'Dilawan': Scoot-Tigerair merger picks new tagline, ‘The Future is Yellow’

SINGAPORE — “Dilawan!” the Philippine media delegation joked among themselves, referring to a label originally ascribed to the Liberal Party and to its supporters for its signature use of yellow, as international airline company Scoot introduced its new brand direction Thursday morning, with a new theme, “The Future is Yellow.”

“Now we know what airline Vice President Leni Robredo, former presidential candidate and senator Mar Roxas, and the rest of the Liberal Party will book from now on,” one of the Philippine media representatives further kidded.

Some of the Filipino media men also joked that Roxas might have shares in the new Scoot, hence the new tagline.

The new motto, of course, does not allude to anything political, but to the airline company’s color, which is now being fully painted and applied to the entire Tigerair fleet, which Scoot has now fully acquired as part of the merger announced November last year but started its completion May this year, when the airlines were brought under the common holding company, Budget Aviation Holdings.

Scoot Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Lee Lik Hsin admitted in the press conference that the two airline companies were “struggling” with some “pains” that led to the union — Tigerair had many airplanes but found it hard to open new flights and reach remote destinations, while Scoot has the potential to service the growing Asian and European market because it can reach offbeat destinations, but has a smaller market and had fewer aircrafts than Tigerair.

Since the two companies can fill each other’s challenges, it is just natural that they unite, said Hsin.

The CEO clarified that announcement of the merger came first before Singapore Airlines, Scoot’s bigger sister in the Singapore Airlines Group, declared losses for last year. He also stressed that Singapore Airlines’ losses had nothing to do with the merger.

Tigerair’s last flight departed Singapore for Tiruchirappali on July 24, but the end of the airline company’s journey opens a new chapter for Scoot, said Hsin.

From now on, all previous Tigerair flights will be operated under Scoot and all flights will be under TR designator code.

The five-year-old Scoot started its inaugural flight in Sydney in June 2012 and ever since, the company’s mission is to become an industry game changer – as a medium-haul travel with an objective of long-haul travel at the time when budget airlines tend to be short-haul, said Hsin.

The company has also been recognized by industry in the past five years, with awards like Best Low Cost Airline by Airlines Ratings.com, and Marketer of the Year by Marketing Magazine Singapore for three years.

Affected by martial law in Mindanao

In the past five years, Hsin said Scoot has brought a refreshing brand presence with Scootitude, a program that tries to bring to customers services they could never forget through onboard and online engagement. These include “lowest possible prices;” full leather seats, TV streaming from your own device and child-free cabin in its 787 Dreamliners airplanes; priority check-in; pre-flight lounge with shower, massage chairs and workstations; and customized packages wherein travelers can book not only their own choices of flight but even purchase extra seats for utmost comfort or pick what partner airline to book next for a connecting flight.

Scoot is a founding member of the airline organization Value Alliance, which includes the Philippines’ Cebu Pacific and Cebgo as members. Thus, through Value Alliance, it is possible to arrange connecting flights from Cebu Pacific and Cebgo to Scoot and vice versa.

Last year was a big change for Scoot as the company and Tigerair were placed together in a single company under a single management, expanding Scoot’s reach from 60 destinations in 17 countries to 65 destinations in 18 countries with the launch of five new routes — Harbin, Honolulu, Kuantan, Kuching and Palembang.

Currently, Scoot’s Airbus A320s, dubbed as “family aircrafts,” fly to and from Singapore to Philippine destinations Manila, Kalibo, Cebu and Clark.

There are no plans yet, said Hsin, to open new flights in the Philippines due to constraints like crowded airports, government regulations and current events like war and martial law in Mindanao that scare tourists and make other countries impose travel bans and cancel travel insurances.

Hsin, however, said that the Philippine market is very important because the Philippines is a big country and it is opening doors to more European travelers. The company has seen a “high growth trajectory” in the Philippines, although the airports as of the moment cannot anymore handle the volume of foreign and local travelers and airlines.

Scoot rolled out its first A320 aircraft previously operated by Tigerair, named “Conscious Coupling” in commemoration of the integration. All acquired aircrafts might complete their makeover by mid-2018.

New look

In the next five years, the company, Hsin said, will be have an “aggressive” growth by doubling its fleet with a mix of Tigerair and Scoot airplanes.

According to him, they chose and will choose new destinations based on the opportunity to fly there and the good attractions the places offer. He said they chose Honolulu as their maiden voyage to the United States because it opened “a wonderful opportunity” for them.

As a reflection of Scoot’s evolving demographic and a larger customer base, the company changed its tagline from “Get Outta Here!” to “Escape the Ordinary,” which the company sees as “reflective of growth” because it is assumingly more relevant to the global market, speaks to one’s “inner wanderlust” and inspires more people to travel and explore the world.

The company’s new image, said Hsin, is now “more spunky and sassy.” Scoot operates wide-body Boeing 787 Dreamliners, and 23 young and modern A320neo aircrafts. It also rolled out its first A320 aircraft previously operated by Tigerair, named “Conscious Coupling” in commemoration of the integration. All acquired aircrafts might complete their makeover by mid-2018.

Also as part of the pact, Scoot offers one-way promo fares until July 30 that include SGD37 to Kuala Lumpur, SGD49 to Bangkok, SGD129 to Melbourne/Sydney, SGD229 to Tokyo/Osaka, and SGD239 to Athens, among others, from Singapore. These include free onboard Wi-fi, in-seat power, and can be qualified for points in Singapore Airlines’ loyalty program, KrisFlyer.

Singapore Airlines also announces its extended travel fair partnership with Philippine bank chain BDO that ends on July 31.

From $US160 onwards, one can get round-trip Economy Class tickets to Singapore and other Asian destinations. Fares to Australia are offered from $US570 while traveling to key destinations in Europe starts at $US670. You can also fly to South Africa at fares starting from just $US770, and to the United States starting from $US970. Discounted fares for Premium Economy and Business flights are also available. These rates are exclusive to BDO Credit and Debit Cardholders and KrisFlyer members, valid for a travel period from 21 July 2017 until 31 May 2018, and available for travel from Manila, Cebu, Davao and Kalibo.

To represent a fresh start, Scoot’s cabin crews’ uniforms have been redesigned to now include an asymmetric dress and a higher waistline with sharper yellow and black angles for females, and yellow highlights on the polo shirts for men. The uniforms are rendered in thicker fabrics to enable the crew to stay warm during cabin service.

Because of these innovations, the company hopes to again reap awards like when it was voted from 2015 to 2017 as Best Low Cost Airline (Asia Pacific) by AirlineRatings.com, as one of the top 10 of World’s Best Low-Cost Airlines in 2015 by Sytrax, and a Cannes Silver Lion award from the Cannes International Festival of Creativity in 2015.

Scootees, Scoot's cabin crew, show off their new uniforms. At the center is Chief Executive Officer Lee Lik Hsin. Philstar.com/Deni Rose M. Afinidad-Bernardo