Singapore > Major Delays Due to Snow

Well, how should I describe this start to our holiday? Snow and airplanes never go well together. And just today, the day of our departure, heavy snowstorms sweep across the country. Road traffic has come to a standstill; it is advised not to travel in the central part of the country, and train services around Amsterdam have been canceled. Schiphol Airport is also heavily affected. No flights are possible until 2:00 p.m. All flights have been canceled or diverted. And today of all days, we have our flight to Singapore. According to the original schedule, we were supposed to fly to Istanbul at 6:45 p.m. and then continue to Singapore after midnight. It doesn’t take long before a message appears saying that our flight is delayed by several hours. Earlier flights to Istanbul are not departing at all. Because of the delay, we will miss our connection in Istanbul. At this moment, that seems less bad than the flight not departing at all. Since flights have already been canceled in the past few days due to winter weather, many travelers need to be rebooked. It is uncertain whether all these stranded passengers can be quickly accommodated on another flight; this may take days. From Istanbul, our chances of getting a new flight are better. Meanwhile, the snow seems, when I look out the kitchen window, only to be increasing. At 7:30 a.m., four hours before the newly delayed departure time, we drive to Schiphol. Trains are still not running. The snowfall has lessened, and for now the flight has not been canceled. At the Turkish Airlines check-in desk, there is a long line.

Singapore - Major delays due to snow on the way to Singapore

Otherwise, the airport seems deserted. Rita and I join the back of the line. Progress is very slow. Just as we are almost at the front, Rita discovers that she does not have her own passport with her. For a moment, it seems that the trip to Singapore and the cruise to Hong Kong might be canceled. What now? The passport is still at home. Cees jumps in the car to bring it. To our relief, we can already check in the luggage with one passport. It is now nine o’clock, and check-in closes at 10:30. “That should be doable,” says the staff member. Our boarding passes are ready at the desk, but without a passport they cannot be issued. Half an hour later, we exchange passports in the departure hall. With the correct passport, we return to the desk and are allowed to go ahead. Quickly, we then proceed to the carry-on baggage check and customs. Because of the delay of our flight, we have received a €15 compensation to spend. However, by 10:00 p.m., practically all shops and restaurants at Schiphol are already closed. Only one little shop is still open. We order a drink and take a muffin. When we arrive at the gate, it turns out that the plane from Istanbul has just arrived. The passengers disembark. On my phone, I receive a notification that departure has been postponed until midnight. At this point, this extra delay doesn’t matter much. We have already been rebooked for a later flight to Singapore, which now departs tomorrow at 6:30 p.m. This means we have plenty of time at the Turkish airport.