Scoot TR866 used to serve the Singapore – Osaka-Kansai via Bangkok-Don Mueang route, departing in the morning, which got truncated some time last year, with NokScoot taking over the Bangkok-Don Mueang – Osaka-Kansai route. Now, Scoot flies the remaining Singapore – Bangkok-Don Mueang portion using the same flight number, with a different evening schedule departing at 8.35pm which is more convenient for me.
As I was at Jewel beforehand, I decided to go check out the Jewel Early Check-in Lounge. The Jewel Early Check-in lounge is located on Level 1 of Jewel.
The FAST Check-in Kiosks at Jewel Early Check-in Lounge.
Heading to an empty kiosk to re-print my boarding pass.
Unlike the main terminals where each FAST Check-in Kiosk assign the airline according to check-in rows, the ones here at Jewel Early Check-in Lounge allows for all participating airlines to use the system. (If the participating airline is not stated on the FAST Check-in Kiosk, use the traditional check-in counters on the left.)
For Scoot, Jewel Early Check-in is available from 18 hours to 3 hours before your flight’s departure. Even though I had way less than 3 hours till my flight, I tried to click “Yes” anyway since I had no check-in bags…
… and it worked.
The travel declaration for passengers who have been to Mainland China, Hong Kong or Macau in the last 14 days.
Once I clicked all my corresponding travel details, my booking popped up.
Seats can’t be changed on the FAST Check-in Kiosk, you have to go to Scoot’s check-in row and payment counter in Terminal 1 to buy and pay for your new seat if you would like to change your seat.
Printing out my boarding pass.
My boarding pass for my Scoot TR866 from Singapore to Bangkok Don Mueang. I’m departing from Gate C2 – how sad.
Heading into Terminal 1 from Jewel at the arrivals level.
Heading up the travellator to the departures level.
This is why Gate C2 is a bad sign.
As I cleared immigration just in time for my flight, I headed straight to the gate. You can probably only do this in Singapore with no worries on immigration queues and a long walk to the gate.
Instead of turning right at the C gates junction as usual, Gates C1, C2 and C3 are on the left on the path to Terminal 3.
Unfortunately, there are no further changes to my gate, so I’m stuck with a bus ride.
Gates C1, C2 and C3 share the security lanes. Gate C1 is a contact gate, while Gates C2 and C3 are bus gates downstairs.
Yup, my flight was departing from Gate C2.
Heading down the escalator to the “bus interchange” after security clearance.
Signs point to Gates C2 and C3 towards the left at the end of the escalator.
The gate hold room of Bus Gates C2 and C3.
There are toilets in Bus Gates C2 and C3, which the regular gate hold rooms do not feature.
Water refilling stations are provided too as usual.
Boarding pass checks for boarding by bus seemed to be a lot slower than boarding at the regular gates with aerobridges. Not sure if it’s this gate’s problem or bus gates in Terminal 1 as a whole.
No pictures of the boarding process and in the bus as the area is heavily secured by police.
I sat in the bus for about 20 minutes before driving off at almost the departure time.
Heading out to the South Apron.
For reference, this is near the PIE/ECP junction, which means I’ve toured almost the whole Changi Airport already.
Arrived at my plane finally after a 20-minute drive. 9V-OJI “Ojisan” will be flying me to Bangkok-Don Mueang today.
Definitely not going to meet the departure time now.
Heading up the stairs to the plane.
Only the front door before the ScootPlus is used for boarding.
Walking through the ScootPlus cabin.
Walking through the ScootinSilence cabin.
Scoot assigns check-in seats from the rear of the aircraft if you do not purchase your seat in advance. As I had checked in online early, I was seated right at the end of the aircraft.
However, the seat map which appeared during my online check-in was a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, so I’d assumed I was in the second-last row of the aircraft in the middle. As the steward asked me for my seat number and escorted me to my seat a la Singapore Airlines, which was absolutely impressive, I was surprised that it wasn’t the last row, but the aircraft type got switched up to a bigger Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner.
The legroom available on Scoot’s Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner which is impressive for a low-cost airline.
The view of the aircraft from my seat.
More waiting here as everyone had to wait for the third and final bus with the remaining passengers.
The new button guards on the armrest so that you don’t set off the Scoot light-and-sound show during boarding. If you had flown on Scoot’s 787 before this, you’d know what I mean.
To entertain myself on this flight, I brought along my pack of earphones picked up from a previous Singapore Airlines flight for a fake SQ experience with Scoot.
Once the third bus and everyone had arrived, the cabin lights were changed to blue to prepare for the safety demonstration.
I was glad to have the two seats beside me left empty on this crowded flight.
The flight took off at 9.19pm – 44 minutes delayed from schedule thanks to the long and slow bussing from Terminal 1 to South Apron (where PIE is).
Once the seat belt signs were switched off, I moved to the middle seat so that I can recline without anyone behind me. The cabin lights changed to a nice peachy shade of pink and yellow.
Thailand immigration forms were handed out by the crew just after the seat belt signs were switched off.
My IFE for this flight made with a phone holder pen and SQ headphones. Thanks SQ for providing quality headphones to take off the plane.
The front cabin didn’t seem as full as the rear cabin.
The interior of the clean toilet on board Scoot’s Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner.
A hand sanitizer is also available in the toilet.
The flight touched down at 10.17pm – 12 minutes delayed from schedule.
Disembarking from the aircraft.
Heading up the aerobridge thankfully.
Heading up the pier to arrival immigration.
Here, everyone is not allowed to use the travellator and channeled into a single file for temperature screening.
Once done, it’s the famous Don Mueang immigration queues as per normal.
Heading out past the baggage reclaim area since I have no check-in bags.
Back in the public area and back in Bangkok. From here, I headed to catch the Don Mueang Airport Bus Service A1 to Chatuchak Park MRT Station.
Overall, another pleasant flight with Scoot especially with the unintentional flatbed or 3-times super wide seat I had for this 2 hour flight, though I really don’t like bussing around Changi Airport as it almost always ends up with a delayed flight. I really don’t understand why Changi can’t get their limited bus gate departures right when other airports around the region which do it frequently like Bangkok Suvarnabhumi and Jakarta Soekarno-Hatta can do theirs all so often every hour or so without a hitch.