Garuda: One of the best airlines in the world?

[S V Choong 4]

Indonesia's major carrier has a history marked by tragedy but it is straightening out its act.

After nine "fatal events" since 1970, culminating in the 2007 Yogyakarta crash that killed 21 and injured many more, Indonesia's national carrier has refreshed its fleet and is now compliant with best-practice maintenance and safety standards. Garuda Indonesia has also overhauled its inflight service in a bid to become one of the best airlines in the world.

It must be doing something right - the carrier has come up as best international airline for January 2012 in a recent Roy Morgan survey of airlines.

It's the latest in a long list of accolades, so Sky Report decided to do our own survey to see if the punters actually agree with the press releases.

 

We took to social media to seek the opinions of recent Australian Garuda customers. And apart from some minor gripes about food, the mood was generally very positive.

Each of the respondents (we got about 10 via Twitter and SourceBottle - we're no Roy Morgan) said they had chosen Garuda on price. (One got Amsterdam-Sydney for $1000 return.) Several had not chosen at all - the choice was made by a travel partner. One respondent wasn't happy at the time, telling Sky Report he said to his wife: "Why did you book them? They fall out of the sky."

However, he was pleasantly surprised by the experience of flying with them.

None knew of Garuda's hard-targeted transformation drive, in play since 2008, but each had glowing things to say, ranging from "the smiling crew was amazing with our 13-month-old baby", to "the inflight entertainment was great". Some said the economy cabin appeared to be roomier than others in which they had flown.

To sum up, one of our respondents, who flew Garuda to Bali for a conference and "wouldn't have considered booking them myself", had this to say: "Overall, the experience was so good we've made a point to rave about it to anyone we know that travels to Bali. Their service had the effect of breaking the flight up so that when we arrived we felt fresh and relaxed. It certainly opened my eyes. Watch out Jetstar; I think Garuda is going to show you the value in treating passengers as people and not cattle." High praise indeed.

 

Service, please

 

This may be old news to some but there is only one public bus that stops within Australia's busiest airport, Sydney.

Sky Report discovered this on a recent trip, when we walked out the wrong door for the taxi queue and found ourselves at a bus stop, with only one STA service using it. Fortuitously for us, it was for the 400 service - which heads to Randwick, where we wished to go - so we jumped aboard.

But not everyone wants to go to Randwick (or Burwood, where the bus ends up) and with Sydney Airport passenger movements expected to reach 50.6 million by 2020 (from exceeding 35.7 million at present), the one-bus-only situation is a puzzling ineptitude.

Of course, there's a train to Central (expensive) and a fair few private shuttles (requires some organisation) but if those aren't ideal for flyers, they certainly don't suit the millions of commutes a year that airport workers clock up.

"More than 16,000 people from surrounding neighbourhoods and beyond, employed by hundreds of companies, work at the airport every day and many of them have no choice but to drive to work," says the Sydney Airport communications manager, Tracy Ong.

The public transport woes and flow-on traffic congestion are a key feature in the Joint Study on Aviation Capacity for the Sydney Region, released last month, which optimistically contains a raft of recommendations to improve the airport run for everyone.

Much publicised are the Commonwealth and NSW governments' plans to improve major roads around the airport, as well as a strategy to encourage rail use by reducing the cost of the train to something akin to the regular CityRail fare.

But what of those not directly on a train line? Well, the joint study does note the need for new bus services - but only two.

"A significant portion of airport users are from Sydney's lower north, with a concentration of commuter/staff trips to Sydney [Kingsford-Smith] Airport from the Sutherland Shire - both areas which are not currently well served by public transport to the airport," the report says.

It suggests as a "possibility" the introduction of a St George-Sutherland bus service largely for airport staff, and a lower north shore service.

But it also notes the good folk of the leafy lower north aren't exactly great users of public transport.

"While the pool of commuter patronage from the lower north shore is relatively small to warrant a direct service, a Metrobus service could provide a direct bus link from the lower north shore to the airport, also connecting other areas in between," it says.

 

Confiscation crazy

 

Next time the guy in front of you in the airport screening queue is emptying his pockets of coins, keys, money clip and the remains of his lunch into a plastic tray, spare a thought for your counterparts in the US and what they get held up behind.

The US Transportation Security Administration (TSA) allows its officers a blog and on it, they've itemised some of the zanier items they have confiscated.

