Help! SIN-BKK Reschedule SNAFU

Clearly this is the fault of SQ so push them, squeeze them and make sure they put you on TG 402(8.10 departure - do able I think) or TG 404(12.25PM departure). TG being a founding member of Star Alliance so SQ should, with a few nicely worded lawyer type email to them, put you guys on a TG flight.

Thanks Pook! The real provblem is that his Bobness is gone to South africa for two more weeks and I will try to rearrange their flights as well. This is fraught with possibilities.

Yes, TG and SIA code share. I would also push SIA but, from my experience, they are particularly difficult. Try to call their NYC office. It is on 59th street and you should be able to get a live person. Tell them who you are, that Bob is also traveling along and do they know how angry a Panda and the Great White Hunter can become when their travel plans go awry? (The GWH reference is now the official moniker for Bob. After trekking through South Africa for weeks on end he has to return home with more than just a recipe for ostrich burgers.)

Of course, if you do get stuck in SIN, a trip for chili crab is about the best layover I can think of.

(We won't mention the fact that had Bob paid the extra ten dollars for each ticket none of this would have happened. And, even if not true, that makes a good story. . . . )

andy, if nothing works out, perhaps you should just take tiger or air asia to bkk, and rearrange your iti. imagine, being trapped forever in singapore. horrors!

I made a mistake in the original post. This is happening on 11/15/09, not 9/15/09.

Thanks for the suggestions. I requested that a supervisor call me, but I'm not hopeful.

Bob is out in the bush. He'll only have a few days when he returns. It could get ugly if things are not smoothed out by then.

Panda, I'm sure that with your Clark Kent glasses on and the "braces" you wear with one of your white oxford shirts, you can get this sorted out before B&K have even returned. Exude an air of authority, and remember that pandas always get their way.

BC

First, be thankful that you received an e-mail notifying you of the change as this rarely happens. Second, do the Thai Air change. His Bobness is not around, so you will actually have to take some responsibility and make the necessary changes. I know that it is not easy for lawyers and democrats to be held accountable for anything but here is your grand opportunity to redeem yourselves. Just do it. You don't actually need a supervisor, just a competent agent and your own knowledge of the alternative flights. I would call back right now and get it done.

Ditto what Craig has suggested above. But first bend over and feel between your legs because from this post it sounds like the Mighty Panda has lost a couple of items needed for this task. Good luck with the tickets and treasure hunt.

Aloha!

Don't worry about panda being a pain in the a--. It's what I do best. It's more a question of timing. The SIN Air reservation center is useless, so I'm going to do an end run. Bob will be traveling through Buenos Aires, but he'll get there.

"Bob will be traveling through Buenos Aires, but he'll get there."

That's what he gets for going to South Africa and leaving you in charge, Andy. Hope you get it all ironed out.
Carol

I'm sure he had no idea he was leaving me in charge. he may have some unresolved control issues. maybe this SNAFU will assist in resolving them.

I wouldn't count on that, but I also wouldn't route him through Buenos Aires. The consequences of doing that are something you don't want to deal with. And it's not JUST Bob you'd need to be afraid of. Karen, a retired nurse, is well acquainted with how many different ways there are to be physically uncomfortable.

BC

Karen will be with us. There are five of us. Anybody could misplace one of the reservations. Perfectly normal.

Just in case you do not get de-snafu-ed, you might want to keep in mind:

Visitors should be aware of Singapore's strict laws and penalties for a variety of actions that might not be illegal or might be considered minor offenses in the United States. These include jaywalking, littering and spitting. Singapore has a mandatory caning sentence for vandalism offenses. Caning may also be imposed for immigration violations and other offenses. Commercial disputes that may be handled as civil suits in the United States can escalate to criminal cases in Singapore and may result in heavy fines and prison sentences.

Caning a panda would set off a firestorm of international dissent. The government of Singapore would fall. However, I'm buying some gum for Bob.

The ups and downs of international travel continue to amuse. If we get stuck in Singapore for a day, the crabs at Eng Seng will suffer the consequences.

Stop babbling for 1 second, if that is possible, and pls clarify 1f 15-Nov is the date you're trying to travel SIN-BKK or the date you leave NYC (and thus 17-Nov SIN-BKK)

Never mind about the clarification -- it's the same situation for both Nov 15 and Nov 17.

