Is Scoot Worth It? What I Learned Flying From Thailand to Singapore on a Budget

I needed to get my family from Koh Samui (USM) in Thailand to Singapore (SIN), and because Bangkok Airways operates Samui Airport, I knew I didn’t have many airlines to choose from. However, I realized that Scoot, the low-cost subsidiary of Singapore Airlines, operated a flight between the 2 destinations.

Although the thought of weighing my carry-on luggage preflight and squeezing into a low-cost seat felt tedious, it was the primary option available, and I figured that if the low-cost carrier was affiliated with Singapore Airlines, it couldn’t be that bad.

Here’s how my experience booking and flying Scoot went.

1. You Can Earn or Redeem Singapore KrisFlyer Miles

Scoot’s loyalty program is actually the Singapore KrisFlyer program, but because ticket prices were around $140 per person for the one-way flight, I didn’t bother with the idea of redeeming miles, even though I knew I had many options for transferring points to the airline (Chase Ultimate Rewards, American Express Membership Rewards, and Citi ThankYou Points all transfer to Singapore KrisFlyer).

I did want to have an idea of how much flight redemptions cost, though, to make sure I was making the right choice by paying cash, so I searched for award tickets by logging in to Scoot with my KrisFlyer credentials. The airline also has a mileage calculator and you can download the Scoot award chart here.

Singapore Airlines has since introduced a new search requirement for its KrisFlyer program: you must have miles in your account (many reports suggest 1,000 is the magic number). Although my original award searches occurred before this rule went into effect, I just searched and found availability with just 170 miles in my account, so this may not apply to Scoot award searches.

The lowest award price I found was 10,500 miles per person for the route, but on my dates, it was 18,000 miles (0.8 cents per mile in redemption value), so I instead paid with my Chase Sapphire Preferred^® Card to get 2x on travel purchases.

I earned 170 miles, which felt pretty low, but for a flight under 2 hours on a low-cost carrier, I didn’t think I’d earn a huge amount.

2. Some Things Didn’t Feel Like a Low-Cost Carrier

When I boarded what felt like a brand-new Embraer 190-E2, everything felt new, sleek, and modern. The plane was spotless and not in any way worn or dated.

The flight attendants were smiling and extremely friendly — when I asked one how long the flight would be, she was attentive, stopped what she was doing, and responded with a smile.

There was also a courtesy corner for Scoot at the Samui Airport, where we snacked on free food and drinks (juice and coffee) preflight. I grabbed a couple of granola bars for later. I can’t ever imagine an airline like Breeze or Ryanair offering all passengers free snacks and drinks at the airport, and this was a really nice touch. After some research, I don’t think Scoot offers this at many airports, but I really appreciated it at Samui Airport, and it felt very different than many low-cost or even full-fare carriers I typically fly.

The price also didn’t feel in line with a low-cost carrier, where I often get tickets for under $100 per way.

This might be because Samui Airport is owned by Bangkok Airways, so flying with another airline from this airport might be more expensive. Singapore Changi Airport also charges high fees (which are reportedly rising incrementally through 2030). Either way, Scoot’s pricing didn’t feel much like that of a low-cost carrier, where, traditionally, prices are, well, lower.

The actual flying experience felt much more like that of a regular carrier than a low-cost carrier. No one pushed buying lottery tickets on me (hello, Ryanair), the seats felt comfortable, and I had plenty of legroom.

3. Other Things Reminded Me That Scoot Is Definitely Low-Cost

Although Scoot was giving full-fare carrier energy, a few things reminded me it was indeed a low-cost carrier. Everything had an additional cost, like food and drinks (even water).

And the pilot used cheesy branding language, referring to the flight attendants as “Scooties” and announced we were “ready for scoot off.” Lame.

4. Check Scoot’s Baggage Limits, but It May Not Matter

I threw myself into an actual panic over the baggage limits.

At the time of booking, I had paid an extra $20 for just 1 checked bag. But then I found out that carry-on baggage had a weight limit of just 7 kilograms (15 pounds) — and this was the maximum weight of a personal item and carry-on bag combined. I realized this after my Thai beauty skin care haul, and there was no way I would meet those weight limits, especially since my checked bag had to be under 20 kilograms (40 pounds), and it was already 22 kilograms (48.5 pounds) when I arrived in Thailand.

So, a few days before my flight, I paid another $20 for an additional checked bag, stuffing what was originally my carry-on roller bag with every heavy item and liquid I had and using my travel luggage scale to weigh all the carry-ons. In the end, my backpack was closer to 8 kilograms, so I was really hoping it wouldn’t be an issue.

Ultimately, no one weighed my luggage or even really looked at it. The check-in staff barely glanced at the weight of my whole family’s check-in luggage, and there was no carry–on sizer or scale at the gate. When it came to luggage, it was no big deal, and no one cared — no one enforced the rules.

I’m unsure if this was just the laissez-faire attitude of the island staff at Samui Airport — perhaps if I had flown out of Singapore or another destination, the airline would have adhered better to its rules. Either way, I would still be aware of the luggage limits and try to plan ahead in case the airline does enforce its rules.

5. We Landed at My Bucket List Airport: Singapore Changi

I was really excited to fly into Singapore Changi Airport because it’s known as one of the top airports in the world, with lots to do and see, especially for families. Scoot flies in and out of Terminal 1, so I did a little research to see what we could do.

The main attraction is the Jewel, a giant shopping mall that encircles a massive waterfall and what feels like an actual jungle.

It truly is a sight to see, and my whole family had fun checking out the waterfall and its lush surroundings. My son played around in a playground for a bit, we roamed around the mall, and although I wanted to hit up the employee canteen’s hawker stalls (Anthony Bourdain reportedly said that’s where he found the best and most affordable food in Singapore), I was outvoted when my family noticed there was a Shake Shack.

Final Thoughts

I would definitely fly Scoot again. And with Singapore’s new rules on searching for award tickets, it wasn’t the worst idea to earn some Singapore KrisFlyer miles by flying Scoot. That meant I now have enough in my KrisFlyer account to search for award space, though I’m nowhere near 1,000.

There were some ways Scoot felt low-cost, but my experience with the airline was positive, and I think flying with the airline feels more like a full-fare carrier than a low-cost one. If you need to fly throughout Southeast Asia, Scoot is a valid option.