SINGAPORE — Waiting for a cup of water on a budget airline is like watching ice melt. Literally.

For Gene Goh, a passenger on Singapore-based Scoot airline, this is exactly what happened while on a flight from Singapore to Osaka on Nov. 16. After the flight was delayed upon takeoff, he asked a flight attendant for a “plain cup of water” but was told only bottled water was available for purchase.

What happened next seems almost too outrageous to be true.

“I was given a cup of ice and was told to wait for the ice to melt,” he wrote on Facebook.

Goh added: “All I am asking is just a cup of water, I wouldn’t care if it was from the tap. I hope there could be some sort of care for passengers, not being unreasonable over here.”

Surprisingly, most people responded to his post with criticism, not only accusing Goh of being ungrateful, but also cheap and high maintenance.

Naoko Tsukumo wrote: “Truth hurts but the truth is that you are being unreasonable. Take it as a lesson well learnt – well at least you now know that tap water from the plane is not for human consumption. That could save your life on your second flight, kid.”

Another Facebook user, Chua Yi Hao, wrote: “I actually felt that it was a kind gesture of the staff to give you a cup of ice. It is your OWN problem when you did not prepared [sic] a bottle of water for YOURSELF.”

Rai Nud Din thought Goh should be thanking Scoot instead of complaining: “You’re lucky to get a cup of ice…and it’s free! Be thankful.”

CK Wong practically outed Goh as spoiled: “Maybe u should stay at home and dun [sic] travel…Let ur mom serve u.”

And Christopher Kueh added: “Can afford a flight ticket to Japan but can’t afford water.”

But not everyone criticized Goh. Anthony De B came to his defense, writing: “I find it funny that everyone here is indoctrinated into thinking that water should not be given free of charge and that this man is being cheap. You have all been brainwashed fools.”