Singapore Airlines (SIA) has formally launched its new medium- and long-haul low-cost division, selecting the name Scoot for the operation, as had been previously rumoured. The expansion into the budget sector is a clear sign that SIA is beginning to feel the pressure from growing low-cost competition at its Singapore Changi Airport base.
“We chose the name ‘Scoot’ for many reasons, not least because it‘s different. Rather than the tried and tired ‘airlines’ this, ‘airways’ that or ‘air’ yawn, it’s short, sharp and snappy. It stands out. It’s geographically independent, and can be a verb or a noun. Besides difference, it conveys spontaneity, movement, informality and a touch of quirkiness - all attributes we intend this Company to be known for,” said Campbell Wilson, Chief Executive Officer, Scoot.
There has been a mixed reaction to the branding… some like it, others not, although it has certainly secured a lot of publicity for the carrier at its launch. It is clearly not your usual airline name, but as Scoot acknowledges, the company it identifies won’t be your usual airline.
“These attributes will be personified in a unique spirit that encapsulates our values and style, and that should be apparent to guests whenever they interact with us. An airline with a different attitude. People with a different attitude. Scootitude,” explained Campbell Wilson.
The start-up will launch operations in mid-2012 with a fleet of four Boeing 777-200s “purchased” from SIA. It will offer a two–class, no frills service on medium- and long-haul routes from Singapore Changi, offering fares around 40 per cent lower than legacy carriers. Like the traditional budget model, there will be frills and passengers will be able to organise their travel to suit their personal requirements, such as meals, prefewrred seats, baggage etc, but these will come at an additional cost.
The airline is currently working with the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore for its Air Operator’s Certificate (AOC), and anticipates receiving this during the first quarter of 2012. Engineering retrofit and certification of its aircraft will take place between April and June, and the first commercial flights are targeted for the middle of the year.
Now formal network plans have yet been divulged, but Scoot says its initial destinations will include Australasia, China and others and that some routes will be completely new, others new to no-frills airline operations. According to the airline, the specific cities will be “progressively announced over the coming months as negotiations with airports and tourism bodies progress,” although bookings will not open until licences are secured next year.
Scoot will not just be limited to the Asian region though and as additional aircraft arrive and longer-range jets join the fleet the airline’s geographical footprint will expand to encompass India, Europe and other markets at a later stage such as Africa and the Middle East, according to company executives.
The airline’s eye-catching corporate branding was developed by full service creative communications agency Sparkfury Creative Consultants and its sister interactive agency, Tangoshark, following a competitive tender. The eight-year-old Singapore firm impressed Scoot’s evaluation panel with a proposal that conveyed the upbeat, fun, leisure-oriented and slightly quirky approach the Airline will take.
According to Scoot, their light, bright logo “conveys warmth, energy and informality,” while the tilted ‘t’ of the name Scoot hints that this Airline is “not cut from the same conformist mould of others”. Space remains for a tagline, which Sccot says will be selected with public involvement in the months to come. The aircraft livery, with its waves and colour, likewise gives “a sense of motion, happiness, lightheartedness and youth, reflecting a casual, leisure-oriented vibe that should capture and enhance the mood of those travelling,” says the carrier.
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