Changi SIN rating Best Airport is Poppycock

[oz_mark]

Plenty of airports around the world do centralised transit screening and do it without a wait. I can't say the few times I've connected I-I at SYD there was even a queue; same deal with AKL.

I can't imagine there is much I-I at Sydney, maybe more at AKL. However, SIN was setup largely as a connection point for international travel, so it's design was informed by that.

 

[justinbrett]

I can't imagine there is much I-I at Sydney, maybe more at AKL. However, SIN was setup largely as a connection point for international travel, so it's design was informed by that.

But let's say SIN changes to clear pax at the gate after they arrive, instead of prior to boarding.

Theoretically, it should have the same capacity and take the same amount of time.

Now combine all those facilities to be adjacent, with the same amount of equipment and staff. It won't be any slower, it should in fact be faster as the pax flow will be smoothed between the arrivals across the various lanes.

The only reason this method is slower at other airports is because they do it with less staff and less equipment - not because they do the screening at the gate.

I'm not saying SIN doesn't work, I'm saying it works despite using gate screening as they resource it appropriately, it doesn't work because they use gate screening.

 

[Eastwick20]

I'm also A-ok with the gate security at SIN

I've always found it so quick that I sometimes wonder if they bothered to plug the X-ray machines in and are just pretending ;-)

As with everything else in Singapore its fast efficient and I don't give it a second thought
I agree with the point previously mentioned that if you have a tight connection as long as you get to the gate and they are still there, they'll get you on.

 

[dajop]

I'm not saying SIN doesn't work, I'm saying it works despite using gate screening as they resource it appropriately, it doesn't work because they use gate screening.

Respectfully disagree. As mentioned I've had misconnects at HKG that simply would not have happened at SQ. Central screening involves walks to central points, you can literally walk 5 mins queue for 20 mins and walk 5 mins to be back at the gate next the plane you've disembarked. you come from. At SIN, you're there as soon as you get off the plane, so if you only have 20 mins because your inbound is late, you should not misconnect. In most central security situations you would.

Also, in theory you could put a lot of staff at central security points, but you get an influx of flights all at once for whatever reason that security point could well back up despite best laid plans.

And I don't think everyone is comparing to the US, I have plenty of examples of long waits at central security at a diverse range of airports - from LHR to HKG, to NRT to BKK to DEL. When I connected through DPS a few weeks ago, it worked well though with a central security point, but it's not really that much of a hub for I-I connections.

But we're never going to agree on this.

 

[justinbrett]

Respectfully disagree. As mentioned I've had misconnects at HKG that simply would not have happened at SQ. Central screening involves walks to central points, you can literally walk 5 mins queue for 20 mins and walk 5 mins to be back at the gate next the plane you've disembarked. you come from. At SIN, you're there as soon as you get off the plane, so if you only have 20 mins because your inbound is late, you should not misconnect. In most central security situations you would.

Also, in theory you could put a lot of staff at central security points, but you get an influx of flights all at once for whatever reason that security point could well back up despite best laid plans.

And I don't think everyone is comparing to the US, I have plenty of examples of long waits at central security at a diverse range of airports - from LHR to HKG, to NRT to BKK to DEL. When I connected through DPS a few weeks ago, it worked well though with a central security point, but it's not really that much of a hub for I-I connections.

But we're never going to agree on this.

Lounges are in central points. Gates could be the other side of the terminal. Very big stretch to use the gate next door analogy.

And you might get an influx of people at security, but if you’re staffing in the magnitude SIN staffs it’s gate screenings, it won’t be a problem.

It’s not the gate screening that makes SIN work.

 

[SYD]

It’s not the gate screening that makes SIN work.

Yeah, it is.

Easy transfer and even easy when originating from SIN.

But I get that some don’t like it.

 

[dajop]

Lounges are in central points. Gates could be the other side of the terminal. Very big stretch to use the gate next door analogy.

No one is going to a lounge when they have 20mins to make their connection. I used it in the context of a potentially missed connection.

Anyway what would I know. I’ve only experienced SIN hundreds of times and experienced transits and origin departures dozens of times each at airports like HKG and BKK with central security. So I clearly lack any experience to discuss the topic as I would need to also transit/depart those airports hundreds of times to produce a statistically valid comparison.

Or let’s just agree to disagree.

 

[justinbrett]

Yeah, it is.

Easy transfer and even easy when originating from SIN.

But I get that some don’t like it.

Let’s get the TSA to staff the screening and we’ll see how well it works.

 

[Forg]

One thing I have experienced at SIN which I wasn’t a fan of was relatively slow immigration when exiting the airport. It’s not fair to compare to SYD, not being a foreign passport holder, but it seemed to take twice as long for SIN to process us through as BRU & LGW & LHR, given the passenger volumes (well - queue size - “passengers per gate?”) at each of those places were about the same(*).

