Get ready for Taipei and Tokyo

Scoot should be launching ticket sales for its Taipei and Tokyo route either this week or next. If you need to plan, it's advisable to start now.

What we already know:

• The new route will start in October
• It's a daily service
• It will fly to Tokyo via Taipei, which means the entire journey will take at least 9 hrs - 4 hrs 35 min to TPE, followed by a 1 hr 15 min layover, then another 3 hr 10 min to NRT 

What we're anxious to know:

• The flight schedule
• Launch fares

A direct flight from Singapore to Tokyo takes between 7 hrs and 7 hrs 15 min.

Economy seats

Like Jetstar's Taipei - Osaka service, all connecting passengers will have to disembark and go through security screening again at Taipei airport.

Soya chicken rice 

But will you subject yourself to such inconvenience for a SG$300 nett return fare to Tokyo? To leisure travellers, I think the answer is a resounding yes.

So, are you ready to grab those dirt cheap launch fares?

Economy stretch seats

My guess is SG$68 to Taipei and SG$88 to Tokyo, one-way, all-in. 

12 inches - Bigger the Better?

New Economy screens

Do you see what I see?

Yes those are humongous IFE screens, 12.1 inches to be exact, with new control handsets beneath. 

Emirates have installed these on the Economy seats of their new B777s and new A380s from next year.

The current screens are just 10.9 inches, 0.3 more than other airlines'. 

Current Economy screens

Not only will IFE screens get bigger across all three classes, they will also feature HD resolution, with content increasing from 1200 to 1300 choices. A new interface system developed by Panasonic and Emirates will also make navigation easier.

New Business Class screens

New Business Class screens will increase to 20 inches, and First Class seats will feature 27-inch screens.

Emirates' ICE system is still the world's best inflight entertainment system, but the same cannot be said for its onboard service, which is often hit-or-miss, or at times simply unacceptable. 

Do note that the economy class layout on their B777-300ERs is 3-4-3 or 10 in a row, can be quite a squeeze if the flight is full. Other airlines using the same aircraft typically install only 9 seats or 3-3-3 per row.

Emirates B773ER's 3-4-3 layout 

While some continuously upgrade their IFE hardware, others like Cathay Pacific recently said it has plans to remove IFE systems to save one or two tonnes of weight per plane. Instead, it would install power sockets at every seat so passengers could plug in their tablets. 

Cathay Pacific's new Economy seats with 9-inch (only) screens

For LCCs like Scoot, this concept is a no-brainer. But for premium carriers such as Cathay, it seems odd that they are even considering scrimping on passenger experience and comfort, given the state of competition and yes, high fuel prices.

Emirates president Tim Rice once said airlines that don't offer IFE "are fools". 

Oh one disadvantage I foresee from the big screens is that, the flickering "light" from your neighbouring screens could be a nuisance if you're trying to sleep on an overnight flight. Then again there's always the complimentary eye-shade.

Jetstar opens early check-in counter

Jetstar

Jetstar has quietly started an early check-in counter, which means you can check-in anytime from 10am on the day of your flight, hence no more queues and you can get that preferred row ahead of everyone else.

It is located at Row 8 at Changi's Terminal 1. I would think this benefits those on transit, or someone who plans to shop alot before their flight, otherwise why would anyone be at the airport so early? 

You often hear people say "oh must be at the airport 2 hours before flight", but do you question why? There is absolutely no reason for you to do so. Jetstar Asia (3K) and Valuair (VF) flights close 40 minutes and Jetstar (JQ) flights close 1 hour before departure, so long you present yourself at the counter even just 1 minute before the deadline, you'll still be checked-in for the flight.

Do take note even if you've checked-in online, you'll still have to get a proper boarding pass at the counter.

The instructions don't specify a cut-off time, but I assume its "safe" to reach the counter 40 minutes before the flight, especially if you have bags to check-in.

