Review of Garuda Indonesia flight Denpasar → Jakarta in Economy

This was a TR I posted quite some time ago on FT, but just to show that Indonesia now has a proper national airline, here goes:

Jakarta, being the capital city of Indonesia, is perhaps the financial and political centre of the country. However for tourism, it is Bali which brings in the crowds. Since I was due to attend a relative's wedding in Bali, a venue which has been a popular destination for hosting nuptial ceremonies and honeymoons, I had the chance to take the domestic service between Jakarta and Bali. Bali's location on an island off the eastern coast of Java meant that it is best accessed via a close to 2 hour plane journey from Jakarta or a much shorter 45 minute journey from Surabaya. These 2 large cities provide the best connections to Denpasar, which is the main city in the island of Bali. Being pleased with my recent flying experiences with Garuda Indonesia, I decided to fly this route with them. I only took photos of the trip to Bali using my iPhone but on the return trip decided to document it with my DSLR due to the surprising new aircraft used to operate this route.

Some photos of my trip to Bali:


Arriving at Ngurah Rai in Bali


Conrad Soft Toy Monkey


Wedding Chapel at Conrad in Nusa Dua, Bali


Wedding Bears in the Suite


Catamaran by the Beach at the Conrad Bali

GA405 Denpasar Ngurah Rai DPS - Jakarta Soekarno-Hatta
23 Oct 2010
B737-800 PK-GFH
Scheduled ETD/ETA: 1345-1430
Actual Time of Departure/Arrival: 1424-1445
Seat No: 25F


Check in at the Domestic Terminal of Ngurah Rai Airport

With an initial planned departure at 1.45 pm in the afternoon, I had a hearty brunch in the hotel before departing for the airport at 11.50 pm. We had enough time to check in our bags as it was a domestic flight and get some gifts from the local specialty stores in the domestic airport at Bali. There are a variety of nice snacks and tasty treats that can only be found in Bali for visitors who would like to purchase authentic products from this island paradise. Other than that, there isn't much to see in the check-in area for the domestic terminal and it seems in need of a major refurbishment. We headed to the main terminal and decided from going into the lounge due to the short time before we were expected to board. Instead we got some food to eat from the waiting area, which is basically a large square shaped room with shops and cafetarias around the perimeter and the central section while boarding gates are located at the corners. The volume of flights leaving that day meant the place was packed and there was barely enough space for all to sit down. As luck would have it, our plane was delayed again and this time due to late arrival of the plane. However by 2.06 pm, we began boarding and I was pleased to note that today we would be taking the 737-800.


GA405 operated by a 737-800 heading to Jakarta


Winglets of the 737-800 sporting new liveries of Garuda Indonesia

Boarding was via staircase, which was expected since no aerobridge were provided for all domestic flights as far as I can see. Naturally there was a rush when boarding was called and it is really inconvenient for passengers carrying bulky hand luggage since one needs to go down a staircase from the terminal before walking towards the plane. Due to our relatively late arrival at the airport and not having done online check-in (not that Garuda has it for flights out of Bali, I think), or requested any seat through Garuda's toll-free line, I still manage to get a window seat, albeit at the back of the plane. My first impression of entering the plane was what a good job Garuda Indonesia did with the clean and fresh interiors. The economy class cabin was decked out in earthy tones and all were fitted with new in-flight entertainment system. Seats were comfortable and seemed to have more space. Viewing out of the window, one gets to see the oversized winglets fitted out on these planes which also sported the modern and sharp liveries of Garuda Indonesia.


Interior cabin of Garuda's new 737-800

The row of modern liveries spotted at Ngurah Rai that day from the plane really showed the invigorated fleet offering of Garuda Indonesia and positions the national carrier to its rightful place. Turning back to the personal in-flight entertainment screen, I was pleased at its size and in addition the welcome screen that greeted every passengers with background images showing the paradise that can be found across the archipelago instead of the pollution and chaos that defines Jakarta and Indonesia in general.


Welcome screen with the terraced rice fields of Indonesia in the background

Besides the welcome screen, I also noticed the new safety information card, and a catalogue featuring Indonesian handicrafts. Garuda Indonesia is doing good by promoting investment and tourism into the country as well as defining the true cultural core of this archipelago nation. With the personal IFE onboard, there was also a separate in-flight entertainment booklet with Toy Story 3 being featured in the main cover. Having had watched this excellent animation a few months ago, I took a shot of the booklet as well.


Safety Information Card for Garuda's 737-800 fleet

It wasn't long before the plane made its way towards the runway and proceeded for take off at 2.24 pm, indicating a delay of close to 40 minutes. The pilot made a circle around and treated passengers on my side to an aerial view of the Nusa Dua resort area in Bali. The Nusa Dua area which is relatively close to the airport is occupied mainly by upscale resorts like the Conrad and Westin covering large resort complexes across flat lands, and in my opinion, is the district in Bali with the least character. Personally, I prefer the Seminyak, Kuta and Ubud area, or for really wonderful ocean views, resorts in the Uluwatu/Jimbaran Bay area. After reaching cruising altitude, there wasn't much else to see outside of the window due to the monsoon season in Indonesia which meant cloudy, grey skies. Thankfully, there was little turbulence during the flight and lunch was served quickly by the flight attendants. Lunch today was fish served with fish curry which was good and tasty as well though I had prefer the food served during my flight to Denpasar. The meal came with Keropok or Shrimp Crackers on the sides as well as a black glutinous rice pudding for dessert.


Aerial view of Nusa Dua upon take-off


In-flight Meal with Keropok

The meal was satisfying enough since I had a heavy breakfast at the hotel and also had some snacks while waiting to board at the airport. Service in the full flight was good and really on par with some of the regional airlines like Singapore Airlines and Cathay Pacific. One feature I really liked about Garuda Indonesia is how they put the aircraft registration on the wings, which means that passengers on the window get to know the registration of the plane they are on even while mid-air.


View of the Wing

As we passed by Central Java, the sky began to clear and I got down to some reading on my book as well as relax on the rest of the journey. About 15 minutes later, the plane began its descent and landed at Jakarta Soekarno-Hatta at around 2.45 pm Jakarta time which is one hour later that Bali's time. The revitalized fleet of Garuda's 737-800 was really impressively furnished and it really makes sense to perhaps re-consider Garuda Indonesia once again for my travels out of Indonesia. And given their large number of 737-800 right now, even their domestic service could be served by these new planes which would definitely trump the other local LCC competitors with their old 737s.