SIA’s budget arm Scoot has announced that it is launching two new routes from Singapore to Indonesia next month, with twice weekly services to both Lombok and Yogyakarta kicking off from mid-October.
These former SilkAir routes were originally due to switch across to Scoot operation in May 2020, however border closures due to the COVID-19 pandemic has led to them only just being launched now, over two years later than planned.
These new Scoot flights will be the only non-stop options between Singapore and both Lombok and Yogyakarta, removing the necessity to transit in Jakarta or Bali to reach these destinations.
Lombok Schedule
Scoot will operate twice-weekly flights to Lombok every Wednesday and Saturday using Airbus A320 aircraft with the following schedule over the last two weeks of October 2022.
16th October 2022 – 26th October 2022
| Days | |||||||||
| M | T | W | T | F | S | S | |||
 |
TR258 A320 |
||||||||
| SIN 07:50 |
LOP 10:20 |
||||||||
|
TR259 A320 |
||||||||
| LOP 11:20 |
SIN 14:05 |
||||||||
From the start of the northern winter season in late October, these two services continue to operate on the same days but with slight timing changes.
30th October 2022 to 25th October 2023
| Days | |||||||||
| M | T | W | T | F | S | S | |||
|
TR258 A320 |
||||||||
| SIN 07:45 |
LOP 10:35 |
||||||||
|
TR259 A320 |
||||||||
| LOP 11:20 |
SIN 14:10 |
||||||||
The schedule gives you the option of a three-night or four-night trip to the island, if a week sounds a little too long.
Seat-only round-trip fares on the Singapore – Lombok route start at S$191, including for travel in October and November.
Lombok is one of our favourite Indonesian islands, a beautiful getaway with plenty of resorts and hotels, great beaches, waterfalls and scuba diving. It’s also your closest gateway to the Gili Islands, taking only half an hour by boat.
Prior to COVID-19, SilkAir served Lombok three times weekly using Airbus A319 and A320 aircraft.
Yogyakarta Schedule
Scoot will also fly twice-weekly flights to Yogyakarta from mid-October, every Monday and Sunday using Airbus A320 aircraft.
Unlike back in SilkAir days, these flights will use the new Yogyakarta International Airport, which opened in March 2020 replacing the Adisutjipto International Airport (JOG).
Here’s how the schedule looks during the last two weeks of October 2022.
15th October 2022 – 29th October 2022
| Days | |||||||||
| M | T | W | T | F | S | S | |||
|
TR212 A320 |
||||||||
| SIN 06:55 |
YIA 08:25 |
||||||||
|
TR213 A320 |
||||||||
| YIA 09:20 |
SIN 12:45 |
||||||||
As with the Lombok route, the timings change from the start of the northern winter season at the end of October, with the same operating days.
31st October 2022 to 25th October 2023
| Days | |||||||||
| M | T | W | T | F | S | S | |||
|
TR212 A320 |
||||||||
| SIN 08:20 |
YIA 09:40 |
||||||||
|
TR213 A320 |
||||||||
| YIA 10:25 |
SIN 13:50 |
||||||||
The schedule works well for two-night or five-night stays.
Though we’ve sadly never been ourselves, Yogyakarta is home to many heritage monuments, including the world’s largest Buddhist archaeological site – Borobudur temple.
Seat-only round-trip fares on Scoot’s Singapore – Yogyakarta route start at S$150.
Prior to COVID-19, SilkAir operated daily flights between Singapore and Yogyakarta using Boeing 737-800s, with Indonesia AirAsia also operating daily Airbus A320 services.
Scoot’s Indonesia flights
These new services will increase Scoot’s presence on Indonesia routes to 55 weekly flights in each direction:
- Bali: 21/wk
- Jakarta: 17/wk
- Lombok: 2/wk
- Manado: 3/wk
- Surabaya: 10/wk
- Yogyakarta: 2/wk
The airline has yet to announce a restart of three other Indonesia routes it inherited from SilkAir, between Singapore and Balikpapan, Makassar and Semarang.
Requirements when flying to Indonesia
Back in May this year, Indonesia scrapped pre-departure COVID-19 testing for fully vaccinated visitors, having also removed on-arrival testing the month before.
You must still be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 to visit Indonesia quarantine-free, which means you must have:
- a COVID-19 vaccination certificate (physical or digital) showing that you were fully vaccinated at least 14 days before departure.
The certificate must be issued in both English and the local language of the country where you were vaccinated, if different.
The vaccination requirement does not apply to passengers younger than 18 years, who are able to follow the entry requirements of their accompanying parents, guardians or travel companions.
Those aged 18 or over who are unable to be vaccinated for medical reasons are allowed to travel test-free and quarantine-free to Indonesia, but they must carry a supporting doctor’s certificate from the country of departure.
Since early April 2022, those holding one of nine ASEAN passports, including Singaporeans, no longer need a Visa on Arrival (VoA) to visit Indonesia, meaning a nice cash saving compared to the original reopening process, where this was a requirement.
Here are the approved ASEAN visa-free nationalities, for those arriving in Indonesia as tourists.
- Brunei
- Cambodia
- Laos
- Malaysia
- Myanmar
- Philippines
- Singapore
- Thailand
- Vietnam
Visa-free ASEAN tourist arrivals are limited to a 30 day stay in Indonesia, which cannot be extended.
Over the last few months, Indonesia has also restarted its Visa on Arrival (VoA) process at a cost of IDR 500,000 (~S$47). The list has most recently been expanded to those holding 86 nationalities.
If you hold one of the following nationalities (click to expand), based on your passport used to enter Indonesia, you will be able to obtain a VoA at the airport. Payment is by cash or credit card.
Indonesia VoA-eligible countries
|
This VoA is valid for 30 days, and can be extended once (for a maximum of 30 further days) by making an application to an immigration office once you are in Bali. You must extend your visa within the initial 30 days, to avoid an overstay fine.
You can also opt for a VoA as an ASEAN national, if you wish to have the flexibility of an extended stay, however the IDR 500,000 fee will be payable.
Flights from Singapore to Indonesia require mask-wearing on board, but since 1st September 2022 those flying in the Indonesia to Singapore direction have been mask-optional, for both SIA and Scoot passengers.
KrisFlyer: Earn but don’t burn
As you probably recall, you’ll earn some KrisFlyer miles based on the cash fare for your Scoot flight, which is always better than nothing.
On the redemption side, however, KrisFlyer works on a fixed value basis for offsetting Scoot cash fares at a terrible 0.95 Singapore cents per mile.
Our ‘golden rule’ when flying Scoot, therefore, is that you should be saving your precious KrisFlyer miles for their true value – a Singapore Airlines redemption – not a Scoot booking!
Summary
With most popular South East Asian destinations now served again from Singapore, it’s great to see some slightly more obscure travel options popping up featuring direct flights from Changi, with this upcoming addition of Lombok and Yogyakarta from Scoot.
Fares look competitive on these former SilkAir routes, especially when you compare with the (slightly crazy) rates for Bali and Jakarta flights over the coming weeks, so it may be worth considering something a little different for your next trip and checking out one of these destinations instead.
(Cover Photo: Changi Airport Group)
Looking forward to having more of our Singapore based customers visiting soon.
Ridiculous airlines
Waiting for flight Singapore – Makassar