of airports and money (or the lack thereof)

I took Tiger Airways to Singapore so I disembarked at the Budget Terminal. In Singapore, there’s the wonderful Changi Airport and then there’s the Budget Terminal for low-cost carriers like Tiger Airways and Cebu Pacific.

The problem with the Budget Terminal is that it makes you feel bad about yourself and the fact that you are on a budget, especially if you are accustomed to the high standards at Changi. There are no tubes connecting the planes to the terminal. Once you get off, you have to walk a long distance from the gate to immigration in un-air-conditioned discomfort. After a budget flight with no food and drinks, no blankets and extremely loud and annoying passengers, the last thing you want to do is lug your hand baggage in the hot and humid Singapore weather. There’s one wide ramp that leads to immigration and its downward pitch somehow encourages passengers to stampede to the immigration lines. People actually run. Finally, I couldn’t find a restroom until I exited the baggage claim area.

To be fair, the Budget Terminal is not that bad. I’ve been to far worse international and domestic terminals in other parts of the world. The thing is, none of those airports were located in Singapore and juxtaposed with Changi, which is consistently ranked the best airport globally.

A funny side note on the Budget Terminal…Before it was opened, the authorities launched a “Low Cost Terminal Naming Contest” to name the terminal. They received 12,000 entries and guess which creative name won? You guessed it…The Budget Terminal. Forty-four of the 12,000 entries actually suggested “Budget Terminal,” but they picked the entry of 15-year old Jonathan Sng because of his justification for the suggested name: “short, easy to remember and representative of what the terminal is.” Apparently the flash of brilliance came during recess. This is why I love Singapore.