'Even buffaloes get better treatment': Man complains about long VTL queues at Changi Airport, gets schooled instead

A man returning to Singapore via a Vaccinated Travel Lane (VTL) flight from London was horrified by the long queues and treatment of travellers. He took to Facebook to complain about the "third-world staging area" at Changi Airport Terminal 3, adding that "even buffaloes in rice padi field get better treatment [sic]".

Instead of supporting him, however, other travellers who breezed through the process gave him a lesson on how he could have saved himself the frustration — by performing the pre-arrival procedures online as advised by the Immigration & Checkpoint Authority (ICA).

In a Facebook post on Tuesday (Oct 26), Jen Shek Voon wrote about his bad experience after landing at Changi Airport's Terminal 3 from London.

He noted that after a 14.5-hour journey from Heathrow Airport, "it was horrific to see the long VTL queues at the ICA areas, moving at incredibly slow rates".

He described the process where he had to have his passport checked before filling up a manual form, and having "your pictures taken five times".

He admitted he was unaware that pre-travel requirements could be completed online, stating that he only found out upon arrival at the airport that "travellers now have to submit an electronic ICA Arrival Form, which could have been more expeditiously completed before boarding the VTL flight where we all have better WiFi access".

Jen also suggested that ICA "could better use their robot auto-bots to auto fill the data" instead.

"If this is the current status of VTL flights... then heaven help us when the VTL floodgates open," Jen stated. He added emphatically: "I bet my last S$50 note that travellers shall be avoiding our Changi airport like the black plagues."

[embed]https://www.facebook.com/JenShekVoon/posts/10161232465179325[/embed]

Among his other grouses, Jen also complained about the "worst part" of the entire process — walking out from the air-conditioned area to a temporary tented staging area to scan a QR code and make payment for the swab test.

"And everyone is dressed in PE kits which is why it's costing S$160 per swab [sic]," Jen noted. In response to a commenter, Jen replied that the experience was akin to going through "boot camp".

In his post, Jen went on to describe favourably, in comparison, his experience travelling to the UK, where he managed to perform the required entry requirements online pre-flight, adding that "all one has to endure is the queue time 45-30 minutes [sic]" at the airport.

In the comments section of Jen's post, his views garnered sympathy from some who commiserated with his experience, but several travellers have come out to rebut Jen's claims and "set the record straight".

Most noted that Jen had failed to comply with ICA's advisory for inbound travellers and residents to complete the pre-arrival forms and book their PCR test, observing that the long queues could have been prevented if everyone had done their part.

Another traveller stated that it was "a breeze" to get through immigration, contrary to his experience.

Wrote one commenter: "I think the long queue was contributed by passengers who did not complete all the relevant forms before departure. If everyone had followed ICA's advice to do all the prep work before arrival, the clearance could be faster."

Another traveller who flew in from Paris on Oct 26 also refuted Jen's claims about the temporary staging area, stating that she "distinctly felt cool air… and did not break [into] a sweat despite being dressed for autumn".

Jen's post was also picked up by local internet personality Mrbrown, who pooh-poohed Jen's complaints.

[embed]https://twitter.com/mrbrown/status/1453313980466810881[/embed]

The blogger, whose real name is Lee Kin Mun, wrote on Twitter: "Dude flies from London to Singapore on a VTL flight, complains about having to queue. When actually, he didn't do all the preflight prep others did. Gets earful from others who breezed through Changi Airport."

Learning from Jen's experience, at least we now know what to expect if we don't fill in the required pre-arrival forms before returning to Singapore during this time. If we are privileged enough to get on a VTL flight, that is.

For those who are wondering, pre-travel information and requirements can be found on ICA's website here.

candicecai@asiaone.com