Medication shortages, 16-hour journeys for S’pore travellers returning from Indonesia

SINGAPORE – After several days of flight disruptions between Singapore and Jakarta, the first flights from the Indonesian capital arrived at Changi Airport on Sept 8 without fanfare, with the mood among passengers more one of relief and exhaustion than celebration.

Scheduled flights operated by Indonesian carriers Batik Air, Pelita Air and Garuda Indonesia arrived steadily from 10am at terminals 3 and 4.

Passengers The Straits Times spoke to said proceedings were calm and smooth at Jakarta’s main airport on the morning of Sept 8, as several other air travel hubs also reopened after days of closure following the eruption of Mount Anak Krakatau.

For Norsiah Hamid, 67, a family trip to Jakarta turned chaotic and anxiety-ridden after their flight home was cancelled.

Travelling with seven other family members, Norsiah was slated to return to Singapore on Sept 7. But when the group arrived at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport that day, they found out that their flight had been cancelled.

They had to find a hotel that could take all eight of them, only to return to the airport the following day and leave again without being able to get a flight home.

At about 7pm on Sept 8, the group landed in Singapore, where they were greeted by their children. They were among several travellers who arrived on relief flights operated by Singapore Airlines from Jakarta.

However, having to find alternative flights at the last minute meant unexpected additional expenses for several travellers.

A few people in Norsiah’s travel group had packed medication lasting them only until the end of their expected trip. The flight cancellations meant the travellers, whose health conditions include diabetes and hypertension, were left without their essential medication.

“Staff from their hotel helped to get some medication for them,” said Norsiah’s son, Fauzi Hussin, who was at the airport to fetch his mother.

“My mother came down with a bad cough from either the air quality after the eruption or the stress,” said Fauzi, adding that he planned to take Norsiah to see a doctor soon.

His usually able mother was wheeled out of the baggage claim area after feeling weak following her journey.

For another traveller, getting to Singapore to attend important business meetings turned into a 16-hour journey. At about 11pm on Sept 7, Albert Susilo, 41, boarded a seven-hour train from Jakarta to Yogyakarta, followed by a flight from the central Java city, finally landing in Singapore at about 3pm on Sept 8.

He returned to Changi Airport in just under an hour later to pick up his wife, three children aged 11, eight and six, and their helper, who took a direct flight back from Jakarta.

The family had gone to Jakarta to celebrate his mother-in-law’s birthday.

His wife, Jenifer Kosasih, said: “It’s home sweet home; we just want to relax for a while because it was quite nerve-wracking.”

Four sisters reunited with dad

It was also a reunion for the Khauruddin family, with four sisters finally reunited with their father on Sept 8 after their trip to Jakarta was unexpectedly extended. 

Dyana Khauruddin, 34, who works as a hotel VIP services manager, said: “We were excited to hear the welcome home message for Singaporeans (when the flight landed.)” She was also received by her husband at the airport.

The sisters left Singapore on Sept 2 and were meant to fly back on Sept 6 but when they heard about the eruption, they prepared for the worst. 

“We rebooked our flight for a bit in advance, just hoping it wouldn’t be cancelled today,” Dhaniya Khauruddin, 27, who is a pre-school teacher, explained. They faced crowds at the airport and continually checked that their flight remained scheduled.

Their father, who picks up his daughters from the airport after every trip, said: “I was shocked by the news but... I got to know they stayed in the same hotel, so I feel much better.”

Singaporean Terrence Sim, a director at a company that supplies motorcycle accessories, was in Jakarta for a motorcycle exhibition last week and was due in Taipei on Sept 8 for a conference.

His direct flight from Jakarta, which cost about $500, was replaced by an $800 last-minute Batik Air flight to Singapore, which landed at T4 at 10.30am, followed by a connecting China Eastern flight to Taipei.

After hearing from a contact late on Sept 7 that Batik Air had seats available, Sim immediately booked the earliest flight. “I was worried that the flights later in the day would be cancelled,” he said. He had also tried to book a train to Surabaya, but found that all services were full.

“There were rumours that the airport would be closed until Friday, so I didn’t want to risk it,” said Sim, adding that volcanic ash and fires elsewhere in Indonesia had also contributed to poor visibility.

Indonesian Mutia Indaningsih, the chief executive of an oil trading company, racked up about 15 million Indonesian rupiah, or over $1,000, in flight rebooking costs after her flights were cancelled on Sept 6 and Sept 7.

Mutia, who missed the first day of the ongoing Asia Pacific Petroleum Conference at Raffles City Convention Centre, made it to Singapore on a Pelita Air flight that landed just after 10am.

She also had to forfeit one night’s hotel stay as it was booked with a voucher that could not be refunded, but she was simply relieved to have finally made it to Singapore.

“This is a high-value event for me and I didn’t want to miss it... I’ve missed out on some topics, but it’s okay; I’m here now.”

It was also a relief for Singaporean childcare teacher Nadia Zainuddin, who arrived on the Batik Air flight after her SIA flight on Sept 7 was cancelled.

“It was very difficult to find new flights... You have to search, search, search, search, search,” said Nadia, who had gone to Jakarta for a Teachers’ Day event.

“We didn’t know when the airport was going to open... We all panicked over there,” added Nadia, whose colleagues are still stuck in Jakarta.

For others like the restaurant team from Ushidoki Wagyu Kaiseki in Tras Street who landed on a Garuda flight at around 11.30am at T3, the delay in getting back to Singapore meant a day of lost business.

Four people from the restaurant had flown to Jakarta for a collaboration with Indonesian hospitality firm Biko Group and had closed Ushidoki in Singapore from Sept 3 to 7. They were supposed to fly back on Sept 7 but managed to confirm their flight only on the morning of Sept 8, after an anxious wait in their hotel lobby in the hours before that.

“We can’t reopen today as no prep work (for the kitchen) has been done” said general manager Dominic Sum. “I’m already getting complaints from customers who were supposed to come tonight.”

For others like permanent resident Malani Tjahyati, who had gone to Jakarta for a high school reunion, the relief of making it back was palpable.

Malani, who was warmly greeted by her 16-year-old daughter and husband at the arrival hall, said she had gone to the Garuda office in Jakarta on Sept 7 to check in person whether the flight was going ahead.

She had also worked out several back-up plans with her husband – whether that meant taking a train to another city in Indonesia or flying to another country before continuing on to Singapore.

“I’m just glad to be home, Alhamdulillah,” she said, expressing her thanks to Allah.

Earlier on Sept 8, SIA announced that eight additional relief flights between Singapore and Jakarta would be mounted to transfer customers affected by the disruption, subject to seat availability.

Changi Airport Group said that as flights between Singapore and Jakarta have resumed, passengers should check with their airlines for the latest flight information.