Changi airport in Singapore, is it has to be said, one of the great airports of the world. It is well organized with lots of shops and restaurants, there are also computer terminals with free internet access. But as with everything all is not always as it seems.

My story of Singapore airport confusion happened just a little time ago on a short vacation from Bangkok to Singapore with Air Asia …... Having been waylaid in Singapore, through no-ones fault but my own, I made the decision to take the affordable and efficient train system to the airport. I arrived with a good 15 to 20 minutes before the check in closed and felt confident that I would be ok. However, upon leaving the train station I saw a sign that confused me, it said bus to budget terminal. What is this I thought, has Singapore decided that us budget carriers should not mix with the likes of Singapore, Thai or BA passengers. So never quite trusting these things I found a person who worked at the airport and they confirmed, after some hesitation, that yes there was a budget terminal and that was where the budget airlines fly from.

Panic began to rise, I desperately looked for an information point but with so little time and no sign of my Air Asia flights on the departures screen for the terminal I was in, I sprinted to the bus. I made it, just two minutes before the bus left. After 7 minutes we approached an unpleasant yellow building, cheap yes this was definitely budget. I quickly walked in to the terminal and went to the nearest departures TV screens quietly satisfied that I still had 6 minutes till the check in closed.

Imagine my surprise as I found that Air Asia was not there in fact no airline was there except Tiger Air, the Singaporean budget carrier. I had been tricked, fooled I desperately looked for a member of staff to sacrifice at the point of my tongue but no-one was there, not even an information point. Leaving my dark anger for a later time I charged to the exit, my bag now beginning to wear tracks into my shoulder and hailed a taxi as the bus had just left and I had only a few minutes till my check in would close. The taxi driver, however, would not stop, telling me I had to go to a special collection point, damn you Singapore for your rules and regulations. I sprinted to the taxi point my legs aching. Fortunately seeing my approach a taxi driver pulled up to the exit and opened a door, I jumped in. Before speaking the taxi driver asked if I had gone to the wrong terminal, yes I said how did you know? Oh, ‘it happens a lot’ was the reply.

We raced back to the main airport and arrived at the time the check in should have closed, I flew through the doors and just got there in time. Explaining my predicament to the people at the desk they nodded yes they said, ‘it happens a lot’. So furious, exhausted and in a little pain, I made my way to the gate, the only advantage being that there was only a few minutes wait before boarding.

What did I learn?

Leave for the airport earlier
Do not believe someone simply because they wear a uniform & work there
Singapore can be confusing

What I would like to know:

If ‘it happens a lot’ why does the sign ‘bus to budget terminal’ not get changed to read ‘bus to Tiger Airways Terminal’?

I hope my tale of woe will save others from experiencing Singapore airport confusion, but I do have a question to ponder….Does someone in the regimented hierarchy of Singapore have a sick sense of humour, and the cruel pleasure that they get from knowing each day people dash from one terminal to another, prevents them from making this simple change?