Scootoff SYD-BKK $500 odd return

[ethernet]

Flyscoot has some seemingly attractive fares, but several tricks to stop you actually purchasing
SYD-BKK gettable for $500 odd, but here are the catches.

1) Browser Broken because Java is disabled. Scoot website needs Java - to take your money, but my browser disabled Java for the last 3 weeks, because Oracle has no security fix yet (that passes peer review). I'd complain to let them know, but the Scoot complaints page is broken : same reason : Java.
Hopefully the Airlines wont wake up to this industrial sabotage.

2) 20 Hour stopover in Singabore. Yep their magic engine usually gives you an overnight stay in SIN.
Obviously doing this to push tourist numbers up.

3) Scoot now have BOTH legs luggage charges and BOTH legs cancellation/Changes.
So add $72 odd for 15kg luggage return way, plus stopover costs, Air Asia is pulling this trick too, plus a fuel surcharge.

4) Weekends cost more, Tuesdays less. Public holidays more.

5) Not sure if EK or Vn Airlines has a 'not much more' full service flights. May be time to see what Jetstar will do on a price match.

6) Sometimes it is a redeye flight back. 02.30 am !

I conclude a short sharp long weekend trip to .sg without luggage is value, and more so if you stay in JB.
I also spotted AirAsia KUL-MEL in December going cheap.

 

[markis10]

I will take Qantas for $200 more thanks, life is too short.

 

[clifford]

I will take Qantas for $200 more thanks, life is too short.

Well, you might say that, but yesterday I had a great flight on Scoot OOL-SIN for $99. Window seat with empty middle. Hard to beat, and it P's all over AirAsia X (what wouldn't).

So go spend your hundreds of dollars more, but don't complain if you're feeling a bit cramped and ripped off...

 

[markis10]

Well, you might say that, but yesterday I had a great flight on Scoot OOL-SIN for $99. Window seat with empty middle. Hard to beat, and it P's all over AirAsia X (what wouldn't).

So go spend your hundreds of dollars more, but don't complain if you're feeling a bit cramped and ripped off...

$200 bucks more for meal, baggage, the F lounge, and 20000 points which will get me $200 or more value on even a Y BNE-SYD return - no brainer! Its all relative when it comes to value

 

[mannej]

Well, you might say that, but yesterday I had a great flight on Scoot OOL-SIN for $99. Window seat with empty middle. Hard to beat, and it P's all over AirAsia X (what wouldn't).

So go spend your hundreds of dollars more, but don't complain if you're feeling a bit cramped and ripped off...

Look at it in the context of the OP - multiple legs with an extended layover in SIN. Wouldn't the leg room be similar between Scoot and QF, plus it's not like you can control when you have an empty seat next to you.

Bit different to a single sector isn't it.

 

[clifford]

Well, you can control to some extent whether you get an empty seat next to you. Of course it won't work on full flights (and I think QF flights to SIN might on average be fuller than TZ flights). It's just a matter of going on to the respective website and choosing your seat judiciously (being QF Gold helps in this regard). And then following it up by asking the check-in agent if the seat next to you is still vacant.

Of course it helps if you are an elite FF. TZ don't have such animals, but their seat selection page on their website is very good.

And, as an aside, I have just flown SIN-DXB on EK and was able to secure an aisle seat with an empty seat next to me by asking the check-in agent. But it does help to be EK Gold.

 

[cmon0005]

$200 bucks more for meal, baggage, the F lounge, and 20000 points which will get me $200 or more value on even a Y BNE-SYD return - no brainer! Its all relative when it comes to value

100% agree with you markis! Not to mention at least with QF you will get looked after well during irregular ops, unlike tiger/scoot who will just leave you in the terminal for hours or days fending(and spending) for yourself!

 

[Simo]

I will take Qantas for $200 more thanks, life is too short.

Yep would do QF everytime over scoot for such a small difference.

 

[jetlagger]

Yep would do QF everytime over scoot for such a small difference.

Absolutely, & the Singapore style is usually the mandatory +++

 

[fersea]

Not sure if I would use them for connecting flights, but I too couldn't recommend Scoot highly enough after a $99 flight to Singapore and return last year.

