Review of Sriwijaya Air flight Pangkal Pinang-Palaubangka Island Jakarta in Economy

Airline Sriwijaya Air
Flight SJ77
Class Economy
Seat 21A
Aircraft Boeing 737-900ER
Flight time 01:00
Take-off 18 Aug 18, 17:15
Arrival at 18 Aug 18, 18:15
SJ 12 reviews
Eric V P
By 1202
Published on 25th September 2018
Report #49: SJ77 - a first taste of SJ after a while

This will be my report on flying on Sriwijaya Air economy class from Pangkal Pinang PGK to Jakarta CGK, a short-haul domestic flight within Indonesia, on board their Boeing 737-900ER.

Here are the 3 parts of the trip:
CGK-TJQ on Garuda Indonesia CRJ-1000ER economy class: Read here
TJQ-PGK on Garuda Indonesia ATR72-600 economy class: Read here
PGK-CGK on Sriwijaya Air 737-900ER economy class: You are here

Background


As I was aiming to get as much time as possible in Pangkal Pinang I opted for late afternoon flights back to Jakarta. However, there are a few key factors to consider:
- There were only a handful of routes where flying with GA made sense (I had already collected enough segment for the trip anyway and I can't afford to buy flexible ticket for this route to get enough segment - the title for cheap flexible tickets on GA is only for CGK-TKG and DPS-LOP; more on that later), and
- While flying with JT would be fine for morning or even afternoon flights, the same can't be said for its late afternoon or evening flights due to its reputation for delays.

I then settled for the late afternoon flight on SJ, which not only offered free snack service at a price just a tad more than JT, but unlike GA still has very few recent reviews here despite being the largest carrier in Indonesia outside GA/JT groups, including none on their new 739. The trip ended up costing me Rp423.000 after 25% OTA cashback, which was not shown on the receipt.
photo sj77 18082018 receipt

Trip to PGK and check-in


The trip to PGK's new terminal from downtown involved going through the road passing by the runway end.
photo 20180818_135618

Soon I reached the airport entrance.
photo 20180818_135945

Before I reached the departure kerbside an officer asked my driver, and after he said that he was just about to drop me off we were let in.
photo 20180818_140318

Since I had loads of time on my sleeve before my flight I decided to go to the parking area and took a photo of the terminal from the front.
photo 20180818_140645photo 20180818_140810

FIDS of the afternoon.
photo 20180818_140859

There are more storrs at the inner part of the public area.
photo 20180818_140925

Typical of Indonesian airports a basic ticket and security check was needed.
photo 20180818_140936

While there were a number of people security was done in 2 1/2 minutes.
photo 20180818_141039photo 20180818_141255

Like TJ, there aren't many check-in counters.
photo 20180818_141314

The airport also sported a couple of self check-in counters, though its positioning and dark screen rendered it useless.
photo 20180818_141415

SJ had unfortunately decided to charge Rp77.000 (~US$5.3) for emergency exit row seats even upon check-in, though the check-in agent advised me that it would be free of charge 1 hour before departure so I decided to settle for the window seat just behind the second left window emergency exit row seat.
photo 20180818_141625

I then received my boarding pass for the late afternoon.
photo 20180818_150435

It was a short ride to the transit area floor.
photo 20180818_141642photo 20180818_141710

There is a lounge available as well, and while the entrance fee wasn't that much, I had already had my snack to eat at the gate.
photo 20180818_141719photo 20180818_141759

After I had my boarding pass checked I made my way to security, which was fast and I was cleared in ~1 1/2 minutes.
photo 20180818_141841photo 20180818_142042

PGK transit area and departure


photo 20180818_142045

While the airport wasn't big, there were also a couple of eateries as well as a coffee shop.
photo 20180818_142053photo 20180818_142100

Boarding for the JT flight to CGK had started.
photo 20180818_150617

Despite the electronic gates, most people still ended up being assisted anyway.
photo 20180818_150704

SJ's 738 being pushed back for departure.
photo 20180818_153923photo 20180818_155455_003

I then spent some of my time at the coffee shop trying to work on the other reports.
photo 20180818_161423

1 hour before departure I exited the transit area to the check-in hall through a series of corridors and escalator.
photo 20180818_162455photo 20180818_162517photo 20180818_162519

The sole difference this time was that instead of going out to the public area I went to the check-in hall through the bypass door.
photo 20180818_162603

The cabin baggage tags seemed to be unused.
photo 20180818_162718

Despite the minor crowd I still had my seat assignment changed in no time.
photo 20180818_162741

