Front-line staff

Good service eased fear of travel home

I was a bit apprehensive about how to bring my 84-year-old mother home to Singapore from Chennai safely amid the pandemic, but my experience upon landing at Changi Airport put all my fears to rest.

I arrived on March 13. A very polite airport employee came on board the plane with a wheelchair to transport my mother, handling her gently and speaking in Tamil to reassure her.

He took us through the required checkpoints and waited patiently at each station.

The Customs and immigration officers were equally kind, and did their utmost to clear us quickly and efficiently. Our bags were neatly stacked in the collection area for easy collection.

The airport officials arranged for a limousine taxi to take us to the dedicated facility where we would serve our stay-home notice, in consideration of my mother and her wheelchair.

The usual mode of transport is by bus, and I had not asked for special assistance.

We were taken to Swissotel The Stamford, where our experience exceeded our expectations.

We were provided an elder-friendly room, again without having made any prior requests.

Even though room service was not available due to Covid-19 protocols, any request was happily met.

There was an economical laundry service, and meals were provided promptly.

When I finished my 14-day stay, the exit swab tests were well organised too.

I am very appreciative of the authorities who put in place safe and effective protocols that made essential travel during the pandemic possible.

R. Haneef Jafar Sadiq

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on April 08, 2021, with the headline Good service eased fear of travel home. Subscribe