Scoot 787 Dreamliner from Singapore to Sydney in ScootPlus

[yflyer]

Hello everyone! Here's a TR on a recent trip I did to Australia in March this year, when I flew to Sydney on Scoot, and then onward to Melbourne on Virgin Australia.

These days, I travel fairly frequently between Singapore and Australia. It is a market I cover for the company I work for, and I have always enjoyed holidays there as well. I flew QF's Dreamliner to Melbourne on a previous trip, and later this year I am heading to Melbourne again, on SQ.

Pax are spoilt for choice when it comes to flying Singapore to Sydney. There are many nonstop options, including SQ, QF, BA and Scoot. Earlier this year, I had to head to Sydney, and I decided to fly Scoot in ScootPlus, which is what the call their "premium" product.

Regulars on SQTalk will know I am a big SQ fan, and fly them a lot. Scoot, as SQ's low cost sister airline, is also often on my radar, and I have flown them on occasion, but not since the pandemic. On those previous occasions, I was always quite happy with Scoot. Their pricing was good, and when I flew them, their Dreamliners were new and in great condition. Now, those same aircraft are no so new. What is the Scoot experience like these days?

I don't want to jump ahead to the conclusion of my TR, but let's just say that after this trip, I had to head to Sydney again not long after, and I chose to fly BA Y rather than ScootPlus.

More on my experience coming up soon...

[yflyer]

On this trip, I would be accompanied by Mrs yflyer. This was a work trip, but since Mrs yflyer was with me, it felt partly like a vacation. We did plan activities over the weekend while we were there, and also checked out several notable restaurants and bars.

Our outbound flight was TR2, a 2am departure. However, several hours before the flight, we were notified that our flight was now retimed for 4.10am. Interesting that over 30 years of flying SQ, I could count the number of times my flights were delayed on the fingers of one hand, but when it came to Scoot, a distressing proportion of our recent flights had been delayed. But no matter, we were still home, so we set our alarm clocks and slept a little before heading to Changi T1 to check in.

T1 was surprisingly busy at 2am in the morning...



We checked in at an automated kiosk...



...and fed our luggage into the automated bag drop.



The airside area was busy as well. There were shops still open.

[yflyer]

At the gate, Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner registration 9V-OJC "Inspiring Spirit", a 9 year old aircraft first delivered in 2015.



First impressions...had the plane ever been repainted? I could see a lot of wear and tear on the exterior paintwork.

What was the interior like?



Hmmm...the seats in ScootPlus were large and comfortable, in 2-3-2 layout, but the armrests sure looked worn out...



I have flown old planes before, but this aircraft interior did look surprisingly tired...



Mechanical pushbuttons for seat recline and calf rest...



Decent recline and comfort...



The seat leather was in good condition, but those armrests looked to be in terrible shape. Looks like someone skimped on the budget when selecting durable seat finishes.

Complimentary A/C power was provided in ScootPlus.



A QR code was provided for pax who wanted to use inflight wifi (Available for a fee).



ScootPlus pax were offered a scratch card for a laughable 30MB of complimentary internet access.



The bathrooms on this flight, in basic grey.



Pax were given a refreshment pack with water and snacks -- I believe this was because of the delayed departure.



Each ScootPlus pax also had a plastic cup of water at their seat.

[yflyer]

ScootPlus was full today...



I browsed the inflight menu...



The for-purchase meal options looked attractive enough...



Light meals...



Can't go wrong with cup noodles on flights...



Snacks...



Cold drinks...



Hot beverages...



Alcoholic beverages...



There was also a separate duty free shopping guide...

[yflyer]

After take-off I immediately asked to purchase a G&T...



Mrs yflyer and I had pre-ordered our meals for this flight. We were given the option to eat now, or eat prior to landing. Most pax opted to sleep right away, and eat later, but I decided to have my meal right away.

I had pre-ordered the beef brisket with hor fun...



I was a little stunned when I took the cover off my dish...



What was going on here...most of the plastic casserole was empty...there was a thin layer of rice noodles topped with beef and vegetables...



I could not believe how small this portion was.



It tasted fine...but the portion size was just unbelievable, even for a low cost carrier.



Was this a one-off or was this really the standard portion size for this dish?

In retrospect, I should have shown my dish to the staff and provided feedback, but I was so stunned and sleepy, I just ate all 5 mouthfulls of it, downed my G&T, and went to sleep.

[yflyer]

By the time I woke up, it was bright outside (though cabin windows remained dimmed)...



Cabin lights came on, and most pax were served their food.



I couldn't resist ordering Korean kimchi cup noodles. This, at least, hit the spot...delicious!



Mrs yflyer had pre-ordered oyako-don...



Her portion size was more normal, but not by much...



