Scoot has wet-leased a Singapore Airlines aircraft for select flights to and from Sydney for the month of June.

Issue with engines

This is due to engine problems on Scoot's fleet of Boeing 787s.

The engine problems stem from the Rolls Royce Trent 1000 engines on the aircraft. Many other airlines have also been affected, including Norwegian Air and Virgin Atlantic.

The cause is due to the engine turbine blades wearing out sooner than expected, and more regular inspections are required for safety reasons.

Substitute

Many airlines have had to alter their schedules or lease other aircraft to keep their operations going. And Scoot has decided on the latter solution.

Passengers on Scoot flights TR2 Singapore to Sydney and TR3 Sydney to Singapore will find themselves aboard a Singapore Airlines Boeing 777-200 instead.

Scoot will be using a 16-year-old SIA 777-200ER, registration number 9V-SVJ, for the flights, which will impact around 15 return flights over the course of the month.

Scoot has had problems before with their 787s, and had to substitute them with SIA aircraft a year ago.

So SIA plane is better, no?

Most people will consider an equipment change from Scoot to Singapore Airlines a good thing, but is it really?

A Scoot passenger has shared a copy of the Scoot notice at the check-in counter that informs passengers about their change of aircraft.

It details exactly what passengers will not be receiving on the new flight:

Which, apparently, is quite a lot.

Here's the breakdown of the differences between flying on a normal Scoot aircraft and the leased aircraft used by SIA.

Seat

Most of the economy seats in an SIA 777-200ER are slightly more spacious than the Scoot Dreamliner 787, so that is a plus.

ScootBiz passengers will also be really happy, since the seats on the leased SIA aircraft are significantly better. While the regular ScootBiz seats merely recline at an angle, the SIA business class seats recline into a fully flat bed.

However, since this particular SIA plane does not have a premium economy section, it means that any Scoot passenger that paid for extra legroom seats are out of luck.

While they will be refunded for the additional cost of their seats, there are no comparable seats that they can be allocated to, so they will simply have to sit in economy class like everyone else.

Food and Drinks

All passengers will be provided a complimentary meal and drink, which is great.

However, there will be no alcohol provided on the flight.

Passengers will also not be given the choice to purchase additional food or drinks, unlike a regular Scoot flight where there is a wide variety of snacks and drinks for sale throughout the flight.

Since the flight is more than eight hours long, certain passengers may prefer having the option to purchase additional food during the flight, since one meal may not be sufficient.

In-flight entertainment

Scoot's aircraft do not have seatback in-flight entertainment (IFE) installed, offering ScootTv instead, a streaming application that allows passengers to stream content to their own devices for a fee.

On the other hand, all SIA planes have seatback IFE installed, complete with a wide variety of movies and TV shows.

As a result, it is natural that passengers on this flight will expect an improved flight experience, since they will be able to watch their favourite movies on the leased aircraft.

On a certain TR2 flight to Sydney, passengers were disappointed to find out that in-flight entertainment will, in fact, not be provided.

Since Scoot flights normally do not provide free entertainment, the seatback entertainment devices will in fact be turned off.

Also, there will be no option to purchase ScootTV either, since the leased aircraft is not equipped with the streaming capability.

In fact, as if to spite the passengers, the leased aircraft turns on the IFE system to show passengers the flight safety video, before promptly turning it off again.

Boo.

Showing the flight safety procedure is mandatory on all airlines in order to show passengers what to do in case of an emergency.

While the Scoot crew will usually do a manual safety presentation -- since the aircraft are not equipped with seatback screens -- SIA crew can often rely on the safety video to explain the evacuation procedures.

Thus, the IFE is likely turned on for this reason, and it does leave passengers' sore that they are turned off promptly after the safety video has been screened.

Also, WiFi and charging outlets are normally available for a fee on all Scoot flights, but neither will be available on the leased SIA aircraft.

The leased SIA plane does not have WiFi capabilities, and while it possesses charging ports, it will not be active as it will be switched off along with the IFE.

So what's the verdict?

Won the SIA lottery:

If you are simply a bare-bones economy passenger who had no intention in the first place of forking out for any of Scoot's extras, well done.

You have come out way ahead, since most of the features that passengers will be missing need to be paid for.

You do not miss the WiFi, Scoot's on-air streaming service, or the extra legroom, and you get away with a more spacious seat and a free meal to boot.

Life is good.

It's a wash:

On one hand, Scootbiz passengers have a huge upgrade in terms of their seat. There is no denying that their seat on the leased SIA plane is far more spacious and comfortable than the recliner seats on Scoot.

On the other hand, they are missing out on their choice of meal (remember, your meal choice is not guaranteed on these flights, unless you choose the vegetarian option), ScootTV (which is free for Scootbiz passengers), and charging outlets.

Scootbiz passengers are also entitled to an alcoholic beverage, which they will not receive since the SIA flight will not be stocked with alcohol.

Better off sticking with Scoot:

Passengers who actually want the Scoot add-ons will find themselves disappointed, since most of them will not be available on the leased aircraft.

There will be no WiFi, no boarding early and no extra legroom seats.

The lack of ScootTV and charging outlets also means that the flight is likely to be a dull one for many passengers.

Passengers who have already pre-purchased food may also be annoyed, since they will not be issued a refund, but every passenger gets a meal, regardless.

[related_story]

Don't be excited, read the fine print

Just because your low-cost flight was changed to one operated by a full-service carrier, does not necessarily mean you get all the goodies for free.

In fact, even if you are willing to pay for extra amenities, you may not be able to purchase them. Customers who are affected and have purchased amenities that will not be provided should seek a refund immediately.

At least the seats are better, so can't complain, right?

Top image via Singapore Airlines and Scoot