Singapore Changi Airport

There are some good things about this airport but I think it is generally overrated. Customs clearance and baggage retrieval are excellent. Facilities are OK nothing really special. Some good eateries some even at a reasonable price. Check in is still a problem. No matter what airline I fly I always seem to get the same inefficient grumpy check-in staff from SATS.

SIN-LHR on SQ using T3. Excellent roomy can't be faulted although it can be quite a walk. As for landside access to SIN: If you take the MRT from the city centre the price is $S1.80 each way which is extremely reasonable. Allow 40 minutes to get to the airport train station as there is a transfer required at Tanah Merah; and another ten minutes again if you are using T1. A taxi will be faster door-to-door allow $S20 or so to the central cty.

Over the last 6 months I went through Terminal 3 three times. The thing which struck me on all occasions was how surly/bored-looking the security staff has become. One lady at the hang luggage screening machines was practically snapping at passengers. What has happened? One of the great things about Changi airport is not just the efficiency but also the niceness of the people you meet instead of the supercilious attitude common in many airports.

I arrived in Changi Airport only to find that the travel agent in England had given me false information which meant I could not continue my flight to Manchester that night. I had only light hand luggage the two on-site hotels were full and at nearly 70 years old I was totally alone upset and very frightened. The young lady on the information desk (near the Transit Hotel) saw my plight and asked if I would stay at the Crowne Plaza. She offered to walk me there and I felt safe and enjoyed 18 hours of comfort in the hotel.

This is undoubtfully an excellent airport! I've been here a few times for transit. It is a very clean there are a lot of things to do. Just be prepared for long walks because the airport is huge much larger than most European airports.

Budget Terminal Singapore Changi Airport. If you fly on a Budget Airline you are not flying from any of the Changi Main Terminals - this is now a sub-class travelling experience. Firstly despite the fact that you may had your luggage checked through to your final destination you actually have to collect it from the belt of your connecting flight at SIN Changi and go through Customs as you have to physically leave the airport to get to the Budget Terminal. Once you arrive at the Budget Terminal you are in the hands of Singapore Airport Terminal Services (SATS). After check-in which took ages you are left in what can only be described as a totally stripped down version of an airport. You travel on a Budget Airline so you will be made to you feel like a sub-class person in this Terminal. Having been shepherded to towards the departure gate we found this gate to be closed and unstaffed despite it being 40 minutes prior to scheduled departure. Departure time came and went but still no one attended the gate despite all passengers being clearly able to see that the flight was standing outside. 1 hour past the scheduled departure time I did go to one of the other gates that was staffed and demanded that someone would attend our gate as the whole flight was sitting on the floor in the corridor outside the gate. Nothing happened for a further 30 minutes when I lost my patience and went looking for anybody from SATS to demand to see the Terminal Manager.

Two transits through Changi in Dec 08 and Jan 09 - an exceptional airport. It is huge but easy to get around with the transit system and travelators (all of which worked). On a 6-hour layover I spent 1.5 hours at the rooftop pool (for A$15) had a one hour massage went around the butterfly garden watched a film and took a shower - all great for a long layover. Highly recommended airport.

Terminal 1. I normally have high praises for Changi but my last couple of flights have been a disappointment. In the check-in area there is little place to sit and no place to stay for transit/waiting passengers. (After passing the immigration situation gets a lot better though) My check-in counter was supposed to be counter 2 but it was transferred to another one without any announcement or warning. Security check to enter the boarding area was very tedious which is quite unlike Changi. The line started to pile up and the wait amounted to almost half an hour. On the plus side transportation to and fro is convenient facilities are fantastic and generally above average. Despite some misgivings I still regard Changi as one of the better airports in the region tied with KLIA and Hong Kong.

Changi seems to have lost the plot with Terminal III. Whilst Terminal I and II have individual security screening at each of the gates the same cannot be said about T3. Plus the shops and eateries are in the middle and too far away from the distant A15+ gates. Disappointed.

Terminal one excellent throughout. I can see why this is a five-star airport. It only took me 7 minutes to get from the plane door to duty free make one purchase clear passport control get luggage and clear customs. Excellent speed and efficiency all over. Staff are multilingual. Singapore has four official languages. Outside customs plenty of payphones food / convenience store / tourism center. Taxi rank is very good and prompt. They charge exactly by the meter. Also available are Mercedes for rent (minimum 50 Sing Dollars). Toilets were clean! Plenty of food choices - more than I could list. Extensive duty free / shopping. Independent security check for each gate which increases efficiency.