From snakes to stun guns, the TSA sees it all and, according to Reuters, confiscates an average of four pistols a day.

Spear guns are apparently commonly confused for something that can be carried on. One officer even detected a chainsaw (not exactly a discreet item), fully fuelled with petrol.

And you thought your can of hairspray was a hazard ...

 

Route watch

 

Qantas has ceased flying its own planes between Hong Kong and London. Qantas fares booked for Australia-Hong Kong-London will now have the latter leg provided by British Airways.

In the meantime, Hong Kong Airlines has launched a business-class-only service between London and Hong Kong.

The airline is flying one service a day on Airbus A330-200s between Gatwick and Chek Lap Kok.

Reported and advertised fares have been running about a half to a third of the cost of business class on Cathay Pacific.

 

Read more: http://www.theage.co...l#ixzz1rmdExZvX

Edited April 12, 2012 by S V Choong

[affendi osman 0]

IMHO, they are.....

service wise....

 

I don't know the rest.....

[Kee Hooi Yen 0]

Yes, totally agree....service wise

 

There is still room for improvement in other area, such as customer service (none of my emails / mail to them were replied ) and website content

[Yang Zulhilmi 0]

IIRC,they are aiming to become a 5 star carrier in a future.

[Kris Kim 0]

I feel that GA has improved so much its unbelievable, just a few years ago they were avoided by everyone due to their safety record. Now I will happily take a flight with them, they are also increasing their presence in MEL which is good, I would like to see MEL-CGK go up to daily and MEL-DPS bumped up to daily too, love seeing the 2 GA A330's sitting next to each other and just departing 5 minutes apart.

 

It's amazing how they are still ordering more planes, didn't they just signed for another 11 A330's ?

[JuliusWong 0]

I feel that GA has improved so much its unbelievable, just a few years ago they were avoided by everyone due to their safety record. Now I will happily take a flight with them, they are also increasing their presence in MEL which is good, I would like to see MEL-CGK go up to daily and MEL-DPS bumped up to daily too, love seeing the 2 GA A330's sitting next to each other and just departing 5 minutes apart.

 

It's amazing how they are still ordering more planes, didn't they just signed for another 11 A330's ?

 

Indeed, GA transformation is something other airlines can learn from. From new livery, brand new fleet to consistent inflight services to both new hard and soft products, GA managed to hit most nails correctly. The below video sums up everything

 

http://youtu.be/H3PPHWPiOgI

 

 

Now, if their website can be more useful....

 

The new 11 A330-300s is to replace the current six older A330-300. Negotiation for a separate deal for 3 A330-200F is currently on-going.

 

The B747-400 are on its way out, possibly to be converted to BCF, pending the arrival of B777-300ER.

Edited April 12, 2012 by JuliusWong

[Cire 0]

Service is okay, but the lots of native passengers aren't. They are rowdy, and loud. They do not seem to understand what's a hand carry bag is, and usually packed more than a bag into overhead cabins. And the worse is when smelly stuffs were brought onboard as well.

 

I think the flight attendance have been very lenient on them and looked the other way most of the time. Perhaps its because to appreciate their fellow countrymen/women who have brought back much needed monies to help build Indonesia?

 

Besides that i think the airline is pretty decent.

[ivanindra 0]

Service is okay, but the lots of native passengers aren't. They are rowdy, and loud. They do not seem to understand what's a hand carry bag is, and usually packed more than a bag into overhead cabins. And the worse is when smelly stuffs were brought onboard as well.

 

I think the flight attendance have been very lenient on them and looked the other way most of the time. Perhaps its because to appreciate their fellow countrymen/women who have brought back much needed monies to help build Indonesia?

 

Besides that i think the airline is pretty decent.

 

How many times have you flown with Garuda? I've been flying Garuda so many times and I never experienced such things. To me your post is totally RACIST!!!! I'm not gonna name certain race that are 'smelly' but let's face the fact.....Garuda Indonesia under the new management has the right track in to become one of the recognizable airline in the world. Garuda still have a long way competing with Singapore Airlines or Emirates, but with the strong management......I'm sure they could achieve that in the near future.

[Naim 6]

Cire didn't say ppl were 'smelly', he said: " ... And the worse is when smelly stuffs were brought onboard as well."

 

Different thing altogether.

[BC Tam 2]

Add another dimension - "smelly stuff" is so subjective depending on individual/cultural background

For example, you show my mum good ikan masin (salted dried fish) or fermented shrimp paste and she will beam ear to ear

Get her a whiff of your channel no.5 and .......

