S'pore family pays extra S$1,800 for new flight to China after original Trip.com booking not found at Changi Airport - Mothership

Photos from Wikipedia and Trip.com's website.

A Singaporean family’s trip to China hit a snag before it even began, when they arrived at Changi Airport to find there was apparently no record of the flight tickets they had booked.

Speaking to Mothership, Tseng said he had booked a round trip with China Southern Airlines, from Singapore to Chengdu and back, for his family via the online travel agency Trip.com.

The tickets had cost S$1,077.20 for four people.

Both the booking and payment went through, and the e-tickets were sent to him.

On Nov. 8, the day of the flight, Tseng said he received reminders from the Trip.com app that the flight was on schedule.

Screenshot of notifications from Trip.com. Photo courtesy of Tseng.

However, when they arrived at Changi Airport, check-in staff could not locate the booking in their system.

Staff also checked with the airline directly, but were unable find the reservations.

As a result, the family was not allowed to board the plane.

"My family and I were left stranded at Changi Airport, with our holiday plans suddenly in jeopardy," Tseng said.

Screenshot of initial outbound flight. Photo courtesy of Tseng.

He said he immediately contacted Trip.com via phone and in-app chat for assistance, but claimed the company failed to acknowledge responsibility or offer an immediate solution.

He said its representatives had asked him to wait and said they would call back in 15 or 30 minutes, but mostly did not do so on time.

The family subsequently booked a new flight departing at 3am, about six hours after their original flight, and spent the night at the airport.

The replacement outbound flight had cost the family an additional S$1,805.60.

Total cost of new outbound flight tickets. Photo courtesy of Tseng.

Even after arriving in China, the family's troubles continued.

Tseng said he kept following up with Trip.com during the holiday to seek clarity on their return flight.

On Nov. 11, he received an email from the agency saying that following its latest communication with the airline, the existing return tickets could not be used for travel.

No further explanation was given, although the tickets still showed up as "confirmed" on the Trip.com app, Tseng said.

He added that the platform said it had submitted an urgent enquiry to the airline on whether the tickets could be reissued, and asked for more time.

Tseng also said Trip.com suggested cancelling their tickets and making a new flight booking, and informed them that any reimbursement was not guaranteed, and was subject to review and approval.

Email from Trip.com. Photo courtesy of Tseng.

In a subsequent email, the agency apologised for the inconvenience caused by the return journey being marked as invalid, and said it was still checking the root cause of the problem.

It said it had escalated the matter to the airline, which advised that there was an "involuntary-change" remark on the tickets and that it may be able to reissue the return journey free of charge.

The final outcome remains subject to the airline’s review and approval, Trip.com said.

Latest email from Trip.com. Photo courtesy of Tseng.

The family remains in China, with their return flight originally scheduled for Nov. 18.

Tseng said they have yet to book a replacement flight, as they are still hoping Trip.com can assist and it has not confirmed a full refund for one.

"Imagine spending your family holiday worrying about whether you can get home, while potentially having to pay for another set of flights just to ensure that you can," he said.

Mothership has reached out to Trip.com for a statement.