Intro
Hello again, everyone! Welcome on board this Razza_Pr report. This report, as you might've read from the header, is a Garuda Indonesia flight GA310 on 24 August 2016 originating from Jakarta CGK to Surabaya. I thought I should go see Indonesia's 2nd largest city - oh, and I had an old friend from Australia coming there for a business meeting. So we thought we'd meet up there and explore the city together :)
Pre-Departure
I opted to take public transport to the airport, because there was a departure point for airport coaches not too far from my brother's apartment complex. It costs just IDR40K (£2.29 at the time of writing this report), and it's not so bad in terms of comfort, too. It departs every 30 minutes, and every day the services run from 03:00 to 20:00. It is only payable by cash once you're already on board the coach. No ticket booths whatsoever, but I imagine that you can buy the tickets online too, if you so desire.
The bus lanes at the terminal, with one of the airport buses on the right-hand side of the photo.
The interior of the bus taken from the middle.
Handy information attached on the window of every row of the seats.
This should give you an idea of how much leg room there is - adequate for this 5'7" individual
It took about 45 minutes to reach the airport with thankfully light traffic.
Departure Airport - Jakarta Soekarno Hatta
As the coach drives through all terminals, I was able to take a decent photo of a Cathay Pacific A330-300 parked at gate, with China Southern 737-800 in the background
Exterior of the hot new Terminal 3 of CGK airport seen on final approach to the terminal.
Passenger drop-off zone
Those of us whose final destination is Terminal 3 New (it proceeds to the old one afterwards) were dropped off near Gate 4.
The new Terminal 3 is also designed to showcase the nation's creative works, and this old girl is one of them. She can be found on the outside of the terminal. Ain't she pretty?
Garuda Indonesia is currently the only airline operating flights into and out of the new Terminal 3. This is where their domestic operations at CGK is based, with international operations scheduled to transfer there by November 2016, and all other international airlines moving in by March 2017. If you have to transfer from an international flight to a domestic one, or the other way around, you'll be transported by a bus between Terminal 2 and Terminal 3.
Gate 5 is the point of entry for SkyPriority flyers flying out with Garuda Indonesia domestic.
And before entering the terminal from gate 5, you can see a different painted lady.
Passing through the gate, just before security, I could smell a hint of fresh paint.
Side note - I think it's not very effective to have a fresh, new terminal that needs its lights to be turned on even during daylight hours. I mean no disrespect to the architect, but wouldn't that provide an adverse effect on the environment in the long run, not to mention the addition to running costs? For a terminal dreaming to compete against the likes of Changi and KL, they missed the opportunity of being able to be a more eco-friendly terminal.
The sign which greets you right after security if you look left. Is it just me or is the font size too small for airport signage? In the background is the SkyPriority check-in area
The sign at the premium check-in area.
There are only 2 First Class counters, which are situated just behind the sign. Turn left for GarudaMiles Platinum (and I assume SkyTeam Elite Plus) members, turn right for Business Class passengers.
GarudaMiles Platinum check-in counters.
GarudaMiles Platinum seating area at premium check-in area.
Garuda Indonesia Business Class check-in counters.
Garuda Indonesia Business Class seating area at the premium check-in area (apologies for the angle - that was in aid of everyone else's privacy).
After I received my boarding pass, I went to clear security which is located on the far end of the terminal closer to the premium check-in area. There is this queueing area, which is for most of the passengers.
And the red carpet treatment available for SkyPriority flyers holding a valid ticket (yes, the prioritisation is enforced).
Immediately after clearing security, I came across this sign.
Take the right-hand side escalator down for the boarding gates, take the other one on your left-hand side to head for the lounge (the escalator to the lounge stops at the mezzanine level, if my memory serves correctly).
View of the boarding gates, tarmac, and runway from the mezzanine level.
Turn left, and follow the signs to the lounge.
A walk to remember. On the other side of the wall on the left is the lounge, and on the far end of the hall you can see the entrance area to the lounge.
Entrance area to the lounge.
Do note that there's a separate lounge area for GarudaMiles Gold tier passengers, which I didn't take any photos of.
Domestic Business Class lounge facilities. I'm curious to see what their international lounge will look like when their international operations move to this terminal.
The 'cinema' area is separated by another wall further inside the lounge, so that other business class passengers won't be disrupted by the sound of the TV.
The 'reflexology' area
After spending about 20 minutes jogging in the morning, I thought that it'd be a fantastic idea to get my foot massaged, so in I go to take the farthest seat.
The controls of the machine with eight different settings - I much prefer it being done with fellow humans to be honest, because with humans I never had to contain the urge to scream in agony when the palm of my feet are being massaged (yes, it was THAT firm for me).
