Airport offers mail service for prohibited items

Changi Airport offers mail service for prohibited items

Singapore's Changi Airport is offering a first-of-its kind service in Asia. It's giving travellers the option to post hand-carried items like liquids and aerosols that are not allowed on flights.

Travellers can use the Speedpost@Changi service and mail the prohibited items home or to the hotel they're staying in.

They must fit either of two standard Speedpost envelope sizes.

The limit for liquids is 200ml.

Alan Tan, head Aviation Security, Changi Airport Group, said: “A lot of passengers may not be familiar with travel restrictions and even those who are familiar may even forget to pack in these items into their check in baggage.

“So at pre-flight screenings, when they discover these items, it will have to be disposed off. To some of them, these items may be of high value or sentimental value, so it's actually quite painful and quite an unpleasant experience.

Travellers share this sentiment.

One traveller Zachary Davidson, said: "I lost a knife my grandfather had given me back in the States in the bag scan and never got it back and never have it again. So, it's pretty great because it’s irreplaceable. I mean, if it's minor then there's no need to do it, but it's something nice."

Another traveller May Romen said: "I've seen people get really angry when they have to throw away their expensive perfume or anything else. So that's probably a good initiative, so at least people have the opportunity to not lose the product.”

Besides saving items of special value, it also saves money.

Mr Tan added: "There's a particular customer from Singapore who had six cans of sardines and then decided to post back home. I think it makes economic sense for them because it saved them S$10 at the end of the day. One can of sardine costs like S$3, 6 cans is S$18 and posting it back is just S$10 so it saved them S$8."

The service is being tried out for two months at the transit area of Terminal 1.

Changi Airport Group and SingPost will look at the operational issues, passenger feedback and demand and then decide if they should extend the service to the rest of the airport.

-News courtesy of Channel Newsasia-