With the new seat assignment I naturally received another boarding pass.
photo 20180818_164201

I won't go through this again, but since I had gone out of the transit area I needed to go through ticket and security check.
photo 20180818_162746photo 20180818_162823photo 20180818_163202

JT's 739 had arrived from CGK and was parked at gate 2.
photo 20180818_164341photo 20180818_164507

Situation at the gate before boarding. Since I was early for boarding, the queue was short. Since SJ is an all-economy class carrier
photo 20180818_171311

Two 739s, both parked together at PGK.
photo 20180818_171711photo 20180818_171713

I went through the corridor and then the aerobridge.
photo 20180818_171719photo 20180818_171728photo 20180818_171738

The plane for the day was PK-CMO, a 3 1/2 years old 739.
photo 20180818_171753

Since I was boarding quite early I managed to get to the plane without much queue.
photo 20180818_171759

On board


Flight: SJ77
Plane: PK-CMO "Keberkahan"
STD/ATD: 17.15/17.25
STA/ATA: 18.15/18.47
Load factor: 60%Y (132/220)
Seat type: Standard economy class (emergency exit row window seat)
Details: https://flightaware.com/live/flight/PKCMO/history/20180818/1025Z/WIKK/WIII

After I was welcomed I walked through the cabin.
photo 20180818_171820

While most of the seats were ordinary, my row stood out as one of the more spacious ones.
photo 20180818_171834

As usual, I went for the window seat.
photo 20180818_171939

Legroom was quite spacious, as expected on an emergency exit row seat.
photo 20180818_172016

The table feature a literature pocket and a table, which could be opened one-way.
photo 20180818_172029

Since this was an emergency exit row seat, the table was able to be extended quite a distance.
photo 20180818_172038

The normal contents inside the literature pocket.
photo 20180818_172051photo 20180818_172112

Being at an emergency exit row seat, an additional guideline was provided.
photo 20180818_173051

The seatbelt was nothing unusual.
photo 20180818_172226

Selfie test: despite not having an adjustable headrest, it was made up by the additional padding on the upper part on the seat as well as the seat height.
photo 20180818_172240

The window was quite clear this time, which has traditionally been a problem at emergency exit row windows.
photo 20180818_172404

The view from the window was JT's 739.
photo 20180818_172410

A flight attendant then briefed those seated on the emergency exit row seats, followed by the others checking the cabin for taxi.
photo 20180818_172909photo 20180818_172920

After the JT plane pushed back the next view was of GA's 738 in its vintage livery.
photo 20180818_173525

It was finally our time to push back.
photo 20180818_173606

Safety demonstration was manually done as we taxied.
photo 20180818_173626

A training plane could be spotted using the runway before us.
photo 20180818_173925

Since PGK is a rather small airport we needed to get to the other end of the runway and rotate for departure.
photo 20180818_174022

One last view of Pangkal Pinang.
photo 20180818_174043

Take-off was nothing unusual apart from being a bit powerful and we soon climbed out of Bangka island.
photo 20180818_174233

The sky cleared as we passed above the clouds.
photo 20180818_174354

As it was on the late afternoon the cabin was bright enough even without lighting.
photo 20180818_174433

However, the fasten seatbelt sign was switched off and we reverted to using the mood lighting.
photo 20180818_174705

While SJ claimed to offer a Wi-Fi-based IFE, it was unavailable for the flight and the flight attendant said that it would be provided only on longer flights such as CGK to UPG (i.e. ~2 hours).
photo 20180818_174829

SJ offered a snack service for all its flights, including this one.
photo 20180818_175110

Its snack was packed in SJ-branded paper bag.
photo 20180818_175128photo 20180818_175144

The content inside the snack bag.
photo 20180818_175155

As usual I unpacked the snack.
photo 20180818_175322

The filling of the bread, which was acceptable.
photo 20180818_175328

The snack service for the late afternoon consisted of:
Sweet bread: Bread with green beans filling
Drink: Distilled water

The bread was slightly overcooked, which lent unpleasant hints of burned bread. While I am not exactly a fan of green beans, the filling was otherwise uneventful. Therefore, this was a just slightly less than acceptable snack for the flight.