I decided to go to the Business Centre, where there are iMac computers available for use - but you must consult with a staff member prior to using one.
I only took a photo of one computer because the other one was in use. I approached a staff member who kindly informed me that only one computer is available for use today - I wonder why?
But luckily, not long after returning to the business centre to see if the computer is still in use - the passenger who was previously there had now left. Which means I was able to score myself a corporate screenshot!
Then I took a photo of the keyboard - I wonder how it happened?
There's a 3-in-1 printer too. Though I wasn't about to waste paper and print an insignificant page just to prove whether or not it was working, nor was a staff member around whom I can ask.
It's not that the lounge was understaffed or anything, but each staff was busy dealing with something. The staff at the entrance/admission desk were busy with passengers coming inside the lounge, whilst I saw other staff members handling VIP Guests (I'm assuming government officials, because of their Batik attire) who had to be ushered to the VIP Rooms (there are 2 in the lounge). So I thought I shouldn't bother them some more, and just help myself with the food offerings.
But first - after finding myself a seat (also deep inside the lounge), boarding pass snapshot!
And the Snapchat Geofilter for CGK airport.
The egg station, where you can have eggs cooked to your preferred method.
Fillings if you order an omelette.
The top half from left to right; mushrooms, bell peppers, garlic
The bottom half from left to right: shredded cheddar cheese, chicken sausage, beef sausage.
I had ordered an omelette with everything except the sausages (I didn't take a photo of it, curse me!) simply because I wasn't feeling the need for meat yet. But the taste was quite nice, and texture is the same as you'd find if you order it from a hotel breakfast buffet. So that should give you an idea.
Lontong Sayur station.
Lontong Sayur is an Indonesian dish of rice cakes with vegetables stew in coconut milk (and here's how to make one yourself at home). And apparently it can also be enjoyed during breakfast.
Sliced Fruits.
Jajan Pasar.
Per my brother's wife: it was supposed to be written as jajan(an) pasar, and what's on offer are the typical snacks you should easily be able to find in traditional Indonesian food markets. I think it's really lovely that they have these on offer, but I wonder whether or not they will offer it on their upcoming international lounge once the international operations move to this terminal as well.
Aneka Roti.
It's supposed to translate to "assorted breads" but I only see one type of bread there with jams. Might have rewrite that to "white bread with assorted spreads", Garuda. Seems more fitting.
Directly next to it, the drinks station.
From right to left: water, guava, apple, and orange juices, tea bags, sweeteners (sugar and artificial sweeteners), a jug of coffee, and what seems to be a cappuccino machine.
Reading materials.
Smoking room.
The smoking room can be found immediately after you enter the lounge and turn left. Unfortunately for me, someone must've opened it not too long after walking in, and the smell leaked out. But the passengers smoking inside looked comfortable enough, so I guess it's enough to prevent suffocation, but not enough to prevent the traces of the smoke from leaking out upon door opening.
With only 20 minutes left to spare until the scheduled departure time, I decided to leave the lounge and head for the gates. Time flies when you're having fun :).
Upon leaving the lounge area, just in front of the reception actually, you will see this escalator which will take you down to the boarding gates.
I walked pass the Saphire Lounge, which is accessible to some premium cardholders of an Indonesian bank which name I can't remember.
Playground area for the young flyers.
It's between two boarding gates with seating areas so that parents may watch their kids.
A separate waiting area on Gate 11.
And by 'separate', I mean that it's red in colour and have fewer seats than the other one which I didn't photograph. I can only assume that perhaps it is for SkyPriority passengers?
I placed my carry-on on an empty seat, an proceeded to walk to the window panes so that I can do some spotting.
Blurry photo of a Singapore Airlines 777-300 returning home to Singapore.
That I believe is the third daily Singapore Airlines flight out of Jakarta - SQ955.
Malaysia Airlines 737-800 returning home to Kuala Lumpur.
Singapore Airlines' new baby, the Airbus A350-900 arriving from Singapore as SQ956. With a tigerair Singapore A320 taking off and photobombing.
Now keep in mind, the scheduled boarding time is 09:50, however when I saw the SQ956 landing from Singapore (which, according to my phone, I photographed at 10:07), needless to say I knew my flight was going to be delayed. On that particular day, about 1 in every 4 or 5 flights were delayed 'due to operational reasons'. Mine in particular was because the aircraft arrived late from Surabaya. If the aircraft initially came from Jakarta to Surabaya, then it must have caused a domino effect to the following flights it was scheduled to operate. Oh well, better safe than sorry I guess. But continuous delays mean a hefty bill for the airline, so I do hope they'll have it corrected ASAP.
