My Honest Review of Scoot Airlines – How to Survive Long Haul Flight with Scoot

In this post, you will find my honest review of Scoot Airlines, what my experience was, why it is one of the lowest-rated airlines, and if you decide to take a flight with Scoot, how to survive it, and how not to waste money.

I am sorry for the lack of photos from this flight. I truly wasn’t planning on writing this post so I only took a couple of pictures at the end of the flight. I will try to be as descriptive as I can.

I didn’t expect to ever write this kind of post. But after spending 12 hours on a Scoot flight, I decided to write this post simply to help you!

I generally have good experience flying with the majority of airlines, but this is mostly because I am not fussy and often fly low-cost. So my expectations are normally quite low.

To start with, let me clarify that the flight with Scoot was by no means horrible. I just think it was extremely low value in comparison to any other operator I have ever flown with.

So if you’re considering a flight with Scoot and want to know what to expect, this post is for you.

What are Scoot Airlines

Scoot is the low-cost arm of Singapore Airlines. Operating since 2012, it offers flights to various destinations across Asia, Australia, and Europe on medium and long-haul routes from Singapore.

At first, it sounds quite exciting as their prices seem to be very affordable compared to other long-haul operators. But this can be very deceiving.

In this article, I will highlight the pros and cons of flying with Scoot and give you my opinion on the true value of their fares.

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External Ratings of Scoot Airlines

Here are the official passenger ratings for Scoot gathered at the end of 2023. 

Tripadvisor: 3 / 5

Trust Pilot; 1.4 / 5

Skytrax 5 / 10 

I’ve read some of the negative opinions and the most common criticism was the handling of complaints. I can’t comment on this as I personally had no official complaints.

Other remarks were regarding issues like post-flight customer care, delays, flight reschedules and luggage handling.

My flight was delayed by 20 minutes, which wasn’t a problem, and I had no issues that needed to be reported.

It’s worth noting that I also found quite a few good reviews and many travellers enjoyed their flight.

Is Scoot Providing Good Value for Money?

Scoot airfares are very affordable. If you look at bare fare you will most likely conclude that Scoot is a good value for money, especially on a long-haul flight.

But that is only true if you fly hand luggage only and don’t purchase things like meals or seats. Once you add those up, the fair goes up and is very comparable with other operators. For the much lower quality of… Hmmm… everything.

So Scoot is a good choice if you want to fly long haul on a cheap but only if you don’t purchase any extras.

Let me elaborate.

What was my experience like flying with Scoot

I didn’t know what to expect from the 12-hour flight with Scoot. I stocked up on a 1.5 like bottle of water and some snacks knowing that Scoot doesn’t provide any refreshments on a complimentary basis. And off I went.

The Comfort

The Dreamliner was very comfortable. I had plenty of legroom and actually slept quite well. Considering Scoot is a low-cost airline you will not receive any extras like a blanket or pillow. 

But this is not a massive issue. Just be sure to have some warm clothing in case you easily get cold on the plane and preferably take a travel pillow and eye mask with you. 

The Food

I decided to preorder one of their in-flight meals which was an additional €13. Although it wasn’t a fortune, it was very much money down the drain.

The food was awful!

I know that airline food is notoriously bad, no matter who you’re flying with. But if it’s a complementary meal and it’s edible, all good for me. If you have to spend more money to get an inedible, tasteless slob, just don’t bother.

We got the food in the morning, which I really appreciated. It was an overnight flight and this way we were just left alone to get comfortable and sleep.

I ordered rice noodles with stewed beef brisket and maybe I just made a wrong choice. I will never find out – hopefully. It came in a takeaway container with a wooden spoon and fork and a small packet containing a cake.

The only drink option was a full-fat Coke or water. That was it. No coffee or tea was offered.

It was one of the smallest plane meals I have ever gotten, and it was truly bad. Noodles were all glued together and covered in gravy-like sauce, and it all looked very unappetizing.

I ate it and then I ate the cake straight after to get rid of the bad taste in my mouth. And the cake was actually quite nice. Luckily.

I am not a fussy eater, trust me. I eat anything, most of the time and so I ate those noodles. But it was one of the worst meals I have ever had.

I was truly disappointed with myself that I preordered this meal and wasted my money. Don’t be me!

Do not, and I repeat, do not pre-order food on Scoot! The couple sitting next to me came on board with snacks and I saw that they were not getting a meal, and that was a wise decision.

I urge you to get some snacks, sandwiches or pastries and survive the flight with them unless you literally want to throw € 13 in the trash bin. If you are flying from Singapore, you can find really tasty pastries at the airport for around 3 SGD. Take some nuts or potato crisps, a chocolate bar and a large bottle of water and you are done for half the price. That food may not be particularly nutritious but at least it will be tasty.

The Service

The service? Hmm… I’d say there was not much of it. The crew was polite enough, but I would not call it great service. They smiled, but it seemed like they were just there to survive the shift, just like we were trying to survive this flight. I assume they do not get paid very well, so I totally get it.

