SINGAPORE, Dec 19 — Budget airline Scoot has issued an apology after one of its flights for Kuala Lumpur took off 1½ hours earlier than scheduled from Changi Airport on November 1.

Scoot flight TR456 was originally scheduled to depart for Kuala Lumpur at 4.50am but was rescheduled to 3.21am due to "operational reasons,” the airline confirmed in a response to queries from The Straits Times, as reported today.

The airline, however, did not clarify whether passengers were notified about the change in departure time in advance, nor did it disclose how many passengers missed the earlier flight.

For those unable to board the 3.21am flight, Scoot arranged alternative travel on Singapore Airlines flight SQ104, which departed for Kuala Lumpur at 7.04am the same day.

"We sincerely apologise to all affected customers for the disruption and inconvenience caused,” said Scoot.

According to a report, at least one passenger was left behind.

The passenger, who was using the SG Flight Info app to monitor flight details, said the app still listed the original 4.50am departure time.

When the passenger arrived at the departure gate, they found it empty and quickly sought assistance from staff.

The passenger was then redirected to a counter at Terminal 3, where Scoot ground staff apologised for the situation and informed the passenger that they would be compensated with S$150 (RM500).

Despite being booked on SQ104, the passenger faced further disruptions, as they missed connecting flights and had to purchase additional tickets for their onward journey.

Scoot confirmed that its customer service team reached out to the affected passenger and assisted accordingly.

The incident follows a similar situation in January 2023, where a Scoot flight departed four hours earlier than scheduled, causing inconvenience for 29 passengers.