psidarta

Looks very much like GA's colour scheme! Is this their new seats by JPA Design?

Thanks Suzanne, I know it's thrice weekly on 247 but I could not find it on any of those days at around end od March...

Hi... Does anyone here know about whether MH184/5 KUL-CMB still going to operate through March/April next year? It's not showing on MH's website but is there on Wego. However, it's up there on MH website for current month travel. Thank you

In contrary to its parent company, Batik Air is officially the most on-time airline in Indonesia, and you start hearing more good things about them. Looking at their rate of fleet expansion and route planning, they've really been an airline to watch! Rusdi Kirana has been quoted as saying that Full-Service-Carriers are the next big thing and that simply signals his ambition for Batik Air! Not surprised if they suddenly apply for Batik Air Thailand!

Always excited about an airline's rebranding! I do think it's a very designed way to quietly commence a rebranding exercise... Quietly taking off the old ones and slowly giving hints that something new is about to come. It better be good though, the new branding, as it will be (or already been) very much anticipated.. Dragonair to Cathay Dragon came so suddenly they did not allow anybody to start expecting. New branding for MAB had been talked about for quite some time now, and still nothing happened prior to the going places-deliberation.

Yes I think CX popularize the super diamond when they introduced them on its 777s a few years back. GA is marketing this new offering as the first airline to install them on a regional A333. All the A333s they are due to receive this year will have the same seats installed but from what I've heard, the JPA designed cabin and seats will debut on their 737MAX in January 2017 and then introduced to the next A333 deliveries. So if I understand correctly, the A333s up to PK-GPY will not be retrofitted with new cabin interior / seats, PK-GPZ and the other three to be delivered in 2016 will have the standard super-diamond seats, and those delivered from 2017 will have the customized ones which, I believe, will be a modified version of the super diamond almost like the Porsche-modified super diamond for their A350s. The A333s have and will always be the workhorse of GA's regional and medium-haul operation so the decision to introduce the new seats to the remaining A333s does make a lot of sense to stay on-par with the offering from their legacy peers. GA has been rather quiet on the new seats, probably realizing that many of the peers have been using the same seat type and while they are still a damn-good choice of seat type for a regional A333s, it's not something too new. I'm pretty sure they will bomb the media at their early 2017 launch of the JPA designed cabins and modified seats, especially on the 737s (where biz class seats have been quite generic) and the newer A333s. Me looking forward to this year's Singapore Air Show where my gut feeling says they will announce the B789/A359 final decision and quite possibly, give some glimpses of their new upcoming JPA designed-cabins!

With all due respect to airfcraft interior manufacturers?, sometimes I do wonder how can an airline's interior be too different from another... Especially on an identical aircraft type and seat class... Apart from prestige and publicity stint. Good for GA though. http://thedesignair.net/2015/12/15/garuda-indonesia-appoints-jpa-design-to-create-new-business-and-economy-interiors/

Could it be for GA as part of 30 A359 in the LOI to prevent them from choosing the 789? They have been negotiating and GA is close to making a decision. I really doubt SQ would want to release any slots for EK!

Couldn't agree more! I think all these orders when confirmed, are for deliveries between 2021-2025 or even later. A long shot but they should've been financially more stable by then. Lots of them will be replacing current fleet though. But again, such order intents is massive for GA's scale of operation. Surely this was planned quite some time ago before the new management took over.

This is so unexpected, LoIs for 30 B789s and 30 A359s They said they're going to order 250 planes before 2025. That's 60 789/359, 80 B738MAX, 50 A320s. Another 60 to go... should be a top-up of A320NEOS, new regional jet orders, and/or ATRs. http://www.airbusgroup.com/int/en/news-media/press-releases/Airbus-Group/Financial_Communication/2015/06/20150615_airbus_garuda_a350.html