Tiger Airways

Tiger has an early check-in counter too, at the far right side of the hall. I see no reason why anyone would want to check-in and head into airside early, since the area's a dump.

Otherwise, their counters close 45 minutes before flight times. I have seen people still queueing to check-in about 30 minutes to their flight, but that was due to lousy management of check-in logistics. They implemented common check-in counters and got everyone to form snaking queues. Of course they couldn't clear everyone in time and had to open another counter 5 minutes before every flight closes just to check-in those folks who have obediently queued for 1 hour.

I think they're reverted back to specific counters for individual flights, can't wait for them to move to Terminal 2 in September.

Tiger does not have any web check-in facility.

Hong Kong


If you're departing Hong Kong on Jetstar or Tiger, in-town check-in at Kowloon or Hong Kong stations are available, should you be taking the Airport Express. However, I find the Airport bus services alot more convenient, and the ticket price is just 1/4 that of Airport Express. But that's another story altogether.

Hong Kong Station

Kowloon Station

AirAsia

The most innovative of the lot, all in the name of cost-saving - the need for less airport manpower, and it benefits customers too.

You can check-in online or via the mobile app, up to seven days before the flight.

If using web check-in, you'll have to print the boarding pass and get it stamped or verified at the counter 45 minutes before the flight. I suppose if you have no bags to check-in you can afford to be a little late, say 35 minutes?

For mobile app check-ins, you'll have to scan the bar code at the kiosk to obtain a boarding pass, then get it stamped by a customer service personnel. Both web and mobile check-ins close 1 hour before flights, and 4 hours for AirAsia X flights.

Kiosks at Changi's Terminal 1 Row 11.

Scoot

No relevant information on its website, one can only assume counters open 2 hours and close 45 minutes before flights.

Seoul near yet Seoul far

So it seems neither Scoot not Jetstar can start services to Seoul in the near future, because SIA has used up all the slots allocated to Singapore carriers, says a Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation (CAPA) article.

The industry website adds that in addition to the four (4!) daily services, SIA also flies seasonal charters to Busan. But even if SIA cancels Busan, it only frees up a maximum of three weekly services.

"Scoot could only operate more services if SIA reduces its operation of four daily flights, which it is unlikely to do as the services feed into its key departure banks." CAPA adds.

It also says the Singapore government tried "on numerous occasions" to expand the bilateral agreement but the South Korean government just didn't budge.

Is protectionism at play? or are we not lobbying hard enough?

Looks like the only cheap option of getting to Seoul for now remains with AirAsia X.

S Korea has LCCs too 

Did you know, South Korea was the pioneer in the region's LCC industry? The airlines ply short-haul routes (within a 5-hour radius) domestically and internationally.

Asiana has Air Busan and Korean Air owns Jin Air, other independent airlines include Jeju Air, T'way air and Eastar Jet.

They now fly many new routes out of Incheon and the previously domestic-only downtown Gimpo airport to neighbouring cities within the North Asia region, such as Bangkok, Taipei, Hong Kong and Macau.

Except Korea and the ports they fly to, nobody really knows these small Korean carriers, mainly because there is very little publicity and they don't operate in the LCC model that we're used to.

Their fares are by no means cheap. A random check on Jin Air's Bangkok to Incheon route shows usd350 one-way, inclusive of taxes. A ticker on the homepage says the route's lowest fare can be had for THB5900 or S$245 one-way. For a five-hour flight, the price seems acceptable, but a return trip would then come up to S$600, which I believe would be quite close to a promo fare on THAI, Korean or Asiana.

According to CAPA, the Korea-style LCC which offers perks such as free luggage allowance and drinks (and high prices) "is all the market will tolerate". But now that Peach has entered the market, followed very soon by Jetstar and AirAsia, the players may soon have to adopt the stripped-down LCC model to compete.

So maybe one day when someone in Korea decides to start a long haul LCC and wants to fly to Singapore, we can then perhaps expect a similar reciprocal arrangement to accommodate the additional landing rights.

