Woman claims Scoot refused to compensate for broken surfboards, airline investigating

A woman has taken to social media to express her frustration at Scoot allegedly refusing compensation for two surfboards damaged during a flight.

In an Instagram post on Saturday (July 11), the traveller, whose account handle is Karliehuang33, said she had checked in a longboard and a mid-length surfboard on her flight from Hainan to Phuket.

She said both surfboards were stored in a protective surfboard bag and tagged as "fragile" by airport staff before departure.

However, upon arriving in Thailand, she said both surfboards had been broken in half, describing the damage as "total structural destruction" and saying that they were beyond repair.

Images also show her damaged board bags, which she claimed were caused by baggage handling staff despite her taking precautions to protect the surfboards.

"Extremely frustrated and disappointed with the irresponsible baggage handling and zero customer accountability from Scoot Airlines," she wrote. 

The two surfboards were reportedly worth around $3,645. 

@asiaone The passenger, who on July 9 was on a Scoot flight from Hainan to Phuket, said the two surfboards were "fully protected" in a bag and tagged as fragile. However, both surfboards were broken in half on arrival. #sgnews #Singapore #Airport #Airline ♬ original sound - AsiaOne

Disrupted schedule, resulted in financial loss

The woman alleged that when she raised the issue with Scoot ground staff, they denied liability for the damage and declined compensating her, citing a limited release form that she had signed before the flight.

She disputed this, claiming that such forms generally apply to minor wear and tear during normal baggage handling and should not cover severe structural damage.

"These are essential equipment and this irreparable damage has fully disrupted my travelling schedule in Phuket and later in Indonesia, resulting in direct financial loss," she said. 

"I am extremely angry and helpless with this whole experience. Violent baggage handling that breaks surfboards in half is never a normal travel risk, and the airline must take full responsibility for its staff's negligence."

Responding to queries from AsiaOne, a Scoot spokesperson said the airline is aware of the July 9 incident.

"We sincerely apologise to the customer for her situation. Our customer service team is in contact with the customer to understand the details and provide the necessary assistance," said the spokesperson.

Scoot added that it takes such feedback seriously but is unable to provide further details, citing an ongoing investigation.

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xingying.koh@asiaone.com