A passenger on Scoot flight TR456 has exposed the effects of the airline’s unexpected early departure from Changi Airport.
SINGAPORE- Budget airline Scoot (TR) aircraft TR456 unexpectedly departed Singapore Changi Airport (SIN) approximately 90 minutes ahead of schedule on November 1, 2024, taking passengers off unprepared.
The flight, which was scheduled to depart for Kuala Lumpur (KUL) at 4:50 a.m., unexpectedly took off at 3:21 a.m.
Scoot Flight Departs Early
The airline admitted the occurrence on December 19 in an official response to The Straits Times, citing undisclosed “operational reasons” for the early departure.
The event raises questions regarding the airline’s communication standards with its passengers, as Scoot has not confirmed if passengers were notified in advance about the altered departure time. Scoot operated the flight with an Airbus A320 aircraft.
The airline has not announced the actual number of affected passengers. However, Scoot verified that stranded customers were accommodated on Singapore Airlines (SQ) Flight SQ104, which left for Kuala Lumpur at 7:04 a.m. the same day. This arrangement resulted in a roughly four-hour wait for affected travelers.
The budget carrier has issued an apology for the event.
We sincerely apologize to all affected customers for the disruption and inconvenience caused.”
The early departure has stirred debate over passenger rights and airline obligations for schedule modifications.
Passenger Remarks
A passenger on Scoot flight TR456 has exposed the effects of the airline’s unexpected early departure from Changi Airport.
The tourist arrived at the terminal to find an empty gate after monitoring the flight’s scheduled departure time of 4:50 AM using the SG Flight Info app.
The situation compelled the traveler to seek emergency assistance, rushing to the nearest working departure gate. Airport staff sent him from Terminal 1 to Terminal 3, where a Scoot ground staff member apologized for the incident and admitted to being unsure of the cause.
The airline compensated affected guests with $150 and collected their contact information for future follow-up.
Despite being rebooked on Singapore Airlines flight SQ104, which left at 7:04 a.m., the traveler experienced substantial travel inconvenience.
The schedule adjustment forced him to miss several connecting flights, necessitating the purchase of three more tickets to finish his trip.
Similar Incident
This is not the first time a Scoot flight has gone early, leaving passengers stranded at the airport.
A similar early departure occurrence occurred with Scoot in January 2023, when Flight TR509 from Amritsar to Singapore departed four hours earlier than scheduled. Twenty-nine customers missed their flights because their travel agent forgot to notify the scheduling change.
The airline had rescheduled the departure from 7:55 PM to 3:45 PM owing to inclement weather disrupting flight operations. Scoot claims that they informed passengers about the change on January 15 via email and SMS messaging.
According to a senior Amritsar airport official quoted by The Telegraph India, the flight was originally scheduled to carry around 300 people. The missed connection was caused by a travel agent’s failure to communicate the timetable change to their clients.
Scoot, owned by Singapore Airlines, responded to the situation by providing impacted passengers refunds or rebooking on alternative flights. The airline offered further help to stranded passengers while acknowledging the inconvenience.
