Jakarta Airport

The airport looks much more better than the last time I was here around two years ago. The toilets in the gate area are improved (still love the garden view) and immigration was okay no more than 10 minutes. Check-in was quick and fast duty free shops adequate. But generally the airport is better and improving with the banners showing the airport expansion hung all over the place.

The terminal for the domestic flight was awful especially terminal 1A - it was unorganised. The terminal for international flights wasn't so bad. There was no queue at the immigration when I was there decent duty free shops however toilets are never in a good condition every time I visit Soekarno-Hatta.

Used both the international and (new) domestic terminal last month. Facilities-wise it is no worse than airports in most developing countries and I have seen worse airports in many so-called advanced countries. International arrival involved the shortest walk from the plane to immigration I have experienced in recent memory. The visa-on-arrival counter had no line so no waiting. Bags took a long time to arrive but no longer than in any US airport. Paid USD20 to pre-order a taxi from the booth outside customs and was thus spared from having to deal with the bustle outside we were escorted personally to our car. International departure was also relatively painless in spite of having to put up with hordes of pushy elbowing passengers heading home to China and Taiwan. The gate area was nice with clean toilets and good views of tropical landscaping. The best experience was in the new domestic terminal; the local Indonesian traveling public is very courteous and well-behaved and the terminal had excellent facilities including a great lounge where USD4 buys you an all-you-can-eat buffet with excellent choices. Probably the cheapest and best airport food I have encountered in all my travels.

CGK-DPS. Used the Low Cost domestic carrier terminal. A new facility away from the Int'l facility. Everything modern no crowds whatsoever (maybe good timing) good shops and comfortable seating. So much better than the old domestic terminal. If you are using the airport hotel just get your own taxi to save time and not the hotel service. Hopefully more upgrades are coming to Jakarta and Bali airports.

Overall cleanliness is very poor. Serious improvements in particular to restrooms are needed. Waiting times are relatively long and needs to be improved especially for check-in immigration and baggage pick-up. Airport is very hot. Lounge food is very bad and crowded all the time.

CGK represents most things that are disorganised about Jakarta. However I am a great defender of its traditional and distinctive architecture. If you are an arriving Business Class passenger and don't waste your time to get to the immigration desk (assuming you don't need visa on arrival) then you can get to the taxi in 10 minutes flat without luggage and 15-20 min with (priority) luggage. Immigration officers have improved a lot over the years. The problem with CGK is all the chaos happening outside the sterile area after the custom check (arrival) or before the check-in (departure). I agree that the place lacks discipline in this respect (unlicensed taxis shamble parking dirty toilets horrible traffic jam etc). Unless you are planning to do business in Jakarta avoid this airport and go straight to your final destination cities in Indonesia.

One of the worst airports I've been in. Dirty hot limited seating not enough food options. I was in the international terminal (terminal 2) and I can't imagine how much worse domestic could be. Do yourself a favor and buy into one of the many lounges if you're waiting for more than two hours. The fact that this is the capitol's airport is shameful.

Fortunately I arrived in the middle of the day when it was very quiet. Immigration very surly despite having paid $25 for a day visit to Indonesia. I didn't have any baggage so didn't have to wait but the arrivals/meeting area is split left and right making it difficult to find your 'greeter'. In Departures the signs are poor making it difficult to find your check-in desk. Check-in (Philippine Airlines) was unbelievably slow with yet more taxes to pay. Immigration was reasonable and security efficient. Duty Free looked cheap with a reasonable selection of goods but poorly organised. Late at night there was nowhere open to have a snack and a drink other than some smoke-filled hole in the wall. Not a great advertisement for the country really.

I have to say this is the worst airport I have experienced. With the exception of the departure lounge area the whole place is a shambles. The building is claustrophobic and dark signage is limited or absent the air conditioner struggles to maintain coolness and toilets are filthy. The arrival exit leads out to a fenced-in area which cuts off the concourse into two halves. The Departure roadway also doubles up illegally as a pickup area and as a result cars are double parked buses coaches and taxis of all kinds obstruct the roadway and the end result is absolute chaos. Touts are plentiful. I have had the misfortune of spending 1.5 hours waiting for a phantom shuttle vehicle from the hotel. I finally gave up and spend the rest of the remaining time trying to stay awake in the noisy and messy departure concourse. I haven't even mentioned about the visa charges and the airport tax. Take all this into consideration before you even think about the airfare.

The airport facilities have got even worse (if that's possible). Once you pass thru immigration there is nowhere to get any food except a Starbucks where you can get snacks. There was one restaurant where you could get a local meal or a sandwich its closed for renovation. There are however quite a few Duty Free shops. This is the Main International Airport of a large city its absolutely disgraceful. Although the airport does have its own Indonesian style about it I have to say it is now terribly outdated. Avoid at all costs!