Scoot in just its first few years of operation has managed to raise the bar in the low cost travel market. From an entire fleet of twin aisle aircraft, a child free cabin plus plenty of seating options, the airline offered something for everyone at rock bottom prices.

The airline then raised the bar again last year by being the first in the world to operate an entire fleet consisting only of  brand new Boeing 787 Dreamliners.  

Last year AirlineRatings went on board to review Scoot's inaugural 787 flight between Perth and Singapore 

 See our video onboard the inaugural flight here. 

An energetic crew welcomed us on board and upon turning the corner to walk down the aisle, we were met with what can only be explained as “the funkiest” cabin lighting I've seen.  


 

It’s the sort of lighting that creates an energetic vibe and actually relaxes a nervous flyer. I was told that the lighting is only reserved for special flights and true to their word, on the return flight it was unfortunately back to the standard interior. Hopefully Scoot will change their policy on this and use this mood lighting on every flight as it is quite a unique experience for passengers. 

The Cabins
The seating in the Economy Class cabin features a 31-inch seat pitch and seat recline of 6 inch making it the greatest recline of any low cost carrier operating in the Asia Pacific area.  



The Scoot-in-Silence cabin ( where no children under 12 are permitted) is retained on the Dreamliner however, unlike on the old 777, there is no curtain, just a bulk head separating it from Economy Class.  This cabin with its extra legroom (seats have a 35 inch pitch) is genius and sales prove that it is popular with the travelling public. I did have one concern on the Dreamliner however.  There is a large area of space between the Scoot-in-Silence cabin and Economy where people can have a stretch. It’s also the perfect area for parents to pace back and forth with their upset babies and passengers in the quiet cabin did mention this on the return flight.

Both Economy and Scoot-in-Silence cabins have in seat power but you need to pay $8 Singapore dollars to use it. At first I thought this was a little cheeky, but the reality is that this is a low cost carrier that offers one way fares as low as $129 Australian dollars and the options are there for a reason. If you want more comfort and entertainment, then you pay for it, otherwise, enjoy your cheap fare, be organised and power up your device first.

Scoot Business Class or “Scoot Biz” as it's called, is not your typical Business Class, it’s more of a no frills Premium Economy and it’s at this point that you need to remember you only paid $400-$500 for this “Business Class” not $2,000 and keep your expectations in line. The seats, covered in a black leather have a 38 inch seat pitch, 8 inch recline and come with complimentary in seat power, in flight entertainment (to be streamed to your own device), and an extendable leg rest.




Water is offered when you board the aircraft and passengers are served a complimentary hot meal with one beverage (alcoholic or non alcoholic) but after that everything else is buy on board. There are no blankets, pillows or amenity kits. 




FOOD

There’s lots of different options when it comes to food depending on what you want to pay. My opinion is that if you are going to order food – pay for the premium meal selection at the time of booking and get the better product.  I’ve mentioned it in previous reviews and still feel that the food on Scoot is the airlines only real let down.  Again, it needs to be remembered that this is a low cost carrier and it’s not about the food it’s about safety and value  - which Scoot excels in, but if you're a foody - you've been warned.

NOTE: Some menu changes have occurred since this review, please see the latest menu and options here.

Passengers also need to remember that this is a low cost carrier and therefore water also needs to be purchased on board. My suggestion is to bring empty water bottles through security with you and fill them up in the departure lounge (where you can) before boarding. 


Business Class light meal with a complimentary wine.  All other purchases outside this must be paid for.


The standard hot meal choice for Economy and Scoot-in-Silence passengers who have opted not to upgrade to a premium meal. 

IN FLIGHT ENTERTAINMENT
 WiFi is available and movies/TV shows can be streamed to your own device from the onboard library ( all for a fee)..  



We gave the WiFi a go and were impressed with the speed. At times it was slow but ultimately, provided you aren't downloading big files, it worked well for some basic communciation from the sky and the posting of photos to social media. 

OVERALL EXPERIENCE
The open space, higher humidity and overall quiteness of the Dreamliner leave you feeling a lot more refreshed when compared to spending the equivalent amount of time on any other aircraft. Scoot, with it's large twin aisle aircraft, WiFi, generous seat recline, multitiude of options for legroom and consistently cheap fares and excellent customer service phone line (with real people!) are what makes this a world leading low cost carrier and AirlineRatings.com Best Low Cost Carrier award winner for Asia Pacific year after year.

Suggested Read: Our world's best airline award winners.

Sharon flew as a guest of Scoot in 2015
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