A family from Singapore were taught a valuable lesson the hard way after a prohibited item was discovered inside one of their hand carry luggage.
As a result, they missed their flight and had to book new ones on the spot.
Was supposed to fly to China
The incident was shared in an Instagram post by Sharon Tang, who recounted what actually transpired.
According to her, she and her family were at Changi Airport Terminal 3 on Mar 15 to catch their flight to Guangzhou, China, for a family holiday.
As part of security protocols, all of their luggage were screened before they could board.
Toy gun found in luggage
During the screening, a toy gun was found inside a hand carry luggage belonging to Tang’s son.
Although she offered to dispose the toy gun immediately in order to proceed to the gate, she had to wait for clearance from officers.
When officers arrived, Tang saw that her family had less than five minutes till departure and that the gate was in the midst of closing.
“They (the officers) still had to follow procedures — discussing the situation and writing the necessary statement before clearing us.
“In that moment we were panicking and pleading if things could move a little faster,” she wrote.
Had to buy new flight tickets
In the end, Tang and her family missed their flight and the toy gun was eventually disposed of.
However, she added that officers were simply doing their job as part of safety protocols.
Safety and documentation are important. But as parents watching the minutes disappear while our flight slipped away, it felt incredibly helpless.”
Tang later told Mothership that they had to spend S$3,000 (approx. RM9,100) on new flight tickets with a different airline that departed in the afternoon on the same day.
Learning moment
Tang added that her two kids felt confused and upset throughout the entire affair upon seeing her and her husband getting stressed by it.
“As parents, the last thing we want is for our children to feel that tension,” she told Mothership.
Tang and her husband later explained to their kids about the importance of airport security rules and how certain items, even toys, can lead to problems when travelling.
“We also told them it wasn’t about blaming anyone — it was a learning moment for all of us.”
“If this post saves even one family from the same stressful (and expensive) mistake, it’s worth sharing,” she said.
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