This report covers my flight back from Shanghai to Jakarta during business trip last February. I decided to try Garuda Indonesia business class since this is my first time trying their business class product in medium-haul flight after several trips in C class only for their domestic short-haul/regional South East Asia routes.
It was to me a tremendous and solid business class product, and I could tell that this is probably one of the best products out there. The report will tell the detail.
At Shanghai Pudong Airport
I quickly found the check-in desk location for GA flight and managed to take some sneak peaks of its Sky Priority check-in lane. When I checked-in, there was a long queue at economy class and only a handful in business class. But apparently during the flight, I found out that the load in business class was around 80% which was very good.
As complimentary for C class passengers, the agent handed over lounge invitation besides boarding pass. Garuda uses Lounge #69.
He also handed me a Fast Track card that can be used in Jakarta airport. This is very useful for me to save time during immigration check at CGK which is quite famous for its long queues during peak hours in the early morning or at night. Sadly though, Garuda is known to offer Immigration On Board service few years back. But now, they have axed that service so even for business class passengers, they have to clear immigration at airport counter.
This is how the Fast Track card looks like.
And my boarding pass.
I walked pass immigration check, custom, and security screening to head to Lounge 69. This lounge is intended for several airlines, including Garuda Indonesia. Right after entry door, there are ways heading to Business Class Lounge on the left and First Class Lounge on the right.
This is probably the weakest part of this flight. I could tell that Lounge 69 is a very basic lounge with basic offerings, considering this is intended for premium service. But maybe, it's because all lounges in Pudong Airport are probably this way. There is also a special lounge for China Eastern, but I couldn't tell why Garuda does not just use this lounge since they are all in Skyteam. The pictures say for themselves.
Standard offerings of instant cup noodles and two main for breakfast: fried noodle and Shao Mai.
There is also a small bar section where they put some liquors.
Here's what I took for small nibble, beef porridge.
And some shots of the lounge and waiting hall under the lounge.
I just spent 15 minutes inside the lounge since nothing to do other than eating breakfast and then proceeded to departure gate. It was time for boarding when I got there.
The metal bird that would fly me back home that day. A330-300 PK-GHC which is new and equipped with Diamond business class seats.
Turn left for C-class.
On Board
The purser smiles and greets me with a typical Garuda clasp in front of the door. And as soon as I enter, the gorgeous Maitre d'Cabin in her burgundy kebaya uniform shows me the way to my seat. She and her team of 2 are in charge for business class today. It's going to be a busy day for them since the load in business cabin is 20 out of 24 seats.
This is how the new Diamond business class seat looks like.
A bottle of Aqua water and amenity bag are already on each seat.
As soon as we're seated, the Maitre d'Cabin came over and introduced her name personally to each passenger. Her name is Rosma. From the way she talks and her elegant body language, she certainly is very professional and also senior. From this, we know that she and her team will surely take a good care of this cabin in her lead.
She then offered me a welcome drink, for which I chose Billecart Salmon Rose Champagne.
It was a delicate champagne and I finished it in a second.
Some pictures of the seat and compartment. AVOD control unit inside left armrest console.
USB port, power point, and small storage besides it.
Magazines, bottled water and reading light.
Noise cancelling headphones which function quite good.
This is the content of the amenity bag after I unwrap it home. It has a pair of slippers, eye shade, ear plugs, body lotion, lip balm, tooth brush and tooth paste, and a handy comb. Garuda no longer uses L'Occitane brand for its amenity kit which is quite a drawback, but I still think this is quite sufficient.
Several minutes after take-off and reaching cruising altitude, it was time to start the feast in the air as Garuda is very well known of. To start it up, amuse bouche of smoked beef with some other things I couldn't remember. I opted Martebe Juice or passion fruit with soursop juice for the drink. It was delicious and refreshing as well.
Rosma came to my seat and kneel down just next to me to ask if I already look at the menu and make my choice for lunch. This kind of warm approach from the crew just what makes every flight so exciting and different, and I can find this detail in Garuda Indonesia.
After this, I asked for some peanuts to nibble. And I was given a bowl full of cashews, almonds, and macadamia nuts.
There are menu for food, they call it "Dine" and also for the drinks, called "The Cellar". They both have extensive menu and drinks for this 6-hour route.
And this is what they offer in The Cellar.
Rosma took my lunch choice, starting from smoked salmon as appetizer, then grilled lamb cutlet for main. I asked if I could combine the Balinese chocolate cake with vanilla ice cream and also have the cheese course as well. Rosma took this request as delighted as she could, and of course with a very wide smile. She even compliments me for picking up the grilled lamb because she knew this is one of their signature dishes in the sky.
The food came course by course and Rosma personally sets up the table with white linen and hands down the cutlery one by one. This is such a five star service. First came the appetizer, smoked salmon with pickled beetroot and mango relish.
