February 22, 2025, 3:25 pm | Read time: 7 minutes

The Singapore Airlines subsidiary Scoot has been shaking up the market for flights to Asia for some years now with sometimes suspiciously low prices. During his most recent trip to Bali, it quickly became clear to our author that he had to take a look at the provider himself. Or better still, test it right away. He reports here on what he experienced on the flight.

Chances are you’ve heard of the company in recent years. The subsidiary of Singapore Airlines has been on the market since 2012. It offers comparatively low prices for flights from Germany to Asia via its hub in the city-state of Singapore. However, unlike ‘classic’ carriers, Scoot doesn’t provide any complimentary on-board entertainment. Any food and drinks must also be purchased during the flight unless they have already been ordered online in advance. Passengers may incur extra fees for selecting certain seats, and naturally, there’s a charge for larger luggage items, too.

A Flight Aboard the Pokémon-Themed Plane

My girlfriend, who had already flown to Thailand with Scoot in 2022, assured me with a smile that it wasn’t all that bad. You could take your own provisions on board and refill your water bottles at every stopover. With a good book or literally in your sleep, such a journey would pass surprisingly quickly and smoothly. So, before my inner doubter could arise, I quickly pressed “Book.” About 150 euros extra so that we would definitely be sitting next to each other. No extra baggage, just the 10 kilos included in the price. This can be divided into one large and one small bag, which must fit under the seat. At least for me as a freelancer, it’s not even a small sum — just under 1500 euros for the two of us. But you don’t treat yourself to a vacation like this in Bali every day.

Departure airport Berlin BER, mid-January, the weather is such that you feel nothing but pity for all those who unfortunately have to stay at home. We board right on time after having our luggage weighed at the Scoot counter and receiving our boarding passes. There is then a major traffic jam in the gangway as we board because, to everyone’s delight, we are flying in a Boeing with portraits of cute Pokémon monsters on it. And, of course, in the age of social media, this needs to be extensively documented in photographs. We then poke and jostle our way to our seats — where I get a rather unwelcome surprise.

An Unexpected Companion in the Skies

However, it’s not Scoot’s fault, but when I arrive at my seat, my “seat neighbor” is already waiting for me. His ample frame had already claimed what felt like half of my seat. It’s really only thanks to my Houdini-like suppleness that we both fit next to each other at all because I’m not as slim as I used to be. However, the man turns out to be a highly entertaining person. He has been traveling between destinations in South America and Asia all year round since his pension freed him from the yoke of work. He himself will fly from Singapore first to Vietnam, then to Thailand, then to Colombia, and so on. Being on the road as his purpose in life is something that a large part of me envies.

Then we take off, the plane starts to move along the runway, the Scoot captain greets the passengers in a way that is rarely heard so clearly. He cheerfully introduces the flight attendants as ‘Scooties,’ evoking images of Oompa-Loompas from Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory. They are all of Asian descent but have names easier on the Western tongue, such as Derek, Judy, Sophia, and, my favorite, Junior. They then bustle back and forth on board without interruption, handing out drinks or snacks here and selling little things from the on-board store there. After about two and a half hours of absolutely smooth flying, the plane lands safely in Athens, the first of our two stopovers on the route to Bali.

A Welcome Respite in Athens

A crew change takes place here, and this is my only criticism of the provider, Scoot. After landing, we passengers have to disembark and wait at the airport for about an hour. Only to then board the exact same plane again and return to the exact same seat. This is also due to the fact that new passengers are boarding in Athens. My girlfriend, an eternal optimist, makes a virtue of necessity and buys us Greek salad, tzatziki, and olives in the airport store. Add the heart-attack-inducing Greek coffee, and the waiting time becomes a pleasant picnic.

Then comes the true test of the Scoot experience: an 11-hour flight from Berlin to Singapore. Here, you really have to give the airline credit for the fact that the seats are just as comfortable or uncomfortable as those of established providers. What’s more, even for a person like me, who is just under 1.90 meters tall, they offer plenty of legroom, albeit not generous, but still pleasing. Thanks to an eye mask and earplugs, I even manage to sleep a little. But when my Rubens seatmate asks the stewardess, hopefully, if we’ll be there soon, it’s still seven hours. It’s not even half-time, and my backside hurts as if I’ve been sitting on sharp stones for weeks on end.

Stretching to Alleviate the Discomfort

So get up, walk around a bit, and watch people in every conceivable state of exhaustion and resignation. Well, a dream vacation like this has its price, and sometimes, you don’t just pay for it in money but also in physical discomfort. When my girlfriend starts a few light stretching exercises as a precaution, a worried “Scootie” comes over to ask if everything is alright. Meanwhile, I experience another bizarre scenario. Completely exhausted, I slump down, lost in thought, on one of the more comfortable seats that remain free. A flight attendant is already on hand to ask me if I would like an upgrade, for a fee, of course. He doesn’t even bat an eyelid when he mentions the extra charge of several hundred euros.

If you don’t buy in-flight entertainment for a lot of money, the only entertainment program left is what you’ve brought yourself. A quick glance at the brightly colored Scoot menu reveals that those who brought their own food were well advised to do so. In my opinion, however, the airline is no different from others in this respect either. Because what is generally offered as “food” in the air these days can, strictly speaking, only be described as bodily harm. Officially, the consumption of food brought on board our aircraft is not permitted, but the “Scooties” turn a blind eye to it out of goodwill or simply compassion.

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Disconnected at This Airport

After what feels like an eternity, our plane touches down at the Scoot hub in Singapore, mercifully free of any major incidents or turbulence. Here, we have a six-hour layover to take a look at the airport, which regularly tops the rankings as the “best in the world.’ Ironically, the time zips by in what seems like mere minutes, a testament to the truly spectacular nature of Changi Airport. Feeling refreshed, our final leg to Bali passes in the blink of an eye.

I have had the dubious privilege of taking longer flights many times in my life. I can confidently say that my experience with Scoot is one I’d gladly repeat to explore more destinations in Asia. Apart from the length of the flight itself, the trip went absolutely smoothly as far as the airline was concerned. Unfortunately, as a Berliner, I will probably not have such an easy opportunity to enjoy a Scoot flight in the future. As the Aero Telegraph reports, the connection to Asia from Berlin will be discontinued at the end of March and moved to Vienna. If this turns out to be true, it would be a real pity, not just for me but also for BER, as it would mean the loss of yet another significant route.