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Dear Sir or Madam,

I am writing to you because of an unpleasant incident that occurred on my SQ327 MUC-SIN flight departing MUC 6 Dec 2012 arriving SIN 7 Dec 2012. I was seated at 20F.

The beginning of the flight was pleasant and proceeded without incident. After my meal, I went to sleep, as did several other passengers. I turned on the “Do Not Disturb” sign, as I would have preferred to sleep as much as possible and skip breakfast, so as not to be jetlagged when I touch down.

Approximately 2 hours before touch down, I was roused from a very deep slumber by the sound of a small child running up and down the aisle and making a fair bit of noise. It is pertinent to point out that all this while I had my earplugs on as well as my hoodie over my head. I attempted to get back to sleep but to no avail.

I have to very emphatically state that, as annoyed as I was, I made no complaints to the crew about this unruly child, whom I might add was not accompanied by its mother while running along the aisle. Please feel free to verify this with the crew that was in charge of my section. I believe there was FSS Su Wen Hui, and a tanned complexioned flight stewardess with a shoulder length bob whose name I egregiously forgot to take down. I freely admit that I was irritated as I am one of those people who get cranky when my sleep is interrupted, but I remained silent.

There is also the issue of safety. An unaccompanied child, in a worse case scenario, which is not entirely implausible, could sustain extremely serious injuries if an aircraft without warning, encounters an air pocket and sends the child hurtling towards the ceiling. If the child out of fascination and curiosity wishes to roam around the aircraft, I believe it is common sense for a parent to accompany the child at all times. In the event of any unforeseen and potentially hazardous circumstances, the parent would be there to provide assistance and hopefully keep her child safe. Furthermore, I also believe it is fundamentally important for the parent to educate a child onboard that it should keep its volume down when there are clearly other passengers that are asleep. This is basic courtesy and consideration for others onboard.

I overheard from a fellow passenger that the crew had in fact tried several times to advise the mother, but she allegedly continually ignored them. 

I am an avid traveler and a loyal Singapore Airlines passenger. I am personally very proud of our National Carrier and I am also an aviation fan! I get very excited when I travel on SQ’s different aircrafts, especially the A380, A340-500 and B777-300ER. I love taking photographs onboard! Of the cabin, the crew, the food and the seats! I have dozens of photos to prove this, and I would be more than happy to forward these photos to your kind office if required. I have taken photos of the entire cabin with a wide-angle lens with passengers seated as well as walking around and I have never had anyone make a hue and cry about it! Thus far, no passengers that became unwitting subjects in my photos have been so outraged that they confronted me.

After breakfast, I proceeded to take my photographs of the cabin with my iPhone 5. And it just so happened that the mother and child were in my composition, I believe they were sat at 17D and 17F. The mother saw me taking the photos and was incredibly upset. Patently agitated, she imperiously said that I could not take photos! I retorted, this is my phone and I have every right to take photos! She called upon CS Liu Swee Seng to complain. CS Liu came to me and asked politely if I could possibly show the passenger my phone and the photos, which incidentally, I am not legally bound to do so. But I had no intention to make things difficult for CS Liu and I tried to comply with his request, but alas, my battery was flat and any attempts to turn it on failed. Again, please ascertain the veracity of this occurrence with CS Liu as I performed the task in front of him. CS Liu returned to the passenger to relay the news, clearly still dissatisfied, she called upon IFS Md Sanip to allegedly compel me to show her my phone and delete the photos. I believe that IFS Md Sanip told her he could not do that and besides, my battery was flat.

She allegedly threatened to sue Singapore Airlines and the crew onboard because her alleged request had not been acceded to. She also allegedly indicated that she wanted to get the Captain involved. The crew asked if I could stay onboard and try to sort this matter out with the Captain. I responded that I would be more that happy to do so. So I waited, but apparently, the passenger decided to disembark the aircraft.

I have consulted my lawyers and I was advised that I have committed no offence. Anyone can take photos, including of other people, so long as there has been no outrage of modesty. Subjects in the photos, have no right to demand to see my camera, let alone request that they be deleted. Although the incident took place in the air, usually it is would be based on the law of designation (i.e. Singapore).

I am writing this protracted letter, because I wish to explain in detail the events that unfolded. I also wish to personally apologise to IFS Md Sanip and CS Liu Swee Seng for the inconvenience caused. Not unfamiliar with Singapore Airlines’ protocol, I am aware that they will have to submit a detailed report to Head Quarters, and I do apologise to them for the extra and unnecessary paperwork that they have to deal with after such an exhausting long haul flight. I also wish to state that the crew onboard was entirely faultless in this fiasco.

I have also furnished CS Liu with my contact details. I will be more that delighted to offer any further assistance. Please do not hesitate to contact me if the passenger elects to take legal action. I will be more than pleased to cooperate in anyway I can.

Yours Sincerely,

Roger Won