Singapore Airlines values its customers, and ensures those with special needs can be assisted during their journey. In all cases where we are made aware of a special-needs customer, including a customer requiring a wheelchair, staff will be at hand to provide personal assistance. These customers will be accompanied by our staff to the boarding gate, and they are always boarded first.

Unfortunately, this service was not extended to Ms Devi's father, as a request for assistance was not made by Ms Devi's travel agent. Ms Devi had also declined an offer by our staff at the check-in counter to provide wheelchair assistance to her father.

Boarding of flights starts 40 minutes before the departure time, and the boarding gate is closed 10 minutes before departure. This policy is well known and advised to customers frequently through terminal announcements, at check-in, and has been regularly reported in the columns and forums of The Straits Times and other media. This practice avoids the inconvenience of flight delays caused by late passenger boarding.

By the time Ms Devi and her family arrived at the boarding gate at 8.30am, the time of departure, the aircraft was ready to push back for take-off, and their bags had already been removed. Staff at the gate are not aware of where customers may be if they are not at the gate on time. To re-load the baggage would have incurred a significant delay on departure.

The later flight Ms Devi mentions in her letter, which departs at 9.20am, is not operated by SIA. Hence, her family was transferred to the next available SIA flight bound for Chennai later in the day. The duty manager also waived the mandatory re-booking fee, knowing her situation.

We are sorry Ms Devi's experience was marred on this occasion, but she did take up the opportunity for wheelchair assistance on the later flight for her father, and the boarding was smooth. Our staff do what they can to assist customers with special needs, but also have a responsibility to other customers to get flights away on time. We seek our customers' understanding that the practice of closing the gate 10 minutes before departure has had a tangible impact in reducing delays attributed to late passenger arrivals.

Ong Boon Khim

Vice-President Customer Affairs

Singapore Airlines