SINGAPORE- In a significant operational incident, budget airline Scoot (TR) flight TR456 departed Singapore Changi Airport (SIN) nearly 90 minutes ahead of its scheduled time on November 1, 2024, catching passengers off guard.
The flight, originally set to depart for Kuala Lumpur (KUL) at 4:50 AM, unexpectedly took off at 3:21 AM.
Scoot Flight Departs Early
The airline acknowledged the incident on December 19 in an official response to The Straits Times, citing unspecified “operational reasons” for the premature departure.
The incident raises concerns about communication protocols between the airline and its passengers, as Scoot has not disclosed whether travelers received advance notification about the rescheduled departure time. The flight was operated by Scoot Airbus A320 aircraft.
The exact number of affected passengers remains undisclosed by the airline. However, Scoot confirmed that stranded passengers were accommodated on Singapore Airlines (SQ) Flight SQ104, which departed for Kuala Lumpur at 7:04 AM the same day. This arrangement resulted in an additional wait of nearly four hours for affected travelers.
The incident has prompted an apology from the budget carrier.
We sincerely apologize to all affected customers for the disruption and inconvenience caused.”
Scoot representatives
The early departure has sparked discussions about passenger rights and airline responsibilities regarding schedule changes.
Passenger Remarks
A passenger from Scoot flight TR456 has revealed the consequences of the airline’s unexpected early departure from Changi Airport.
The traveler, who monitored the flight’s 4:50 AM scheduled departure time through the SG Flight Info app, arrived at the terminal to find an empty gate.
The situation forced the passenger to seek immediate assistance, running to the nearest operational departure gate. Airport staff redirected him from Terminal 1 to Terminal 3, where a Scoot ground staff member acknowledged the incident with an apology and admitted uncertainty about the cause.
The airline offered compensation of $150 to affected passengers, collecting their contact information for follow-up.
Despite being rebooked on Singapore Airlines flight SQ104, which departed at 7:04 AM, the passenger faced significant travel disruptions.
The schedule change caused him to miss multiple connecting flights, requiring the purchase of three additional tickets to complete his journey.
Similar Incident
Well, it’s not the first time that a Scoot flight has departed early and left passengers stranded at the airport.
A similar early departure incident occurred with Scoot in January 2023, when Flight TR509 from Amritsar to Singapore departed four hours ahead of schedule. Twenty-nine passengers missed their flight after their travel agent failed to communicate the schedule change.
The airline had rescheduled the departure from 7:55 PM to 3:45 PM due to adverse weather conditions affecting flight operations. Scoot maintains they notified passengers about this change on January 15 through email and SMS communications.
According to a senior Amritsar airport official cited by The Telegraph India, the flight was originally set to carry approximately 300 passengers. The missed connection resulted from a travel agent’s failure to relay the schedule change to their clients.
Scoot, owned by Singapore Airlines, responded to the incident by offering affected passengers refund options or rebooking on alternative flights. The airline provided additional assistance to stranded travelers while acknowledging the inconvenience caused.
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