Fresh from the press: Garuda Indonesia aims to order 200-250 aircraft from 2014 -CEO BY SIVA GOVINDASAMY HONG KONG Thu Nov 14, 2013 5:20am EST Nov 14 (Reuters) - Indonesia's flag carrier Garuda Indonesia wants to add 200-250 aircraft over 2015-2025 to meet demand in one of the world's fastest-growing aviation markets, its chief executive said on Thursday. The airline wants to buy some directly from manufacturers and lease the remainder, Emirsyah Satar told Reuters on the sidelines of an industry event in Hong Kong. Garuda had 131 aircraft as at September-end. Existing orders and impending retirement will put the total at 194 in 2015. The airline intends to retire aircraft in the following years as it adds more planes, and aims for a fleet of 350-400 with an average age of six years by 2025, said Satar. Garuda is looking for single-aisle aircraft for routes of up to five hours, and larger wide-body aircraft for medium- and long-haul services, he said. Boeing Co's 737 Max and Airbus S.A.S.'s A320neo would satisfy Garuda's short haul needs. Boeing's 787 and 777 and Airbus' A350 could be contenders for its medium- and long-haul requirements. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/11/14/garuda-orders-idUSL4N0IZ34820131114 Looks like A and B will be busy with their Southeast Asian customers. Bring on the shows...

No it is not heavier than a 777. From what I read in indoflyer, the runway is not strong enough for a fully loaded 777 with 314 pax, 11 tonne of cargo and fuel required to fly ultra long haul to London. They can still do the but with payload restrictions (-39 pax, -all cargo and a transit somewhere). No XWBs flies long haul from CGK, the furthest being a full 747 to JED. In a way it's logical and tecnically making a lot of sense but I really think this is not the only reason for the delay as such technical matters should and must have been understood far earlier. Most aviation enthusiasts in Indonesia believe the main reason is still business, where GA (finally, late as usual) realized that the 77W will make more money somewhere else. 2nd half of the year is traditionally a busy season for GA and the 77W could stand by for a more flexible utilizations (they will have 4 by year end). May 2014 is still almost a year away, and they will have that much time to further raise public awareness of the new route, more people would have sampled the revamped premium services and ample time to negotiate a Heathrow slot from future SkyTeam members (read: KL/AF) Now that all that's been said by the new marketing director Erik Meijer at the interview I mentioned in my previous post had been proven true, I think I am going to stick to my gut opinion that GA will indeed land at Heathrow as a SkyTeam member when they eventually fly to London come May 2014 (or later). Again, disappointing of GA but while London is never an ideal destination for them, May 2014 is a lot more ideal than November 2013 IF they really have to launch the route.

There is no statement or explanation whatsoever from the airline about the cancellation here in Indonesia as well, and I guess this topic has been rather hot only in forums. However, the signs of the route not going to materialize have actually been there from the beginning i.e. flights almost not bookable online, no straightforward marketing campaign for the route as yet, airline directors saying different dates of the first flight in some interviews etc. While many in Indonesia and Garuda lovers would love to see the route happens, I think the management is doing the right thing to postpone/cancel the route if the route is never going to work. A non-stop London flight, which is part of a Kangaroo route, on a spanking new premium 77W might sound very prestigious and will surely generate a lot of publicity but again, business calculation comes first and GA just cannot afford to waste the potential of their 77W on a route which is untested and probably not going to generate too much yield for them. The UK has never been a traditional strong market out of CGK, and with BA's rumoured return, the once exciting plan might sound too risky to proceed. With a new HND day-time slot in hand, a much improved performance on the CGK-AUH-AMS route, and encouraging SLF on their North Asian / Australian routes, GA do actually have many options for their flagship 77W instead of stretching it on London at the current period. Formal entry to Skyteam is not too far away, and they can always review the plan in the future when they have more planes and code-shares, and maybe considers a slot in LHR? Again, nobody knows the real reason behind the silent, apparent cancellation/postponement, but whatever the reason is, the logics have been there from the start that LON may not be the best step forward for GA at the moment. We'd rather read news about them sustaining their profits than GA-bashing articles about a financial bloodbath. (Believe) Those bankers at the helm have brought this airline back from the dead, they should know what to do with this one.

Somebody from Indoflyer has a picture of the incident. https://pbs.twimg.com/media/BKt36_GCUAEX14n.jpg

GA's First Class Suite comes with sliding doors just like OZ, this ad confirmed. They are yet to announce the extra services for F passengers other than the already much publicized Free Wi-fi & In-Flight Broadband TV, Chef-on-Board, and Immigration-on-Board. Limousine service and private butler has been mentioned in other forum, among others that will include upgrades for the J passengers. Looks like they are seriously trying too woo back those wealthy Indonesians currently flying premium classes of their northern neighbour rivals. https://twitter.com/dtimor/status/336475529131728896/photo/1/large