I think this falls in the category of “no good deed goes unpunished.” Or perhaps it just reflects what a high quality operation Singapore Airline runs, if this is all that people have to complain about…
Traveler angry over Singapore Airlines birthday cake policy
Some airlines have a generous policy, whereby they’ll offer you a free cake if you’re traveling on or around your birthday. The exact rules surrounding this vary by airline, and even by cabin. In the case of Singapore Airlines, it can be requested for travel within three days of your birthday in first or business class, or for travel within one day of your birthday in premium economy or economy.
That seems fair enough, not just from a cost control perspective, but also because it’s extra work for the crew, and you want to keep it special. After all, if a couple of dozen people on a plane request a cake, it becomes quite a chore, and it also feels less special. It’s really nice how crews try to make this a nice experience for passengers, as my dad can attest to during his “round” birthday a little over 10 years ago!
That brings us to a story by Mothership, about a recent complaint that Singapore Airlines has received. A 36-year-old Singaporean is traveling from Singapore (SIN) to Shanghai (PVG) in premium economy in the coming weeks, and his birthday is two days after he returns home.
He contacted the Star Alliance airline to request a free cake onboard, but was denied, because his flight didn’t fall within the carrier’s birthday cake policy.
The traveler was “disappointed” and “very displeased” in the response he received, and he believes the airline should “exercise flexibility” on “compassionate grounds” when receiving such “simple requests.” He even said he booked the flight because he needed an extra day to rest in Singapore before his birthday, so he shouldn’t be penalized for that.
He also committed to “escalating” the matter further if he didn’t receive the resolution he wants. Oh, he also accused the airline of showing favoritism toward influences, who reportedly received cakes even though they didn’t meet the criteria, though he didn’t provide any examples.
Talk about a petty and baseless complaint!
Singaporeans are blessed with having one of the world’s highest quality airlines as their flag carrier (sorry, Scott Kirby!). So I guess over time, that changes the goalposts of what passengers expect, and by extension, complain about. Unlike in the United States, you don’t have flight attendants blocking off the galley with elastic bands, or directing sassy comments at passengers.
But still, this complaint is not only outrageously petty, but also baseless. Respectfully to this passenger, he’s not even traveling in first or business class, and he’s not even traveling over his birthday. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with asking, but to then complain when the company enforces its policy is absurd.
Singapore Airlines is one of the few carriers that offers birthday cakes on a complimentary basis. Furthermore, what are his special circumstances that should entitle him to a cake outside of the company’s published rules? What exactly makes his circumstances worthy of “compassion?”
What if I want to celebrate my birthday a week in advance? A month in advance? Six months in advance? Should they also show compassion for these “simple requests?”
It really comes to show you that no good deed goes unpunished. Now, I don’t know which influencers he’s referring to, but one point on which I do agree with him is that airlines will sometimes do special things for influencers, they’ll show it off to their followers, and then people are disappointed when they don’t get that same experience. And that’s a fair critique, but I’m not sure to what extent that applies here.
Bottom line
A Singapore Airlines passenger is very angry after the airline denied him a birthday cake, for a flight two days before his birthday. He’s flying in premium economy, and the company’s policy is that in that cabin, you can get a cake for travel within one day of your flight.
It’s one thing to ask, but this traveler is ridiculous, and claims he’ll escalate the situation until he gets a satisfactory response. I hope the airline doesn’t budge!
What do you make of this Singapore Airlines cake scandal?
