Scoot seats reviewed, and the best seats revealed

By David Flynn, June 12 2012
Scoot seats reviewed, and the best seats revealed

Scooting to Singapore (or beyond) on a budget-minded business trip? We've put together this guide to help you find the best seats on Scoot's big Boeing 777s, both in ScootBiz business class and economy class – including the cost-extra Super and Stretch seats.

ScootBiz business class seats

The front of Scoot's Boeing 777 – a refurbished plane handed down from parent company Singapore Airlines – predictably belongs to business class.

There are 32 ScootBiz seats in a  2-4-2 layout across four rows – 11, 12 14 and 15.

(Scoot's first Boeing 777 is in fact fitted with five rows of business class, but the fifth row is being removed later this month and the front of the economy cabin moved forward.)

As we've pointed out before, but it bears repeating – Scoot's business class is more akin to the regional business class of many airlines rather than the fully-fledged international business class most Australians are used to.

So don't expect your Qantas-style Skybeds here, chum. Scoot business class is closer to premium economy (which is how Scoot's seat manufacturer markets them).

These are recliner-style seats rather than lie-flat, with an 8 inch recline and a well-padded headrest with a few inches of rise.

The leather-clad seats are 22 inches wide and have a 38 inch pitch.

We measured 'knee-room' as 19 inches from the front of your seat cushion to the most forward point of the seat in front of you.

There's a swing-down footrest under the seat in front of you...

... but this means seats in the first row of ScootBiz (row 11) have no footrest at all.

Scoot looked at an integrated footrest which swings up from the front of the seat (similar to the first row of Cathay Pacific premium economy).

However, the airline says this made it an acrobatic feat for passengers in the window and middle seats to get into the aisle if their seatmate had the footrest up.

A decidedly small tray table springs up from the armrest of each seat rather than folding down from seat in front.

Want to power up the laptop or tablet you'll be perching on that table? Note that there's just one AC socket shared between every two seats.

If ScootBiz becomes as popular as Scoot hopes, let's cross fingers that a any pairs of teched-up seatmates will happily share the socket!

We'd rate the ScootBiz seats as quite comfortable for a daytime flight and good enough for a snooze on overnights. They'll need to be, with Scoot's Singapore-Sydney flight TZ1 clocking a 2am departure from Changi.

The best seats in ScootBiz

We'd suggest the first row (11) shouldn't your be first choice.

It's a bit close to the bulkhead, especially the middle block of seats, so you an average-sized bloke will end up with his feet crooked against the bulkhead wall.

The seat pairs by the window (11A, 11C, 11H and 11K) have a bit more space for your pins, especially those at the aisle.

But as mentioned earlier, no seats in this first row have a footrest.

The other three rows of ScootBiz (12, 14 and 15) deliver a greater amount of 'effective legroom' because you can stretch your feet out and tuck under seat in front, as well as perch them on the swing-down footrest.

All up, we rate 15AB and 15JK as the best seats.

First reason: there's more space on the floor in front of you for your feet or your laptop bag.

Unlike the 'middle quad' blocks of seats, these window pairs don't have bulky support struts to the floor.

Second reason: this is the rear row of business class, and the toilets are at the front of the cabin.

"Woah, hang on," you say. "Being in the back row of business puts you one thin wall away from wailing babies in bassinets in the first row of economy".

Not so! Scoot decided not to fit bassinets at the bulkhead, or indeed anywhere in the aircraft, so you've got a much higher chance of enjoying a much lower noise level if you're in the back row of business class or indeed any economy seat near the bulkead.

Scoot economy class seats

All other 368 seats in Scoot’s Boeing 777 are economy seats, but split into three grades based on the amount of legroom.

For a quick visual reference, Scoot has colour-coded standard economy seats as blue while those sporting extra legroom are clad in yellow.

And that's the only difference: the seats themselves are identical, with around 17 inches between the armrests (the base cushion itself is just under 19 inches across) and an eight inch recline.

None of the economy seats have a headrest but as the seats themselves are quite tall I didn't find them uncomfortable on the Singapore-Sydney trek.