If I was flying to Europe and paying, I would seriously look at flying to Singapore on Scoot, then catching a full service airline the rest of the way. Would often save you $600-$700. You would probably want an overnight in Singapore to cover each way, but that is not a bad thing.

 

[markis10]

Not sure if I would use them for connecting flights, but I too couldn't recommend Scoot highly enough after a $99 flight to Singapore and return last year.

If I was flying to Europe and paying, I would seriously look at flying to Singapore on Scoot, then catching a full service airline the rest of the way. Would often save you $600-$700. You would probably want an overnight in Singapore to cover each way, but that is not a bad thing.

Love the "I would fly scoot again after my $99 experience" when the OP is talking $250 each way to BKK, even in your example your mentioning the added cost of accom in Singapore which lessens the value proposition.

If scoot can offer $99 flights on an ongoing basis they are great, but that's not going to happen, heck I would look at flying them, but even at $200 each way the value is lost.

 

[burmans]

$200 bucks more for meal, baggage, the F lounge, and 20000 points which will get me $200 or more value on even a Y BNE-SYD return - no brainer! Its all relative when it comes to value

Can I state the obvious here, at $99 oneway the difference isn't going to be just $200! If we are going to compare deep discount QF fares then compare them to deep discount Scoot fares too, when I looked the other day QF fares were a lot more than $700, the QF to Scott difference was over $500.

 

[markis10]

Can I state the obvious here, at $99 oneway the difference isn't going to be just $200! If we are going to compare deep discount QF fares then compare them to deep discount Scoot fares too, when I looked the other day QF fares were a lot more than $700, the QF to Scott difference was over $500.

Your not really stating the obvious, the OP is talking about a return to BKK that can be had with Qantas today for $200 more, in that context $99 fares are irrelevant unless that are on offer today to the same destination.

Your Trip to Bangkok, Thailand
Thu 23/May/2013 - Thu 30/May/2013 | Total price: €540.28


Your flight was added to your trip.
Flights Show Details Change Flights
23 May 2013 - Departure 1 stop Total travel time : 15h 20m

Brisbane
BNE 06:30
Terminal I
Sydney
SYD 08:10
Terminal 1
1h 40m
748 km
Qantas Airways 8
Economy/Coach (N)
Boeing 747-400 | Breakfast x
Stopover: 4h 5m



Sydney
SYD 12:15
Terminal 1
Bangkok
BKK 18:50
9h 35m
7,529 km
Qantas Airways 23
Economy/Coach (N)
AIRBUS INDUSTRIE A330-300 | Lunch | Refreshments
30 May 2013 - Return 1 stop Total travel time : 12h 40m

Bangkok
BKK 20:55
Sydney
SYD 09:05 + 1 day
Terminal 1
9h 10m
7,529 km
Qantas Airways 24
Economy/Coach (N)
AIRBUS INDUSTRIE A330-300 | Dinner | Refreshments
Stopover: 2h 0m



Sydney
SYD 11:05
Terminal 3
Brisbane
BNE 12:35
Terminal D
1h 30m
748 km
Qantas Airways 520
Economy/Coach (N)
Boeing 767-300 | Refreshments


VS the closest match at scoot:

Departure
24 May 2013
OOL - 09:00
BKK - 19:05
Return
30 May 2013
BKK - 20:05
OOL - 07:50 (+2)
Departure
AUD 271.37
1×Adult @ $ 271.37$ 271.37
Breakdown per Adult
Fare$ 192.21
Airport Imposed Pax Security Fee$ 2.34
Airport Imposed Pax Service Fee$ 7.03
Govt. Imposed Pax Movement Fee$ 55.00
Airport Imposed Safety & Security Fee$ 4.24
Airport Imposed Intl. Pax Service Fee$ 10.55
$ 271.37
Return
AUD 431.27
1×Adult @ $ 431.27$ 431.27
Total Package Price
AUD 702.64

 

[markis10]

Note the scoot option if returning to OOL requires accommodation in SIN at added cost and gets you back a day later:

Flight TZ 301
Departs Bangkok - 20:05, Thu, 30 May, 2013
Arrives Singapore - 23:20, Thu, 30 May, 2013
Layover in Singapore – 23h5m
Flight TZ 6
Departs Singapore - 22:25, Fri, 31 May, 2013
Arrives Gold Coast - 07:50, Sat, 1 Jun, 2013

 

[burmans]

Yes I have no doubt that if you find a date 3 months away in the middle of a sale on Qantas you will find a price that's close. Actually interested that your price is $702 given the sale price stated on the QF website is $888, where was that price from.

