed by more than six hours can receive a $100 compensation, for the purchase of necessities. All compensation claims must be accompanied with receipts, said Tiger Airways.