Love at First Flight 3, a web series by Changi Airport Group (CAG), was launched on 19 November 2024, following the success of two earlier seasons of love stories set in the world's most awarded airport. The third season tells the tale of two CAG employees from vastly different departments finding love in the course of work. The web series stars actor Shawn Thia as Gabriel Chen, an experienced transfer from Seletar Airport to Changi's Airport Emergency Service, and actress Xenia Tan as Xinyu, a Social Media Marketing Manager from the corporate office.
If you’ve already watched Love at First Flight 3, you might find some unique places being featured in the show and wonder where these locations are. Well, the series was filmed entirely within Changi Airport! In this article, we bring you through some of the places featured in Love at First Flight 3, including some areas not accessible to the public.
Spoiler alert! If you’ve not watched Love at First Flight 3, stop scrolling and watch the episodes below first!
Stand to win Jewel Changi Airport Vouchers: Scroll to the end of this article to take part in our contest to win the vouchers!
1. Fire Station 1
The Firefighters at Fire Station 1 preparing for their daily shift handover/takeover at 6:00pm
Fire Station 1 houses the Airport Emergency Service (AES). Changi Airport has a total of three fire stations – one for each runway – allowing for rapid response in the event of an emergency during take-off and landing. Changi Airport’s AES is rated Category 10 for firefighting and rescue services, which is the highest in accordance with ICAO standards (ICAO stands for International Civil Aviation Organization, a specialised agency of the United Nations that coordinates international aviation standards and policies). This certifies AES to provide firefighting and rescue services up to and including the world’s largest passenger commercial jet, the Airbus A380-800.
Firefighters in the fire stations are on standby around the clock, ready to respond to any emergencies that may arise. In the event of an emergency, AES firefighters must reach the scene of an aircraft accident within three minutes. During the shoot, the film crew had to be mindful of where to place their equipment to ensure pathways were not blocked. Safety at the airside is of critical importance, and the response of the AES firefighters is not to be impeded at all times.
One of the foam tenders activated and standing by beside the runway – ready to go once the affected aircraft lands.
In fact, on one of the filming days, the fire station alarm went off, and the AES firefighters were activated to standby for a potential incident! Before the crew realised what was going on, the AES firefighters had already rushed to their vehicles and were manoeuvring their foam tenders to standby beside the runway. The speed of the AES firefighters’ response was truly a sight to behold, especially to the film crew, who had never seen them in real-life action before.
Similar potential emergency situations are not uncommon. When these arise, AES firefighters are activated to be on standby. After the aircraft makes a safe landing, the AES firefighters are then able to stand down from their standby duty.
2. Smokehouse in Fire Station 1
The smoke isn't just there for the show – it realistically simulates what the firefighters experience during their training.
The Smokehouse allows the AES firefighters to familiarise themselves with the amount of smoke that they would encounter in an aircraft cabin in the event of a fire.
During training, the Smokehouse is filled with smoke, allowing for the AES firefighters to train in low visibility conditions – mirroring a smoke-filled cabin. The smoke is produced by a smoke machine, and obstacles such as metal chairs and life-sized human dummies are placed around to simulate the navigation needed by the firefighters during their rescue operations. This allows for AES firefighters to acclimatise to the low visibility in a training environment before being exposed to hot fire drills at the Red Bird.
3. Red Bird (Upper Changi Road North)
Film cast and crew observing the fire drill – the heat could even be felt from a distance!
How do the AES team keep themselves prepared and well-trained for emergencies? The answer is practice, practice, practice. Regular drills are conducted in the “Red Bird”, an aircraft simulator.
Measuring 8-metres tall and 44-metres wide, the Red Bird is constructed as a mock-up of an actual plane, painted in bright red on the outside – giving it its iconic name. However, don’t be fooled by its bright exterior – the walls of the Red Bird are covered in soot, and no lights line the interior, making visibility difficult for the firefighters in pitch-dark conditions.
During a hot fire drill, the Red Bird is set on fire, with internal pipes supplying kerosene to the “engines” to simulate an engine fire. The firefighters need to extinguish the fire before heading inside Red Bird to extract “casualties” in a safe and timely manner. During these drills, each firefighter is also required to wear protective gear, which weighs about 27 kilograms.
Due to the weight of the protective gear, we also had to cater sufficient time for the firefighters and actors to rest during the shoot. In between takes, they were kept hydrated with iced beverages on set. Kudos to them for pushing through the challenges during the filming process!
4. The Wonderfall (Terminal 2 Departure Hall)
The filming crew setting up for a midnight shoot at The Wonderfall.
The Wonderfall is the centrepiece of Changi Airport’s revamped Terminal 2, which re-opened in 2023. Spanning 14-metres tall, The Wonderfall is a technological masterpiece comprising 892 flat and flexi-curved LED tiles. Accompanying the four-storey tall display are sounds of rushing water and piano music, creating a majestic atmosphere for passengers and visitors.
Although the audio helps to provide a sense of grandeur to the attraction, we could not film with the sound of The Wonderfall in the background as it would drown the lead character’s dialogue. As such, CAG ’s Experience Creation team had to turn off the audio of The Wonderfall during filming. In order not to compromise visitor experience, the filming was done past midnight when there were fewer flights operating to ensure minimal disruption to passengers.
Pro Tip: The next time you are at Terminal 2, keep your eyes peeled for a special four-minute-long show, “Rhythms of Nature”, happening every 30 minutes on the hour and half past!
5. Dreamscape (Terminal 2 Transit)
Preparing for the interview scene in the final episode at Dreamscape, being careful of the surrounding water features.
If you’re departing from Terminal 2, be sure to pay a visit to Dreamscape, located in the transit area.
Dreamscape is decorated with an enchanting array of more than 100 species of plants, as well as glass tiles in the pond, mimicking the experience of walking on the surface of the water. However, look up, and you’ll see a large LED ceiling spanning across the transit garden, immersing you in both a physical and virtual experience.
Like a window to the real world, the digital screen mimics daylight and weather conditions in real-time through integration with Changi Airport’s weather system. Occasionally, the weather switches to that of a thunderstorm, where fish, otters, and even a sampan (boat in Malay language) sail past. Don’t forget to keep an eye out for the special surprises, such as passing planes and hot air balloons floating past the sky!
Did you manage to discover something new about these spots around Changi Airport? If you’ve not done so yet, catch up on Love at First Flight 3 here and try to spot some of these spots in the show, or even better yet – pay a visit to some of the publicly accessible spots yourself the next time you’re at Changi Airport.
BONUS: Watch and win Jewel Changi Airport vouchers
Here’s another reason to watch the series if you haven’t already – we’re giving out Jewel vouchers to our top three winners, who will stand a chance to walk away with S$100, S$80 and S$50 worth of Jewel vouchers, respectively. Take part in our Love at First Flight 3 contest here!
Watch the episodes and view the contest T&Cs here: https://changi.me/LAFF3_NB
Contest closes 8 December 2024, 2359hrs (Singapore Time).
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