But if that's a concern for you, or your neck needs special TLC, you'd be advised to pack an inflatable neck pillow (or buy one on board – yes, Scoot sells those, along with most anything else you could need).

Most of Scoot's economy seats are arranged in a 3-4-3 configuration (with the seating numbering ABC-DEFG-HJK), which means you don't want to get stuck in the middle two seats unless you're happy to stay there for pretty much the entire flight.

Economy standard

The 32 inch pitch of most Scoot economy seats leaves around 11” from the leading edge of your seat cushion to the seat in front.

It's not as tight a fit as you may expect from the cheapest seat on a low-cost airline – and again, the lack of an in-flight entertainment system provides a bit more room for your feet to sprawl.

The best standard economy seat? Scoot staffers suggest 50A. You can lean against the wall but the window being slightly forward makes for less glare.

Economy super

A handful of rows in each economy cabin are given over to 'super' economy seats with up to 35 inches of pitch.

The actual amount varies, for instance in the last few rows of the 777 it’s between 33 and 34 inches.

Those last rows – 61 through to 64 – are in a 2-4-2 layout instead of 3-4-3, due to the narrowing of the 777's body towards the tail.

The AC and HK seats are either side of the aisle and as long as you don’t mind being last off the plane they're a good get.

There's a bit more space to stretch into the aisle, while next to the windows (the A and K seats) you'll find room to stow your carry-on bag next to the cabin wall for easy access during the flight.

Costing only $24 on top of your economy ticket,  we reckon super seats are the best value for almost all travellers.

Economy stretch

Most economy rows facing a bulkhead wall are classified as 'stretch' seats (or s-t-r-e-t-c-h, in Scoot parlance).

They're typically just ahead of super seats: for example, in the rearmost economy cabin, row 51 is for the stretch set while 52 and 53 are super seats.

Seats at the emergency exit are also stretch seats.

Stretch is where the very tall and long of limb can score the most legroom, provided they're prepared to part with an extra $60.

But not all stretch seats are better than their cheaper super counterparts, as we're about to reveal.

The best economy cabin

Our survey of Scoot's Boeing 777 quickly revealed the plane's first economy cabin – directly behind business class – to be the best place for frugal flyers.

With just four rows of seats (rows 21 through 24), and all in the stretch or super categories, this space has the feel of a private cabin.

It's also fairly quiet – after all, you've got business in front of you and no baby bassinets at the bulkhead – and has less passing foot traffic than any other economy section. And you'll be among the first off the plane, which counts for a lot if you're travelling only with carry-on luggage.

Row 21 is where you'll find the stretch seats.

The most stretch legroom is in seats 21ABC and 21HJK...

.. but even somebody of above-average height will find their feet nestling up against the bulkhead instead of truly s-t-r-e-t-c-h-i-n-g out, which can be uncomfortable on these long flights.

We found this most noticeable in the middle block of seats (21DEFG).

However, the super seats in rows 22 and 23 not only cost much less, you can stretch your feet out under the seat in front.

The window blocks of 22 and 23 – that's 22ABC and 22HJK, and 23ABC (this row has no right-side window seating) - are even better because these seats don’t have the bulky floor brackets of the 'middle quad’ block of four seats, so you'll enjoy maximum footroom.

As for row 24, there’s no window-side seating at all, just a block of 3 seats in the middle.

But with the loo off to the right side, adjacent to 23 and 24, we'd generally favour the left side of the plane.

If you're travelling on Scoot we'd love to hear your own take on the seating – have your say in the Comments box below or shout out on Twitter – we're @AusBT.

David

David Flynn is the Editor-in-Chief of Executive Traveller and a bit of a travel tragic with a weakness for good coffee, shopping and lychee martinis.

Virgin Australia - Velocity Rewards

24 Aug 2011

Total posts 785

Very well done, I really appreciate you taking the time to photograph the various seat options. .

Virgin Australia - Velocity Rewards

10 Jan 2012

Total posts 259

Thanks for a very comprehensive review David. Since Scoot was announced I've been itching to try them. I live on the southside of Brisbane its not too much of a hassle to drive to OOL to get on TZ5.

