Scoot seats reviewed, and the best seats revealed

Scooting to Singapore (or beyond) on a budget-minded business trip? We've put together this guide to help you find the best seats on Scoot's big Boeing 777s, both in ScootBiz business class and economy class – including the cost-extra Super and Stretch seats.

ScootBiz business class seats

The front of Scoot's Boeing 777 – a refurbished plane handed down from parent company Singapore Airlines – predictably belongs to business class.

There are 32 ScootBiz seats in a  2-4-2 layout across four rows – 11, 12 14 and 15.

(Scoot's first Boeing 777 is in fact fitted with five rows of business class, but the fifth row is being removed later this month and the front of the economy cabin moved forward.)

As we've pointed out before, but it bears repeating – Scoot's business class is more akin to the regional business class of many airlines rather than the fully-fledged international business class most Australians are used to.

So don't expect your Qantas-style Skybeds here, chum. Scoot business class is closer to premium economy (which is how Scoot's seat manufacturer markets them).

These are recliner-style seats rather than lie-flat, with an 8 inch recline and a well-padded headrest with a few inches of rise.

The leather-clad seats are 22 inches wide and have a 38 inch pitch.

We measured 'knee-room' as 19 inches from the front of your seat cushion to the most forward point of the seat in front of you.

There's a swing-down footrest under the seat in front of you...

... but this means seats in the first row of ScootBiz (row 11) have no footrest at all.

Scoot looked at an integrated footrest which swings up from the front of the seat (similar to the first row of Cathay Pacific premium economy).

However, the airline says this made it an acrobatic feat for passengers in the window and middle seats to get into the aisle if their seatmate had the footrest up.

A decidedly small tray table springs up from the armrest of each seat rather than folding down from seat in front.

Want to power up the laptop or tablet you'll be perching on that table? Note that there's just one AC socket shared between every two seats.

If ScootBiz becomes as popular as Scoot hopes, let's cross fingers that a any pairs of teched-up seatmates will happily share the socket!

We'd rate the ScootBiz seats as quite comfortable for a daytime flight and good enough for a snooze on overnights. They'll need to be, with Scoot's Singapore-Sydney flight TZ1 clocking a 2am departure from Changi.

The best seats in ScootBiz

We'd suggest the first row (11) shouldn't your be first choice.

It's a bit close to the bulkhead, especially the middle block of seats, so you an average-sized bloke will end up with his feet crooked against the bulkhead wall.

The seat pairs by the window (11A, 11C, 11H and 11K) have a bit more space for your pins, especially those at the aisle.

But as mentioned earlier, no seats in this first row have a footrest.

The other three rows of ScootBiz (12, 14 and 15) deliver a greater amount of 'effective legroom' because you can stretch your feet out and tuck under seat in front, as well as perch them on the swing-down footrest.

All up, we rate 15AB and 15JK as the best seats.

First reason: there's more space on the floor in front of you for your feet or your laptop bag.

Unlike the 'middle quad' blocks of seats, these window pairs don't have bulky support struts to the floor.

Second reason: this is the rear row of business class, and the toilets are at the front of the cabin.

"Woah, hang on," you say. "Being in the back row of business puts you one thin wall away from wailing babies in bassinets in the first row of economy".

Not so! Scoot decided not to fit bassinets at the bulkhead, or indeed anywhere in the aircraft, so you've got a much higher chance of enjoying a much lower noise level if you're in the back row of business class or indeed any economy seat near the bulkead.

Scoot economy class seats

All other 368 seats in Scoot’s Boeing 777 are economy seats, but split into three grades based on the amount of legroom.

For a quick visual reference, Scoot has colour-coded standard economy seats as blue while those sporting extra legroom are clad in yellow.

And that's the only difference: the seats themselves are identical, with around 17 inches between the armrests (the base cushion itself is just under 19 inches across) and an eight inch recline.

None of the economy seats have a headrest but as the seats themselves are quite tall I didn't find them uncomfortable on the Singapore-Sydney trek.

But if that's a concern for you, or your neck needs special TLC, you'd be advised to pack an inflatable neck pillow (or buy one on board – yes, Scoot sells those, along with most anything else you could need).

Most of Scoot's economy seats are arranged in a 3-4-3 configuration (with the seating numbering ABC-DEFG-HJK), which means you don't want to get stuck in the middle two seats unless you're happy to stay there for pretty much the entire flight.

Economy standard

The 32 inch pitch of most Scoot economy seats leaves around 11” from the leading edge of your seat cushion to the seat in front.

It's not as tight a fit as you may expect from the cheapest seat on a low-cost airline – and again, the lack of an in-flight entertainment system provides a bit more room for your feet to sprawl.

The best standard economy seat? Scoot staffers suggest 50A. You can lean against the wall but the window being slightly forward makes for less glare.

Economy super

A handful of rows in each economy cabin are given over to 'super' economy seats with up to 35 inches of pitch.

The actual amount varies, for instance in the last few rows of the 777 it’s between 33 and 34 inches.

Those last rows – 61 through to 64 – are in a 2-4-2 layout instead of 3-4-3, due to the narrowing of the 777's body towards the tail.

The AC and HK seats are either side of the aisle and as long as you don’t mind being last off the plane they're a good get.

There's a bit more space to stretch into the aisle, while next to the windows (the A and K seats) you'll find room to stow your carry-on bag next to the cabin wall for easy access during the flight.

Costing only $24 on top of your economy ticket,  we reckon super seats are the best value for almost all travellers.

Economy stretch

Most economy rows facing a bulkhead wall are classified as 'stretch' seats (or s-t-r-e-t-c-h, in Scoot parlance).

They're typically just ahead of super seats: for example, in the rearmost economy cabin, row 51 is for the stretch set while 52 and 53 are super seats.

Seats at the emergency exit are also stretch seats.

Stretch is where the very tall and long of limb can score the most legroom, provided they're prepared to part with an extra $60.

But not all stretch seats are better than their cheaper super counterparts, as we're about to reveal.

The best economy cabin

Our survey of Scoot's Boeing 777 quickly revealed the plane's first economy cabin – directly behind business class – to be the best place for frugal flyers.

With just four rows of seats (rows 21 through 24), and all in the stretch or super categories, this space has the feel of a private cabin.

It's also fairly quiet – after all, you've got business in front of you and no baby bassinets at the bulkhead – and has less passing foot traffic than any other economy section. And you'll be among the first off the plane, which counts for a lot if you're travelling only with carry-on luggage.

Row 21 is where you'll find the stretch seats.

The most stretch legroom is in seats 21ABC and 21HJK...

.. but even somebody of above-average height will find their feet nestling up against the bulkhead instead of truly s-t-r-e-t-c-h-i-n-g out, which can be uncomfortable on these long flights.

We found this most noticeable in the middle block of seats (21DEFG).

However, the super seats in rows 22 and 23 not only cost much less, you can stretch your feet out under the seat in front.

The window blocks of 22 and 23 – that's 22ABC and 22HJK, and 23ABC (this row has no right-side window seating) - are even better because these seats don’t have the bulky floor brackets of the 'middle quad’ block of four seats, so you'll enjoy maximum footroom.

As for row 24, there’s no window-side seating at all, just a block of 3 seats in the middle.

But with the loo off to the right side, adjacent to 23 and 24, we'd generally favour the left side of the plane.

If you're travelling on Scoot we'd love to hear your own take on the seating – have your say in the Comments box below or shout out on Twitter – we're @AusBT.

David Flynn

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.