“There is no problem too big for the Changi Airport community to solve together”, says passenger services duty manager, Syed Umar Bahki Bin S A Sunny, after 30 years of working at the airport with SATS. This sentiment and his willingness to go the extra mile left a lasting impression on a bereaved passenger in 2018.
Syed vividly remembers the encounter which happened while California wildfires were in the news. “My colleague spotted her crying on a bench and alerted me,” he explains. Through their interaction, Syed learnt that she had missed her flight and her daughter had been involved in an accident abroad. He leapt into action and contacted his airline counterparts to change her flight and facilitate a smooth and expedited journey for her.
“There is no problem too big for the Changi Airport community to solve together”, says passenger services duty manager, Syed Umar Bahki Bin S A Sunny, after 30 years of working at the airport with SATS.
"I was brought up with the belief that you should treat everyone with compassion, and when I started at SATS, I realised that everyone here feels the same way."
Just as she was leaving, she thanked him and revealed, still in tears, that she was heading to Los Angeles to collect her daughter’s ashes.
Anticipating that the grieving mother would need to bring her daughter’s belongings home, Syed helped to increase her baggage allowance and called his LAX counterpart to ensure that she had a pleasant arrival. Upon her return to Singapore, he personally received her at the arrival gate and escorted her to the taxi stand. He even made prior arrangements for her luggage to be picked up.
Despite being lauded for his extraordinary service with Changi Airport’s “Service Personality of the Year” award, Syed is quick to highlight that it was a team effort that gave this passenger the care she deserved during a difficult time.
