Singapore Changi Airport Taxes Will Nearly Double Over The Next Several Years

I think at least some low cost carriers will switch some flights to Johor's Senai Airport (JHB) over the border in Malaysia.

Come on, this fails to compare to the #Rape from LHR taxes.

Fascinating what different people want. Your opening 2 sentences struck me as utterly contradictory:

“Singapore Changi Airport is generally ranked as the world’s best airport, which is well deserved. The airport is more like a high end shopping mall than an airport...”

Real luxury isn’t about shopping bling. That’s why BA’s First Wing at LHR takes you straight from check-in to the lounges, avoiding the tawdry shops and the crowds of gawping people distracted by all the lights and shapes and colours...

Any time a republican even mentions a tax increase they should be publicly shot dead.

At least you get something for the money.

Meanwhile the same flight from LHR to SIN:

Fare 1: Carrier SQ AAXGBO LON to SIN (rules)
Passenger type ADT, ONE-WAY-ONLY fare, booking code A
Covers LHR-SIN (First) £4,077.00
United Kingdom Passenger Service Charge Departures (UB) £44.91
United Kingdom Air Passenger Duty APD (GB) £150.00

That £194.91, or S$356, is a lot more and gets you mediocre Heathrow experience.

To this day I have never figured out why Changi is supposed to be world-best. It's a bunch of shops that aren't reasonably priced nor well stocked (how many really need a small Zegna store with 20-50% markup compare to Europe in an airport and why is having one so great?).

The carpet is ugly, the ceiling height is minimal in T1 and T2 and the stupid security check at the gate means you have to go there from the mediocre lounges earlier than you would with any other airport, just to queue up again. Hardly 'premium' feel.

And now it's so expensively priced. There's way better choices in Asia.

@ Peter

Different taxes have different purposes. UK duty was intended to disincentivise air travel, not to provide a fund to make airports more attractive and thus encourage even more people to fly.

Though I’d agree with you that LHR is a pretty miserable experience.

@ The nice Paul

If you fly SQ first/suites (sin-fra-jfk for example)

You get dropped off at a dedicated checkin area/room. With sofas and personal attention

Then you walk out of the room, and almost directly into the dedicated immigration area (about 20 steps away)

Then you walk a few more steps to reach the escalator and the private room(lounge). You do pass by some shops at this point, but the walk is short

https://onemileatatime.com/review-singapore-airlines-private-room-singapore-sin/

So much for those dirt cheap flights to KL and LGK.

I transit through Changi airport on average once every few weeks and I always enjoy the place.
The shopping is reasonably priced for an airport and I’d go as far say stuff is often slightly cheaper in Changi duty free than what it is in Australia so I don’t mind buying my friends some liquor or cigars there

... Meanwhile visitor queue at Immigration at ORD are two plus hours long today, combined with the Global Entry kiosks not working so they just vouch on good faith that you’re a part of the program.

Singapore airport fees are nothing compared to London Heathrow which are a joke. I think airport shopping was mentioned, my advice is avoid Dubai, talk about expensive, an airport I wouldn't even rate among my top 10.

Another chance for Seletar maybe?

Changi is a/the top airport for a myriad of reasons beyond the shopping. Suggesting doesn't deserve it's reputation as one of the best is just silly.

@ lszrspotting I don't see the appeal of moving to Johor if the intent is to capture passengers originating in Singapore. Nobody wants to cross the border to Malaysia, which can at times take hours, just to save a few dollars on a flight.

Well I enjoyed Singapore airport and it had nothing to do with the shopping (I only bought an overpriced pizza). A quick go on the free games consoles followed by a walk around the sunflower and butterfly gardens then a free blockbuster movie in the cinema was a better experience than I've had in most airports.

The only place I enjoyed more is Pula in Croatia, where I could sunbathe on the roof in the bright sunshine - probably not very practical (or pleasant) in a place like SIN airport.

@ Tom heico

I don’t understand your point. All that SQ 1st class experience is paid for from the ticket price, not from taxes. Is it better than BA 1st class? Yes, absolutely.

What does that have to do with airport taxes?

Where else would they get the money? Maybe they can tap into the nearly trillion dollars that they have in reserves (estimated).

Singapore is tiny but it is enormously wealthy. What's the point in having a rainy day fund if you're not going to use it???

@PolarBear - it's been ages since Seletar saw passenger service, but a new terminal is planned for later this year and FireFly is said to be moving operations to Seletar.

I can really only see services to SZB/KUL, CGK, BKK and PEN being supported. Perhaps Air Asia can make some flights work.