Scoot to Tokyo via Taipei

update: Scoot has officially confirmed Taipei and Tokyo, as tweeted by Channel NewsAsia @cnalatest moments ago.

update: In a Business Times interview, CEO Campbell Wilson revealed the airline is looking to add another four more destinations by end of the year, which "could include second-tier cities in China and two more around the region - mostly cities not served by local carriers". Somehow Taipei and Tokyo don't seem to fit the list? I've also heard Dalian could be one of the potential cities, we'll see. 

You heard it first here.

According to a route map picture tweeted by @9VSKA, Scoot has indicated Taipei and Tokyo as destinations. These two have never been made public till now.

S$48 to Taipei, S$88 to Tokyo? Cannot wait!

Jetstar Asia operates twice daily services to Osaka, via Taipei.

Can we have Seoul next please? 

HUGE s-q-u-e-e-z-e on Scoot

update at 10am Jun 5: TZ2 touched down in Sydney to a water canon salute, arrival delayed by 100 minutes thanks to last night's technical.

update at 1.16am Jun 5: Aircraft is back on runway and ready to Scoot!


update at 12:22am Jun 5: TZ2 back to gate, pilot cites maintenance issue. Hope it won't be a long night for everyone.


update at 11:44pm - TZ2 has pushed back and is on its way. Here's a collection of "live" twitter pics taken onboard the flight.

This post is being "lived" as the inaugural Scoot flight TZ2 prepares for take off from Changi to Sydney. I cannot say it heralds in a new era of budget travelling, because Jetstar clinched the frontrunner position when they launched flights between Singapore and Melbourne in 2010, followed by Auckland and Beijing.

However, Scoot's selling point has been CHEAP and they play the numbers game well. They promise $158 all-in one-way fares to Australia all year round, and it is indeed significantly cheaper than full service carriers, if you stick to these basic fares without add-ons. 

We all know they use B772s from SIA, have 10-abreast seating in Economy class, and an all-inclusive ScootBiz. Here are the pictures released this morning.

ScootBiz (2-4-2, 38" legroom)

Scoot Economy stretch (front section of cabin, 3-4-3, 35" legroom)

Scoot Economy (3-4-3, 31" legroom)

Major difference (other than the obvious legroom) between ScootBiz and rest of the cabin - one seat less per row and no adjustable head rest on economy seats.

Do note that most full service carriers install only 3-3-3 or 9 seats per row on their B777s, Scoot's 10-abreast economy cabin means everyone will be in for a good squeeze should the flight runs above 80% load. Emirates is the only other carrier that has 10 seats each row, and you really don't want that when you're paying "full" fares.

Also, the absence of winglets may cause significant discomfort if you're on the seat for 4 hours and above, I feel.

I also noticed there's no leg rest (not foot rest) on ScootBiz seats, which I think should be a basic component on any seat that calls itself  "Biz".

Jetstar's A330 Business Class (2-3-2, 38" legroom)

Economy (2-4-2, 31" legroom)

I've travelled on Jetstar's A332 Economy and the seats are frankly pretty comfortable, with really good recline and the 31" legroom-also on Scoot Economy-seemed decent too. Also, the 2-4-2 or 8-abreast seating is in line with the configuration of full service carriers using the A330, including SIA.

Just by looking at stats and pictures, Jetstar's comfort level seems alot higher (in both classes), but Scoot has emphasized from the start that its target market "wants value...they just want to get from A to B in many aspects", so it is only right they draw a clear line somewhere, and offer the best value product significantly different from its parent.

AirAsia X's A330 Premium cabin (2-2-2, angled lie-flat seat)

Economy class (3-3-3, 31" legroom)

I have tried both classes and I can only say AirAsia X is a great way to fly, especially the lie-flat Premium seat, if the price is right (to offset the troublesome transit). Until either Scoot or Jetstar starts flights to Seoul, I may still be tempted if the fare is super low, say S$150 one-way all-in from KL. 

