Downgrade me, please: I flew all the way to Europe on a budget airline

The airline: Scoot

• Route Sydney to Athens, flight TR3 to Singapore and TR720 to Athens.
• Frequency Four times weekly (Mon, Thurs, Sat, Sun)
• Aircraft Boeing 787-9, 787-8
• Class ScootPlus, 5F (middle row) then 2K (window)
• Flight time Forever, but in real time 8 hours 5 minutes and 12 hours.

Scoot flies from Australia to Athens and will soon add another European route.Credit: Jeremy Piper

Checking in

Having declared after a previous flight that I wouldn’t fly Scoot to Europe in one hit, here I am in a cost-of-living crisis eating my words, albeit in the airline’s premium cabin, which is priced at a similar point to economy on a full-service airline. An immediate bonus is the ScootPlus dedicated check-in, which is faster than your average economy check-in queue. Alas, transiting in Singapore there’s no priority lane, with a lengthy line at the gate.

Baggage

For a no-frills airline, the 30 kilogram luggage allowance with 15 kilograms of carry-on is decidedly flouncy, more than Singapore Airlines’ premium economy seven kilograms of carry-on and 35 kilograms’ checked-in (Scoot is the low-cost airline of the Singapore Airlines Group).

Loyalty scheme

Napping face down in Singapore’s Changi Airport at midnight, I rue that Star Alliance perks such as lounge access for Gold status members don’t extend to Singapore Airline’s offspring (though KrisFlyer points can be earned). Instead of slurping laksa in the KrisFlyer lounge, I’m avoiding facial carpet burns during an evening six-hour layover. You get what you pay for.

The seat

The ScootPlus cabin is much larger on the Boeing 787-9.Credit: Flip Byrnes

In the first 35-seat cabin, I’m adrift in a sea of blue leather. The amount of personal space is a vast 38-inch (96-centimetre) pitch with 22-inch (56-centimetre) width in a 2-3-2 configuration that includes bulkhead-style rigid armrests. However, that leather is a little slippery, and at 161 centimetres tall, my feet dangle midair. The leg-rest rises partially, more dying sigh than potential DVT lifeboat. In transit, I do what no passenger has ever done (apparently), requesting a downgrade to the (unfortunately full) “Scoot in Silence” quiet zone in economy, with its non-leather seats. ScootPlus? ScootMinus.

There’s plenty of legroom in ScootPlus.Credit:

But wait, redemption ahoy. The 12-hour overnight second leg on the slightly different 787-8 couldn’t be more different – for sleeping, I fully appreciate the generous recline and I love my cosy window seat, the smaller 18-seat exclusive-feel cabin of the 787-8 and the Dreamliner quiet. In fact, I actually snooze, having engineered a handbag tower at legrest’s end. For Orwell fans, ScootPlus has become ScootDoublePlusGood.

Entertainment + Tech

Having flown 300 hours in economy last year, I’m an “aviation raw dog” veteran (flying without entertainment, having watched every onboard movie ever). There are no screens, which didn’t deter the 26,000 Australians who flew with Scoot to Athens in 2024, and as devices die in (powerless) economy towards Europe, bored chatting gaggles disturb the night flight. Meanwhile, I sleep before using the free ScootPlus 30 megabytes of snappy fast Wi-Fi and seat power (oddly minus a USB outlet) to research and write this review.

Service

The staff are called Scooties and embody that perky moniker in navy mini-dresses (or pants) with yellow accents and plenty of “Scootitude”. Whatever that is, it sounds positive, and I’m here for it.

Food

Piping hot: The black-pepper beef.Credit: Flip Byrnes

Economy passengers must produce boarding passes to verify their meal purchases, reminiscent of producing ID at nightclubs which, with the right Scootitude, makes it semi-thrilling. In ScootPlus, there’s no such thrill, the meal (selected when booking) simply arrives – but the black-pepper beef with soft drink, Pringles and chocolate cookie is piping-hot good. The night flight’s gelatinous, watery chicken stew with potato was a poor choice.

Scoot does have some edible meals. The chicken stew is not one of them.Credit: Flip Byrnes

Sustainability

Points for its young and fuel-efficient fleet, but the carbon offsetting program lives outside the booking flow on a microsite – you’d never know it exists.

One more thing

If you’re looking to go further into Western Europe on a budget flight, Scoot adds Vienna to its routes from June 5.

The price

For standard economy, you can get a return airfare from Sydney to Athens for $1029. ScootPlus will set you back about $3180 return. After this experience, I’d recommend upgrading to ScootPlus for the overnight sector.

The verdict

Scoot throws everything at ScootPlus passengers – power outlets, meals, a generous luggage allowance, all for a cheap pointy-end experience. Would I take my small kids with me on such a long, snackless, entertainment-less odyssey? I’d rather stick a biodegradable bamboo fork (from the meal set) in my eye. But if winging it solo and counting coins, the night flight is where the value lies.

Our rating out of five

★★★★

The writer flew at their own expense.

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