Scoot Airline Review (2026): When Should You Fly This Budget Airline?

Trying to decide if flying with Scoot, the Singapore-based budget airline, is worth your money? Having flown with them a dozen times, most recently in 2026, I share everything you need to know in this in-depth Scoot review. Here’s my take up front: if you’re prepared, Scoot is a great deal for flights of up to 8 hours — but I wouldn’t choose it for anything longer.

Where is Scoot from?

Scoot is a low-cost airline based in Singapore, and a subsidiary of Singapore Airlines (consistently rated as one of the best airlines in the world). It launched in 2012 targeting medium- and long-haul routes from Singapore, and I flew to Sydney with them on their first plane of their tiny fleet of two.

As a Singaporean, I’ve flown Scoot to Macau, Taipei, Bangkok, Seoul, and even Qingdao on their Boeing 787 and Airbus A321neo aircraft. My experiences with Scoot are usually medium-haul (SIN-TPE 6 hours; SIN-ICN 6.5 hours). Their longest route is Singapore-Vienna, a 12-hour nonstop flight.

Today, Scoot is ranked among the best low-cost airlines in the world – but is this true? Based on my personal experiences, I’d say yes.

Booking experience with Scoot: what’s included in your ticket

With three main budget carriers in the Asia-Pacific region (AirAsia, Jetstar, Scoot) there’s plenty of choice when it comes to prices and flight timings.

Scoot fares and add-ons

Scoot offers four fare classes: Basic, Value, Flex, and ScootPlus. Their website features a helpful comparison table of what’s included in each class, but here’s a quick look at the additional fees you can expect to pay. (Note: Price ranges are based on medium-haul flights at the time of initial booking — not when purchased later.)

Seat selection: In Economy Basic/Value/Flex, you can pay to select not just standard seats, but also seats with more legroom or in quiet zones. Once, I was unexpectedly assigned an exit row seat typically designated as a Stretch seat. It was so comfortable being able to extend my legs that I quickly fell asleep!

Meals: One important thing you need to know, especially if you’re flying medium- and long-haul, is that Scoot does not allow passengers to consume their own food on board. Announcements are even made during the flight to remind you of this policy.

In-seat power: With the proliferation of fires caused by lithium battery power banks, many airlines have also forbidden their use while in flight. So if you don’t want to pay for meals or in-seat power on Scoot, make sure you have a hearty meal and charge your devices fully before your flight.

Wi-Fi: I am against having Wi-Fi on planes; it’s the one place where you can disconnect with zero guilt. No thanks!

Travel insurance: Please, please, please don’t get the travel insurance that airlines prompt you to add to your flight booking. Learn why you should get proper coverage instead.

Fare comparisons: is Scoot really cheaper?

To show you how much you actually save by flying Scoot, here’s a comparison of Scoot airfares vs other airlines on a few popular routes. Note: These price comparisons don’t take flight timings into consideration. If you leave or arrive at strange hours, you’re paying for it with additional transport fares, a lost day/additional night’s accommodation, and so on.

Singapore-Melbourne (March, 7 days)

If you can travel carry-on only, you can potentially save a lot by flying Scoot (or Jetstar, which is cheapest in this case). In fact, I’d happily put this sum to extra legroom seats like Scoot’s Super seats.

A common tactic among budget airlines is to tack on “credit card processing fees”. Since 2019, Scoot has removed its payment processing fees for all payment methods, so that’s another win for them. Furthermore, Scoot and other budget airlines aren’t the best bargain for every destination. For a short-haul flight:

Singapore-Hong Kong (April, 5 days)

Cathay Pacific is one of the most comfy airlines I’ve flown (I even prefer their A350 to Singapore Airlines). If baggage, meals, and credit card processing fees are thrown in, even Singapore Airlines comes out cheaper than Scoot. Does it make sense? No. Does it make me happy? Oh yes.

Singapore-Athens (April, 10 days)

Finally, Scoot’s long haul flights from Singapore to Athens is unique in that it’s the only nonstop flight on this route (SIN-BER is now a connecting flight via Athens). Comparing it with other flights with a layover:

Here, Scoot not only costs less than full-service airlines, but it has the advantage of being a nonstop flight. You could even splurge on more food, baggage weight, or Stretch/Super seats for a better experience.

Flying experience with Scoot

So you’ve bought your next getaway flight with Scoot. What should you expect? Here’s what I can share based on numerous flights in Scoot economy class.

Check-in

Scoot offers online check-in for most flight routes, which is fantastic if you’re traveling carry-on only. You’ll get an email notifying you when online check-in opens (48 hours before the flight); during check-in, your boarding pass PDF will show if the airport you’re flying from has Scoot-to-Gate available. This service allows you to simply print your boarding pass at home and head straight to the departure gate.

If you have bags to check, you’ll still need to drop them off at the airline counter. Scoot’s airport check-in counters only open 2.5-3 hours before a flight. Make sure to get to the airport early if you can’t check in online.

