The Airline: Scoot.
The Flight: TZ1 Sydney to Singapore (1345 departure; 1905 arrival).
The Equipment: Boeing 787 Dreamliner.
The Cabin: ScootBiz, seat 1A.
Date: March 2016.
Overview:
Scoot caused quite a stir when it launched into the Australian market back in 2012, offering a direct service from Sydney to Singapore, followed a week later by a second service from Gold Coast to Singapore. Dubbed Asia’s newest low cost carrier, it has always been clear about what it offers long haul travellers, aiming itself at the young, the young-at-heart and anyone seeking value for money. What this amounts to is a no-frills service on a fleet of brand new aircraft, with well priced airfares, and plenty of “Scootitude”; ultimately it’s a safe, reliable and contemporary service, packed with plenty of lighthearted fun. By August 2015 Scoot was operating an all-787 Dreamliner fleet, offering plenty of other amenities such as onboard Wi-Fi connectivity, in-seat power, and comfy seats. It has expanded its route network to include popular holiday and business destinations including Bangkok, Hong Kong, Perth, Melbourne and Tokyo, and more recently it has announced plans to fly to several destinations in India, including Chennai. The airline doesn’t have its own loyalty scheme, but last year it joined Singapore Airlines’ KrisFlyer frequent flyer program; if you earn points with this program you can redeem them on Scoot flights.
Check In:
As a ScootBiz customer I went to a separate check-in desk at Sydney Airport for my flight to Singapore, but it was evidently going to be pretty busy in economy; for about 10 minutes the ScootBiz desk wasn’t manned. Eventually someone arrived and attended to check-in, which was quick and easy and polite. My booking came with all the available perks, which includes a generous 30kg of luggage allowance to check in, which is up from the original 20kg at launch, and two pieces of carry-on luggage up to 15kg. However, as Scoot is a budget carrier you don’t get to use the Express Path at Sydney Airport, nor is there a lounge available at this time (there is in Singapore, however, if you buy the Scoot In Style package for AUD $39). So I headed off to the American Express Platinum Lounge to bide my time until my flight was ready to board. Although my ticket included First on Board, when the time came ScootBiz guests were not invited to the gate first; instead there was an open call which caused quite a rush. I wondered if that was because the flight was running late, but never found out.
The Service:
On boarding the 787 Dreamliner I was greeted with friendly smiles from the young and energetic Scootees, aka Scoot’s flight attendants, and I found my seat easily in the front row of the aircraft and the ScootBiz cabin. Soon after I was offered my free welcome drink, and the Scooters, aka pilots, had a quick chat to everyone about the route we were taking and the weather along the way. Overall, the crew quickly and effortlessly prepped both plane and passengers for the flight, and we eventually left close to on-time. Throughout the flight, the Scootees were polite and on hand if you needed anything, although they didn’t offer top up refreshments - you had to ask. Priority de-boarding is also part of the ScootBiz deal, and this was carried out effectively in Singapore.
The Food:
As my flight from Sydney departed in the early afternoon, I was served lunch shortly after take-off, although it’s the only meal you get, along with the second and last free drink, which can be alcoholic or soft. The Singapore Signature Chicken Rice I enjoyed had been pre-ordered, and came with carrots and Asian greens with chilli; the portion was quite small for even a small female, but it was adequately cooked and was accompanied by a small salad, and a chocolate bar, and a small tub of ice cream. And being a seasoned traveller, however, I always travel with my own healthy snacks. I opted to drink water only so I didn’t check the wine list.
The Seat & Entertainment:
The 787 Dreamliners currently being used on the Australia routes are configured with 35 seats in ScootBiz, and set up in a 2-3-2 configuration. The seat is a dark blue faux leather style, and has a 96cm pitch and a 56cm width with a leg rest which is essentially a flap which extends from the bottom of the seat to prop up your legs. There is plenty of leg room, particularly if you are sitting in row 1, the bulkhead. If you are flying overnight (which you have to on the return leg from Singapore to Sydney), you may wish to add a Snooze Kit to your flight for AUD $18 which includes a blanket, an eye mask and a neck pillow which adds comfort to the adjustable head rest on the seat. The seat also has a decent arm rest separating you and your neighbour, and the seat reclines to around 20cm which is on par with premium economy of other carriers. And if you want to work, there is AC power in the seat with no adaptor needed, but no USB sockets, and there’s no personal air vent if you need to cool down and the cabin overall was run at quite a warm temperature, which became hotter if the sun was beating through the windows.
Scoot doesn’t have offer personal screens or wall mounted screens, so to watch any of the entertainment, even in ScootBiz, you will have to download an app to your own smartphone, tablet or laptop before you fly so that Scoot can beam a choice of movies and TV shows to it. That means you’ll also need your own headphones. Unfortunately my iPad’s OS was too old to download the app, and I didn’t have my MacBook with me, so I had to forgo the entertainment altogether. Instead, I made the most of the time after my meal reading an e-book, snoozing, and playing computer games, and looking around at my fellow ScootBiz guests, most appeared to be doing the same. Scoot’s 787 Dreamliners also have satellite-fed inflight Wi-Fi, which you pay for in blocks of hours from one to 24 should you feel the need to get online. I didn’t use it but my neighbour had problems connecting and staying online from what I could overhear.
The Verdict:
The flight to Singapore isn’t a long one compared to some long haul services, but if you’re looking for some additional comfort and legroom ScootBiz is worth considering. In truth, from the seat to the service it is more like a long haul premium economy, or a business class of days gone by, but then again it isn’t pretending to be anything but that. Beyond the basic cost of your ticket, you will need to pay for some extras even in ScootBiz, but given that the fares are so much cheaper than its major airline competitors, even cheaper than the price of many economy fares, this really isn’t a big deal. Another major bonus of flying Scoot besides the cost is the 787 Dreamliner aircraft, which is incredibly quiet and has cleaner and slightly more moisturised air.
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