Scoot confirms Perth, Hong Kong for first Boeing 787 flights
By David Flynn, January 20 2015
Singapore Airlines' low-cost offshoot Scoot has confirmed a February 5 inaugural for the airline's first Boeing 787-9, despite late delivery of the next-gen jet.
Scoot expected to get the keys for its debutante Dreamliner in December 2014, with the first commercial flight this month.
The advanced fuel-efficient aircraft is now due to touch down in Singapore on February 2, a spokesperson for Scoot told Australian Business Traveller, and "our 787 inaugural flight will head to Perth in early February."
Scoot expects its second Boeing 787 "to be delivered in late February or early March", with this aircraft assigned to the Singapore-Hong Kong route.
The airline has 20 Boeing 787s on order, split into ten of the original Boeing 787-8 and ten of the larger, longer-range 787-9.
Scoot will receive only Boeing 787-9s until the middle of 2015, at which point the first of 10 smaller 787-8s will arrive.
Scoot CEO Campbell Wilson believes the 787s will gives Scoot the flexibility to launch new routes, or add more flights to existing routes, where economics might not favour its current fleet of larger and less fuel-efficient Boeing 777.
The split between the 787-8 and 787-9 models will also allow more flexibility in juggling passenger numbers on each route.
"They're operationally interchangeable so there's no efficiency impact, but the different capacities open more options with respect to network and deployment" Wilson said.
[An earlier version of this article stated that the late delivery of Scoot's first Boeing 787 was due to "delays in the supply of the 340 economy seats by German seat manufacturer ZIM." This was incorrect, as ZIM is not the seat supplier for the Boeing 787.]
Scoot moves to all-Dreamliner fleet
The airline expects to rapidly expand its Dreamliner fleet in 2015, with delivery of as many as one per month from February to June 2015.
Scoot aims to retire all six of its Boeing 777-200s, which were handed down from Singapore Airlines, around the middle of 2015 and shift to an all-Boeing 787 fleet to quickly parlay the Dreamliner's increased fuel efficiency into a healthier bottom line.
"The economic advantages of this later generation aircraft – including a fuel-burn saving of around 20% per seat – ensure that costs and thus airfares can be kept low so that more people can travel more often" Wilson promised.
Scoot's Boeing 787-9 will be kitted out with 35 'all-leather' premium seats in ScootBiz class, arranged in a 2-3-2 layout.
Each features include an extendable leg-rest and a 'cradle' recline position.
There'll also be AC power sockets for every traveller.
The bulk of the bird will of course be given over to a sea of 340 economy seats in a 3-3-3 configuration, for a total head count – or should that be bum count – of 375.
The standard economy seat is a slimline slab sans headrest.
However, the seats in the extra-legroom Stretch rows and child-free 'Scoot in Silence' cabin will sport adjustable headrests.
Pleasingly, all seats from tip to tail will enjoy access to AC power and "streaming Internet connectivity."
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David Flynn is the Editor-in-Chief of Executive Traveller and a bit of a travel tragic with a weakness for good coffee, shopping and lychee martinis.
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
02 Jul 2011
Total posts 1374
ScootBiz looks OK (apart from the 2x3x2 layout) but that is expected in an LCC.
But Economy... Oh my eyes...both the Stretch and Economy seat covers are horrid.
Cathay Pacific - Asia Miles
25 Apr 2013
Total posts 542
Scoot needs better HKG flight times applicable for leisure travellers to fill the planes. A 7am flight will just not cut it.
02 Jan 2013
Total posts 140
Well Done Scoot! Booked 2 Scoot Biz seats 2 weeks ago for $373 each to Singapore. I cant complain especially when I only ever fly Economy on international flights haha.
QFF
19 Sep 2013
Total posts 205
Makes one wonder why that other airline that used to fly to other places out of Perth (Who were they now?) couldn't have done this.
Velocity Platinum
10 May 2013
Total posts 82
Who? Royal Brunei? They stopped flying into Perth in 2011, but they now have some 787-8s, so who knows, maybe they will come back. I flew with them twice in 2001 and was quite pleased with the service.
(Yes, I know who you meant. I was just avoiding the kangaroo in the room)
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
14 Apr 2014
Total posts 45
So they're replacing the existing 6 777s with 787-9s, and then receiving 10 787-8s followed by a further 4 787-9s. Any speculation on new destinations?
23 Apr 2014
Total posts 5
I hear Melbourne & Osaka are to be added into Scoot's network this year.
21 Apr 2012
Total posts 3006
Has anyone flown Scoot? What's the crowd that fly them like? I'm talking demographics...
