I REFER to Ms Neoh Sue Lynn's Forum Online letter on Thursday, 'Airline still required payment guarantee when credit card bill was settled'.

'Third-party transaction' refers to payment made by a customer with his credit card, for travel by another party. In this case, Ms Neoh paid for her maid's air tickets with her credit card. Singapore Airlines requires that an indemnity of payment form be signed to guarantee that the cardholder is aware of such a transaction taking place.

Although Ms Neoh noted that her credit card bill had been settled, we seek her understanding that this is still a necessary security procedure to protect both the cardholder and the airline. We have encountered previous cases where alleged fraudulent transactions for airfare payments came to light only some time after the credit card bill was settled. With this procedure, we hope to reduce the possibility of such unfortunate experiences for our customers.

Customers are advised to present themselves at either the Singapore Airlines Service Centre at Ion Orchard, our ticket offices at Changi Airport Terminal 2 and Terminal 3, or any nearest SIA ticket office to sign the form in person.

Nevertheless, we welcome Ms Neoh's feedback that the form should additionally mention that it is also for security purposes, and we will review this accordingly.

David Lim

Vice-President, Sales & Distribution

Singapore Airlines