Scoot TR12 B787-9 Economy Review — Singapore to Sydney 2026
The outbound TR11 was a clean run. Hand luggage only, Scoot to Gate, row 40, no dramas. The return had more wrinkles.
Nothing went seriously wrong. But there were speed bumps — some self-inflicted, some structural to flying out of Singapore — and what I learned in the process is worth knowing before you book.
Flight: Scoot TR12 · SIN → SYD · B787-9 Dreamliner · Seats 44A & 44C
The context: why Scoot at all
The return fare was part of a $400 AUD return — Sydney to Singapore and back. That number keeps coming up because it keeps being relevant.
To put it in perspective: if you wanted to use Qantas frequent flyer points for a one-way on QF1, you’d pay $157 in taxes and fees alone. Go via a BA codeshare and that climbs past $200 — one way. The “free” Qantas redemption can cost more in taxes than the entire Scoot return.
Check-in
Online check-in the day before was seamless — Scoot had our details from the inbound journey and the whole process took five minutes. They tried to upsell everything again: eye masks, wifi, meal packages, an upgrade bid for ScootBiz. We declined everything. I did notice that ScootBiz wasn’t empty on the return. Someone was up there with their own food after paying for the privilege — which tells you something.
We had Scoot to Gate again, which meant no bag drop queue and no counter visit. Just a boarding pass on the phone and straight through to the terminal.
Singapore immigration: the trap nobody warns you about
Sydney departures are straightforward — scan your passport, done. Singapore is different. At Changi you need to scan both your boarding pass and your passport at the automated gates. We had both boarding passes on one phone.
The gates rejected us. We ended up in the manual processing lane with families — the one lane where multiple people can go through a single gate. It worked out, but it cost time and mild embarrassment.
The terminal shuffle
Our flight departed from Terminal 1. We went to Terminal 3 first — the bus stopped there, and more importantly, that’s where the SATS Premier Lounge is, Changi makes this easy. Moving between terminals is well signed, the free shuttle runs constantly, and checking in at a different terminal from your departure gate isn’t the problem it would be at most other airports. Try doing that at Heathrow.
We spent 90 minutes in the lounge carb loading and mentally preparing ourselves for eight hours of buy-on-board. Boarding was at 9am, so we gave ourselves 20 minutes to get to the gate — caught the free terminal shuttle and arrived with time to spare. The gate was 37, which appeared to be at the absolute end of the terminal. Pack comfortable shoes.
✓ Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf in Terminal 3 is post-security and sells sandwiches and snacks you can take on board.
✕ Yoghurt tubs over 100ml will be confiscated at the gate bag check. We watched it happen. The passenger was heading to ScootBiz and still bringing her own food. That’s a data point.
The boarding queue
This is where Singapore departs from Sydney most dramatically. Changi conducts luggage checks at the gate before boarding — a full security screen of carry-on bags after you’ve already cleared the main terminal security. The result is that boarding starts while only half the passengers have made it through the check, creating a queue that took 20 minutes to clear.
The man in front of us had a first-boarding ticket and was not pleased. He blamed the Australian Government. I gently suggested this process applies to all outbound flights from Singapore regardless of destination, and wondered if this was his first international trip.
The water stations in the holding area deserve a mention. Changi provides hot and cold water dispensers before the gate — a thoughtful touch. The queue for water was longer than the queue to board the plane. We filled our bottles and chose cold over hot. We had decided not to BYO dried noodles.
The walk of shame
In the confusion of late boarding, overhead bin hunger games, and general gate chaos, I left one of my hand luggage bags in the holding area next to the water dispensers.
You cannot go back out to retrieve it. The onboard Scootees cannot go out to get it. Ground staff have to locate it, identify it, and bring it through. With no luggage tag on the bag, I was asked to walk the entire length of the boarding aisle — past every seated passenger — to identify it, and then return with it. Row 44. Full plane. Everyone watching.
The Scootees were excellent about it. Calm, efficient, completely non-judgmental. I was in mild annoyance at myself. They sorted it.
