Scoot Airline Economy – A step-up from other Asian Low-Cost-Carriers!

Scoot Airlines is the budget subsidiary of Singapore Airlines, offers reliable service with better on-time performance than other low-cost carrier, and the option to upgrade your flight experience with lounge access or priority check-in and boarding. Despite their low-cost set-up they offer a solid experience and are a step-up from their regional competitors!

Pre-departure: Scoot was built by parent Singapore Airlines as a modern low-cost airline from the ground up and it shows in the onllne presence. The website is easy to navigate, fees are shown transparently and it’s fast and reliable. You are able to tailor your ticket similar to other low-cost carriers (LCC). You can choose from fare bundles, called Fly, FlyBag, FlyBagEat that – not surprisingly – include baggage and food.

Prices for the bundles can be less than adding them later individually, so you should think would you need at this stage. You can also add PlusPerks, which adds KrisFlyer miles, priority boarding and seats with extra legroom.
Add a later stage, you can also add more check-in luggage by weight, up to 40kg. Prices are comparable to other LCC.. Every passenger only has one carry-on bag up to 7kg (or up to 10kg, if you bring a laptop). Meals also can be pre-ordered from a long menu, with prices slightly higher than other budget airlines.

Seat assignments also cost you extra, with seats up front and bulkhead or exit row seats with extra legroom costing more. Prices depend on the route, so check during the purchase whether it’s worth it to you for the duration of your flight.
Scoot only allows online check-in for flights originating in Singapore. For my flight from an outstation, I selected priority check-in and was able to go to a priority line with only one person in front of me. Staff was friendly and quick to get me my boarding pass and the system and process were very efficient. 
When flying from Singapore, you can check in online and it works smoothly and without issues. If you travel with hand-luggage only, you can skip the lines and go straight to security and the gate. On one of my flights, I also had priority boarding, which was enforced at the gate, allowing a quick boarding, access to my seat and overhead bin space.

Service: Inflight crew was professional and friendly. Staff welcomed everybody on board, assisted with seats and luggage and completed boarding quickly. I noticed a more thorough enforcement of safety procedures compared to other regional LCC.

Flight Experience Airbus A319/320: The Scoot short-haul flights were previously operated by Tiger Airways. They are configured in an all-economy cabin with 144/180 seats in a 3-3 layout.

The seats have a 29 inch seat pitch, the same as other LCC, making it a very tight fit. The slim, black leather seats are clean and are moderately comfortable for short flights.
I’m 6ft3 (190cm) and have very little knee room, making bulkhead or exit row seats a good idea for longer flights!

At least the cabin is not covered in advertisements like AirAsia, making it somewhat more inviting.
There is no entertainment other than the inflight magazine, so bring your own devices for entertainment.  

Rewards: If you are collecting miles with Singapore Airlines’ KrisFlyer program, you can purchase the PlusPerks and earn miles on your flight. You can also redeem KF miles for Scoot vouchers, but they are terrible value and I’d recommend against it.

Bottomline: Scoot Airlines is one of my favorite budget airlines in Asia. The website is functional, the fares and add-ons are transparent and options like priority boarding or lounge access allow you to have a more upscale experience than on other low-cost carriers. They have a better on-time performance record than AirAsia or CebuPacific and I found their service to be reliable. Scoot manages to offer low fares without feeling cheap and I’d consider them a (small) step up from other budget airlines in Asia.  All of this makes them a good choice for budget-conscious travelers and I’d recommend you give them a try!

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Scroll to Top