It came with choice of breads and butter in flowery shape. Salt and pepper are served separately in small bowls.
A closer look at the appetizer.
I always want to have Bailey's on flight. So here comes the Bailey's.
After I finished my salmon, Rosma came to clear the table and set it up again with new tableware. She then asked one of her team to bring me the grilled lamb. And this is how the main looks like: grilled lamb cutlet with mashed pea coquette and baby carrot.
It was exceptional. The lamb was tender and juicy, the coquette was flavorful and the carrots were crunchy and soft at the same time, and the sauce itself gave a perfect taste to the lamb. I would give it 5 stars, both for the taste and presentation. Rosma did say it right. It surely is the right choice to accompany what has been a wonderful flight in the first place.
Several minutes after I finished the grilled lamb, Rosma delivered the cheese course of Camembert and cheddar with prune, date and olive and also some crackers.
And then, she reminded me that I still had one more dessert to go which is the Balinese chocolate cake. I found it exciting and funny that she reminded me this way, but I think this is what they call a personal touch that makes one regular flight turns into a wonderful experience. The cake came with shredded orange skins on top with crushed peanuts as garnish and then vanilla ice cream. It was phenomenal.
What a feast in the sky and Garuda manages to deliver every course of the meal perfectly. This is the best business class offering so far.
Rosma asked if I wanted some tea or coffee, and I chose peppermint tea to sum it up. Several minutes later, the purser itself brought me a mug of peppermint tea and one chocolate praline. I didn't take picture of that peppermint tea but this is how the praline looks like.
Apparently, I found out that there is one chef on board responsible for taking care all meals in business class. I should thank him for providing such a feast to my taste bud.
Meal service is completed and the crew shut down all window shades to darken the cabin and let passengers rest. I spent this time by laying down on my seat which is now turned into a flat bed. I didn't browse the entertainment system, but from my quick snap, it has movies, musics, games, TV shows, kids shows. I just turned on the moving map all the time.
A snapshot of the cabin after meal service.
Some hours later, I felt a little bit hungry and decided to try mid-snack offering by Garuda. It has a lot of choices as we can see on the menu above. I chose satay course this time. It comes with three different types of satay which are uniquely Indonesian style: one chicken satay on peanut sauce, one Balinese Sate Lilit with special herbs topping, and one Padang style beef satay. It was mouthwatering, delicious and fulfilling at the same time.
There is one galley at back side of business cabin that has self service bar. It is well stocked with beverages, soft drinks, cup noodles, crackers, bananas.
One hour before landing, I asked for a Suggestion Form. I would like to thank all crews on board officially, including the purser, Rosma and her team and also the chef for making this flight an enjoyable one. I was stunt by all hard product offered in this flight, but most of all, it is the soft product that makes Garuda well ahead of other competitors in the region, and Garuda should be proud of their solid team.
This time around, another surprise from the chef. He offers all of us for pre-arrival drink. He recommends me to take freshly squeezed orange juice. How can I say no to this? When it came, it did have orange pulps inside the juice and the taste was not artificial like prepacked orange juice sold out there. This was a genuine orange juice. Thumbs up for Garuda!!
Post Flight
Garuda Indonesia is well known for its thorough and tremendous service, not only on board, but also post flight. I walked to a special immigration lane and handed over the Fast Track card to the officer. In just a matter of seconds, I completed immigration procedure and headed to again another special feature from Garuda in its homebase, a Premium Arrival Service as what they call it. So you just give your boarding pass to the agent at front desk and wait in a cozy room with sofas and free flowing tea and coffee while they will grab your luggage and hand it over to you. This is a special service for First Class, Business Class, and Garuda Miles Platinum passengers.
One more exceptional flight from Garuda Indonesia has come to an end. But I certainly look forward to flying with them again domestically and internationally as they keep expanding their network route and Skyteam cooperation.
Bonus : Click here displayhide
Economy class features on CGK-PVG route
Economy class seat features:
Much to my surprise, the FAs distributed a small pouch containing basic amenity like earplugs, eye-shade and socks right after reaching cruising altitude. I never knew that they also gave amenity kit like this even in Economy.
For this red-eye flight, GA offered light snack after take-off and then breakfast prior to landing.
When making my booking, I deliberately wanted to try special meal, and Kosher Meal was my choice. GA used Glatt Kosher as the caterer. As a result, both the light snack and breakfast came in a large portion, much better than the original meal that GA had.
The light snack that was mostly of sweet items:
And some drinks with the snack, I chose hot tea and red wine.
It was very fulfilling, never knew that even the snack was worth of a full dinner itself.