The Scootees
The crew — called Scootees, which I continue to respect — managed the overhead bins with genuine efficiency, making sure everyone got space and small bags went underfoot. Unlike most premium airlines, Scootees actually lift bags into the overhead bins. A small thing that lands differently when you’re watching it happen on a full flight.
The luggage limit is 10kg but there was no weighing. Size is the real constraint — a bag full of dirty laundry struggles to hit 10kg. It’s the laptops, chargers, and power banks that get you close. Speaking of which: Scoot runs continuous announcements about batteries — don’t charge while airborne, don’t put batteries in overhead bins. The announcements are in English only. On a flight carrying passengers from across Southeast Asia, the reliance on English-only compliance is an accident waiting to happen. Nothing went wrong on our flight. But it’s worth noting.
The seat — row 44
On the B787-9 the configuration differs from the outbound B787-8. On this aircraft, only row 44 had the 2-seat window configuration — row 40 didn’t offer the same layout. Check to make sure the seat has not been booked before paying for your ticket.
We chose 44A and 44C. I had marginally more knee room than on the outbound — one or two centimetres, but on an eight hour flight that registers. Nobody was sitting behind us, so we had seats reclined for the entire trip. The gap beside us did everything it did on the way over: bags, hats, snacks, spare layers, general life admin.
No vomit bags in either seat pocket. Not that we needed them — we’d earmarked them for excess rubbish. Whether this was a cost saving or the result of turbulence from the incoming flight, we couldn’t determine.
Julie noted one underappreciated benefit of no seatback screens: no underseat entertainment console. That’s genuine extra legroom that premium airlines quietly reclaim with their hardware.
The thunderstorm
The plane boarded on time. Singapore had other ideas. A significant thunderstorm was passing through and we sat on the ground while it cleared. Once we pushed back and climbed into the weather, row 44 at the back of a B787-9 became a rollercoaster. I put away the laptop, closed my eyes, and listened to Down Under by King Stingray.
Having flown Qantas long-haul before I know how much a plane can absorb. If you love a rollercoaster you’ll love it. If you don’t, it passes. The structural downside to the rear seats is that you feel turbulence more than mid-cabin. Factor that in if rough air is a concern.
Food, water and the onboard economy
Water is SGD 3 on board. Juice SGD 3. Both for SGD 5. Cashews and macadamias SGD 5. Cup of noodles SGD 6. Pringles SGD 4. This is the full Scoot economy.
We had our own snacks — fresh and dried fruit, granola bars, cut fruit. I’m confident our snacks cost more than the Scoot menu. But they don’t sell fresh apples at 35,000 feet. Check your fridge before you leave for the airport. I did not check mine. The cut fruit I bought are still in Singapore.
One unintended environmental upside of the Scoot approach: essentially zero food waste. Everything pre-ordered is accounted for, everything else has a long shelf life. Compare that to the trays of untouched food on full-service flights and it’s quietly admirable.
On this trip I abstained from alcohol entirely. On a daytime return flight after a week away, arriving home without a first-class hangover is its own reward.
Disembarkation and arrival
Last off the plane. This is the known trade-off with the rear seats and it remains true. On this occasion it didn’t sting — hand luggage only means once you’re off, you’re moving. Sydney’s arrival processing has improved significantly: passport kiosks, face scan, through. Fast, orderly, no drama. Better than most European airports at the moment.
One formality worth knowing: Australian Border Force hands out paper arrival cards before landing. It’s an archaic system but it works. We borrowed a pen from the crew rather than rummaging through our bag in the overhead bin. Better still, bring your own and keep it accessible.
KrisFlyer points
Yes, you earn KrisFlyer miles on Scoot if your KrisFlyer number is attached to the booking. We earned approximately 80 miles each way. For context: the same Sydney–Singapore route on Singapore Airlines a month earlier earned around 1,956 miles. The Scoot rate is genuinely paltry. But the Silver status meant free seat selection and theoretical priority boarding — the boarding pass didn’t reflect the status tier, but the seat selection saving was real.