Before reading the review, I was only ever going to fly ScootBiz, but now I think i'll give 23C a go, for probably 1/2 the price!

AlG
AlG

04 Nov 2010

Total posts 670

Yes, top work as always, AusBT! I love these really detailed photo-articles you guys do, and thanks for sharing the details of the best seats and that little economy 'premium' cabin, if I book Scoot that is where you'll find me, in one of the window-side 'super' seats for only $20 extra!

13 Aug 2012

Total posts 3

Flew Scoot to SG from OOL on 18th of July. Seats 54ABC. The rear cabin that these seats are in is very loud because it is directly behind the engines. On the return flight I booked 22DEF, well worth the extra money, with plenty of legroom and we got to use 22G as well because no one had booked it. I found that you could have the entire row of seats to yourselves if you book in the middle(eg seat B, E, F or J), and people flying together would naturally want to sit in a group so you end up getting the whole row, sneaky!!

11 Oct 2012

Total posts 1

Do you think Super seats ROW 22 and ROW 32 will have a different legroom besides than the more quiter? Thanks

guy
guy

05 Mar 2012

Total posts 26

I just booked the twin seats in Row 64 based on this recommendation. But does anyone know if they recline?

Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer

10 Nov 2012

Total posts 26

Thanks for this useful article. Based on what I read I booked seat 23C and 22C on recent BKK-SIn and SIN-SYD flights. I'm glad I did. They were definitely good seats, relative to the rest of the plane.

I am tall and really appreciated the extra leg room - but on the other hand the seats are narrow and a design I could never get comforable in. I would rate the overall comfort equivalent to the upper cabin Y seats on the SQ A380, which are slightly wider and a slightly better design, but suffer from lack of leg room. They're also half the price, which counts for something.

What I and some other pax noticed was that the front Y cabin on the Scoot 777 was very cold, especially for the poor unfortunates who had seats in the back middle row. Scoot of course, were more than willing to sell blankets to all comers (but I had a jacket and didn't need to pay) ...

I pre-paid $S16 to use the "Scoot thru" service for transiting in SIN, which gave me a small amount of peace of mind (no extra to pay if I have to rebook because I miss my connecting flight in SIN. For anyone not paying the fee, Scoot reserve the right to charge fare differentials and booking feas for any new booking - truly cynical, especially if the missed connection is Scoot's fault). The extra $16 got me what just about any full service airline will do as part of the service. And as it turned out fellow passengers who hadn't paid for "Scoot thru" were quicker to retrieve their bags, clear customs, and check in again for the Sydney flight. It took the personnel at the transit counter 15 minutes to juggle no fewer than 3 computer systems and transfer my bag. And even then it nearly stayed behind - only rescued when someone in the baggage area noticed that it hadn't been picked up and had a transit tag on it.

This is one airline where you should not pre-pay for food, at least in Y class. It's seriously bad. A cold foccacia with a soggy bottom? That's about as good as it gets on Scoot. Want a cup of tea or coffee with your pre-paid meal? Forget it. It's water or Pepsi. So ... take your own food. And hydrate yourself as best you can before you get on the plane. They want $4 for a small bottle of water.

Would I use them again? Probably and I would definitely pay the extra money for the stretch seats. As for the cabin crew - they're cheerful. Overall, cheap and cheerful is what you'll get.

 

03 Mar 2012

Total posts 15

I booked two "business class" seats SYD/SIN/SYD Oct17-24. I booked domestic connections & hotel the night before (in case of fog) based on this. I happened to look at my booking this morning and found Scoot had cancelled the flight on October 17 and rebooked the day before meaning flights & accommodation are wasted. I spent 30 minutes on the phone to their Singapore office but they would not budge, hiding instead behing their Conditions of Carrgiage. The matter has now gone to NSW Fair Trading. Once bitten, twice shy is the saying. Better not to get bitten!

Cathay Pacific - Asia Miles

25 Apr 2013

Total posts 542

 and an eight recline.

Do you think the recline is a little more than competitors?

Cathay only has a 6" recline.

25 Sep 2013

Total posts 1245

Great review.


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