Singapore Airlines’ new wide-body budget brand, Scoot, has touched down at Sydney Airport, bringing with it the prospect of a fare war on the Singapore-Sydney route.
The low-cost airline will fly to Singapore daily from Sydney and, from next week, will run five flights a week from the Gold Coast on its Boeing 777 aircraft fitted with business and economy cabins.
Scoot will also fly to Bangkok and Tianjin in China, followed by Tokyo and Taipei.
Scoot’s low fares are expected to challenge budget rival AirAsia X, which began flights between Sydney and Kuala Lumpur in April, and Qantas offshoot Jetstar.
Aviation analyst Ben Sandilands says Scoot is also threat to its parent, Singapore Airlines,
Sandilands, in his online Plane Talking blog, writes, "Right from the start, Scoot is by schedule, a clear threat to Singapore Airlines on the inaugural Sydney-Singapore route, and the consumer ought to ask what it is in economy travel that makes Singapore Airlines worth between $200-$500 more to fly the route than Scoot at similar times in daylight?"
By Ian Jarrett