 

Mind you, it's not that I'm advocating substituting your run of the mill air freshener with alternatives of rotting pieces of flesh - far from it

[S V Choong 4]

Actually nothing to do with Garuda. I have in fact been on mainland Chinese carrier where some fellow Chinese pax around me were smelly... and they looked somewhat "villagers" like.

 

The fact is se people are around... particularly if they are from a country where there is a big gap between the rich and the poor.

 

To me durian smell really nice, don't really understand why it is not allowed on board

[Naim 6]

Being with stinking ppl is part and parcel of travelling, esp. on late flights.

[Cire 0]

How many times have you flown with Garuda? I've been flying Garuda so many times and I never experienced such things. To me your post is totally RACIST!!!! I'm not gonna name certain race that are 'smelly' but let's face the fact.....Garuda Indonesia under the new management has the right track in to become one of the recognizable airline in the world. Garuda still have a long way competing with Singapore Airlines or Emirates, but with the strong management......I'm sure they could achieve that in the near future.

 

 

Friend, chill out.

Why so tensed up? racist? lol...

 

Smelly stuffs..not people. Loud and rowdy, yes perhaps its unfortunate of me to have shared the same flight with a group of univ.students who have just had a vacation in Malaysia. girl-boy the works... sigh..

 

Actually nothing to do with Garuda. I have in fact been on mainland Chinese carrier where some fellow Chinese pax around me were smelly... and they looked somewhat "villagers" like.

 

The fact is se people are around... particularly if they are from a country where there is a big gap between the rich and the poor.

 

To me durian smell really nice, don't really understand why it is not allowed on board

 

Yup, being there many times. Smokers breath, again smelly stuffs (cause I do not know what's inside those checkered color plastic bags), some ointment, an of course all these are recirculated into the cabin...including my own's as well ...hahaha. Thank goodness its just a hour plus hop-over,always..

hefei-guangzhou

[BC Tam 2]

Being with stinking ppl is part and parcel of travelling, esp. on late flights.

Body odour and stinky feet - the difinitive social levellers !!

[Naim 6]

And after a good meal, farting ppl. God, that's why I love travelling so much ... all these smelly stinking dudes!

[Gavin Andrew David 6]

it becomes a big issue when you have so many people removing their shoes on a long flight.. jeez.... the horror..

 

I once had someone sit next to me, didn't speak a word of english at all! couldn't even write his name on the arrival card..

 

He ate something like ' chau tau fu ' ... o m g .

[S V Choong 4]

Had a mainland Chinese guy removed his shoes and his smelly socks on my 9 hour long flight between HKG and SYD couple of years back....... had to swap seats.

[BC Tam 2]

He ate something like ' chau tau fu ' ... o m g .

Onboard ?

How did he manage to get biohazard material like that past security ?

[Ahmad M 1]

 

Onboard ?

How did he manage to get biohazard material like that past security ?

 

Is that the infamous stinking tofu?

[BC Tam 2]

Is that the infamous stinking tofu?

If my cantonese is up to scratch, "chau tau fu" indeed equates to stinky tofu

However, I leave it to numero uno here to verify if indeed that is what it was

(apologies if you need to mentally relive the agony )

Edited April 18, 2012 by BC Tam

[Naim 6]

On the other hand there are also most-welcome fellow passengers -- like this tall model-like blonde Russian girl on our LED-DXB flight yesterday. Wearing just sleeveless low-neck t-shirt, she sat in the middle of the cabin of the A340 (with her tough-looking bf) and periodically stood up to stretch her lithe shapely body ... took everybody's eyes off the fabulous EK IFE screens!

 

[sorry, off-topic!]

[S V Choong 4]

Hope you didn't give her a dirty look, Doc....! (hope the boyfriend didn't notice)

[Kee Hooi Yen 0]

On the other hand there are also most-welcome fellow passengers -- like this tall model-like blonde Russian girl on our LED-DXB flight yesterday. Wearing just sleeveless low-neck t-shirt, she sat in the middle of the cabin of the A340 (with her tough-looking bf) and periodically stood up to stretch her lithe shapely body ... took everybody's eyes off the fabulous EK IFE screens!

 

[sorry, off-topic!]

 

 

No photo ?

[Radzi 2]

......(with her tough-looking bf).......

 

 

No photo ?

 

Safety first!