17 Nov 2011
Total posts 27
Flew Scoot once from Bangkok to Sydney. Two bogans got arrested in Singapore for smoking onboard, and you aren't allowed to eat your own food on the plane. Being in a jam-packed plane with carry-on luggage space taken by people with 3 pieces each and two fat people on each side (this is a 10 abreast 777 remember!) did not help at all.
21 Apr 2012
Total posts 3006
Thank you for the insight!
24 Oct 2010
Total posts 2560
I've flown Scoot twice. More Asian passengers than Aussie/Caucasian, tended towards families and younger people (especially couples). Would also depend on the port - I'd suggest that in Perth for example you'd also see a lot of students.
21 Apr 2012
Total posts 3006
Thank you David.
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
17 Aug 2012
Total posts 2199
Indeed, Sydney is another port with a lot of student traffic. Scoot is extremely popular with the students flying to SIN and beyond (and of course, their families). It's cheap and bright yellow - what's not to love?
If we want to be brutally honest, Scoot flights from second-hand experience seem to a high clueless but harmless load factor, but I believe the bogan load factor is a lot lower than, say, the Jetstar flights to Bali.
You probably won't get your skull christened with a bottle of Jack, but you will probably get blocked in aisles by people with ridiculous luggage.
17 Nov 2014
Total posts 2
Why hasn't the above racist comment not removed when my reply to it ,last week , which wasnt racist , not published ?
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
17 Aug 2012
Total posts 2199
Why are we playing the race card on an LCC thread?
02 Jul 2011
Total posts 61
I flew in their super stretch seats with plenty of empty seats around me but the seat was rock hard and the on board food was disgusting. So eat well before you depart.
17 Feb 2012
Total posts 121
I find it stange that when Singapore Airlines gives its first 787 to its budget offshoot no one says a thing, but when Qantas does - everyone reflects on what a terrible business decision it is...
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
28 Jun 2013
Total posts 3
Simple, you cannot compare Singapore Air with Qantas. But I agree with you about what a terrible business decision QF has made.
QF
02 Nov 2012
Total posts 48
why not, they both claim to be premium carriers
23 Apr 2014
Total posts 5
Maybe because Singapore Airlines are profitable & still have 787-10 as well as some 70 A350's on order. Qantas on the other hand, posted a record loss & have cancelled or pushed back aircraft orders. What make's a better head line?
23 Apr 2014
Total posts 5
Maybe because Singapore Airlines are profitable & still have 787-10 as well as some 70 A350's on order. Qantas on the other hand, posted a record loss & have cancelled or pushed back aircraft orders. What make's a better head line?
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
10 Jan 2013
Total posts 698
Australians are more interested/aware of Qantas, than SQ. If AusBT was SinBT, the situation would be reversed no doubt.
Singapore Airlines - KrisFlyer
14 Jan 2015
Total posts 7
SQ and QF are different airlines with different models.
SQ unlike QR doesn't have any domestic markets.
Emirates which based their model on SQ which was an established success by the 80s, has become much bigger. SQ is still very much a "hub" 5th/6th freedom airline but has chosen to remain front-heavy but lean and profitable.
SQ has a regional arm that flight-time wise could be every bit like domestic flying in Australia- Silkair (MI). They've chosen to remain a purely single-aisle operator
So SQ flies the large widebodies while MI uses single aisles. The 777/350s are too large for this new medium-long haul LCC. So a medium sized widebody like the 787-8 which is too small for SQ would probably be the better-suited for Scoot
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
10 Jan 2013
Total posts 698
All valid points I'm sure, but of little relevance to the statement that Australians are more aware of Qantas than they are of other airlines. It is one of the most recognised brands in Australia, regardless of how anyone feels about the airline itself or what it's flying etc.
09 Sep 2014
Total posts 54
Scoot, please fire whoever picked those economey seat covers!
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
19 Feb 2011
Total posts 52
Great news but they need to kill that middle seat up the front!
Just lift their game slightly and they will take 100% of Qantas business!
The front end just needs to be 6inches more leg room between seats and dump that middle seat, Dont just block it off at the check in counter as nutters with kids tend to fill the middle seat as they think its their right to make us all suffer!
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
19 Feb 2011
Total posts 52
Come on Scoot, life the act just a little bit more and you will win the bulk of the business.
How? Increase the space between the seats in both business class & economy! Business class needs at least another 75MM between the seats and econ needs 50MM!
that only dropping 1 row of econ seats but being able to charge 15 to 20% more for each seat due to the leg room, less weight = less fuel usage, plus more coin per seat = more profit all round
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
02 Jul 2011
Total posts 1374
Hoping Plane 3 isn't delayed, due on SYDSIN from 29MAR
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