You need to call back and get a different agent. The problem (from the 1st agent's perspective) is that you have a ticket for a particular fare bucket and there are no more economy setas remaining in that fare bucket. (My bet is that your fare code begins with 'T'.) However, there are ample seats remaining on Singapore's 9.40am SIN-BKK flight on both 15 Nov and 17 Nov. (There's also a Thai flight at 8:10, but for multiple reasons you're better off asking for the 9.40 SQ flight.)

It's very unlikely that you can change Bob's ticket or Turalura's ticket (name changed to protect the [possibly] innocent) unless you pretend to be them on the telephone. If you don't mind the possibility of disbarment, go ahead. Otherwise, perhaps they're old enough to call for themselves. Singapore does have an office in So Africa.

If the SQ phone agent gives the nonsense about no seats, here is what you need to say: "I understand that the ticket was purchased as a deeply-discounted economy fare. However, because it was Singapore who changed the schedule, you need to put us on the first flight with economy seats in any fare bucket, which is SQ972 at 9.40."

Thanks Don-I will try to confirm on SQ972. I did manage to get all five reservations linked.

"Getting stuck in Sing forever" no so bad beats those New England winters!

Plus, it's law-and-orderly, BillT.

BC

I still like the idea of turning to Bob, upon arrival at SIN, and saying: "well, we have ongoing tkts, how about you?"

That's what you get for sojourning in South Africa while poor Andy has to call SIA reservations on an hourly basis.

>>>I will try to confirm on SQ972.<<<


(And not such a bad SIN-BKK flight -- well, remain rather partial to all SQ flights.)

Now, warm congrats for booking those SQ tickets (so appreciate that additional SIA revenue), and thanks to 'The Don' and others, appears as though you are bit more sorted.

Would only suggest venturing over to a most refined site, 'SQTalk' (along with that singaporeair dot com), for rather regular 'updates' from some kind 'folks', some, rumoured to have 'slight' SIA connections..

Have fun with the planning for your return to the Centre of the Known Universe. (And, I plan to notify certain SQ 'crew' of the imminent fights of 'the gang of five' -- 'duck and cover', indeed.)

Thanks again andy, for booking with SIA and hope you and your crew savour your Singaporean rides. (And, a healthy, happy and productive week to all you SIN-BKK SQ business travellers -- be seeing you this Friday 'sunset' at a certain SIN SilverKris Lounge; drinks on me.)

macintosh (robert)


... Singapore Airlines, You're a Great Way to Fly ...

So far, no luck talking to the reservation center. Even though Don has confirmed that there are open seats in economy on the next SIN-BKK flight, SQ 972, they won't confirm our placement. They claim that they will get back to me. I am sceptical. I will try again tomorrow when the US ticket offices are open.

Andy surely as its them thats made the change they should accommodate you? I hate it when airlines do this so frustrating. I have my fingers crossed for you (and we await the arrival of his Bobness on saturday.....

I am pleased to report that we are now confirmed on SQ 972 leaving SIN at 9:40 am 0n 11/15/09. I waited the two days that the call center in India suggested and I called an NYC number provided by a Fodorite. The answeree indicated that we had been confirmed on the new flight. When I checked on the website, we were now listed as on the flight. Previously, we had been listed as "waitlisted" on the flight. All appears resloved. A little extra time to sample the kaya toast in the Singapore Airport.

Yipee but I heard it was Bob who did a behind the scene negotiation with SQ by flying over to Singapore from S. Africa to personally talk with the head of Temasek(major shareholder of SQ). Apparently they are old friends from Bob banking days.

Congrats Andy c u soon.

If Bob had been doing this, there would have been forty-eight hours of complete panic. He would have worked Beth and Karen into frenzies with the uncertainty. Fortunately, our Panda remained calm and rode to the resue.

Plus, it's very difficult to imagine Bob doing anything "behind the scene". It's not his style.

Congrats, Panda! Here's some bamboo for a job well done!

Now to that mystery: Bob is going to be in South Africa but he's going to Bangkok via Buenos Aires? Which airline does such a roundabout route?

Andy and Bob--Laurel & Hardy

Just commenting

"Panda remained calm and rode to the resue."

Spoken like a true attorney!

Job well done, panda. Hope the bobness appreciates your expertise on this matter. What an adventure it has been!
Carol

"Fortunately, our Panda remained calm and rode to the resue."

Just how many times does one need to sue before one wins? You know, I'm oft-reminded by Panda's antics of that old expression "I'd rather be lucky than good".

BC

Yeah, I can tell you remained calm by the HELP! in the post's title.

Hyperbole is the province of the panda. One can only imagine the number of E-mails and telephone calls that would have taken place had his Bobness been present for this little episode. Calm was relative.