Would doubt you can find that price this month (there is a challenge for you), I've got friends who were looking for a flight this month to BKK and I suggested they at least look at Scoot when their initial searches on QF had flights > $1200. They eventually found one at I think $898 on QF and went with that vs a Scoot fare that ranged between $500-$600 but were seriously considering scoot for a while.

So I'm not doubting you "can" find a flight for only $200 more on occassions (and like you at $200 I agree it's a no-brainer) but I don't think the $200 difference is "normal". At $400-$500 it's not quite such an easy decision for many, as for staying in Singapore, well frequenting the US DM forum has made me change my mind on this, it appears some people quite like a circuitous route!

 

[markis10]

Yes I have no doubt that if you find a date 3 months away in the middle of a sale on Qantas you will find a price that's close. Actually interested that your price is $702 given the sale price stated on the QF website is $888, where was that price from.

Would doubt you can find that price this month (there is a challenge for you), I've got friends who were looking for a flight this month to BKK and I suggested they at least look at Scoot when their initial searches on QF had flights > $1200. They eventually found one at I think $898 on QF and went with that vs a Scoot fare that ranged between $500-$600 but were seriously considering scoot for a while.

So I'm not doubting you "can" find a flight for only $200 more on occassions (and like you at $200 I agree it's a no-brainer) but I don't think the $200 difference is "normal". At $400-$500 it's not quite such an easy decision for many, as for staying in Singapore, well frequenting the US DM forum has made me change my mind on this, it appears some people quite like a circuitous route!

Its normal if you plan ahead, I have a flight to BKK this month and it cost me $746 return ex Brisbane, booked last month. Sure it might be dearer when Scoot have a sale (which is every second day) but its equally applicable when Qantas have a sale.

 

[burmans]

Its normal if you plan ahead, I have a flight to BKK this month and it cost me $746 return ex Brisbane, booked last month. Sure it might be dearer when Scoot have a sale (which is every second day) but its equally applicable when Qantas have a sale.

There's the rub though, you can plan ahead for Scoot too and as you yourself have noted they do have a lot of sales. As a general principle I'd prefer a full service flight too, there are two circumstances I'll seriously consider Sccot

1. When they have a deep-discount sale (and as they have Sales all the time this is not unusual).
2. When flight date is close. We made a fairly last minute decision to send my daughter to Singapore last year to visit her cousin in a school holiday period and even fairly last minute we got a flight for ~ $450 return. Others were >$1000.

 

[mannej]

There's the rub though, you can plan ahead for Scoot too and as you yourself have noted they do have a lot of sales. As a general principle I'd prefer a full service flight too, there are two circumstances I'll seriously consider Sccot

1. When they have a deep-discount sale (and as they have Sales all the time this is not unusual).
2. When flight date is close. We made a fairly last minute decision to send my daughter to Singapore last year to visit her cousin in a school holiday period and even fairly last minute we got a flight for ~ $450 return. Others were >$1000.

Your second point is fine, but the OP refers to a multi segment journey, which can require accommodation, hence the additional cost.

Agree with the single legs, but adding onwards destinations is where the value does diminish

 

[burmans]

Your second point is fine, but the OP refers to a multi segment journey, which can require accommodation, hence the additional cost.

Agree with the single legs, but adding onwards destinations is where the value does diminish

Yes, agree accomodation is a factor but having spent a little while on these forums seems to me some are prepared to go a fair way out of their way to get a cheap flights. It's not as though they would not have to pay for a nights accomodation in BKK anyway, so it's the incremental costs of a SIN hotel vs BKK and some people actually like getting 2 destinations rather than one. At $200 it certainly wouldn't be me either but at the $550 mark indicated in my second example I'd certainly be considering it.

 

[jetlagger]

My friends just arrived back to OOL tonight after travelling on Scoot today from SIN.
The flight was only delayed for 9 ish hours for the original 2235 departure ended up being 0720 ish this morning, with the night spent at Changi airport on own expense.
Such is the way of LCC's when things go 'belly up"