Menu card for original meal offered by Garuda that came in Bahasa Indonesia, English and Chinese Mandarin:
Breakfast on offer:
Hot chocolate for drink:
Another big breakfast from Glatt Kosher:
See more
Verdict
Garuda Indonesia
9.8/10
Cabin10.0
Cabin crew10.0
Entertainment/wifi9.0
Meal/catering10.0
Lounge #69
6.0/10
Comfort7.0
Meal/catering6.0
Entertainment/wifi5.0
Services6.0
Shanghai - PVG
7.8/10
Efficiency8.0
Access8.0
Services8.0
Cleanliness7.0
Jakarta - CGK
9.0/10
Efficiency8.5
Access8.5
Services10.0
Cleanliness9.0
Conclusion
This is no doubt one of the best performances from Garuda Indonesia and also one of the best business class travel experience I've ever had so far. Tremendous service and crew and value for money.
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Yikes, the lounge doesn't look too good, but it sounds like the rest of your GA experience more than made up for it.
The cabin to me looks friendlier to my eyes than that of QR's. Less 'eye-provocative red' and more subtle, earthy tones. Though I've read complaints about the tray table's position in that it can be disruptive when you're trying to change positions when laying down (one's knees may hit it). Any problems in that regard?
I'm a bit surprised about the amenity kit downgrade. They stepped up their F amenity kit from Loewy to Hermés, so I thought they'd at least stick with L'Occitane in J. At least the flower-shaped butters are back, to my delight :D. What brand is the current amenity kit?
Yes, fortunately the GA experience can made it up for the lounge.
You're right. Since the tray table is designed to be always outside and not hidden somewhere else, it's nearly impossible to bend your knee comfortably without hitting the table while laying down. They need to evaluate this design, though.
They use Clarins product for amenity kit. Even though they no longer use L'Occitane, but my concern is only for the pouch. I think it could have been designed better, at least like the previous L'Occitane pouch.
Economy front cabin was full, and I only saw some like 2-3 rows empty in the rear cabin, so it seems like the load in Y was also very good. Garuda also has advantage since they are the only player for this route.
Thanks for sharing this report. Once again Garuda has done a great job with a nice and confortable cabin, great meal and a fantastic crew ! it's probably one of teh worl'ds top 3 airlines even if it's not so famous.
Hi SKYTEAMCHC, thanks for stopping by and commenting.
Yes, I agree with you. From all flights I've taken with other airlines, Garuda is one of the best so far. Hope they still can manage this kind of service because this is their unique point that makes them different with others.
The cake itself was not only delicious to the tongue, but also pleasant to the eyes. I especially like it that they put those shredded orange skins on top.
it reminds me my flights with GA to NRT, HND and HKG :-)
day time flights with GA are really a wonderful moment in the air, with lunch perfectly executed
too bad for the amenity kit . I notice also that the wine list is not as qualitative as it used to be (some very good french wines disappeared from the list)
looking forward to reading another of your great trip reports with GA !
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9 Comments
Yikes, the lounge doesn't look too good, but it sounds like the rest of your GA experience more than made up for it.
The cabin to me looks friendlier to my eyes than that of QR's. Less 'eye-provocative red' and more subtle, earthy tones. Though I've read complaints about the tray table's position in that it can be disruptive when you're trying to change positions when laying down (one's knees may hit it). Any problems in that regard?
I'm a bit surprised about the amenity kit downgrade. They stepped up their F amenity kit from Loewy to Hermés, so I thought they'd at least stick with L'Occitane in J. At least the flower-shaped butters are back, to my delight :D. What brand is the current amenity kit?
The J was at 20/24, but what about the load in Y?
Thanks again for this FR!
Yes, fortunately the GA experience can made it up for the lounge.
You're right. Since the tray table is designed to be always outside and not hidden somewhere else, it's nearly impossible to bend your knee comfortably without hitting the table while laying down. They need to evaluate this design, though.
They use Clarins product for amenity kit. Even though they no longer use L'Occitane, but my concern is only for the pouch. I think it could have been designed better, at least like the previous L'Occitane pouch.
Economy front cabin was full, and I only saw some like 2-3 rows empty in the rear cabin, so it seems like the load in Y was also very good. Garuda also has advantage since they are the only player for this route.
Thanks again for stopping by. :)
Yes, I agree with you. From all flights I've taken with other airlines, Garuda is one of the best so far. Hope they still can manage this kind of service because this is their unique point that makes them different with others.
Liking the color of the cabin, pleasant to the eye. The food, especially the cake, looked gorgeous.
Shame they changed the amenity kit, doesn't look too appealing to me.
The cake itself was not only delicious to the tongue, but also pleasant to the eyes. I especially like it that they put those shredded orange skins on top.
it reminds me my flights with GA to NRT, HND and HKG :-)
day time flights with GA are really a wonderful moment in the air, with lunch perfectly executed
too bad for the amenity kit . I notice also that the wine list is not as qualitative as it used to be (some very good french wines disappeared from the list)
looking forward to reading another of your great trip reports with GA !
Perhaps cost-cutting happens to every airline now.
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