Scoot really helped Athens become more accessible from this part of the world, and yes, I cannot help but take advantage of one of their promotions to the “City of the Gods” last year. Purchased in November 2018, the round-trip fare, including food and luggage (20 kilos) is SGD 550. Not bad considering that Athens is 9000 kms away from Singapore, or about 11 hours of flying time.
Fast forward to the return flight TR 713. Scoot doesn’t offer online check-in for flights departing from Athens, so knowing the overthinker that I am, we had to be at the airport very early to ensure that we get the seats foremost! I missed my flight once and not having the ability to do online check-in for me means seats are not confirmed or I might have the chance to miss my flight. To add more, I’m always thinking that it’s a common practice for airlines to overbook flights. So, I need to get my confirmation as soon as possible, I don’t want to overextend my holidays. LOL
So there, we head to airport very early and arrived even before the check-in counters open. We were literally second on the queue. (This part will some relevance to the story later.)
Scoot TR 713 arrives in the wee hours of Singapore morning, at 3:30 AM. At those times, I was like I need to get out of the airport as the soonest possible and still get some sleep. While waiting for our Grab ride, there I noticed, I huge crack on one of the sides of my Blacklabel Samsonite travel luggage. I was so tempted to return to the arrival area to report the incident but laziness overpowered me that time.
The size of this luggage is 64 cm and probably about 4 years old. The original value is somewhere around SGD 1000, I can’t remember exactly. I really appreciated this luggage especially for long-haul flights or when travelling to cold countries because you can pack a lot of stuff here for OOTDs and all those space-consuming winterwears and sweaters.
Here are my thoughts, we were probably the firsts to check-in and my luggage was probably at the bottom of the luggage stack. I just can’t imagine the amount of force and pressure this guy was exposed to, much more if you factor in turbulence. It’s like carrying the weight of the entire world ! 😦
After assessing the circumstance that I am in and after a few run-throughs from both Scoot’s damage luggage and Allianz’s policies. I opted to JUST report the matter to my travel insurer.
After 2 weeks and 2 emails, they emailed back with a “without prejudice” offer of SGD 210. They have factored in 4-years depreciation, no-warranty card provided (the warranty card is probably sitting somewhere in my clutter right now), and I have not provided a police or airline report regarding the damage. Fair enough and lesson learned for me. I really should have gone through with the official airline documentation process.
Here are some of the things that I could have done to probably get a higher offer:
- Report to the airline immediately or within 7 days.
If your checked baggage arrives damaged, you will need to report the damage within 7 days of receiving your bag. Our appointed claims adjustor, Charles Taylor Aviation, will assess the damage and attend to the claim, subsequently keeping you informed of the outcome. You will need to complete a Property Irregularity Report at our Lost & Found office located at the Arrival Hall.
https://www.flyscoot.com/en/baggage-recovery#damaged-baggage
Ask a copy of the report for your insurance claim.
- Optionally, within 24 hours, report this incident to the police station. This was pointed out to me by the insurer.
- Keep all warranty cards handy and in one location.
OK, I think I’m at peace with the offer, but I still need to look for that warranty card somewhere as proof of luggage ownership. Who knows I might be able to get additional compensation from the insurer? 🙂
alexstravs 