Mario Lee Blog

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It is 22 March 2026. Our last day in Singapore had begun, but the carefree holiday mood had long since gone. In the background, an exhausting, ongoing legal dispute between me and the travel portal fluege.de was raging. The case is now with the arbitration board and with the German states‘ market surveillance authority for the accessibility of products and services (MLBF). The outcome is still uncertain, but the psychological pressure caused by this fight for basic accessibility weighed heavily on us.

We had actually wanted to enjoy the stress-free life in Singapore. We were here for 37 days in total and were stuck 15 days longer than planned because of the flight chaos. Part of me wished I could simply stay in this warm, peaceful place, but reality and our work commitments in Germany were calling. We literally had butterflies in our stomachs – not from excitement, but from pure, tense nervousness.

A heartbreaking goodbye to the family

After a last, long breakfast and lunch, it was time to close the suitcases for good. Saying goodbye was incredibly hard. We had stayed with my wife’s family the whole time. Saying goodbye to her third sister touched us especially deeply, because after 37 days together we had grown even closer. That is true family.

When my mother-in-law hugged us, the tears rolled. My father-in-law called a taxi at exactly 6:00 pm and insisted on coming with us to Terminal 2 at Changi Airport. A good friend of ours also came to the airport specially to say goodbye. For me, as a German who had settled in wonderfully in Singapore, this moment was extremely painful – especially because the ongoing trouble with fluege.de had cast a dark shadow over the last weeks.

The logistical hurdle at the check-in counter

At the Lufthansa counter, the next big worry was waiting for us. Our involuntarily rebooked ticket was for the route Singapore – Munich – Berlin. But we wanted, and needed, to get off in Munich. The absolute nightmare: we get off in Bavaria, but our suitcases fly on to the capital.

Because my stress levels were already sky-high, I didn’t want to take any risks with communicating in English. I had prepared a short, clear note in English in advance and handed it to the employee at the counter. The relief was enormous when she smiled and said this was no problem at all. She issued our tickets to Munich and clearly labelled our suitcases with Munich as the destination. A huge weight fell from my shoulders.

Emotional turbulence at gate F41

At security came the final, hard goodbye to my father-in-law and our friend. At the bag check, a can of Nivea Men was taken from me – at that moment I couldn’t have cared less.

We found our gate, F41, and sat down. We were very quiet, almost speechless. The ongoing fight for our rights and the enormous trouble with fluege.de had completely burned us out inside. When we were finally sitting in the Lufthansa plane, a wave of physical discomfort and extreme agitation suddenly came over me. It was simply my body reacting emotionally to weeks of being in a state of emergency.

The cold shock in Germany

After a 13-hour flight we finally landed in Munich. It was a literal shock to the system: we had got completely used to 37 degrees Celsius in Singapore, and now exactly zero degrees welcomed us in Germany. We were freezing.

At passport control, as a European citizen, I could use the fast lane, but then had to wait for my wife, because with her Singaporean passport and her permanent German settlement permit she had to go through a different counter. Then we practically ran to baggage claim. Our suitcases were already going round and round on the belt, all alone.

Completely exhausted: the way home to Passau

The final leg of our journey was a real effort. We hurried to the Deutsche Bahn, took the train from Munich Airport to Landshut and changed there for the train to Passau. When we arrived in Passau, we immediately took a taxi home.

We were not only physically tired, but mentally at an absolute low. This constant dispute with fluege.de had completely worn us out. The very first thing we did was not unpack, but go straight to the doctor. The exhaustion was so massive that afterwards we slept for almost two full days.

We are back home. We are at the end of our strength, but we are not giving up. A few weeks after our return, I filed a full legal complaint against fluege.de. This fight for justice and accessibility is not over yet.