Trip Report: Scoot Plus Singapore to Sydney Pokemon 787

The chance to fly in a large, premium economy seat, for a bargain price isn't to be sneezed at. Nor is that rarest of things - a daytime flight to Sydney, leaving Singapore at a comfortable 10 in the morning.

Singapore Copyright lux-traveller

Less comfortable is the 06 hundred hours alarm call, and a dawn cab ride to Changi airport, where Scoot leave from Terminal 1, where much more comfortable carriers fly in overhead on the kangaroo route.

Singapore Changi Terminal 1 Copyright lux-traveller

Scoot Plus check in

I knew I'd have problems at check in - and so it proved. The Scoot website is so woeful it proved impossible to enter passport details or frequent flyer details. At least, I thought, I'd got it to save meal details in advance. I tried the automated check in desks, but it refused to accept me, and printed a rejection slip for the automated desks.

Scoot check in machine Copyright lux-traveller

Hence I had to trot up to the ScootPlus dedicated check-in desks, like many other passengers, but even the staff were unable to override the details, and had to summon a supervisor.

Scoot check in desks Copyright lux-traveller

Even KrisFlyer Golds can't access a lounge, so with an hour to kill I wandered over to the Jewel, the airside shopping centre at Changi.

The Jewel is as much garden as it is urban centre. has 90 restaurants, 200-odd shops, many of which are unique in Singapore, such as the exclusive-to-Jewel brewery from local beer maker Tiger, visit the first Pokemon centre outside Japan, and inter-terminal trains that brush the waterfall.

Singapore Airport the Jewel Copyright lux-traveller

However I had to take my time going airside, as I'd tangled with the dreaded Singapore immigration form. It used to be a Breeze at Singapore - you wave a British or Australian passport, and wander through. Now there is a multi page visa form with tortuous questions, and it if you do it in the queue, it takes a good half hour to wade through.

Also, security is at the gate. Despite it being listed as a benefit, there is no priority boarding for ScootPlus passengers at the gate and I'm forced to join the huddled masses.

However, it gives me a chance to view the unique Pokemon themed 787.

Scoot, the low-cost branch of Singapore Airlines, has unveiled its new Pikachu Jet in collaboration with The Pokemon Company, and the Pikachu Jet goes on what are called Air Adventures bi-monthly to Tokyo Narita and Seoul. Even the crew get into the act. Headrests and even the luggage bin get a Pikachu Jet theme.

Scoot Pokemon 787 luggage bins Copyright lux-traveller

As do the crew, who are dressed the part.

Scoot Pokemon 787 headrests Copyright lux-traveller

The livery itself has a white background with flower petals, and the characters of Pikachu, Pichu, Shaymin, Psyduck, Lapras, Celebi and Meganium are depicted on the fuselage. There are also Pokemon hiding on the sides of the wings!

Scoot Plus Seating and cabin

ScootPlus offers larger seats than economy class, with 38 inches (96 centimetres) of pitch and a width of 22 inches (56 centimetres).

Scoot Plus Seating Copyright lux-traveller

This compares with a squeezy 31 inches of pitch and 19 inches of width in regular economy.

Scoot economy seats Copyright lux-traveller

The ScootPlus cabin features 35 seats in a 2-3-2 layout.

There's a decent recline despite the bulkhead behind me. The armrests are showing some signs of wear and tear.

Scoot wifi and IFE

There is no inflight entertainment on Scoot, so load up your device before you fly.

There's power in the seat to keep it charged, so long as you fly in ScootPlus, whereas in standard economy there is even a charge for power.

As for Wifi ScootPlus passengers get 30 megabytes of Wi-Fi included - not enough for streaming, but adequate for checking emails or a bit of browsing. Scoot says a customer survey in 2018 showed passengers would prefer Wi-Fi to inflight entertainment screens.

If you actually want enough internet to be useful, it's $55 a pop for 1GB, which is still pretty minor.

Scoot inflight meals

One meal is included if you are in ScootPlus, unlike in the back of the bus where you have to pay for everything.