She found the dish a bit bland and forgettable.

[yflyer]

We were now fast approaching Sydney...



The cabin was prepped for landing...



For those sitting on the left side, there were great views of the Harbour Bridge and Opera House as we landed at Sydney's Kingsford Smith Airport.



At the gate on a lovely sunny afternoon.

[yflyer]

Overall impressions of my flight?

To be very frank, I was underwhelmed. While ScootPlus sounds like a decent product on paper, I did not enjoy the experience the way I enjoy most of my other flights.

To start with the positives, my seat was wide and had decent recline (About similar to PEY on a full service airline), and it is always good to be able to deplane first from the front cabin. The cabin crew were friendly and efficient too.

I was less impressed with the overall condition of the plane and the cabin: It just looked and felt old. A 9 year old plane is not new, but neither is it very old compared to what other airlines, or even SQ operates, but most airlines maintain their older planes better than this.

Catering was a shocker. I sincerely hope the miniscule portion of beef hor fun I was served was an exception and not the regular portion size.

And we were 2 hours late. Every airline is subject to delays, but this seems to have happened to me a lot more often on Scoot than on SQ.

At least the fare I paid was good value, and Scoot did get me safely to Sydney, along with all my luggage.

I am not expecting full service airline standards when I fly on an LCC, but I expected better from Scoot, which at least on this flight, did not appear to share much DNA with its big sister, SQ, one of the world's best carriers.

To be continued...

[SQ228]

Thank you for the insights yflyer. I have occasionally wondered about the itineraries that pop up in an SQ flight search that include TR flight segments. These often appear to/from MEL because we have such limited PEY availability compared to demand. How on earth could they expect not to damage their relationships with loyal SQ customers of this is what’s on offer. I now know that it won’t “be okay for 7 hours”!

[SQ218]

Thanks for the TR yflyer.Ironic the plane name is "Inspiring Spirit" yet it doesn't inspire.

[yflyer]

Thank you for the insights yflyer. I have occasionally wondered about the itineraries that pop up in an SQ flight search that include TR flight segments. These often appear to/from MEL because we have such limited PEY availability compared to demand. How on earth could they expect not to damage their relationships with loyal SQ customers of this is what’s on offer. I now know that it won’t “be okay for 7 hours”!

Thanks for reading SQ228! Given my recent experiences on Scoot, I think I would still book Scoot if push came to shove, but only if the flights were really much, much cheaper than other options.

[yflyer]

Thanks for the TR yflyer.Ironic the plane name is "Inspiring Spirit" yet it doesn't inspire.

Thanks for reading, SQ218! Not inspiring at all! :-)

[yflyer]

Continuing with the TR...

We caught the train from the airport to the city.

Our hotel in Sydney on this leg of our stay was the Little National Hotel.

This was a small, new boutique hotel, very conveniently located right next to Wynyard station.



We took a lift up to the reception...



...and after a quick check-in were given keys to our room...



The rooms here were not large, but they were beautifully styled, and very well equipped with state-of-the-art features.



Ample power sockets and USB charging, with a convenient shelf above the bed for phones and other items.



Automatic curtains and blinds...



Complimentary tea (and coffee)...



Chair and small table...



Wine glasses and Nespresso machine...



Black bathrobes and bedroom slippers...



Minibar with just a few items (Leaving lots of space for our own storage, which was great)...

[yflyer]

Stylish bathroom with high quality fittings...



Shower stall...



Large dispensers for body wash, shampoo and conditioner...



There was a rooftop bar and lounge open to all hotel guests.



There was a business center area with work desks and complimentary coffee/tea. It was usually quite quiet there, which made it a great place to do work or simply surf the internet.

The lounge area...



There was also an outdoor section of the rooftop bar, where I had drinks later that evening...



...as well as breakfast the next morning.



I really liked the Little National. While the rooms were small, the hotel has a superb location right in the heart of the city, and very stylish rooms, not to mention warm and friendly staff. And everything was very new as well. Highly recommended!

[yflyer]

It was a wonderful sunny day in Sydney. After checking into the hotel, I changed into PT kit and headed out for a run. From the hotel, I headed first to the nearby Sydney Botanic Gardens...



..and jogged through the grounds...



...towards the waterfront.



From there, I headed along the waterfront...



...to the Opera House.



I did a loop of the Opera House, admiring its architecture from all angles, and also savoured the views of the Sydney Harbour Bridge in the distance...



The whole area was buzzing with activity...



I jogged past, and under, the Harbour Bridge...



...and continued through Barangaroo...



...passing the Crown Sydney, now the tallest building in Sydney, at 271 meters and 75 stories tall...



...before arriving at Darling Harbour...



...not far from the new W Sydney Hotel (Which I have never set foot into...)...