Surfer claims 2 surfboards worth S$3,600 ‘broken in half’ on Scoot flight

A surfer has taken to Instagram to call out Scoot, claiming that two of her surfboards were broken in half during a flight from China to Thailand.

The surfer, whose name is Huang Yushan, claimed the airline refused to compensate her because she had signed a limited release tag.

Surfer took Scoot flight to Phuket

Huang told Mothership she travelled on Scoot flight TR119 from Haikou, Hainan, to Phuket on Jul. 9.

The Chinese national said she declared her surfboards as oversized sports equipment at Scoot's check-in counter at Haikou Airport, and paid the required oversized baggage fee.

Huang added that she also requested the airline to label the surfboard bag as “fragile” before it was sent to the cargo hold.

Before checking in, she was asked to sign a Limited Release Tag.

According to Scoot, a Limited Release Tag is issued for baggage accepted on a "limited release" basis, meaning it is carried entirely at the passenger's own risk for damage or delay and is not eligible for damaged or delayed baggage claims.

Claimed that surfboards were fully protected in padded bag

Huang told Mothership that her surfboards were “fully protected inside a thick, padded professional hard-surf travel bag designed for air travel”.

She added that she wrapped them with “extra foam padding at nose and tail” as well to absorb impact.

However, after collecting her oversized baggage at Phuket International Airport, Huang said she discovered that both surfboards had been "cleanly snapped into two separate halves".

She claimed the boards, worth around S$3,645, were completely destroyed and beyond repair.

Airline declined to provide compensation

Huang said she immediately reported the damage to Scoot's baggage service counter at Phuket International Airport.

According to her, airport staff issued a Property Irregularity Report (PIR), with the damage classified as "Major".

However, she claimed the ground staff declined to provide compensation.

According to Huang, staff cited two reasons:

• She had signed the Limited Release Tag at check-in, meaning Scoot would not be liable for any damage.
• She had indicated on the PIR form that she would be claiming through her personal travel insurance.

Therefore, Scoot staff allegedly insisted that she should resolve all losses on her own.

Experience left Huang 'angry & helpless'

Huang said that she then submitted a formal compensation claim to Scoot's baggage department the following day. She also submitted a claim through Scoot's online portal and sent feedback to the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS).

She added that the damaged surfboards disrupted her travel plans in Phuket and Indonesia, causing her financial loss.

"I am extremely angry and helpless with this whole experience. Violent baggage handling that breaks surfboards in half is never a normal travel risk, and the airline must take full responsibility for its staff's negligence.”

Scoot apologises for 'inconvenience caused'

In response to Mothership's queries, a Scoot spokesperson said the airline is aware of Huang's feedback regarding the damage to her surfboards and sincerely apologised for the inconvenience caused.

They declined to provide more details on the case, citing an ongoing investigation, saying only that the airline’s customer service team has been in touch with Huang to “provide assistance”.

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