One famous, and rather random meal, is the Scoot Snack Bag. You can't choose the snacks, it's a random assortment.

In the offering today, is the wacky inclusion of Milo Powder. On the Pokemon plane the crew come around with warm Pokemon milk, and even the cups are treated as rare souvenirs.

In theory you can order food when you book - but as the crew apologised, Singapore Airlines ITdoesn't talk to Scoots IT, and the orders are never transferred.

If you don't order anything there is just the default meal. You can't choose from the menu card in the seat pocket even if you wanted to.

The standard meal today was Chinese style roasted chicken thigh with Fluffy quinoa pilaf rice. All on a Pokemon themed tray.

There is also Udder Delight chocolate icecream.

And you could if you want go vegetarian, with a pumpkin pasta and mushrooms.

Scoot Bar

I tried a couple of drinks from the bar. Only one drink is complementary in Scoot Plus, and everything else is around $10.

There is Japanese Yeb-isu beer which is Sapporo's premium brand of lager. It is very hoppy, and very lively.

For white wine, there is Italian Villa Cardini Bianco. It has a kind of chalky, weathered rock flavour. The bottle is plastic. As is the cup. It comes as a sealed unit, as wine to go.

Scoot Frequent Flyer scheme - Krisflyer

Being low cost carrier, the airline doesn't have it's own Frequent Flyer scheme. However, Scoot is a subsidiary of Singapore Airlines and members of Singapore's program, Krisflyer, can earn and spend points on Scoot. In theory. However in practice, even at the front of the plane, it's at a miserly rate.

From Singapore to Sydney, while you'll earn 2,800 Elite miles, these only count for status. You'll actually only earn 800 miles you can redeem. And if you want to swap them to something like Velocity, there is a penalty of 30%, and a minimum of 5000 miles. Never fly Scoot for the miles.

Scoot Plus Review

Scoot is that rarest of things, a low cost long haul airline that is actually making some money, however Scoot is barely known in Europe, axing one of it's two routes within a year. It did briefly fly to London Gatwick, but now the only EU route starts in Berlin, before the 787 briefly touches down to pick up more passengers in Athens, and goes on to Singapore. However the airline has been adding routes around Asia and to Australia.

The price for a premium seat just can't be beaten - if you book it a long time in advance, over the Scoot website. Don't do what I did which was book it as part of a flight with Singapore Airlines, where real Premium Economy on a real carrier was all of 14 pounds more. Equally Scoot really know how to charge if you buy it at last minute, just for that rare perk of an included meal.

Despite having Singapore Airlines as its parent company, the influence of that airline's famous service is not apparent on this flight. After the meal service the crew is largely absent, with no further offers of water or anything else for the rest of the daytime flight.

The only real perk you get on the flight is, if you book with Singapore Airlines, you get booked into the FlyBagEat bundle, which includes a meal, drink, snack and bags checked in all the way, including a connection with Singapore airlines. And to say thank you, the airline gives you a complimentary blanket. In fetching yellow.

Having a look back in economy I was - partly - grateful that I'd forked out for a double priced ticket for an extra seven inches of legroom. And a free chicken thigh. And a blanket.

You can, if you book the flight at up to a year ahead, get a premium economy seat - but not a lot else - for around 800 euro all the way from Europe to Sydney. That's a bargain.

But for the money booking a few weeks out for what was promised as an upsized scoot business class experience, it only delivered if you hadn't tried a proper carrier. Although even Singapore Airlines real economy has gone downhill over the past couple of years.

But, Scoot got me to Australia in one piece, in an OK and certainly larger seat, and on time.

It's OK, but you've got to know what you are in for.

See the full Trip Report: Scoot Plus Singapore to Sydney Pokemon 787 video:

Trip Report: Scoot Plus Singapore to Sydney Pokemon 787
Lux-traveller.com rating:7 out of10
Seats:	3 - Old style premium economy seats
Food:	3 - Very basic
Service:	2 - Just acceptable
IFE:	n/a - None