We briefly passed over Sumatera island.
photo 20180818_175635photo 20180818_175834

I then tried to close the window shade, which like those newer planes were made of fabric.
photo 20180818_180013

A round of sales then commenced.
photo 20180818_180041

I waited at the galley while waiting for the lavatory to clear.
photo 20180818_180230

I must admit I somehow cheated by taking the rear cabin shot before the lavatory visit, but still ….
photo 20180818_180255

As the lavatory was clear I decided to pay a visit, which was 737 MAX-style lavatory (read: exceptionally narrow).
photo 20180818_180355photo 20180818_180407

The sink also used the same spraying faucet.
photo 20180818_180458

Though there was no sink stopper at the rear lavatory, there was one at the front lavatory.
photo 20180818_181304

Since the last few rows were completely unoccupied I decided to have a look around for a comparison.

The seats were thin and doesn't recline much, though still felt plusher than 3K's 320 with the same seat type.
photo 20180818_180917photo 20180818_181051

Legroom was exceptionally tight on the normal seat, since this was denser than even the often reviewed JT's 739.
photo 20180818_180933

The reason SJ was able to put 5 extra seats was the narrower lavatory as well as the sculpted lavatory wall.
photo 20180818_180921

The wall sculpting was high enough for most not to hurt their head.
photo 20180818_181140

A view of the cabin from the front. Interestingly enough, the first row on the right side was located at the front of the curtain.
photo 20180818_181339

A view during cruise at dusk.
photo 20180818_181405

SJ was a significant carrier in PGK with flights to various destinations (for comparison, GA flies from PGK to PLM, TJQ, and CGK, with services between PGK and PLM/TJQ by an AT7)
photo 20180818_181650

Compared with JT or GA, SJ had a rather high average age figure as they still used 733 and 735.
photo 20180818_181700

As the fasten seatbelt sign was switched on the flight attendants checked the cabin prior to arrival.
photo 20180818_182217

I then just realized that the signage on the table was written on both Indonesian, English, and unlike other Indonesian carriers Chinese.
photo 20180818_182226

The cabin was dimmed for arrival.
photo 20180818_182642

Some views during descent.


Instead of approaching towards runway 25L/R we were directed to land at runway 25R, which meant that the view was more of Tangerang than Jakarta.
photo 20180818_183154

Landing was uneventful and we soon taxied with a view of GA's maintenance facility.
photo 20180818_183505photo 20180818_183822

The aerobridges being prepared for extending CGK terminal 3's international section.
photo 20180818_184312

As we were parked some passengers had started queuing to deplane.
photo 20180818_184606

Rather than queuing, I opted to be among the last to deplane since there wasn't much to do for me that evening.
photo 20180818_185116

After bidding farewell to the crew I walked down the aerobridge as well as the short corridor leading to the gate.
photo 20180818_185144photo 20180818_185221

Arrival at CGK and post-arrival trip


As we arrived at the proper gate I needed to take a downward escalator to get to the arrival floor.
photo 20180818_185253

Typical of CGK, before going to the main "spine" of the terminal I needed to walk down the corridor from the gate.
photo 20180818_185322photo 20180818_185400

After reaching the main corridor of the arrival floor there was some additional walk to get to the luggage claim area.
photo 20180818_185409

The luggage claim area was slightly packed.
photo 20180818_185603

Since I had nothing to claim I went to the public area.
photo 20180818_185626

As the only official ride-hailing option in CGK, they have their own pick-up area near the exit. However, to compensate for the agreement they have with the local cooperation there was an additional Rp10.500 (US$0.7) surcharge levied for each ride.
photo 20180818_185719

Officers from the cooperation assisted in organizing the traffic at the pick-up area. Also note the uniformed driver seen at the luggage door.
photo 20180818_185933

As usual, taxi was still available.
photo 20180818_190403
See more

Verdict

Sriwijaya Air

4.1/10
Cabin4.0
Cabin crew4.5
Entertainment/wifi3.0
Meal/catering5.0

Pangkal Pinang-Palaubangka Island - PGK

5.9/10
Efficiency6.0
Access4.5
Services5.5
Cleanliness7.5

Jakarta - CGK

5.0/10
Efficiency5.0
Access4.5
Services5.0
Cleanliness5.5

Conclusion

SJ offered a good value for money for the short route with free snack and modern cabin, although the tight legroom and lack of IFE on shorter routes remain a concern. In terms of the airports, PGK was a small, efficient airport with basic amenities while CGK terminal 2F was a bit past its due (though this was better than CGK terminal 1A/B/C).

On overall, I would like to fly with them again if the price is right.

Related

0 Comments

If you liked this review or if you have any questions, don’t hesitate to post a comment below !

Login to post a comment.