Scoot has marked the last official flight of Tigerair Singapore with the announcement of five new destinations, including a maiden US service to Honolulu.
Although only one Tigerair Airbus A320 has so far rolled out in the new livery, the July 24 flight between Singapore and Tiruchirappalli in India effectively completed the transition of the Singaporean low-cost carrier to the Scoot brand as part of a nine-month integration process.
The move leaves Virgin Australia-owned Tigerair Australia as the surviving brand representative and sees the former Tigerair Singapore and long-haul budget carrier Scoot using the TR flight designator code under one operating licence.
The process began in May, 2016, when Singapore Airlines brought the carriers together under a common holding company, Budget Aviation Holdings, and work started on integrating operations, flight scheduling and reservations systems.
The merger aimed to improve the efficiency of the airlines in the competitive South-East Asian market by utilising aircraft more effectively and streamlining operations. It brings together 14 long-haul Boeing 787 Dreamliners with 23 single-aisle Airbus A320s used on short- to medium-haul services.
“As we come to the end of Tigerair’s journey, we open up a brand new chapter for Scoot,’’ Scoot chief executive Lee Lik Hsin said in the announcement. “Building on what Tigerair and the old Scoot had achieved since their respective inceptions, we are stronger than we have ever been before, and consequently in an even better position to offer our guests more choice, connectivity and value.’’
Other destinations to be serviced by the “new” Scoot include Harbin in northeast China, Kuching and Kuantan in Malaysia and Palembang in Indonesia.
The new destinations and the addition of the Tigerair network will see Scoot servicing 65 ports across 18 countries.
The airline also unveiled a new uniform for crew members a change in tagline from “Get Outta Here!” to “Escape the Ordinary’’.
“Scoot’s new tagline, Escape the Ordinary, is reflective of our growth as an airline brand,” Lee said. “It is more relevant to the global market now that our network has grown as it is aspirational to our inner wanderlust, and inspires us to travel and explore the world.”
The remainder of the former Tigerair fleet will be progressively repainted and the livery change is expected to be complete by mid-2018.