At 10:15, boarding process commenced. Although the priority lanes were monitored, the priority boarding wasn't enforced (as was the case for other flights regardless of punctuality that day), except for one passenger who required mobility assistance.
10:19, I reached the end of the jetway. In I go!
Flight Details.
Flight number: GA310
Equipment: 2-class Boeing 737-800
Scheduled departure time: 10:10 UTC+7
Actual departure time: 10:39 UTC+7 (pushback), 10:52 UTC+7 (takeoff)
Scheduled arrival time: 11:45 UTC+7
Actual arrival time: 11:58 UTC +7 (touchdown), 12:06 UTC+7 (at gate)
Scheduled travel time: 1 hour 15 minutes
Actual travel time: 1 hour 27 minutes (gate to gate)
Seat number: 7A, moved to 6A afterwards
Duration of delay: 29 minutes
GA's regional Business Class seat on the 737-800.
Seat pitch.
Overhead screens.
The safety video was broadcasted on the overhead screens, as we have to stow our personal video screens away during taxi, takeoff, and landing.
Scented hot towels were distributed immediately after all passengers have boarded.
Another GA 737-800 finalising its journey.
Welcome drinks were offered. I had OJ, of course.
And with the doors closed with no other passengers on the Port side of Row 6, I decided to move forward to the bulkhead row!
Seat pitch - Take 2.
The jetway retracted.
Pushback complete, with more GA planes in the background.
Garuda Indonesia Bombardier CRJ1000 in SkyTeam livery.
The new Terminal 3 building.
The old one.
To make sure you're not at the wrong airport, and Terminal 2 in the background.
Garuda Indonesia 777-300ER being serviced.
Garuda Indonesia 737-800 aircrafts operating international/regional flights (or domestic if the passengers are going to be bussed to either of those gates)
Malaysia Airlines 737-800, and Lion Air 737-900ER
Boneyard. Batavia Air A320 and obsolete Boeing 777-200.
Taking off.
Seat pocket contents - Part 1.
Colours - their IFE guide, and Arcade - their in-flight duty free.
Seat pocket contents - Part 2.
Boeing 737-800 safety instructions card, airsickness bag, and noise-cancelling headphones.
All of which was neatly put in this transparent file carrier - safe for the pair of headphones.
The noise-cancelling headphones, which worked rather nicely.
And when we stopped the climb, I pulled out the personal IFE screen.
Decided against watching anything on this very short hop, and instead listened to Simple Plan's new album.
The personal IFE screens are too close to my eyes for my liking. Also, I had to look down to it, which wasn't very comfortable for my neck. I did however find it slightly better after reclining my seat, so that's something. And about SP's new album, I quite like it as there's still SP's own personality in the songs, so it's not like they were trying to reinvent themselves in my opinion.
Not too long after I started the album, the FAs sprung out into action. There were no printed or digital menus on this flight, however the FAs did address the passengers by name and kneeled down to level the eye-contact whilst talking us through the food menu today. Good stuff.
Food option 1 - Rice noodles (Kway Teow) with fish.
Thoughts: Bread serving, appetiser of sliced fruits, the main course of the rice noodles with fish, and the pandan pudding dessert. So the sliced fruits I can't really say much about, as I only had the grapes, but the taste was sweeter than usual, not that I'd complain. As for the breads, the garlic bread was rather on the soggy side than dry, but the other one complemented the non-flower-shaped butter nicely. Despite the soft and chewy texture of the rice noodles, it tasted awfully bland, and I've definitely tasted better on the ground. The fish although nutritious, also very very bland, and slightly overcooked. The pandan pudding had a really nice panna-cotta like texture, and the way it danced when we hit a slight turbulence was kinda of cute, and it wasn't bland so that's nice. 6/10
Food option 2 - Fried rice with chicken.
Thoughts: Presentation was very promising, unfortunately it didn't taste as well as it looked. The fried rice was bland, and so was the chicken. Nothing undercooked, or overcooked. However, the greens tasted as if they've been outside and unrefrigerated for quite some time. 4/10
After my tray was picked up and my table folded back in, I decided to go and check the lavatory. However, upon standing in the galley whilst waiting for another passenger to get out of the lav, I came across this warning (for the FAs, no doubt) on the command centre. How lovely.
They played 3 different must-broadcast videos on the overhead screen, though. First was of course the safety video, and when we were taxiing, the Stars guide video for what's new on August. After takeoff they played the SkyTeam video (whilst I was busy taking photos of the seat pocket contents).
Fold-down diaper changing facility in the lavatory.
Overview. The speakers there will need some cleaning.
