|
|||||||
|
|
|
|||||
|
|
|||||||
ANG MO KIO --- The Budget Terminal opened for preview visits from March 15 to 19. Construction of the Terminal building ended in December 2005 and it officially operates on 26 March 2006. The first airline user is Tiger Airways followed by Air India Express by June 2006.
The Budget Terminal uses different kinds of bus shuttle service. Two types of colourful comfortable buses featuring the logoes of CAAS and Tiger Airways transfer passengers from Terminal 2 bus stop to the Budget Terminal. If you are an elderly passenger, be sure to avoid the Tiger Airways bus that has a larger configuration space for check-in baggage than the number of seats as Singaporeans of all ages fight for the limited seats and Singaporeans cannot be gracious.
Travel time to the Budget Terminal can take a passenger up to 30 minutes because the buses’ seat configurations are not standardized. This could be longer than or similar to the travel time from the Domestic Terminal of Soekarno-Hatta to the International Terminal.
The guide states when the Budget Terminal operates officially, no gate number will appear on Tiger Airways' boarding passes as CAAS and Tiger Airways see it as an appropriate measure to cut costs and bring savings to the passenger. However, it poses problems to passengers. They must hunt for the gate of departure by looking at the flight screens themselves. There are no gate signs. There are no call announcements for boarding, departure and arrival of flights. Passengers have to time themselves the time for checking-in and boarding. This will be bad for the elderly, the ladies, the businessmen, the deaf and the blind and those that do not want such troubles.
Check-in at Budget Terminal will be slower than at Terminal 1. The Budget Terminal encourages Singaporeans and PRs to fork out S$30 for an access card each time for faster check-in.
The walkpath from Gate 1 to Gate 10 is very hot. Open air is let in through large holes on the wall with no glass windows. Many visitors agree that during a thunderstorm. the walkpath will be wet. There are 10 check-in counters at the Departure Hall versus 14 check-out counters at the Arrival Hall. Both Halls are linked by the walkpath which faces Runway 2.
Tiger Airways prohibits passengers to take along umbrellas with them and if they do that, in the event of windy conditions when the umbrella were blown away and stuck in the engine, Tiger will want the passengers to pay for the damage (S$10,000).
The Budget Terminal plans to sell disposable raincoats at S$1 each but Singapore does not sell disposable raincoats, only expensive raincoats.
Seats at the Terminal are free-seating. That means there are not enough chairs for passengers to sit while waiting for the flight. Men and women have to stand like on a crowded bus but many Singaporeans are not that kind.
Passengers of different strata will have to decide which Terminal serves their needs, rather than the costs.
Return to http://airpost.4t.com