Welcome to my latest trip report on Scoot!
This is our inaugural flight into Subang Airport and usually for special occasion like this, a water cannon salute celebration would be done. (Photo: Scoot)
My ride: 9V-TRX
Introduction
When the airline announced on social media about this flight, I was interested but at the same time the timing wasn't good for me as it was a busy period (work). However when my friend mentioned that he would be on this flight, I decided to go and some more its not every day you get company on such flights. In addition, I like to see how Scoot would come about to commomerate this occasion and also would like to experience a water canon salute which I heard that Air Asia's inaugural flight to Subang had experiencd it. Another thing that come into my mind, I wonder how Firefly felt about it as at that time, it was the only airline that operates flights to Singapore (Seletar) from Subang. Not surprisingly after Scoot announced the new route, the airline became more aggressive with it's advertisment but I can see Scoot doing well in this route because the location at Changi is more convenient to get to other parts (other than North or North-East of Singapore) than Seletar airport and furthermore, Jet aircraft vs turboprop aircraft, some of the picky ones might prefer to fly on the A320. Let's see how this works out for both airlines after a year or two. So without further ado, let's begin this trip report.
For my trip report from SZB to XSP (Seletar) with Firefly, you can check it out over here.
Booking
I used the mobile app to book and once again I had no issue getting it done. The air ticket for the one-way trip was quite expensive including seat selection without the luggage and food option. However since this is a special flight, I won't mind paying more for it. I decided to do a one-way flight with Scoot and fly back to Singapore the following day with Batik Air Malaysia. More of this airline in my next trip report.
For this airfare, I could do SIN-KUL return trip with another airline.
What I dislike about the mobile app is that even though I log into my Krisflyer account, whenever I want to check my flight itinerary, I need to key in the pnr code and last name in order to access, what's the point of logging in?
On the day of departure
My first stop of the day was to meet a good friend at the Crowne Plaza Hotel. Thanks to him, I was able to enjoy the hotel's breakfast and tarmac view in his room.
This is the entrance leading to the hotel reception. (you need take the escalator downstairs)
The hotel lobby
Buffet at the hotel's restaurant
I went for some English breakfast. Sauteed mushroom is my absolute favourite.
This part of the restaurant caught my attention. Nice, isn't it?
This is Singapore Airlines Boeing 787-10 Dreamliner, 9V-SCR departing for Perth.
The view from the hotel room
Vistara's Airbus A321neo
This is 9V-TRX, our aircraft for the inaugural flight.
This is Turkish Airlines Airbus A350-900 just arrived from Istanbul, it was to depart for Melbourne later that day.
Air Calin's A330-900neo was being towed to the gate.
Singapore Airlines Boeing 737 MAX 8
Singapore Airlines A380 vs Air Calin A330-900neo
Air Calin A330-900neo
Once we were done, it took us about 15 minutes to walk to Terminal 1 from the airport hotel.
It was busy at the terminal and my friend had to wait at a queue for a while to be able to check in his luggage.
I received my printed boarding pass from the self check-in kiosk.
Here it is, my boarding pass for the inaugural flight!
This is one of the airline's ERJ-190E2 (9V-THA)
A Philippines Airlines A321ceo on her way back to Manila.
Duty-free shops
Checking my flight status, my flight was going ahead as scheduled.
According to the sign board (below), you can clear immigration at other terminals if you are in terminal 1,2 or 3 (excluding terminal 4).
This is the boarding gate for my flight.
A congratulation message from Changi Airport on the airline's inaugural flight.
My ride is getting ready for departure.
There was a staff at the door leading to the aerobridge gave each of us a souvenir to commomerate this occasion. Sadly, we received nothing from the airline.
Off we go!
Welcome on board 9V-TRX, an aircraft formerly operated for Tigerair Singapore.
My ride: 9V-TRX
Airbus A320-232
Previous operators: Tigerair Mandala and Tigerair Singapore
Configuration: Y180
Engines: 2 X IAE V2527
Age: 11+ Years Old (September 2024)
Built in Toulouse (TLS)
Flight Route: SIN-SZB
Miles: 208
My seat (Photo: Aerolopa.com)
Date of departure: 1st September 2024
Airline: Scoot
Flight: TZ462
Flight route: SIN-SZB
Aircraft type: Airbus A320ceo
Name of aircraft: Niner Victor
Registration: 9V-TRX
Seat: 2A
Terminal: 1
Gate: D30
Schedule Departure: 1155
Boarding: 1120
Pushed Back: 1156
Take Off: 1212
Load: 90%
Flight Time: 55 mins
Actual Flight Time: 51 mins
Scheduled Arrival Time: 1310
Actual Arrival Time 1302
Departure Runway: 20C
Departure Weather: Cloudy
Arrival Runway: 15
Arrival Weather: Partially Cloudy
My flight experience
The gate was surrounded by the airline and airport staff with some of us getting photographed with the inaugural flight signboard. Just before we entered the jetbridge, we were given an airport tag for our luggage or carry-on. Once on board, we made our way to our seat and my friend and I settled ourselves in the front 2 row window seats.
Once we were ready to depart, the Captain made an announcement on our flight details and the significance of this flight and later on we discovered a few of the airline's employees were on board for marketing purposes at Subang airport.
Our flight time was about 40 minutes and flying with airline, no outside food is allowed to be consumed on board but because of the short flight and also how overpriced the items on the inflight menu, I gave it a miss. However, since my friend was recovering from stomach flu, he was very kind to pass me his chicken wrap. Thank you A! The Chicken wrap tasted alright. For the In-Flight Entertainment, the In-flight streaming was not turned so we have to make do with our own devices. As for the inflight service, the crew were ok, The more exciting part of this trip was our arrival into Subang airport.
