Firstly, as usual, sorry for my bad English, and also bad quality of the photos as I took all of them by my cellphone.
Here are parts of the journey: August 20th, 2018: Jakarta (CGK) to Kuala Lumpur (KUL) by KLM Boeing 777-300ER (click here) August 21st, 2018: Kuala Lumpur to Penang overland August 21st, 2018: Penang (PEN) to Medan (KNO) by Indonesia AirAsia Airbus A320 (click here) August 24th, 2018: Medan (KNO) to Jakarta (CGK) by Batik Air Airbus A320 (you are here)
AUGUST 24th, 2018
Time to return to Jakarta after spending a night in Malaysia and 4 days in North Sumatra. I came here alone, and this time I also left alone. Like what I mentioned in the KLM CGK-KUL report that I couldn't stay longer because of the TWICE's concert, though I still desired to enjoy my time in this area.
After having lunch with my grandma's brothers at a local restaurant in Siantar, I took the "Paradep" shared-taxi to reach Kuala Namu International Airport. The distance between Siantar and the airport was about 130 km, and the journey took about 2 hours.
Reaching the airport at 6.00 p.m., 2 hours before scheduled departure.
My flight was Batik Air ID 6887 to Jakarta (Soekarno-Hatta).
Inside the terminal building, still in public area.
Here I printed the boarding pass. I had did the online check-in as usual.
Entering the airside after security check. A long way to reach our boarding gate.
Gate 9-12 shared the same waiting lounge.
Charging stations available.
Free-to-use PCs, but with unreliable internet speed.
Called for boarding at 7.30 p.m.
The aircraft, Airbus A320, with registration code PK-LAS.
Entering the plane, we were greeted by the cabin crews. I really love their physical appearance, especially the one with short hair.
The cabin looked very fresh. This PK-LAS plane was probably still very young.
Passing business class as usual. The seat looked very wide and luxury.
Economy class. The stewardess I mentioned before could be seen.
Outside the window, an A320 of Batik Air, just like this plane, was seen.
Boarding completed. I guess around 75% of the seats were occupied.
Then the safety video was played on the IFE screen. The video was in Indonesian language, with English subtitles and sign language interpreter provided.
The plane began to fly at 8.20 p.m. (UTC+7). The take-off process was smooth as usual.
Time to explore the IFE, with sensitive touch-screen and interactive content. USB and 3.5mm headphone slots were available, but the USB slot was only for charging, not file reading.
Indonesian cultures were featured in the IFE. Just like the carrier's name, "Batik" Air.
Sadly, no musics available in the IFE. Very disappointing me as a music lover.
The interactive flight map.
Time for dinner. Cabin crews gave us a meal set containing rice with beef dish (I don't know exactly what it was) and vegetables, together with muffin and mineral water. The food was good but nothing special. The rice was dry, not looked fresh.
Not forget to check anything inside the seatpocket.
"Batik" magazine.
An anniversary greeting from Airbus. Lion Group used only Boeing planes for long time before ordering A320s for Batik Air and A330s for Lion Air (only used for chartered flights) and Thai Lion Air.
Invocation card, containing prayers of 6 religions (Islam, Protestant, Catholic, Hindu, Buddhism, Confucianism). The Catholic prayer was taken from a well-known Indonesian Catholic liturgical book.
I spent rest of time before arrival by listening musics in my cellphone while playing some games on the IFE.
Then the land began to be seen.
Touching Soekarno-Hatta International Airport at 10.20 p.m., 2 hours and 20 minutes since departure from Medan.
Time to leave the plane.
For the arrival, aerobridge wasn't provided, and we had to reach the terminal building by bus.
Final shot of the PK-LAS which brought me from Medan.
Parked close to it was one of Batik's 737-800.
Entering Terminal 1C.
Baggage claim zone.
Finally left the airport for Pasar Minggu Train Station, from where I would take a commuter train to my lovely home.
See more
Verdict
Batik Air
7.1/10
Cabin8.0
Cabin crew7.5
Entertainment/wifi6.0
Meal/catering7.0
Medan - KNO
7.4/10
Efficiency7.5
Access7.0
Services7.5
Cleanliness7.5
Jakarta - CGK
6.8/10
Efficiency6.5
Access7.0
Services7.0
Cleanliness6.5
Conclusion
This year for me is the year of Batik Air. After receiving complaints from the passengers about the downgrading service, today Batik Air "shines" again and has done great service like what it did during its initial period. Yet there are still rooms for improvement, especially the food quality. I hope Batik Air can serve hot and fresh food, not a drier rice like what I received on this flight, also with more choice of drinks.
Anyway, the cabin condition of Batik Air "PK-LAS" plane still looked new, fresh, and fragrant. Cabin crews were nice and friendly, and honestly I was falling in love with the short hair one, she reminded me to a K-pop group member. The IFE was good with sensitive LCD, but why no music? If musics were available, the score for the IFE would be better. But at least lots of movies and games were provided.
Also I really appreciate the time punctuality. It was the main reason why I chose Batik Air for my returning flight to Jakarta.
The only thing urgent to be improved is its branding strategy. Especially the logo, seriously it needs to be replaced with a newer and fresher one. Also the livery and tail painting look boring for me.
Comments about Medan's Kuala Namu Airport and Jakarta's Soekarno-Hatta Airport can be read on my previous reports. But the main thing is that Kuala Namu Airport looks much much better than Soekarno-Hatta, though the cleanliness still needs to be improved.
Thanks for reading!
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