Most of them were barely there for the most part anyway. When a service was offered (such as paid coffee or snacks), they all just ran through the cabin while holding a menu, and as much as I wanted a coffee, they were over too quickly for me to request one. But then when I saw them pour a 3-in-1 sachet into the cup, I was glad I had not ordered it.

I did not have any requests nor did any of the passengers around me so I cannot say how this would be resolved. But I assume it would be alright.

The Extras

There are no complimentary extras on Scoot flights. You have to pay for everything including hold luggage, seat, water, coffee and a meal. 

On some flights, you can purchase wifi access.

There is no in-flight entertainment available on Scoot flights. Not even the paid one. Not even on a long-haul flight. Be sure to bring your own entertainment for the longer flight.

I also purchased the window seat and this was money well spent. I find those the most comfortable seats for a good sleep. 

On the economy flight, you are allowed up to two pieces of cabin baggage for a total of 10kg. luggage must fit within the dimensions of 54cm x 38cm x 23cm.  That’s pretty standard. 

Everything above that needs to be paid for. 

The check-in baggage costs between 50€ and 95€.

Was flying long-haul with Scoot a good value for Money for Me??

I don’t think flying long-haul with Scoot is a good value for money. You have to purchase everything including food and drink and the cost of your ticket will increase very quickly. 

The price of my ticket went from €270 to €350 after adding a luggage, seat and one meal. 

It is a low-cost airline and it definitely felt like it. It felt like I paid for the seat and I got the seat. Thats all. 

And yes, I hear you say: What did you expect? 

And I agree. I didn’t expect much and that is what I received. But when we speak about the value for money, let me give you a short comparison. 

When I flew from Europe to SEA I was determined not to fly with Scoot or Turkish Airlines (The last one is a long and separate story). So I searched far and wide and found a great deal on a flight from Belgrade to Bangkok with Qatar Airlines for €400 one way.

With Qatar apart from fantastic service, you get a free checked-in bag, 2 cabin bags, free inflight entertainment, 2 meals per flight, unlimited water as well as soft drinks, tea, coffee or alcoholic drinks to come with your meal. I am no bougie like that, and it was the first time ever I flew with airlines of this class so I was truly looking forward to it.

We flew at the awkward time of 1 am which is no time for any kind of meal so we got a sandwich and a drink and in the morning we got breakfast with coffee, tea or a drink.

Ok, it wasn’t a Michelin-star meal but was tasty and plentiful. I got a hot meal, a warm bun, a super delicious dessert and a drink of course. I also got all the perks like a blanket, a little pillow and a pretty useless amenity kit.

At the time, that flight was only 50€ more expensive than the Scoot from Athens to Bangkok. And with Scoot, I would have to pay for everything including the meal. So it was a no-brainer given the great price of the Qatar flight. 

On my way back, as much as I wanted to avoid it, I had to fly with Scoot. I had to change my plans, my funds were very low so I booked a flight with Scoot from Singapore to Athens.

The basic price was around €270. After adding luggage, a seat and paying for this one horrific meal the price came up to €350. 

My flight was booked pretty last minute so I was not able to find anything else closer to this price. I had no choice. 

In comparison, I would say you get massively worse service and product for really not that much of a saving.

So in conclusion, if you want to really save money you can do so with Scoot but only if you dont spend any additional money on luggage allowance or extras. Otherwse it is better to pay additional €50 and get excellent service and everything included in he price. 

Now let’s say you have no choice, just like I didn’t.

You can only afford Scoot Airlines or not fly at all. I get you! Trust me!

I will tell you what to do and what not to do to make this flight bearable.

How to Survive flying with Scoot – Important Tips!

• Keep your expectations low. It will help you avoid disappointment and if the flight turns up to be great, then you will be pleasantly surprised!
• Stock up! Bring a big bottle of water and whatever food or snacks you might need for the duration of your flight.
• If you are flying from Singapore, the security check is at the gate and they will ask you to empty or dispose of the water bottle there. Once you will pass the security you will be able to refill it at the gate. Bring a big bottle and remember to empty it before boarding.
• Do not order an inflight meal!
• Bring a travel pillow and a blanket or a hoodie or anything to keep you warm and comfy.
• Bring your own entertainment like a book, or tablet, or download offline movies on Netflix.

Flying with Scoot is like flying with Ryanair just with slightly worse service. I actually like flying with Ryanair! They are mostly on time, the service is good and the cost of things is very transparent.

Scoot is a great choice if you want to pay as little as possible for your flight but only if you follow my tips. The moment you start adding extras, the fair won’t be this cheap any more and the value will significantly decrease.

I am not saying I will never fly with Scoot. It wasn’t an awful flight. But if I do have to do it again, I will definitely not be buying any extras unless I have to. But to be fair, I will do everything I can to not fly with them again. Sorry, Scoot. 

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