Traveller frustrated after Changi Airport’s automated bag-drop machine mistakes his bag as 2 separate bags

Traveller frustrated by automated bag-drop machine at Changi Airport that mistakes one bag for two

A traveller has taken to TikTok to vent his frustration after encountering a glitch with Changi Airport’s automated bag-drop system.

He complained that the automated system mistook his single piece of luggage for two.

Automated bag-drop machine glitches

In a video posted by @macartneytravels on Tuesday (14 April), the TikTok user documented his experience while trying to check in his bag using the airport’s self-service facilities.

The clip showed the Original Poster (OP) placing a single bag onto the machine, only for the system to flag it as two.

Overlay text in the video read: “When you try boarding your flight in Singapore but even the awful systems think you have ‘two bags’ when it’s clearly one bag.”

He added in the caption: “Had to get the staff to come over and fix it.”

According to the OP, airport staff had to intervene and resolve the issue before he could proceed.

Netizens are convinced it’s two bags

While the OP appeared amused by the situation, calling the system “stupid” in jest, the incident sparked strong reactions from netizens.

A netizen sided with the automated system that it was two bags instead of one.

A commenter strongly agreed, saying, “It’s two bags, period.”

A TikTok user said that the system’s detection of two bags demonstrated that it was functioning properly.

Another netizen suggested wrapping the entire bag using stretch film to solve the issue.

OP unveils solution in follow-up post

In a follow-up TikTok post the next day, the OP shared an update on the baggage issue at the airport.

He said that the issue was eventually resolved after they placed the bag into a tray. This allowed the system to correctly recognise it as a single bag.

“The system realised that it was only one bag & then it let us through once we put our luggage in a tray!” he wrote.

In the caption, the OP replied to a commenter from the previous post, saying, “Turns out the system is stupid after all!”

Changi Airport Group (CAG) has also responded to the OP via the comments section, saying the “auto bag drop works best one bag at a time, so each bag can be scanned and tracked properly”.

CAG also urged the OP to check in bags separately for a smooth journey. In addition, they warned travellers that bags strapped together may come apart, leading to one bag ending up without a bag tag.

MS News has reached out to the OP for more information.

Also read: Man tests efficiency of Changi Airport, reaches gate in under 40 minutes from hotel

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Featured image adapted from @macartneytravels on TikTok.