SCOOT AIRWAYS

[oldsailor35]

Have flown Scoot only two times Coolangatta-Singapore-Bangkok.

The first time flight arrived over 5 hrs late, missed my connection Singapore-Bangkok, had to stay overnight in Singapore hotel (my expense) many missed connections to Europe, so beware.

Yesterday changed flights at Singapore, but Scoot routed my baggage on to Bangkok. On arrival found baggage lost in transit !

Not real good, still waiting to hear if baggage found at 5pm next day.

[jbaldwin]

Have flown Scoot only two times Coolangatta-Singapore-Bangkok.

The first time flight arrived over 5 hrs late, missed my connection Singapore-Bangkok, had to stay overnight in Singapore hotel (my expense) many missed connections to Europe, so beware.

Yesterday changed flights at Singapore, but Scoot routed my baggage on to Bangkok. On arrival found baggage lost in transit !

Not real good, still waiting to hear if baggage found at 5pm next day.

I use low cost airlines most of the time....but never connecting flights. With the greater risk of delays and that fact that missed connections are that your risk it's not normally worth the cost saving. This is not just about Scoot it's a general point about when low cost airline are better value.....and in my opinion that is normally only on a single point to point flight.

[Ricardo]

But as their networks develop, and add long-haul divisions to regional & domestic operations, cut-price limited-service airlines will have to offer some sort of connecting-service/guarantee, or they lose the potential-benefits of feeding short-haul into long-haul via their hubs.

The LCCs must have some sort of limited connecting-service, as Air Asia have been introducing in K.L. for the past couple of years, for example.

Perhaps this will be at-an-extra-cost, added to the normal price, the sum of the two point-to-point fares ?

Sorry for the OP's own troubles with Scoot.

[tom21]

flying scoot in 3 weeks . Bangkok to Sydney so will see what happens. if there is a problem it will be a one off experience

[moojar]

That was bad luck - I've flown Scoot on six sectors all up, but only one flight was not on time, and that one was only 1.5 hours late. But never trust a budget airline - they don't have the spare aircraft to fill gaps, so one late arrival can flow thru their network for days. Scoots flights into Sydney were more than five hours late on two consecutive days this week, for example.

Even though the Scoot flight from SYD gets in to SIN around 19.00 and there is a Tiger (?) flight around 22.20 I could take to BKK, I don't risk it - three hours is not enough buffer for an international LCC connection IMHO, so I stay overnight in SIN and take an early flight the next morning. Just gotta factor the $50 or $60 dollars for a hotel in to the price.

Friends of mine lost their luggage in similar circumstances to yours when using that 'Scoot thru' feature btw, but the bags turned up two days later. If not, I'm sure there's a street corner somewhere in Singapore where you'll be able to buy your stuff back.

I think I'll try AirAsia X in future - several flights a day between KL and BKK, so with their version of 'Scoot thru' you won't have to wait so long for the next flight if yours arrives late. AAX fly into OOL don't they?

[moojar]

But as their networks develop, and add long-haul divisions to regional & domestic operations, cut-price limited-service airlines will have to offer some sort of connecting-service/guarantee, or they lose the potential-benefits of feeding short-haul into long-haul via their hubs.

The LCCs must have some sort of limited connecting-service, as Air Asia have been introducing in K.L. for the past couple of years, for example.

Perhaps this will be at-an-extra-cost, added to the normal price, the sum of the two point-to-point fares ?

Sorry for the OP's own troubles with Scoot.

Yeah, Scoot has an extra-cost feature called 'Scoot thru' that means you will be put on the next available flight at no charge if your flight is late arriving. I didn't realise until my second trip with them that this was the case, or more to the point that buying 'BKK-SIN-SYD' on one ticket does not guarantee you the SIN-SYD sector - if you are late into SIN, bad luck and we will be happy to sell you a ticket on tomorrow's flight.

Sounds like Scoot-thru doesn't cover you for a hotel room though. Travel insurance?

[Iamemjay]

Hmm. Interesting. I've never had a problem with Scoot thus far, but thanks for the warning.

Contrary to some of what has been said above, I've had less problems with Air Asia as regards timeliness than ever I had with Thai Airways or Qantas, so I don't accept the generalisation about low cost airlines, not in the case of AA anyway.

[ezzra]

Hmm. Interesting. I've never had a problem with Scoot thus far, but thanks for the warning.

