For those that frequent Australia, this might not be new for you – you may receive a notification from Scoot a couple of weeks before your flight to be notified that your flight has been changed to a chartered flight by Singapore Airlines due to tighter aircraft utilization across Scoot’s network.
Photo of the Chartered Singapore Airlines flight at Sydney Kingsford Smith International Airport
On a recent trip to Sydney, my return flight to Singapore was changed to a Singapore Airlines flight and here are some of the unique things about flying on this flight.
Check-in counter
The check-in counter was switched from the Scoot check-in counter to the Singapore Airlines check-in counter at Sydney Kingsford Smith International Airport Terminal 1. Staff at the check-in counter were Singapore Airlines staff and were not in the bright yellow/black shirt we usually see Scoot staff in.
Meals and snacks
Having not purchased any meal during the booking for this flight, the note in the notification email on the vegetarian/ halal options did not concern me. The note on how water will be served and readily available on the flight did appeal to me though. Also, they indicated that passengers on this flight were able to bring onboard our snacks and drinks on the plane.
The surprise for me, however, was that all passengers on-board the flight (whether you’ve purchased the meal or not) were each given a meal option. An elderly couple seated in front of me were really surprised when the air stewardess approached them for their food choice whilst they were serving the food. She was also kind enough advise the couple to keep their prepared meals for a later time as the 8 hour flight only had that single food-service option.
Entertainment
On the way to Sydney, I was on ScootBiz, which provided a scaled-down entertainment service through the use of my personal device. That service, however, is usually not provided to passengers flying Scoot economy. To my delight, the entertainment system was turned on throughout the duration of the flight – say ‘yay’ to movies, games, and music! This was definitely a treat for me as I managed to catch-up on some of the latest movies. Two passengers seated behind me also commented as we left the plane that they were spoilt by Scoot and hoped that their return flight to Sydney was also going to be a chartered one.
Final thoughts
The chartered flight back to Singapore was definitely a pleasant one – but what about those add-on items which I’d purchase? Scoot advised that all purchased add-on items, including seats chosen, extra cabin baggage, and scoot priority, will be refunded within 4 weeks of departure of flight.
While I enjoyed my flight, part of me wished that I had purchased ScootBiz for my return flight – ScootBiz passengers were upgraded to the business class seats on the Singapore Airlines flight! Now, that would definitely have been a greater treat.
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