SINGAPORE, Dec 12 — Some airlines serve cake to passengers celebrating their birthday — but not every airline plays along.
One Singapore Airlines (SIA) passenger identified only as Ong, tried his luck but was denied his request for a birthday cake on his return flight, news portal Mothership reported yesterday.
Ong had booked a return flight to Singapore in the first week of January 2026, planning to celebrate his 37th birthday just two days later.
Hoping for a sweet in-flight surprise, he emailed SIA, noting he would be flying Premium Economy from Shanghai over the holiday period.
SIA replied that birthday cakes are only served if the flight coincides with the passenger’s birthday, or one day before or after, leaving Ong disappointed.
The airline explained that requests must meet specific criteria, which vary by class and flight duration, with Premium Economy passengers needing a flight within one day of their birthday and at least three-and-a-half hours long.
Ong argued the airline should “exercise flexibility” on “compassionate grounds” and suggested influencers apparently received cakes even without meeting the rules.
SIA notes that birthday cake requests are best made via the live chat in the SIA app or emailed to [email protected] one to two weeks before the flight.
