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Competition on the hotly contested Bangkok-Singapore route will get fiercer as Scoot, the new medium- to long-haul budget carrier of Singapore Airlines (SIA), takes off in July.
Bangkok-Singapore, the ninth most popular route in Southeast Asia based on available seats, surprisingly emerged on Scoot's timetable on Tuesday, in addition to three other initial destinations out of Singapore.
The decision appeared at odds with Scoot's announced focus to serve medium- and long-haul routes and not to overlap with short-haul affiliate Tiger Airways.
Scoot executives said the Bangkok service would allow the carrier to make better use of its four Boeing 777-200s, the high-capacity medium- to long-range jets acquired from SIA.
Scoot's entry is expected to prompt responses from existing players on the route including Thai Airways International and AirAsia, Southeast Asia's largest low-cost carrier.
Scoot will begin daily flights on July 5 with 370 seats in economy class and 32 in business class.
The carrier is offering a limited introductory Bangkok-Singapore fare starting from 999 baht one-way. The price includes the 700-baht passenger charge at Suvarnabhumi Airport.
Scoot's arrival will give SIA three brands in one market, something the group had initially wanted to avoid, according to the Sydney-based aviation consulting firm Capa.
SIA now operates five daily flights on the route while Tiger, partially owned by SIA, has five daily flights.
Scoot will initially operate only one daily flight but its service could lead to capacity shifts within the SIA group as it is within 90 minutes of two SIA services and 35 minutes of a Tiger flight, Capa noted.
SIA created Scoot last year to capture the fast-growing discount air travel business in Asia, which has been dominated by AirAsia and Indonesia's Lion Air.
Scoot plans to expand its fleet to 14 planes by 2016, with longer-term destinations including India, Europe, Africa and the Middle East.
Scoot chief executive Campbell Wilson has said the carrier aims to offer fares 40% lower than the traditional airlines and will target the young, the adventurous, and those who want to save money.
Bangkok-Singapore, the ninth most popular route in Southeast Asia based on available seats, surprisingly emerged on Scoot's timetable on Tuesday, in addition to three other initial destinations out of Singapore.
The decision appeared at odds with Scoot's announced focus to serve medium- and long-haul routes and not to overlap with short-haul affiliate Tiger Airways.
Scoot executives said the Bangkok service would allow the carrier to make better use of its four Boeing 777-200s, the high-capacity medium- to long-range jets acquired from SIA.
Scoot's entry is expected to prompt responses from existing players on the route including Thai Airways International and AirAsia, Southeast Asia's largest low-cost carrier.
Scoot will begin daily flights on July 5 with 370 seats in economy class and 32 in business class.
The carrier is offering a limited introductory Bangkok-Singapore fare starting from 999 baht one-way. The price includes the 700-baht passenger charge at Suvarnabhumi Airport.
Scoot's arrival will give SIA three brands in one market, something the group had initially wanted to avoid, according to the Sydney-based aviation consulting firm Capa.
SIA now operates five daily flights on the route while Tiger, partially owned by SIA, has five daily flights.
Scoot will initially operate only one daily flight but its service could lead to capacity shifts within the SIA group as it is within 90 minutes of two SIA services and 35 minutes of a Tiger flight, Capa noted.
SIA created Scoot last year to capture the fast-growing discount air travel business in Asia, which has been dominated by AirAsia and Indonesia's Lion Air.
Scoot plans to expand its fleet to 14 planes by 2016, with longer-term destinations including India, Europe, Africa and the Middle East.
Scoot chief executive Campbell Wilson has said the carrier aims to offer fares 40% lower than the traditional airlines and will target the young, the adventurous, and those who want to save money.
