Scoot, the low-cost subsidiary of Singapore Airlines, has announced the launch of non-stop services to a brand new destination from December this year, with flights to and from the Vietnamese island of Phu Quoc in the Gulf of Thailand.

This is the second time in recent years non-stop flights between Changi and Phu Quoc have been promised, with Vietnam Airlines first announcing a non-stop service back in June 2022, though those sadly never materialised.

That’s meant a transit in Ho Chi Minh or Kuala Lumpur has continued to be the quickest way to reach Phu Quoc from Singapore, though the shortest journeys with a protected connection currently take around five to six hours.

The schedule

Scoot will launch service between Singapore and Phu Quoc with a one-time inaugural flight on Friday 20th December 2024, which has a unique timing, presumably designed to cater for launch celebrations.

Singapore ⇄ Phu Quoc
Inaugural Service
(20 Dec 2024 only)

			Days
			M	T	W	T	F	S	S
	TR340 E190-E2
SIN 15:50		PQC 16:35
	TR341 E190-E2
PQC 17:10		SIN 20:05

Seats are still available on the inaugural flight for S$135 one-way from Singapore to Phu Quoc and for VND 2,659,016 (around S$140) at the time of writing.

Regular service then commences from Sunday 22nd December 2024, three times per week on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays,

Singapore ⇄ Phu Quoc
22nd December 2024 – 24th January 2025

			Days
			M	T	W	T	F	S	S
	TR340 E190-E2
SIN 12:35		PQC 13:20
	TR341 E190-E2
PQC 13:55		SIN 16:50

Note: On Sunday 29th December 2024, this service operates with a later timing.

From late January 2025, two additional weekly services will bring the route to five times weekly operation in total, with only Tuesdays and Thursdays not seeing a flight.

Singapore ⇄ Phu Quoc
25th January 2025 – 8th February 2025

			Days
			M	T	W	T	F	S	S
	TR340 E190-E2
SIN 12:35		PQC 13:20
	TR324 E190-E2
SIN 14:55		PQC 15:40
	TR324 E190-E2
SIN 16:45		PQC 17:30
	TR341 E190-E2
PQC 13:55		SIN 16:50
	TR325 E190-E2
PQC 16:35		SIN 19:30
	TR325 E190-E2
PQC 18:05		SIN 21:00

Singapore ⇄ Phu Quoc
9th February 2025 – 30th March 2025

			Days
			M	T	W	T	F	S	S
	TR340 E190-E2
SIN 12:35		PQC 13:20
	TR324 E190-E2
SIN 14:55		PQC 15:40
	TR324 E190-E2
SIN 16:45		PQC 17:30
	TR340 E190-E2
SIN 21:45		PQC 22:30
	TR341 E190-E2
PQC 13:55		SIN 16:50
	TR325 E190-E2
PQC 16:35		SIN 19:30
	TR325 E190-E2
PQC 18:05		SIN 21:00
	TR341 E190-E2
PQC 23:05		SIN 02:00*

* Next day

For the northern summer season from late March 2025, there are additional timing changes for the route, with Wednesday and Friday flights operating later in the day, compared to the winter season.

Singapore ⇄ Phu Quoc
31st March 2025 – 25th October 2025

			Days
			M	T	W	T	F	S	S
	TR324 E190-E2
SIN 15:55		PQC 16:40
	TR324 E190-E2
SIN 16:45		PQC 17:30
	TR340 E190-E2
SIN 21:45		PQC 22:30
	TR325 E190-E2
PQC 17:35		SIN 20:30
	TR325 E190-E2
PQC 18:05		SIN 21:00
	TR341 E190-E2
PQC 23:05		SIN 02:00*

* Next day

Phu Quoc

Phu Quoc island was seeing a big rise in tourism arrivals pre-COVID, with Vietnam aiming to market the destination as the country’s alternative to Bali or Phuket.

Direct flights to Phu Quoc International Airport were even available from as far afield as Europe, Russia and South Korea, but Singapore has been lacking a non-stop link for over eight years.

Vietnam Airlines did propose a non-stop service back in June 2022, but it sadly never materialised, leaving a transit in Ho Chi Minh or Kuala Lumpur as the simplest way to reach Phu Quoc from Singapore.

While that may sound relatively simply, the shortest journeys with a protected connection take around five to six hours.

Phu Quoc offers a variety of hotel options ranging from budget accommodation and guest houses right through to five-star resorts like the newly-opened Regent resort, the JW Marriott and the InterContinental.

Scoot’s Embraer E190-E2s

Scoot was the first Asian carrier to introduce the Embraer E190-E2 aircraft into its fleet earlier this year, and this new Phu Quoc route will be a fresh addition to the type’s roster.

Here’s how the four-strong fleet currently looks, with five more aircraft due for delivery in 2025.

