Garuda Indonesia

Flight to Melbourne (GA 716 March 17 2013) and from Sydney (GA 713 March 24 2013). They were both pretty much on time very good services from the crew. Seat pitch was above average for 6 hours distance. The only drawback is the check in system that is not able to be managed through the web and besides seating selection menu was not available in the booking process.

Flying from CGK-JED (return) with GA executive class the aircraft was 747-400 which is ageing. Aircraft was clean and the service was quite standard for business class. The meal selections were okay and nothing special for the trip. Cabin crew were attentive and chatty but they're also very professional and friendly. The main gripe was check-in process in Jeddah which was very chaotic and there's no executive class counter. The price at this sector was very reasonable for executive class however GA must really improve their service in CGK-JED-CGK sector which is still abandoned than other sectors of GA.

15 Feb SYD-DPS. Aircraft was a near new A330-200. Departure delayed 30 min due to Sydney airspace. Time was made up en-route. Ground and in-flight service was impeccable food and drink were of exemplary quality. There was plenty of space with comfortable seats. In-flight entertainment was a limited but the movies were good quality. The best feature was the in-flight immigration service so no queuing on arrival at DPS. This is an excellent service and full kudos to Garuda for making it happen. In-flight immigration was also available for economy class.

I and my wife flew from SYD to JKT on 17 Dec and returned to SYD on 7 Jan 2013. We also did a few travels with Garuda domestically within Indonesia. I observed a major improvement in services provided by Garuda. The quality consistency has been great. Firstly the ticket prices were quite affordable given it was a peak holiday season (i.e. Christmas and NY). The departures have been on-time. Services on-board were quite good. Food was alright and entertainment was up-to-date. The cabin crews were friendly and attentive. The immigration on-board made it easy for passenger to avoid long queue at Jakarta's airport. Most importantly these services have been so consistent from one Garuda flight to the other. We can only conclude that Garuda is clearly improved.

SUB-CGK on Jan 23 and CGK-SUB on Jan 25 using the new Boeing 737-800NG after discovering a promo for the tickets. Check-in at Juanda Airport Surabaya was neat although check-in at Soekarno-Hatta Airport Jakarta was faster due to the dedicated check-in counter for GFF Silver (I am a holder of Garuda Frequent Flyer - Silver). Seat was okay for departure but seat for return was much fine. Surprisingly in-flight entertainment was up-to-date for both routes which was different than the previous time I used the airline for the same route. For this short route passengers should be given more portion for the in-flight food. I will travel again with Garuda Indonesia because of the reliable price and service. I'm hoping that next time Garuda will use Airbus A330-200 aircraft for this busiest route in Indonesia.

1 Jan 2013 from Singapore to Jakarta and 23rd Jan 2013 from Jakarta to Singapore both in C Class. Check-in staff especially in Jakarta was very attentive and professional. Inflight service was excellent. The cabin crew was professional service minded and well mannered. I certainly will fly Garuda again but this time long-haul.

CGK-DPS on a 738 DPS-CGK on a 333. First flight's check-in was mediocre not perfect nor horrible. One of my passengers forced me to sit in the emergency aisle the design of the arm rests for the emergency aisle seats make leg comfort too tight. Food was excellent and crew are very attentive. IFE content was limited on board due to the flight being a regional trip but is updated nonetheless. Flight was quick and on time. Second flight was on board an uncommon aircraft which allowed me to see inside their mid-haul fleet. Check- in is slow but this could be a result of the ongoing renovation of DPS. I was able to not sit in the emergency aisle. Seat pitch on board the 333 is very good fits tall passengers. Seat layout of 2-4-2 does not make seating tight another big plus. Attentive FA excellent food but IFE is limited again. The seat did not provide a USB gate even though the IFE menu has the option to access media from the USB. Great flight though. Price overall was fair.

CGK-MLG-CGK on Boeing 737-500. Both flights on time. Since 737-500 is an old plane there is no VOD or other inflight entertainment. Garuda should consider using newer plane such as 787NG on Jakarta-Malang route. Cabin crew were excellent meal was ok. Luggage service at CGK is terrible. It took 30 min - 1 hour to get my luggage. Overall I was satisfied.

Had two short-haul flights with them last week: CGK-JOG (GA208) and back 2 days later on board (GA217). Both legs served by fairly new B738 with acceptable comfort and attentive service carried out by smiling and professional crew. Flights on time and check-in took less than 10minutes both in Jakarta and Yogjakarta. Would surely fly them again for domestic flights in Indonesia in the future and probably would also give them a chance for a long-haul trip.

Flew GA for the first time SYD-CGK and CGK-MEL and both flights excellent. A330-200 new and bright. Check- in for both flights easy and no queues. In-flight service usual Asian attention to detail and always with a smile. SYD-CGK had onboard Visa service which is great added value. Very impressive overall.