Last week, I entered Singapore sans passport. I had arrived on a flight from Bangkok and at the immigration gates, when I wanted to put my passport on the scanner, I was told, “No need already. Just look at camera.”
Two camera clicks later and I was through. True to what had been announced a few months ago that “Passport-Less Immigration Clearance to be Rolled Out Progressively at Changi Airport from August 2024”, it has happened.
That’s Singapore for you, clockwork efficiency.
It made me think that this is true personalisation – my personal identity verified, recognised and cleared – and it makes my life easier as a traveller.
Listen to the episode here:
Personalisation is a much-used word in the travel industry, and one which has been even more hyped-up with Generative AI with travel companies talking about how they can “leverage AI and machine learning to enhance passenger experiences through predictive analytics and personalized services” as well as “personalising your trip planning with recommendations based on your interests and tastes”.
Unfortunately, in reality, personalisation, whether done by machines or humans, is still largely a hit-and-miss affair.
On this trip to Bangkok, I checked into two hotels, which should have my record based on previous visits and loyalty programmes, but still I had to fill in my details.
On the Singapore Airlines flight from Singapore to Bangkok, I was recognised as a loyalty member, addressed by name and given priority during meal service. On the return flight on the same airline, flying in the same class, I was as invisible as AI.
I was told it really depends on the crew you get – which means, no matter how good the process, the fail or success is down to humans.
Have you noticed lately too, receiving a lot of “personalised” emails? I got one recently from a travel brand I hardly use, saying “Your personalized travel recs are here” and promptly listed four destinations that are not even on my mind, let alone any travel planning list.
When did personal become so impersonal?
I guess that’s because every brand is trying to get personal with you, to make you feel like they know you – until you show up at the check-in desk and you have to go through the whole process of verification.
It’s a bit of a let-down, like a girl going on a date with a guy she thinks knows her enough to ask her out, and then finding he doesn’t – just swiped your name on a moving trolley of faces.
Speaking of which, I got a “personalised” message on LinkedIn from a matchmaking agency, saying, “Your profile caught my eye”, adding, “I’m impressed by your profile because you fit the exact profile of clients that we work with and successfully match.” I wonder which personal part of me fits.
It’s also hard to keep track of the emails you get after you book a flight especially if you book through an intermediary, and if you also happen to use a third-party trip planner app. It’s like you’re taking three different journeys in one trip with the multiple notifications you get.
And have you noticed of late too the restaurants and shops asking you for reviews? It happened to me at a retail store in Singapore, when a staff asked if I could review the service and rate her (she gave me her name) while looking over my shoulder.
In Tokyo, I was at a pretty high-end shabu-shabu restaurant when at the end of the meal, the staff said he’d be able to give us a five percent discount on the meal if we reviewed the restaurant or a free dessert? We opted for the dessert – yes, human beings can be bought for matcha ice cream and azuki red beans.
In Kuching, Sarawak, at a local seafood restaurant, after we had devoured the meal, the waitress asked us for a review, and asked if we could mention her name, and did not move from the table until we had submitted the review.
It’s all become rather personal, this chasing for reviews, and I fear it’s going to get worse before it gets better.
So how personal do you want organisations to get with you? I guess I don’t mind if all the data they are collecting about me make my life as a traveller easier and more pleasurable, but not if it’s just about spamming me until they hit bull’s eye.
Incidentally, back to entering Singapore without a passport – Mauricio Pietro in his latest Travel Tech Essentialist newsletter, brought up an old story of how the late Lee Kuan Yew, former leader of Singapore, used to obsess over the airport experience because he saw it as “the onboarding experience for talented future citizens”.
The newsletter added, “Ask any standup comedian: People remember the beginning and the end.”
I wish hotels would sort out their checkin and checkout.