Scoot E190-E2 fleet

Registration	Name	Service Entry
9V-THA	Explorer 3.0	7 May 2024
9V-THB	Small Yella Fella	9 May 2024
9V-THC	Jalan-Jalan	9 Oct 2024
9V-THD	Travel Kaki	24 Oct 2024
9V-THE	TBC	2025
9V-THF	TBC	2025
9V-THG	TBC	2025
9V-THH	TBC	2025
9V-THI	TBC	2025

Scoot has configured the E190-E2 with 112 seats in a single-class (Economy) 2-2 configuration, ideal for what the airline calls “thinner routes to non-metro destinations”.

Naturally, that makes it the smallest member of the airline’s fleet.

Scoot aircraft by seating capacity
(highest to lowest)

Aircraft	Total Seats
Boeing 787-9	375
Boeing 787-8	335
Boeing 787-8 (Bunk)	329
Airbus A321neo	236
Airbus A320neo	186
Airbus A320	180
Embraer E190-E2	112

Seat pitch is around 29 inches, with width of around 18 inches. That’s quite comparable to those fitted on board the airline’s Airbus A320neo aircraft, though the big selling point for the regional jet is the 2-2 layout, giving all passengers either a window or aisle seat.

Here’s how the seat map looks.

Rows 1 and 11 are the extra legroom seats, which Scoot calls ‘Stretch’, with around 34″ of pitch, in common with the same seats on the carrier’s A320s and 787s.

Note that while Rows 2 to 4 are advertised as ‘Front’ seats, they don’t have any extra legroom, they’ll just help you disembark first.

Here’s how the one-way seat selection is priced for the Singapore – Phu Quoc route:

• ‘Stretch’ (Row 1): S$27
• ‘Stretch’ (Row 11): S$24
• ‘Front’ (Rows 2-4): S$13
• Rows 5-9: S$10
• Row 10: S$8 (no recline)
• Rows 12-17: S$7
• Rows 18-28: S$6 (no recline in Row 28)

Do be aware that Scoot has flagged Row 10 and Row 28 as non-reclining seats.

The aircraft are part of a total order for nine E190-E2s from US-based lessor Azzora, with all aircraft due to be delivered by the end of 2025.

The 2-2 layout is particularly ideal for couples, with no dreaded “middle seat” in play, and even for solo travellers there’s a maximum of one seat to climb over to reach the aisle, or one stranger in a window seat needing to get past you if you’re at the aisle position.

One toilet at the front and one at the rear of the cabin gives passengers a seat-to-toilet ratio of 56:1, the best of any Scoot aircraft in Economy Class.

Scoot Economy Class seat-to-toilet ratio
(worst to best)

Aircraft	Seat-to-toilet ratio
Boeing 787-9	68:1
Boeing 787-8	63:1
Boeing 787-8 (Bunk)	62:1
Airbus A320neo	62:1
Airbus A320	60:1
Airbus A321neo	59:1
Embraer E190-E2	56:1

Source: Scoot / aeroLOPA

Fares

Scoot’s introductory one-way fares from Singapore to Phu Quoc start at S$135.

In the return direction the lowest pricing we’ve seen is VND 2,659,016 (around S$140).

Obviously higher fares apply during peak periods, especially over Chinese New Year, where Scoot expects better demand on the route.

Flights are loaded for sale via the Scoot website right through to the end of the airline’s bookable schedule a year from now – in October 2025.

More E190 destinations

Scoot has also announced today that its E190-E2s will serve Padang in Indonesia from 20th December 2024.

Flights will operate four times weekly, as the airline has outlined here.

SilkAir previously operated between Singapore and Padang, but those services ceased in 2006. Tiger Airways took over flights, but those eventually also ceased in October 2009.

Here’s how the Scoot E190’s roster looks for the rest of the year, and into early 2025.

As you can see, there are also frequency increases in store for Koh Samui, Davao and Vientiane.

Earn but don’t burn miles on Scoot

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!

It means Scoot won’t offer a good KrisFlyer miles redemption option on its Phu Quoc route, or any of the other new E190 services, because awards on the low-cost carrier are revenue-based, and terrible value.

Scoot is expanding its Embraer E190 flight schedule towards the end of this year, including two new non-stop route from Changi Airport – Phu Quoc in Vietnam and Padang in Indonesia.

Many of our readers will be interested in the Phu Quoc route, which first had non-stop flights promised by Vietnam Airlines in 2022, though these sadly never went ahead. The island hasn’t been directly linked to Singapore since 2016.

The island is an up-and-coming beach destination for tourists, and already boasts many five-star resorts, so Scoot’s non-stop flights are a definite plus compared to making a transit stop in Ho Chi Minh or Kuala Lumpur in both directions.

(Cover Photo: Shutterstock)