If you’re building toward a KrisFlyer redemption, Scoot miles are better than nothing. Just don’t do the maths too carefully.
The verdict
The outbound was clean. The return had more friction — Singapore’s gate bag checks, the immigration two-phone trap, my own abandoned luggage. None of it was Scoot’s fault, and none of it would stop us booking again.
The formula holds: hand luggage only, right seats, filled water bottle, your own snacks, downloaded content. The return adds one item — boarding passes on two separate phones before you reach Changi immigration.
We have green-lighted Scoot. Once they offer connecting daytime flights to Europe, we’re all in.
What you give up vs full service
| What you don’t get | Does it matter? |
|---|---|
| Free food and drink | No — bring your own |
| Seatback screens | No — download before you board. Bonus: no underseat console stealing your legroom |
| Hot towels | No |
| Free alcohol | Barely — abstaining is underrated |
| Moving map | Mildly — you lose track of where you are |
| Toothbrushes in the bathroom | No |
| Vomit bags | Useful for rubbish. Missed. |
Rating — TR12 SIN to SYD
| Seat comfort | ⭐⭐⭐ |
| Food & drink | ⭐⭐ (bring your own) |
| Crew | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ |
| Value for money | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ |
| Punctuality | ⭐⭐⭐ (thunderstorm) |
| Boarding experience | ⭐⭐ (Singapore gate checks) |
Frequently Asked Questions
No — TR11 (Sydney to Singapore) uses a B787-8. TR12 (Singapore to Sydney) uses the slightly longer B787-9. The seat configurations differ, so don’t assume the same row numbers apply on both aircraft. Check SeatGuru before you book.
Row 44 on the window side. On the B787-9 this is where the 3-to-2 seat configuration applies — the seat beside you disappears, giving you private space for the flight. You also board early and have nobody behind you if the flight isn’t full.
Yes — the rear of the aircraft moves more than mid-cabin during rough air. We hit a significant thunderstorm departing Singapore. If turbulence bothers you, consider mid-cabin rows instead.
Singapore’s automated departure gates require both your boarding pass and passport to be scanned simultaneously. If both boarding passes are on one phone you can only scan one document at a time — the gate rejects the incomplete scan. Have boarding passes on two separate phones before you reach immigration.
Yes — and it’s worth doing. The free terminal shuttle runs constantly and moving between terminals is straightforward. We checked in at Terminal 3 for the Plaza Premium Lounge and departed from Terminal 1 without any issues. Try doing that at Heathrow.
All outbound flights from Changi go through a secondary luggage screen at the gate before boarding — separate from the main terminal security check and applies regardless of destination. It significantly slows boarding. Arrive at the gate earlier than you would at Sydney, fill your water bottle before the holding area, and have your boarding pass ready on its own device.
You cannot go back out to retrieve it, and onboard crew cannot collect it either. Ground staff have to locate the bag and bring it through. If there’s no luggage tag you’ll be asked to identify it in person — which means walking the full length of the aisle in front of every seated passenger. Put a tag on your hand luggage.
Yes — attach your KrisFlyer number to the booking. The earn rate is low (approximately 80 miles Sydney–Singapore) compared to full Singapore Airlines flights (around 1,956 miles for the same route). Silver status gives you free seat selection and theoretical priority boarding. Worth having even if the mileage earn is modest.
The Scoot return fare was $400 AUD cash for both directions. A one-way on QF1 using Qantas points costs $157 in taxes and fees alone — before a single point is spent. Via a BA codeshare that figure climbs past $200 one way. The Scoot cash return is less than the taxes on a single “free” Qantas redemption.
ScootBiz wasn’t empty on our return. We spotted one passenger up there with her own food after losing a yoghurt tub to the 100ml security rule at the gate check. Make of that what you will. On a daytime flight in row 44, we didn’t miss business class.
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