Is this the Goldilocks service of long haul flying?

As a travel writer, flying is an occupational hazard. As an Australian travel writer, long haul flying is an occupational hazard. I am always trying to find hacks to make the long journey more enjoyable and less taxing. After all, the less tired and jet-lagged I am, the more I enjoy my trip or, conversely, the quicker I settle back in at home.

In the last year, I flew from Melbourne to Europe via Singapore Airlines in both Business Class and Premium Economy. I’d always choose to fly Business but the price tag is hefty and the trip is only 24 hours after all. I would have happily flown Premium again (it was leagues more comfortable than Economy) but the price had jumped considerably so, this time, I thought I’d try the budget arm of Singapore Airlines, Scoot. I chose the pointy end which is called ScootPlus.

The flights:

I flew Melbourne to Singapore and then from Singapore to Athens on a Boeing 787 Dreamliner. These flights were seven hours and 30 mins and 10 hours and 50 mins respectively. I had a seven hour layover in Singapore so I chose to rent a room and have a few hours’ sleep at the Aerotel, a Transit hotel at Singapore’s Changi airport.

Check in at Melbourne (Tullamarine) airport was easy. There was no queue at ScootPlus so I bypassed the self-service kiosks. Helpful, friendly service saw me and my bags all checked into Athens in five minutes flat. I was also able to access the priority line for Security.

As for baggage, ScootPlus allows a hefty 30 kilos per person and a carry-on allowance of 15 kilos.

There is no lounge access for ScootPlus passengers so, after I cleared Security, I had a coffee at a café. Again, I had priority access. So far, big ticks.

What is the seat like?

I was greeted by friendly and casually-dressed cabin attendants – “Scootees.”

Seats are plush leather and are configured 2-3-2 (as opposed to a dense 3-3-3 in Scoot Economy). Both the footrest and the seat reclined and there was a power outlet per seat. The seat has a 96.5cms (38 inch) seat pitch and is about 48cms (19 inch) wide. The seat is a major plus on ScootPlus, being the same pitch and width as a seat in Singapore Airlines Premium Economy but for a lesser price.

I was in the first row for both legs. I had so much leg room that I could not touch the wall in front of me with my legs outstretched. Big, big ticks.

The table folds out of the wide armrest. There are buttons in the armrest for adjusting the recline and the leg rest.

What is the inflight entertainment like?

There was none and there is no option to buy entertainment onboard. I knew this so I came prepared.

There is 30MB complimentary WiFi on each flight for ScootPlus passengers. This was enough to briefly connect to email and that was it. As of 1 November 2025, the complimentary WiFi allowance per flight for ScootPlus will improve greatly to 200MB.

You can purchase more WiFi and there are savings if you purchase two or more hours ahead of the flight. I decided to do without extra paid WiFi on both legs.

What is the food and beverage service like?

Pretty average. On each flight, a (tiny)135ml bottle of water was waiting on my seat when I boarded. You can purchase more still water or coconut water or you can ask for tap water which is free but served in small cups. There is only a small range of drinks for purchase.

As for meals, there was one complimentary meal served on each flight. These are best to be pre-booked. On the flight to Singapore, lunch was served immediately and there was nothing else for the remaining almost seven hours. On the flight to Athens, dinner was served three hours before landing. This meant about eight hours with no food service at all.

Having said that, you can purchase more food and drink from the Scoot Café onboard or online before you fly. You can also purchase alcohol.

For my meals, I had a chicken tortilla wrap plus a small slice of banana tea cake and a pack of two Cadbury chocolate cookies with a Sprite for lunch. For dinner, chicken kung pao with rice plus cake, Cadbury cookies and a Sprite. The meals were perfectly adequate but I think there should have been a meal and a snack included on each flight given the length of the flights.

Scoot prohibits taking your own food and drink onboard but my suggestion is to pack some snacks anyway, both to relieve hunger and boredom.

What amenities are there?

There’s no amenities pack. In fact, there’s not even a pillow or blanket* provided. I knew this so I took my own neck pillow and fleece blanket. I was glad I did because, as is often the case, the cabin was on the cool side.

You can buy a Snooze Kit comprising a polar fleece blanket, neck pillow and eye mask but you must do this online no more than two hours before you fly.

There’s one toilet for ScootPlus passengers. I never queued long for the toilet and it was clean as was the cabin.

So, would I fly ScootPlus again?

In one word, yes.

It was BYO snacks, drinks, entertainment, pillow and blanket but the seat was a winner. Roomy and comfortable with a chunky arm rest and there was oodles of leg room. The spacious seat and plentiful leg room made up for the no frills aspects. There is also the bonus for me that I can earn KrisFlyer (the Singapore Airline Loyalty scheme) miles flying Scoot.

A word of warning (other than to BYO the items I listed) and that is to book early. There are only 21 seats of ScootPlus on the Boeing 787s I flew so book early or risk missing out.

Is ScootPlus the Goldilocks service of long haul flying? I think it would be if the meal service were improved. Until then, it’s almost “just right.”

*As of 1 November 2025, a complimentary blanket will be provided on flights longer than 11 hours.

Leonie Jarretti, travelled from Melbourne to Athens via Singapore at her own expense. She is an avid traveller, lives in Melbourne, Australia with her Husband of more than 3 decades, her 4 adult children and her 2 Golden Retrievers. Follow Leonie here.