Contrary to some of what has been said above, I've had less problems with Air Asia as regards timeliness than ever I had with Thai Airways or Qantas, so I don't accept the generalisation about low cost airlines, not in the case of AA anyway.

In deed, of all the LLC airlines around AA is the least troublesome and it's on-time records

are exemplary....

[moojar]

Hmm. Interesting. I've never had a problem with Scoot thus far, but thanks for the warning.

Contrary to some of what has been said above, I've had less problems with Air Asia as regards timeliness than ever I had with Thai Airways or Qantas, so I don't accept the generalisation about low cost airlines, not in the case of AA anyway.

In deed, of all the LLC airlines around AA is the least troublesome and it's on-time records

are exemplary....

Aagh, I've chosen Scoot over AA up until now due to Scoot offering extra-legroom seats at a small extra cost. AA don't appear to have this offering. I had a horrid experience on Jetstar SYD - Phuket a few years ago, with a plane load of Gen Xs and Ys and their love affair with 100% seat recline for 100% of the flight.

But you guys are convincing me to suck in my gut and give AA a try.

[Ricardo]

Hmm. Interesting. I've never had a problem with Scoot thus far, but thanks for the warning.

Contrary to some of what has been said above, I've had less problems with Air Asia as regards timeliness than ever I had with Thai Airways or Qantas, so I don't accept the generalisation about low cost airlines, not in the case of AA anyway.

In deed, of all the LLC airlines around AA is the least troublesome and it's on-time records

are exemplary....

"on-time records are exemplary"

Partly due to their deliberate over-estimation of block-times, I suspect.

Thai domestic-LCCs do indulge in this IME, it really isn't 1 hour & 10-15 mins between DMK & CNX for example, especially now they've moved from Swampy to DMK.

This helps improve their official on-time record, but builds-in slightly-lower aircraft-utilisation, when trying to use them intensively on shorter one-hour-ish routes, especially if they're trying to squeeze-in one last early/late-flight.

One of the more-interesting discussions, between whole/part aircraft-charterers & charter-airlines, concerns the leeway built-into chargeable block-times compared to actual-times experienced.

Then again they're not yet using their aircraft here much at night anyway, for longer late-out/early-back overnight regional-routes, as a typical European charter-airline would.

Perhaps that will develop, maintenance-permitting and as time goes on, with more overnight-flights to destinations 3-4 hours away ? China/Japan/India - CNX/BKK/HKT might be examples ?

Edited February 23, 2014 by Ricardo

[oldsailor35]

Two days now and my missing bag has still not turned up ! One big problem is that every time i call Suv Lost luggage, i get a different operator and have to go through the whole process again. Yesterday i was told that they have found it in Singapore, but today at 1pm i am told it has not been found. After going through it all again, i was told that they would send a fax to Singapore, i am told to call again at 8pm, but am expecting another person who has no idea what i am looking for.

I wonder what would happen if someone called and reported a lost bag with a bomb in it, would they just wait for the bang ?

[moojar]

Two days now and my missing bag has still not turned up ! One big problem is that every time i call Suv Lost luggage, i get a different operator and have to go through the whole process again. Yesterday i was told that they have found it in Singapore, but today at 1pm i am told it has not been found. After going through it all again, i was told that they would send a fax to Singapore, i am told to call again at 8pm, but am expecting another person who has no idea what i am looking for.

I wonder what would happen if someone called and reported a lost bag with a bomb in it, would they just wait for the bang ?

Can they give you a receipt number or something for you to quote each time you call? I would expect them to have an "issue" register on their computer system, where notes are made anytime they speak to a customer about the issue. Or is that asking too much of a LCC, even one belonging to SIA?

Geez, feel like an arzehole now about my 'buy your stuff back on a street corner' quip. Hope this works out for you - let us know.

[Chao Lao Beach]

OldSailor, I feel your pain.

Did you know that on Scoot there is a $400 change of date fee, even weeks out plus a new booking fee plus of course you pay the extra when they up the flights cost 3 fold close to the departure date.

Can't say I would refuse to fly them again, but it is not worth the BS.

So I presume you paid the $15 fee tohave your bags sent to your destination at Singapore, called Scoot Thru (This is a serious question). If you did, well you still have to in Changi airport go to a counter about 10 mins walk away with your baggage tag, wait in line, (inside transit) and then they proccess your bag to Bangkok. It doesn't happen automatically. Seriously Bizare.