Flight delays and overbooking

Flight delays and cancellations are, in my opinion, the biggest caveat of flying budget airlines since they run frequent flights on tight turnaround. How reliable is Scoot, you ask? Well, their on-time performance is consistently poor, often ranking below 80%. 

Service during a delay is decent, though: in my personal experience with a 2-hour flight delay (SIN-BKK), Scoot surprisingly gave out these snack packs to make up for it – something I don’t expect from any budget airline.

Scoot’s refund policy is strict and barebones: despite claiming that a refund via the original mode of payment is available in specific cases, Scoot often pushes refunds via a travel voucher instead. A friend of mine had their flight delayed by over 10 hours but only got a flight voucher. Like any budget airline, it also tends to overbook and bump passengers off the plane.

This is why, if you’re flying budget, it’s even more important to get travel insurance with solid coverage for flight disruptions.

Cabin and seats

My most recent flight with Scoot was in January 2026 (SIN-ICN) on a Boeing 787, and the cabin definitely reminded me that the budget airline is getting old (…and so am I). The carpeting on the aisles was threadbare, the plastic coating on the window dimmer buttons worn through. Similarly, on another flight (on 9V-OJA Dream Start, their very first B787), mesh pockets were duct-taped in place to seat backs and scratches marred the view from the windows. In short, don’t expect a sleek and fancy cabin.

The seats have always looked and smelled clean on my Scoot flights. I’m 168cm tall (5’6″), and there’s usually just enough legroom that my knees don’t touch the seat in front of mine. Taller folks will likely find the standard seats too cramped.

Once, I was lucky enough to score an exit row seat, which is typically sold as a Stretch seat (>86cm pitch). This is easily the best value upgrade for Scoot flights!

The Super seats are much better value for money than the Stretch seats, but they’re only available on a few planes. At 168cm (5′6″), I had a roomy 15cm (6″) of free space between my knees and the seat in front.

While the economy class seats on Scoot’s old Boeing 777 planes were quite cushy, those on their Boeing 787 Dreamliners are a literal PITA. Truth is, I have a pretty flat butt, and in less than an hour on the 787 my sit bones started to ache. If you need extra cushioning, consider bringing an inflatable seat cushion like the Klymit Cush.

Another issue with Scoot planes that hasn’t changed all these years: the reading light and call buttons are positioned on the armrests, making accidental presses of the buttons annoyingly frequent. Thankfully, Scoot’s in-flight service is brisk but not unfriendly. The flight attendants remained cheerful despite the fact that the poorly-positioned call button on the armrests led to numerous annoying false alarms.

Scoot meals

Previously, I ordered the Beef Lasagna (left) and Soya Sauce Chicken Rice (right) Scoot meals. There are now far more meal options, but Scoot doesn’t hide the fact that they come straight from a freezer and microwave.

Do not, under any circumstances, order the Beef Lasagna, because you will end up getting this: layers of charred tomato, salt-drenched pasta, and random bits of meat glued together by cheese with the smell and texture of burnt plastic.

The Soya Sauce Chicken Rice was better: mine came with three quail eggs (which is a real treat compared to most microwave sets) and enough chicken to satisfy. If you manage to yank the plastic seal off the package without upending everything on the tiny tray table, that is.

While you can choose between mineral water or Pepsi, the “dessert” is standard: a packet of freeze-dried “fruit crisps”. I had a conspiracy theory about these, because they taste like artificially flavored Styrofoam bits meant to dry out your mouth so you’ll buy more drinks. But then I found out that the Scoot planes come with drinking water on tap, so you can fill up their water bottles for free…although flight attendants advise against this.

A huge downside about flying with Scoot is that you cannot bring your own food on board. The cabin crew make announcements about this during the flight and will check that you’re not consuming any outside food. I frankly find this rule prohibitive and dumb, because 1) what about passengers with dietary restrictions or health issues, and 2) who’s going to police what the passengers are eating when it’s lights out on a long-haul flight?

Personally, I wouldn’t bring a big bag of McDonald’s or hot food with me onto the plane, but I might pack a sandwich or biscuits just in case.

Scoot’s safety record

Scoot may be infamous for its delays, but reports show that it doesn’t skimp on safety. The low-cost airline’s crew has handled issues like cabin fires and bomb threats well, while landing with a missing nose wheel is probably Scoot’s scariest known incident in recent years.

Conclusion: is Scoot worth it?

We know that budget airlines are budget airlines for a reason, but how do the various budget airlines compare? Of all the budget airlines I’ve flown, here’s my ranking from best to worst: Norwegian, Jetstar, AirAsia, Scoot.

For an 8-hour flight, flying Scoot was actually very bearable: In my opinion, the extras are all reasonably priced and the hours will fly by if you have a device to entertain you. As the only low-cost airline with direct flights to Sydney and the Gold Coast, the savings over standard airlines is significant.

Scoot’s prices may be tempting at times, but not always. If you do get a cheap flight on Scoot, make sure you bring plenty of entertainment and accessories to keep yourself comfortable throughout! 

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