Budget airlines have transformed short-haul travel, making holidays abroad far more affordable. Traditionally low-cost, no-frills airlines have stuck to short flights of a few hours or less, but now more are launching into the long haul market.
Usually on a long haul flight you’d expect complementary onboard meals, an entertainment system and a comfortable seat even in economy. Scoot airlines which has recently launched out of Gatwick Airport has scrapped all that.
The airline – which is a offshoot of the more traditional Singapore Air – has removed all the frills, or made them paid-for extras. As a result, flights from Gatwick to Bangkok start from just £340.
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Some holiday airlines have started to trim off the perks in recent years, or charge for them as extras, and budget airlines have launched the occasional flight to the states. However it is still unusual to find low-cost budget airlines flying long haul out of the UK.
Which is why I was intrigued to fly on the inaugural flight direct from London Gatwick to Bangkok with Scoot airlines. A 12-hour flight which could cost as little as £190 one-way or £296 return.
Intrigue soon turned to apprehension, and after reading reviews online I realised that although Scoot airline is an offshoot of Singapore Airlines, the flight would be very different to most long haul carriers. Scoot is a low-cost, no-frills airline and needs preparation and forward planning to make it as pleasant as possible.
My first priority was food, onboard meals come at an extra cost (£9) and the menu was fairly limited to veggie curries or spicy meat and rice dishes, no matter what time of day it was, so I picked up a meal deal and a bag of sweets at duty free to tide me over. Scoot's website actually states that 'consumption of outside food & beverages is not allowed on board Scoot' but no one stopped me as I tucked into my sandwich.
My second priority was entertainment. Like the vast majority of low-cost airlines, Scoot has no in-built entertainment system. Passengers are advised to plan ahead and download films or TV shows and bring laptops or tablets instead.
With my tablet and meal deal in hand I boarded the plane - a Boeing 787 Dreamliner - and sized up the seat that was going to be my home for the next 12 hours. Although smaller than standard economy long haul seats, they aren’t that bad, and not as cramped as a typical Ryanair flight seat which is my usual go to within Europe.
After take-off I settled in to watch shows I had downloaded and realised that only around three quarters of the seats on the plane were full. I flagged down a member of the cabin crew, or ‘Scooties’ as the pre-take off tannoy had referred to them, and checked it was okay to move to an empty row.
With a full row of three to myself I managed to lie down and get a few hours sleep. The narrow make-shift bed was a million miles from the business-class fully reclining beds which influencers are increasingly sharing reels of on Instagram and Tik Tok, but I was grateful for the rest.
For an extra £44 each way you can upgrade to the 'scoot in silence' area which is similar to a quiet carriage on a train, crucially with no children under-12 allowed. Or you can upgrade to one of the 18 Scootplus seats at the front of the plane, where fares start from around £373 each way.
There’s still no entertainment system in Scootplus and only one (fairly bland) meal is included for the whole 12 hours, however the seats are more comfortable and spacious which definitely helps take the edge off such a long flight. Scootplus has built in charging points, which you have to pay extra for in economy seats. There is also an option to buy wifi onboard, but I wouldn’t bother as it didn't work well enough to even send an email on either flight I was on.
So the meals weren’t great, but is plane food ever that good? Yes the seats were a bit cramped, but no more so than on most economy flights. Was it worth it? Yes, completely.
Flying with Scoot made me realise the frills on a long haul flight are just nice-to-haves, and don’t make that much difference to the journey. With a bit of preparation and planning you can get through the flight and in turn save hundreds of pounds.
And the money you save will go a long, long way in Thailand, where luxury service is incredibly affordable. An hour after I got off the plane I was in a five star Hyatt Regency hotel in downtown Bangkok, complete with rooftop bar and pool, enjoying luxury service for around £110 per night. Worth every minute of the flight.
At the end of the day it's just a little bit of discomfort for 12 hours of your life, the same as most flights really, in exchange for what could be an affordable holiday of a lifetime.
How much are Scoot flights to Thailand?
Flights from London Gatwick to Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport cost from £340 with Scoot. With deals and special offers this can be even lower and there is currently availability for one-week trips starting from £295.
This is the price for the flight alone. Up to 20kg of baggage costs an extra £38 each way or baggage with a meal is an extra £47.
