Japanese woman loses passport on S'pore-bound flight, doesn't realise till airport contacted her the next day
A woman from Japan left her passport on her Singapore-bound flight but only realised it the next morning, having entered the country using passport-less immigration clearance.
The Japanese woman, who wished to be known as Nao, told Stomp that she arrived at Changi Airport from Japan on Jan 14 at around 4pm. She had unknowingly left the plane without her passport, which she said was a first for her.
In her Instagram post, she recalled that she did not sense anything amiss as she had cleared immigration using her iris and facial biometrics, without the need to reach for her passport.
"Singapore is so safe and efficient," Nao wrote in her post, adding, "But sometimes too good in a way."
Her Instagram reel on Jan 22 has garnered over 33,000 views, 950 reactions, and 41 comments.
In the post, Nao said she received an e-mail from Singapore Airport Terminal Services (Sats) Lost & Found team the morning after her flight, informing her that her passport had been found.
The e-mail also stated that the passport was held at SATS Baggage Arrival Services Terminal 2.
"I thought it was a scam," she said, adding that she had been completely oblivious to her passport being missing.
Nao told Stomp that her husband booked an appointment for her, and she returned to the airport three hours later to retrieve her passport.
"Face ID is so convenient that I didn't even realise I had lost my passport," she added.
She also expressed concern over how the airport got hold of her e-mail address, but was thankful her passport was returned.
Netizens speculate how the airport obtained contact information
Netizens expressed relief that she had found her passport, with many also speculating about how the airport obtained her contact information.
"They used the email provided by you on your SG Arrival card," one netizen suggested.
Another added, "From your flight booking!"
Meanwhile, one quipped, "It'll be scarier if Changi doesn't know who comes into Singapore and has no information about the person.
One netizen, who claims to work for the company that introduced and maintains the technology behind passport-less immigration clearance, commented: "I'm glad you appreciate our hard work. Thank you."
Editor's note: This article has been updated with comments from naofromjapan.
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