ICA investigating airport service lapse

16 Oct 2008
Straits Times

PLEASE refer to last Thursday's letter, 'Unseemly airport exception but...' by Dr Melvin Lau.

We thank Dr Lau for his feedback. The Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (ICA) is committed to service excellence without compromising on security. As Singapore's frontline ambassadors, ICA officers are constantly reminded to provide courteous and friendly service to all travellers. We are also mindful that we should project an efficient and professional image while carrying out our core functions in security.

We have since contacted Dr Lau for more information about the incident and are currently looking into his feedback.

Ong-Kong Yong Sin (Mrs)
Senior Public & Internal Communications Executive
Immigration & Checkpoints Authority


Unseemly airport exception but,
'Many countries have overtaken Singapore, especially in service.'

16 Oct 2008
Straits Times

DR MELVIN LAU: 'I have always been proud of Changi Airport. Very few airports can compare with the quality of its service staff. But, during a recent trip to Beijing, I was equally impressed with the level of service in Beijing, not just at the airport and hotels, but even at street-side stalls. The greetings and welcome smiles were genuine. Airport employees were efficient, friendly and professional. When I returned to Changi Airport, I was taken aback by the contrast when I stepped up to the immigration counter. There was no queue and the officer at the counter was reading her newspaper openly. When I approached her, I greeted her first, but she continued reading the papers before checking my passport. I know that she was probably the exception to the rule because most of the airport service employees do a great job of making Singapore look good. But it only takes a few with a poor attitude to ruin a visitor's impression of Singapore. We shouldn't be complacent as many other countries are working hard to improve, and have overtaken Singapore, especially in terms of service. Singapore can learn from Hong Kong and China, where many have noticed their dramatic improvement in service standards.'