Back in February 2023, Scoot announced that it would be taking delivery of nine new Embraer E190-E2 aircraft, which allow it to serve thinner routes to non-metro destinations.Â
These 112-seater aircraft have since arrived in the fleet, and we’re already seeing the effects. Having announced new services to Koh Samui, Sibu and Subang, as well as increased frequencies to Krabi, Hat Yai, Kuantan and Miri, Scoot has now announced two new destinations: Kertajati in Indonesia, and Malacca in Malaysia.
This is made possible by the delivery of its third and fourth Embraer E190-E2 aircraft, named Jalan-Jalan and Travel Kaki (or 9V-THC and 9V-THD for you nerds out there), with estimated delivery dates in September and October 2024.Â
Scoot, the low-cost subsidiary of Singapore Airlines (SIA), announced today that it will receive its third and fourth Embraer E190-E2 aircraft in Singapore in September and October 2024. The third aircraft is named Jalan-Jalan, while the fourth aircraft is named Travel Kaki.
With the addition of the new aircraft, Scoot will launch flight services to two new Southeast Asian destinations, namely, Kertajati (Greater Bandung) in Indonesia and Malacca in Malaysia. Flights to Kertajati will commence on 28 September 2024, at twice-weekly frequency, while Malacca will be served five-times weekly from 23 October 2024.
-Scoot
Scoot launching flights to Kertajati and Malacca
From 28 September 2024, Scoot will operate 2x weekly flights between Singapore Changi Airport and Kertajati, according to the following schedule.
In addition to this, Scoot will also commence 5x weekly services to Malacca from 23 October 2024.
As a reminder, Scoot has already announced services to Subang International Airport, just 28km from Kuala Lumpur. These will commence from 1 September 2024, and provide travellers with an option that’s much closer to downtown KL than KLIA.Â
Together with the destinations served by Scoot’s existing fleet, Scoot will operate 78 weekly flights to Indonesia and 115 weekly flights to Malaysia by October 2024.
Flights have already been loaded for sale on the Scoot website, with one-way Economy Class fares starting from S$92 to Kertajati, and S$69 to Malacca. You can find even cheaper flights from Malacca to Singapore, thanks to the lower airport taxes. The cheapest I’ve found starts at just S$21!
Additional E190-E2 routes
Besides Kertajati and Malacca, Scoot has also announced that it will deploy the E190-E2 on existing services, including:
- Pekanbaru, Balikpapan and Makassar from October 2024
- Davao from November 2024Â
- Vientiane from December 2024
Scoot’s overall network will expand to 72 destinations, providing more direct flights for travellers to non-metro cities across Southeast Asia (not to mention connecting possibilities for SIA’s long-haul passengers from Australia, Europe and North America).
What is the onboard experience like?
Scoot has signed an agreement to lease nine Embraer E190-E2 jets from Azorra Aviation, the first of which arrived in April 2024. This single-aisled jet will is the smallest in the Scoot fleet, with just 112 seats in total.Â
| Aircraft | Capacity |
| Boeing 787-9 | 375 |
| Boeing 787-8 | 329/335 |
| Airbus A321neo | 236 |
| Airbus A320neo | 186 |
| Airbus A320 | 180 |
| Embraer E190-E2 | 112 |
But small need not mean cramped. The plus side is that seats on the E190 will be configured in a 2-2 layout, which means no dreaded middle seat; an ideal setup for couples.
Like all of Scoot’s narrowbody aircraft, the E190 will have two lavatories in total, and its smaller capacity will give it the best lavatory to passenger ratio in the fleet, for what it’s worth.
Overhead bin space is understandably snug, though standard-sized carry-ons will still fit.Â
Embraer says the E190-E2 has the lowest level of external noise in the single-aisle jet category, which should mean a quieter ride for passengers as well.Â
For a review of the inflight experience, check out this YouTube video.
Can you redeem miles for these flights?
 |
 |
| 1,050 miles | S$10 |
KrisFlyer miles can be redeemed for Scoot flights, but only at a fixed rate of 1,050 miles=S$10. This makes it relatively poor value, at least compared to an award flight redemption.Â
Therefore, I reckon you’d be better off looking for cheap budget airline fares to these destinations, though you don’t really have an alternative on the Malacca route!
Conclusion
Scoot will be launching new services to Malacca and Kertajati later this year with the arrival of its third and fourth Embraer E-190 E2 aircraft, with additional services to other Southeast Asian destinations like Davao and Vientiane.
Having an air link to Malacca is quite the novelty indeed, and at 55 minutes I believe it’ll be the shortest flight you can take from Singapore!Â
wish there could be direct flights to Phú Quốc soon…
Does anyone know why these E190-E2 flight timings are so odd? I’ve been looking at the flights to Kertajati, Kuantan and Sibu, and they are either early-morning 5am flights or evening flights (e.g. Kuantan). This seems slightly strange when I assume it is mainly tourists travelling to these places, who would like to align their arrival time with hotel checkin/checkout. Wondering if there is an operational reason why these E190-E2s tend to go to touristy places but not at convenient timings.
Could be that either airport not giving them the slots with the better timing?
Subang will be operated by A320 so it’s not dependent on the E190, that said its availability allows some flex in the A320s
You need to arrive probably 2 hours before flight + 45 min flight (assume no delay) + 45 min to clear immigration/custom + 1 hour go to downtown Melaka.
Maybe bus will arrive earlier if u take the same departing time (05.00)
From a direct connection standpoint, the Malacca flights are pointless. City center to city center, a bus will get you there faster and cheaper.
Perhaps Scoot is trying to capture the Malacca market travelling further afield? I don’t think that’s sustainable with the more nimble and wider networked AirAsia just a 2 hour bus ride away.
I see them abandoning this route within a year.
I assume local SG pax are not their intended target audience but rather SQ pax from a far like Australia or Japan or US. Now SQ can offer a ticket from Sydney to Malacca or JFK to Malacca on a single ticket.
Early timing may match inbound long haul flights too. 5am flights will not catch the attention of locals when it’s a 2.5 hr drive / bus ride
Scoot is probably heavily incentivise by Malacca airport to fly there as there is no flight from the airport currently. No even domestic flight.