Man Arrested for Entering Changi Airport Transit Area Without Flying to Send Off His Girlfriend

Do you have separation anxiety?

We know some animals cannot be left alone at home as they whine and destroy things around the house.

It seems that some people also cannot be left to their own devices.

One man who was so in love with his girlfriend went to the extent of purchasing a boarding pass to send his girlfriend off in the transit area of Changi Airport.

As he had no intention to leave the country, he was arrested for misusing the boarding pass.

Here is what happened to this lovestruck man.

Man Purchased Flight Ticket Without the Intention to Fly to Send His Girlfriend off at the Airport’s Transit Area

A man was found misusing his boarding pass to send his girlfriend off at the transit area of Changi Airport instead of entering that restricted area to board a plane.

He had no intention of leaving the country and only wanted to accompany his girlfriend until her departure from Singapore.

There was no mention of the age of the man’s girlfriend or where she was flying to. The man was 55 years old at the time of the offence.

While we give him props for his effort and devotion to stay with his girlfriend, perhaps this move was not the wisest.

The Straits Times also reported that since January this year, the police had arrested at least 16 people for committing similar offences of entering transit areas for reasons which did not involve travelling abroad.

Man Was Arrested by the Police for Misusing His Boarding Pass

On 12 August 2023, the man was arrested by the police for violations of the Infrastructure Protection Act 2017.

The Act prohibits the misuse of boarding passes to enter restricted areas within the airport.

The police are still investigating this case.

For those unaware, you cannot misuse your boarding pass.

As this Facebook post by the Singapore Police Force (SPF) says, the “transit areas of Changi Airport are gazette as Protected Places”.

You can only enter the transit areas with a boarding pass if you are about to travel to your “next destination”.

Those who misuse the boarding pass could be prosecuted in court and “liable on conviction to a fine not exceeding $20,000 or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding two years or to both”.

That seems like a pretty high price to pay to accompany someone for a few more minutes.