Singapore-headquartered low cost-carrier (LCC) Scoot has partnered with Japan-based The Pokémon Company (TPC) for an exclusive Pikachu Jet TR, the first South-east Asian airline outside of Japan to launch a Pokémon-themed inflight experience.
Earlier on Tuesday, the two parties unveiled the livery for the Pikachu Jet TR at a press conference at Jewel Changi Airport. The inaugural flight for the Pikachu Jet TR – a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner with a capacity of 375 seats – has been scheduled for September 9 to Tokyo, Japan, after which it will fly to Seoul, South Korea on September 27. Routes will be reviewed periodically, and will rotate every two to three months.
Passengers can look forward to inflight amenities bearing Pokémon designs, including original merchandise such as tote bags, lanyards, bucket hats and a collector’s edition of the aircraft model donned with the special livery. These will be available for purchase during flight bookings, along with Japanese-themed inflight meals.
The Pikachu Jet TR also commences the first phase of TPC’s Pokémon Air Adventures with the aim of encouraging international tourists to travel to Singapore. As part of the rollout, a special Pikachu Weekend is scheduled for November 18-20, including a night show and Pokémon GO event which will be held at Gardens by the Bay.
On why the LCC chose TPC to partner with, Leslie Thng, CEO, Scoot, said: “Scoot is celebrating our 10-year anniversary, and we wanted to do something different. We wanted to have a partner that will create memorable experiences for our customers, and TPC was a like-minded partner who can provide fun, innovative, and unforgettable experiences to our customers.”
Currently, the agreement lasts for two years, during which Scoot will conduct more campaigns to drive awareness of both the airplane and its route network.
When asked about the opportunities for LCCs as the world emerges post-lockdown, Thng is confident that there is “definitely a market for LCCs” as there are customers who prefer this type of business model where they are empowered by what they want to pay for, be it for food or extra seat space.
“We have seen a strong surge in travel demand, and this has been consistently increasing month-on-month. We were about two-thirds of our pre-Covid capacity as of August, and are aiming to reach about 80 per cent by December. By 2Q2023, I think we will be above pre-Covid capacity,” Thng shared.
Aside from TPC’s agreement and other airline partnerships, Thng also pointed out that Scoot “works very closely with NTOs” in countries within their network to “stimulate travel demand”.
“South-east Asia is a very important market for us, and we will be deploying quite a bit of capacity in the region because we believe that travel within South-east Asian countries will grow for both the leisure and business markets. We will continue to look for opportunities to deploy our resources,” he said.
