Advertiser Disclosure: The Bulkhead Seat earns an affiliate commission for anyone approved through the links below. This compensation may impact how and where links appear on this site. We work to provide the best publicly available offers to our readers. We frequently update them, but this site does not include all available offers.
A Chinese passenger learned it’s not a good idea to try to bribe your way onto a flight. Zeng Xiuying repeatedly tried to give officials around $50 at Singapore Changi Airport (SIN) to help her board a flight without the proper visa.
Zeng Xiuying, 52, and her travel companion, Wu Zhangwang, arrived in Singapore on a flight from Thailand’s Samui International Airport (USM) on October 16th. They were connecting to Amsterdam Airport Schiphol (AMS) on a KLM flight, but did not have the required travel visa.
They attempted to go through security and found that they would not be permitted. At this point, Xiuying attempted to bribe the security official to let them on the flight anyway. He refused repeatedly and she kept handing him her passport, travel itinerary, and other documents with cash stuffed inside.
The female traveler was then arrested for attempted bribery. In court, she pleaded guilty for a lesser sentence while claiming that she was giving them the money for assisting her and getting her more information on why she would not be allowed to board. She was sentenced to four weeks jail for “offering a gratification to an agent under Singapore’s Prevention of Corruption Act” according to the South China Morning Post. She could have received up to five years in jail, a fine of up to $73,300, or both.
Anthony’s Take: It’s never a good idea to try to bribe immigration and airport officials. Their hands are tied when it comes to passport and visa regulations. Had these passengers traveled, they would have been denied entry into Amsterdam upon arrival.
(Image Credits: AndreyPopov and KLM.)
(H/T: Paddle Your Own Kanoo.)
User Generated Content Disclosure: The Bulkhead Seat encourages constructive discussions, comments, and questions. Responses are not provided by or commissioned by any bank advertisers. These responses have not been reviewed, approved, or endorsed by the bank advertiser. It is not the responsibility of the bank advertiser to respond to comments.