After arrival, we were given a water cannon salute while our aircraft taxied towards our parking lot. Do note that this airport is small and do not offer gate service so boarding and disembarkment of the aircraft would be done by staircase. Once we were on the ground, the airport staff greeted us and give each passenger a bag of souveniers and that's nice!
Cabin photos of the A320ceo
With the transparent partition, the passengers at the first row face the cabin crew during take-off and landing for the seat 1A, 1B and 1C.
This is my seat 2A, legroom space is tight.
I was hoping for a vacant middle seat, but my seat mate turned up not long after this photo was taken.
Sit Back and Enjoy the Flight!
The seat tray is large enough for a standard size laptop to be placed on it.
Overall, I find it bearable.
These old leather seats may be more comfortable the the latest slim seats.
There is information given to the passengers about what's available on this aircraft.
You can see how tight the legroom space is.
For the passengers sitting at row 1D, E and F, a wall partition is located in front of them.
As this is the older Airbus A320, the overhead cabin is not as big as the newer ones.
The legroom space of row 1
This was my friend's seat, the extra legroom space makes the ride more comfortable.
In-Flight Snack
This box contains a chicken wrap and a brownie and it comes with beverage.
Brownie
Sorry I forgot to take the photo of the wrap but it looks like this. (Photo: Scoot)
Window view photos (Take off to Landing)
A Thai Airbus A350-900 aircraft being prepared for departure.
Scoot's ERJ-190E2 9V-THB
My trip report on the airline's ERJ-190-E2 is coming up soon, stay tuned for it.
Our taxi to the runway took around 10 minutes.
We waited for a short while before departing.
Off we go!
With a light load, our aircraft lifted off quickly.
It was not a bad day for flying.
Singapore's sea traffic is usually busy.
Not long after, we started our descent into Subang Airport.
We hit some light turbulence during our descent.
On final approach to SZB's runway 15.
We touched down ahead of schedule .
This is my first water cannon salute experience.
Not a surprise, the window was quite wet after that thrilling experience.
Here we are, my first time in Subang on a jet aircraft.
Thanks for the ride, 9V-TRX!
The IAE 2500 engines powers the A320ceo aircraft.
Another view of my aircraft.
The name of our aircraft is Niner Victor.
Firefly, a competitor to Scoot, flies from this airport to Singapore (Seletar) with multiple flights a day. I wonder how would Scoot's presence at this airport affect the airline's revenue.
Welcome to Subang Airport!
A little welcome ceremony by the airport staff, welcoming us to the airport.
I suppose the capacity of the airport may allow only 1 jet and probably 2 propeller commercial flights to operate around the same time.
Let's go inside!
The walk doesn't take longer than 5 minutes.
This is the land side (arrival hall).
There are shops and restaurants in this terminal.
Together with my friend, we made our way out and catch our ride to the other airport, KUL.
This is where we waited for our ride to arrive.
For my friend, he would depart that evening to Taipei on Starlux's A321neo and for me I would to stay overnight at the airport in one of the capsule hotels located at Terminal 1 landside. I would then fly back the following day with Batik Air Malaysia Boeing 737-800.
Souvenirs from Changi and Subang Airport but there is nothing from the airline, disappointing really.
At least I have a photo to commemorate this occasion (1st September 2024).
My ratings
Airline's Mobile App/Website: 3/5
Airport Experience (SIN): 5/5
In-Flight Service: 4/5
In-Flight Entertainment: 0/5 (The streaming Wifi wasn't turned on)
Seat Comfort: 3/5
Cabin Ambiance: 4/5
Cabin Condition: 4/5
Punctuality: 5/5
In-Flight Snack: 4/5
Cleanliness: 5/5
Overall Rating: 37/50
Percentage: 74%
Conclusion
It was a pretty low affair for the airline as the main celebration was done by both Changi and Subang Airports. This route is certainly welcoming for both Malaysian and Singaporean travellers as it gives them more options on one of the most busiest routes in the world (SIN-KUL), Subang airport is located not far from the city in Kuala Lumpur and it is faster to get there from the airport. With Scoot joining in to compete with Firefly, it has a couple of advantages. First, Scoot operates the A320 series (Jet engine) which travels at a faster speed than Firefly's ATR-72 (Turboprop) (Seletar to Subang) and secondly, the departure airport, Changi Airport is generally preferred over Seletar Airport as it is more accessible to travel there by public transport. In the end, the general public probably would go for the best timing and pricing. With competition from the Singapore-based airline, Firefly now is being forced to do something, I have been seeing a lot of advertisment on this airline on social media promoting their Subang to Singapore (Seletar route). Whatever it is, competition is good for us. Don't you agree? Will Air Asia join in the fun? You never know.
While there is nothing much to mention about this short flight, but after flying numerous times with the airline, there is nothing to shout about with the inflight product and service, just a normal low cost carrier that will get you from point A to B.
At this point of time, the airline has only 1 out of the 6 A320 neo (9V-TNF) in operation, as the rest of them are grounded due to the Pratt & Whitney engine issue so that is why the airline is operating these older A320ceo without refurblishment as the airline's plan is to replace the A320ceo with the A320neo in the near future. Once 9V-TNA to 9V-TNE aircraft return to service and the airline takes delivery of the remaining the A320neo on order, the A320ceo fleet will be retired. So for now, we have to make deal with the old Y class product but to be honest, they are not that bad.
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Charles
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