Despite being less than 1200 kilometers away, Jakarta and Bali is amongst one of Indonesia’s most frequently traveled routes. I decided to fly with Garuda Indonesia because they are the only full service carrier on the route. Today ill be sitting at the pointy end of Garuda’s flagship product, their Boeing 777-300ER. It would also be my first time seeing the recently completed Terminal 3 Ultimate at Soekarno-Hatta international Airport, which was met with plenty of controversy.

Traffic is something that travellers must be aware of before making arrangements in Jakarta. I was staying in Kemang, a popular area in downtown Jakarta and it took just under two hours to get to the airport just 68 kilometers away. Arriving at Soekarno-Hatta at 11:45am, I passed through the first security checkpoint and entered the terminal.

The second floor (departures) and ground floor (arrivals) at Terminal 3. There is still ongoing work seen throughout the area.

A vintage Mercedes on display.

​Once in the terminal, I noticed that the room temperature was uncomfortably warm and humid. The domestic check-in is located to the right side of the terminal while all international flights are to the left. Passengers have the option of checking-in from a kiosk or at a check-in counter. Economy class check-in counters are located at rows D and E while Business class passengers make their way to the Premium check-in area at row F. The premium check-in area is situated before the second security checkpoint and features a dedicated waiting area for Business class, First class, GarudaMiles Platinum and SkyPriority Elite Plus passengers.

Plenty of check-in options for Economy class passengers. Terminal 3 Ultimate is the only terminal in Indonesia that offers a dedicated check-in counter for GarudaMiles Blue, the first and lowest tier in GarudaMiles.

The entrance to Garuda's Premium Check-in counters. Friendly ground staff will ask for your booking then direct you to an available counter.

The waiting area is decked out with comfy, brown leather seats. The furniture, colour selection and fittings give the area a more polished look. I like it!

Check-in was completed within five minutes and I then walked to Garuda’s Business Class Lounge. Along the way I couldn't help but notice several areas in the terminal which are still under construction. Terminal 3 was officially opened for operation on the 9th of August 2016 and houses all of Garuda's domestic flights. When construction is complete, the terminal will handle all of Soekarno-Hatta's international flights.

Under construction from left to right. Plenty of restaurants and shops are boarded up with images of Indonesia and its attractions.

A few shops are open, but i found a lack of restaurants and cafes. This will soon be changed as the terminal will be completed by the end of 2017.

An overview of Terminal 3 before arriving at Garuda's Business Class Lounge.

There are two lounges that Garuda offer at Terminal 3. The first is the GarudaMiles lounge, which is open to GarudaMiles Gold, ANA Mileage Platinum and Ethiad Platinum members. The second area is Garuda’s Business Class Lounge that houses Garuda’s First and Business class passengers, ANA Mileage Diamond and GarudaMiles Platinum passengers.

At the time of writing this report, the following SkyTeam airlines operate flights to Jakarta:
China Airlines, China Southern, KLM, Korean Air, Saudia, Vietnam Airlines and Xiamen Airlines.

The new lounge was underwhelming compared to the previous lounge at Terminal 2. Yes, the lounge has fancy new furniture and is well maintained but the layout and space provided is just awkward. The lounge stretches for quite a distance, but I found the space to be narrow and cramped. 

As i said, the lounge is long but narrow.

​Going into the smoking room, there are only seven seats provided which were all taken. Statistically, 1 out of every 3 Indonesian smokes. When building an area to accommodate smokers, wouldn't you think to provide a larger space? To top it off there were cigarette butts and ash scattered across the ground. I was unsure if the room was adequately cleaned or if every smoker was just being a filthy human. After finishing my cigarette I tried to find a nice quiet spot in the lounge. I saw plenty of empty glasses and plates scattered across a few tables. Is this once again because the area wasn't cleaned properly or because passengers were temporarily leaving their table to grab more food? 

Stylish but comfy seating with panoramic views of the apron.

The lounge is conveniently located behind the departure gates so it would be a mere 5-minute walk onto the aircraft. As I could see aircraft movements from the lounge, today’s aircraft was towed to the gate two hours before departure. 

Plenty of local cuisine on offer at the lounge. Pictured above is Ketoprak, a vegetarian dish that consists of tofu, vegetables and rice cakes served in peanut sauce.

​The aircraft was called for boarding at 2:00pm, on schedule. Economy class passengers were called up by seat numbers while Business class and SkyPriority Elite passengers have a dedicated isle to board the aircraft.

This time around boarding was uneventful and well coordinated.

When i reached the aircraft, a flight attendant asked for my boarding pass and directed me to seat 11K. Having flown on this aircraft before, the Boeing 777-300ER Business class product is one of the most superior seat types that the airline has to offer.​

The 1-2-1 layout. There are a total of 26 flat bed seats in this cabin.

The layout of the Business class cabin ensures that every passenger has easy access to the isle.