With low margins and high fuel prices, you wonder how long these long haul budget flights will last, so I say enjoy while the fun lasts. 

Delay? How now?

No need to panic. Really. If you're facing a similar situation, the questions you should ask are, "what really is happening?", "what are my entitlements?" and "what are my rights?"

So Tiger caused abit of a drama when TR 2105 was delayed for 12 hours last week. It was supposed to take off at 2.25pm on May 30 but it didn't, and passengers were kept waiting on the plane for five hours. They were released back into the airport, where many proceeded to wait for another seven hours, before the plane finally took off at 2.30am local time.

Passengers said they were promised overnight accommodation should the wait cross 12am, but nothing happened because "Singapore side did not do anything", said the CNA article.

An InSing report quoted Tiger's statement which said "passengers were kept informed throughout the delay" and "Our team offered affected passengers transfers to our other flights. Some passengers chose to stay with the flight."

One question you may ask is, if passengers were offered transfers to other flights, why didn't they take it? Tiger has five flights to Bangkok on Wednesdays, which means that passengers could choose to transfer to TR 2113 at 6pm and TR 2109 at 8.05pm. However, they were kept on the tarmac for five hours, which meant to say, there was no way they could even make the 8.05pm flight.

Anyway, so obviously a plane fault caused the delay, and Tiger's handling of the situation was, as usual, lacklustre and disappointing. However, I think any airline would not want to be caught in such a situation, because every delay means all sorts of additional costs incurred, and they'd want for more than anyone else, to have flights take off on time.

I personally have been involved in a Jetstar delay. Plane landed at Bangkok airport, passengers disembarked, boarding didn't happen for the longest time, pilot announced a hydraulic fault, repairs had to be carried out, not sure when it would be ready, then the entire crew left because it was past their legal working hours.

Passengers panicked, yelled at poor ground staff for answers, for which of course they didn't have. After an arduous wait, accommodation was arranged, passports had to be re-stamped for entry back into Bangkok. By the time the bus arrived at a ridiculous hotel, it was near 6am. It had been a 9-hour wait. 

As there was no news of the new departure timing, people kept hounding hotel receptionists. Finally we were told to gather at 2pm for a 4pm departure. Flight arrived back in Singapore around 8pm. 

Throughout the entire event, I only called the call centre to ask for transfers, but was told flights were full. Other one way flights were exorbitantly expensive, so I did not buy a new ticket. I wasn't in a hurry, and I knew I would be able to get home, just a matter of time.

Things NOT to do when a flight is delayed:

1. Get angry and yell at ground staff, because they are 'contractors' and 90% of the time they know as much as passengers do

2. Start panicking, make negative comments about the airline loudly, such as "I shouldn't have taken this stupid airline" - but you did

3. Insist you need to get home by the end of the day because someone is waiting for you to complete important matters - every affected passenger feels the same too

4. Create a nuisance by insisting to speak to an airline staff - budget airlines (most) do not have representative staff outside of their home ports, so don't bother

5. Contact call centre - they usually have no idea what's going on, other than official information

What you SHOULD do when a flight is delayed:

1. Keep your eyes opened and ears peeled for information, ask ground staff nicely if they know something that has not been broadcasted

2. If it's still early in the day, and you know there are other flights coming in, request for transfers immediately

3. If it is the last or 2nd last flight, request for information on accommodation options

4. Go big on social media - post on FB and twitter, tag airline's accounts and the media, seek help to RT posts asap, spam if need be

5. Request for drinks and meal vouchers politely

6. Call home and let family members know flight is delayed and you will keep them informed on new developements

Generally, all airlines have a delay recovery SOP, it's just the execution that sometimes falls wayward, and communication which breaks down somewhere somehow.

Also, most travel insurance policies cover flight delays, so you should be decently compensated should the situation happen, if you're covered