I've seen worse in my days, but I'd honestly rather not have such a narrow lavatory when I'm on a 5-hour flight to say Guangzhou or Perth, considering the amount of passengers who will use them and the short turnaround times, allowing for very short cleaning times.
Mirror.
Lavatory amenities. Hand lotion, EDT, and wet facial tissue.
The sink.
I went back out after the photos, and immediately we were already descending. So I listened to some more Simple Plan as much as I could.
View from the port-side window upon final approach.
Touchdown.
Reverse thrust, spoilerons deployed.
And a Citilink Indonesia A320 queueing for takeoff behind another Citilink, and a Sriwijaya Air.
Mood lighting.
2 AirAsia birds in 2 different liveries.
The jetway before being deployed.
Arrival Airport - Surabaya Juanda
The aircraft had parked at Gate 5, so after deplaning, it was a very close walk to Gate 4, which is where you can find the escalator downwards to take you to the baggage claim area, or if you have a transfer flight, the transfer desks.
After going down the escalator, you'll be greeted by the signs leading to both baggage claim, and the Premium Arrivals Service
It is accessible to SkyTeam Elite Plus, First Class, Business Class, and GarudaMiles Platinum passengers. I didn't go in it because my friend had been waiting for me outside at the arrivals hall, and I did not have any luggage with me.
Thanks for sharing this unique FR which includes a firsthand view of CGK T3 Ultimate!
I would admit that the bus is one of the less popular options. Most would prefer using private transport. I've never used the bus for my airport commute before!
T3 looks amazing and is a fresh change from Terminal 2F! It is new, and hope that by 2017, would improve the overall airport experience!
The lounge seems new and by Indonesian standards, the top of its league, although the abuse suffered by the keyboard of the iMac suggests it was old equipment brought into the new lounge. This lounge serving GA domestic passengers tend to cater towards Indonesian tastes, as there are relatively few foreign passengers travelling in J domestically, and only to one of the more popular destinations. This is shown through the signs in the lounge being written in Indonesian.
The correct term should be Jajanan Pasar, which literally means market snacks. It is quite a popular treat among locals, and as its name suggests, are traditionally found in markets.
Garuda tends to have a tight block time, and for such a well-travelled route like CGK-SUB, translates to more severe delays when one is encountered, commonly caused by congestion, as the infrastracture could not keep up to the rapid growth of Garuda and LCCs.
For a 738 with Sky Interior, it looks like it has seen better days, but from experience, Garuda can have very old and new aircraft in their fleet. It's anybody's guess over which one you will get.
Catering looks quite nice, although looks can be deceiving, but then again, catering is never one of Garuda's strongest points.
Have a good one!
Thanks for stopping by :).
Tomorrow (20 Sept 2016), I will return to England on Garuda Indonesia 86 to LHR via SIN, and that will be a flight departing from T2. My last flight out of T2 was also with Garuda Indonesia, but back then it was GA88. Regardless, I didn't quite enjoy the international lounge as space was scarce, so instead I left the lounge to get myself a frappuccino. Ground service was nice to the extent that I got to sit down (or at least look for somewhere to sit) whilst an agent had my passport stamped for me, definitely a perk when flying with GA as a premium pax. That experience itself was a very nice touch, but I do hope that after all that, I'd be able to sit at somewhere in a nice lounge, so I'm def looking forward to when GA has a nice new lounge on T3.
I was informed that CGK actually plans to get a new control tower to make operations more efficient, and that it's not going to take too long to build. So that's exciting. Certainly don't want CGK to compete with the likes of KUL and SIN when they've got punctuality issues need tackling.
You're right about the 737-800 there. I've wounded up being on one without IFEs in Y, but because it was a promotional ticket, I didn't really have the right to complain. And it was only a 50-minute short hop to Yogyakarta. When the 737 MAX comes around, then statistically speaking should be less gambling, if I ever need to get on one.
In my experience with Garuda short-hauls, catering is a hit or miss. Though this one was a miss, you'll want to stick around to my next report on the return flight :).
Thanks again for stopping by! Happy flying :)
"I would admit that the bus is one of the less popular options. Most would prefer using private transport. I've never used the bus for my airport commute before!"
As you know, majority of passengers travelling through Jakarta airport are families and groups. It's more economical to take taxis or rental cars for them compared to bus. A group of 4 people must pay IDR 160,000 (40,000 * 4) if they go by bus, while they can pay IDR 150.000 if they go by taxi. A little bit cheaper and more flexibility.
BTW nice report, Mr Razza_Pr. Garuda's business class is still very expensive for me personally, and for an 1 hour flight I think it's too short. You must try other domestic routes later. Thanks.