Doing something for the first time is always a special moment. Like reading Harry Potter for the first time; finally seeing your idol in person; tasting foie gras when you have no idea what the alien-looking thing is; or trying skydiving for the very first time. They are life changing experiences that make you go “oh my God”, and they are memories that will stay with you for a very long time.
Joining Scoot on their inaugural flight from Singapore to Sydney, is definitely one of those memorable life experiences. For those who don’t know, Scoot (a subsidiary of Singapore Airlines) is a new low cost carrier which operates on medium and long-haul routes to destinations like Sydney, Gold Coast, Tianjin, and Bangkok.
With my awesome travel partner Dawn.
Read on to find out more about our experience on flying Scoot from Singapore to Sydney.
Scoot airlines is very different from other low cost carriers. It uses Boeing 777 aircraft (3-4-3 configuration as compared to 3 by 3 seating in smaller budget airlines) which are more comfortable and spacious. Seat-wise, it is similar to full-fledged carriers. The only difference is it does not provide in-flight entertainment (although you can rent an iPad for SGD$22) and food (which you can order from the menu).
Last I checked, they are still offering sale tickets to Sydney and Gold Coast for under SGD$500 (round-trip). I also managed to get a flight to Bangkok next month for just SGD$140.
To sum it up, Scoot is great news for everyone who loves travelling. I can’t wait for them to launch their new routes to Taipei and Tokyo later this year.
To be completely honest, before the flight I was dreading the seven hours journey because I thought we would be flying in a “budget airline”. But I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised that the flight was very smooth and comfortable, and before we knew it, we arrived in Sydney.
Over the next three days, we had an amazing time exploring the city, but I will share more about that in my next post.
Full Disclosure & Fine Print: I travelled to Sydney as a guest of Scoot Airlines and Destination NSW. No monetary benefits were received, only air tickets and hotel accommodations were sponsored.
Hehe, I too have been seduced to fly Scoot – but in the opposite direction! In 8 days I fly from Sydney to Singapore for under $500 (one way was $121 at one stage!) I blogged about it here:
http://thefashionatetraveller.com/scoot-off-to-singapore-and-go-la-to-geylang
I have been at war with Scoot for over 7 months now. I was unable to take my return flight due to ill health. I bought another ticket and I was told that they will give me a refund as long as I can supply them with a medical certificate. After months or going back and forth with them they still haven’t resolved my issue. They have asked me to resubmit my MC 4 times already and then finally they said it’s not acceptable as it doesn’t state the condition. So now after 7 months they are expecting me to get those details from the doctor in a foreign country! Additionally the below average service, non functional entertainment system (for which they charge), unpalatable food makes the journey very painful!
You may say, you get what you pay for. Well that’s not entirely true in today’s environment of stiff competition where companies need to pay more attention to their customers. I have flown many budget airlines (Tiger, Air Asia, Jetstar, Indigo) and have had very good experience. But as for Scoot they are definitely not getting my business for sure!