Not just Jakarta

I have experienced flight delays twice with Singapore Airlines. On March 15, 1996, the Jakarta to Singapore flight No. 151 was delayed for about four hours. The plane took off at 11:30 a.m. instead of 7:30 a.m. as scheduled. The second time was the Singapore to Jakarta flight No.158 on March 26, 1996. The aircraft was scheduled to depart at 3:30 p.m. but it only took off at 5:00 p.m.

On both flights the passengers boarded the plane on time, but the crew did not make any announcement although it was already 30 minutes past the scheduled departure time. I felt uneasy about the delay.

On the flight No. 151, the captain announced that the engine failed to start which would possibly cause a long delay because a spare part had to be replaced. Many passengers wanted to transfer to another plane to Singapore. However, the transfer was not conducted by the company. They managed it individually. I was not in a hurry, as my return flight from Singapore was the following day. But I made an inquiry whether I could fly with any other flight during that day. I was told that all other flights to Singapore were fully booked and I had to wait until the repair work was completed.

On the second flight, the information concerning the delay was even more interesting. After half-an-hour delay the captain announced that the plane could not take off because there was a "military exercise" and the Singapore airport was closed. Unsatisfied with the information, I asked one of the crew about the cause of the delay. I was told that the engine's hydraulic pump was not functioning. After waiting long enough, I alighted from the plane and asked the staffer in the waiting room what the problem was. I got quite a different answer: Soekarno-Hatta airport is closed because many aircraft were waiting for permission to landing. I was really confused by the conflicting information, not knowing which to rely upon. Finally, it was announced that the Soekarno-Hatta airport was open and so was the Singapore airport, and the plane was ready to depart.

I wish to stress that the information about the closure of Soekarno-Hatta airport discredits Jakarta. Why wasn't the announcement of the delay made before the passengers had boarded the plane so that they could wait in the waiting room? Are the first-class and Raffles passengers given top priority to change planes?

IZHAR M. FIHIR

Jakarta