Scoot has seven of the B787-9 in service and a further three on order.

Paul Chai flies in budget airline Scoot's special 'Scoot in Silence' child-free cabin.

THE PLANE

Boeing 787-900 Dreamliner; Scoot has seven of the B787-9 in service and a further three on order.

SUPPLIED The "Scoot in Silence" cabin is at the front of the plane.

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* Singapore Airlines' Scoot takes off

THE ROUTE

Melbourne-Singapore

THE LOYALTY SCHEME

KrisFlyer, since April this year.

CLASS

Scoot in Silence (child-free cabin); seat 4C

DURATION

Flight time of 7 hours, 40 minutes and we pulled away spot on time, arriving in Singapore early.

FREQUENCY

Seven times a week.

THE SEAT

This bulkhead seat has loads of legroom but a kink in the aisle means that if you stretch your legs out you are likely to get in the way of cabin staff coming out of ScootBiz right in front of you; on the way back I have 4D and that is perfect, full stretch, no kicks from cabin staff! Economy pitch is 34 to 36 inches and 18 inches wide.

BAGGAGE

20 kilograms checked in. 10 kilograms hand luggage.

COMFORT

As a father I am sympathetic to people travelling with kids. But as a solo traveller Scoot's child-free cabin is a godsend because the best thing about travelling without kids is … travelling without kids. The snug, 33-seat cabin lives up to its name and is noticeably quieter than when I take a stroll down to the tail end. Everyone in Scoot in Silence on this overnighter seems keen to get down to the business of catching some kid-free zeds.

ENTERTAINMENT

I have grabbed the Scoot app and there are five relatively new movie options plus good international and Hollywood options; TV is less exciting but I don't mind as all the snoozing peeps get to me and I opt for a sleep instead. You can always go analogue too and check out the inflight mag.

SERVICE

My pre-ordered meal comes scooting out very fast, which is really my only interaction on this night flight. Other customers nearby appear to get prompt, polite attention when needed.

FOOD

I lived in Singapore for a few years and my pre-ordered national dish of chicken rice sends me right back to the hawker stalls of the Lion City. Soft, moist chicken and rice cooked in the rich chicken broth for a silky texture. There's a creamy potato salad as well and dessert looks like a basic bickie, but it's filled with chocolate and really quite delicious; the basics done well like Scoot's overall business model.

ONE MORE THING

Blankets are SGD$15 but the Scoot in Silence cabin is unusually warm (on both outbound and return flight) and additional coverage was unnecessary. Dress layered if you get warm on flights.

THE VERDICT

Scoot is a low-cost carrier but on this calm, night flight in our kid-free zone you wouldn't know it, so some extra points for exceeding the delivery of a value proposition. The "silence" part of the proposition was delivered on in spades too and a comfy bulkhead seat with good pitch meant that I slept better here than on any recent full-fare carrier in economy.

OUR RATING

★★★★

Tested by Paul Chai who flew as a guest of Scoot (flyscoot.com)

Do you think airlines should have child-free zones? Let us know in the comments.

- Traveller