​As I took my seat, a flight attendant came back to offer a drink of juice or champagne. I asked for an orange juice and it was served with a refreshing hand towel. After a lengthy boarding process, the aircraft doors were closed and the cabin crew prepared for pushback. There were only ten passengers seated in Business Class today.

The large side table gives passengers more room as you can place drinks and literature on them. Also seen in this image is the Media controls and seat movement controls. And yes, the seat has a massage feature! 

 Unbelievable. The moment I found out Donald Trump won the United States election. 

A Garuda Indonesia Airbus A330-243 (PK-GPQ) seen from seat 11K.

Four Garuda 737-8U3's parked at Terminal 3 as we pushback. From left to right: PK-GMA, PK-GFT, PK-GFF and PK-GEO.

Five aircrafts holding for departure.

​After holding for quite some time, the aircraft was cleared for takeoff from runway 25R. At Soekarno-Hatta all departing aircrafts from runway 25R must make an immediate right turn, which is what we did. Despite the weather it was a smooth and uneventful departure out of Jakarta. 

Turning right over Tangerang with a view of residential houses.

Five minutes later, the seatbelt sign was switched off and the cabin crew started to prepare meal service. A Flight attendant kindly asked if I would prefer fish with noodles or chicken with rice. After decided to go with the chicken and rice, the flight attendant went ahead and pulled down my tray table and laid a Garuda branded tablecloth over it. Because of the short duration in flight, I wasn't expecting anything out of the ordinary. On international Garuda flights, Business class meals are presented on a menu with more variety and higher quality. 

Todays main course. Local crumbed chicken, fried rice and vegetables on the side.

Other items on the tray table include butter, garlic bread, bread roll, mixed fruit, pudding and Bintang beer.

The main course was appetising, although the chicken was tough to chew on. The garlic bread was nice and soft but I had to pass on the bread roll as it was rock hard. The fruit was fresh and the desert was so good, I could have eaten another one. An added bonus is the onboard service. Every time my glass of water was empty, it was refilled without having to ask. When I requested another beer it would instantly appear on my table with a new glass. ​I’ve flown with Qantas and Virgin Australia on domestic routes in the past, but the offerings on Garuda Indonesia triumph over both the airlines. As the flight attendant collected my meal tray, I thought about the importance of cabin crew efficiency. It is remarkable how the flight attendants can prepare, serve and collect 248 meals on a flight of this distance. 

With just under an hour left in the flight, I took a closer look at the seats on this aircraft. Every seat comes with a universal power outlet, adjustable reading light and two USB ports. The super responsive 15 inch in flight entertainment system has plenty of content including live TV channels to keep you busy. The generous 43-inch pitch and 21-inch width seats recline into flat beds, making travelling much more comfortable. 

Seat 10H. The 110v/60hz power adaptor Is located rather inconveniently near your feet. The seat has a ottoman where passengers can stretch their legs without having to recline the seat.

Another close up on seat 10H. The headphones are stowed under the armrest.

The Panasonic 15-inch eX2 Inflight Entertainment system.

I was eager to see Garuda's First class product on the 777, but this isn't available on all of the aircrafts. Out of the ten Boeing 777’s that Garuda operate, only six have First class cabins. The aircrafts with a three-class cabin are PK-GIA, GIC, GID, GIE, GIF and GIG. The other four 777’s (PK-GIH, GII, GIJ and GIK) only offer two class cabins with a total of 393 seats. Due to the duration of the flight, I was also unable to test the onboard WiFi, which is available on all of Garuda's 777's.

The aircraft started to descend at 3:47pm and judging by the weather, it looked like rain had just passed through the area. The captain and first officer did a great job at avoiding large clouds built up northwest of Bali. The aircraft touched down at 4:26pm on runway 09, with a total flight time of one hour and 36 minutes. 

Rain passing through the area.

Turning of the single runway at Ngurah Rai International Airport. Rain had only stopped 15 minutes ago.

The remote parking stand.

A Garuda Indonesia Airbus A330-300 (PK-GPT) parked at the International apron.

Business class passengers are also given a dedicated premium arrival lounge to wait at while Garuda ground staff retrieve your checked baggage. As I only had carry on baggage on this flight, no images of this area were taken.
 
I was thoroughly impressed with Garuda Indonesia’s domestic service. If you are planning to fly at the pointy end of the aircraft, booking a flight on Garuda’s widebody aircrafts will be certainly be more comfortable than any other carrier flying around Indonesia. On top of that, the service is highly efficient and very professional. Although the Indonesian aviation sector is highly competitive, Garuda has always been my preferred carrier to fly domestically around Indonesia.

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Garuda Business Class Lounge Terminal 3, Jakarta

Comfort

80%

Services

80%

Meal/Catering

85%

Entertainment

75%

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Garuda Indonesia

Cabin

90%

Meal Service

80%

Entertainment

85%

Cabin Crew

90%