But these were all samples-of-one, dunno if that was normal at SIN.


(*) LGW was 2018, did I read that Strayan passports can now work through the electronic gates with the face-scanny things?

 

[SYD]

One thing I have experienced at SIN which I wasn’t a fan of was relatively slow immigration when exiting the airport. It’s not fair to compare to SYD, not being a foreign passport holder, but it seemed to take twice as long for SIN to process us through as BRU & LGW & LHR, given the passenger volumes at each of those places were about the same(*).

But these were all samples-of-one, dunno if that was normal at SIN.


(*) LGW was 2018, did I read that Strayan passports can now work through the electronic gates with the face-scanny things?

We now have e-Gate access.

 

[XWu]

Just 2 points to make:

1. Some here seemed to treat security screening as a incovenience rather than essential service. Given the amount of transiting pax (including those from countries whose screening makes you wonder) and shops in each of the 3 main terminals at sin (dunno about T4), the best security is just before boarding. And yes the X-ray machine works and much better than the so called new machine at SYD, CBR and BNE where the person behind the monitor seemed to flag minor but permitted items whereas the same bag passing thru SIN screening at the gate get picked up of things that should not been on a carryon, much to my embarrassment.

2. if you are a premium flyer, the queue ain’t long at screening, (or you can just show up when boarding, no queue at all) and if you are not premium, you are unlikely going to miss a tight connection at SIN, as long as you get in to the security queue at the gate.

so far I have rarely experienced a late departure at SIN due to screening at the gate, whereas I do not remember an international departure from Australian ports that was on time for the last 5 yrs

 

[oz_mark]

. In particular I recall visiting the flagship Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer Gold lounge back in 2018 and being appalled at the lack of restroom and other facilities one would come to expect from a lounge.

I wouldn't call the Krisflyer Gold lounge a flagship lounge

 

[dajop]

I wouldn't call the Krisflyer Gold lounge a flagship lounge

Yes. It’s fourth in the pecking order of SQ lounges, although it has improved following renovations in T3 at least. Of course it didn’t even have toilets (and T2 version still doesn’t) but at least the public toilets in Changi are usually very clean. In fact cleaner than many lounge toilets.

 

[33kft]

whereas I do not remember an international departure from Australian ports that was on time for the last 5 yrs

that's quite the claim, not sure exactly what the relevance is either, are you saying no international flight has left on time from Australia over the last 5 years because of central screening or...?

 

[JohnK]

One thing I have experienced at SIN which I wasn’t a fan of was relatively slow immigration when exiting the airport.

I've always found SIN immigration efficient but it can get slow.

KUL has to be the worst I've ever experienced unless you have express path. No enough staff rosters and those there very slow then they go on break while there are 100's waiting

BKK can be quite bad too but haven't seen it post-covid with the higher arrivals returning. It was good for a while with the little one in stroller. Another 11 years until 70 years old and fast track but really need to pursue some type of residency there thanks to Thai wife.

LAX and LHR though are on a totally different level.

 

[Kiwi_Flyer]

I like SIN security being at the gate. The trick is to arrive at the gate approx 20 mins prior to departure (allowing for delays if on QF!). Queue is then short and straight through to board.

I've connected in SIN hundreds of times.

 

[Forg]

I've always found SIN immigration efficient but it can get slow.
…
LAX and LHR though are on a totally different level.

Yeah, due to Urban Legends surrounding LHR and the ‘efficiency’ expectations of SIN, it was surprising that SIN was that much slower than the couple of times I’ve been through LHR.

(this is setting aside the time during the London Olympics when I landed at LHR at about 5am, no other aircraft at the same time & they were seriously staffed-up to manage the extra limpix load … had to just about run the whole time to keep up with The Process )

 

[XWu]

that's quite the claim, not sure exactly what the relevance is either, are you saying no international flight has left on time from Australia over the last 5 years because of central screening or...?

Perhaps I need to clarify that I meant in my experience of flying out of Australian ports and I am not a reg traveller

 

[Lynda2475]

if you are a premium flyer, the queue ain’t long at screening

On QF1 screening at SIN there was no priority line for security, all passengers used the same 2 lines.

Immigration at LHR is super quick (fastest of any non Aussie airport for an Aussie), self serve via an egate if on a Aussie passport (no queue at all last year), you dont talk to anyone. Last entry into SIN a person was still eyeballing passports upon entry.

 

[Cruiser Elite]

I have never seen any priority line at any gate dep SIN - once past security SQ always have priority line then - other carriers I do not know