Hello from Jeddah! I’m in the middle of my wild review trip, and I’ll admit, the exhaustion is really starting to hit. I’m not in my 20s anymore, and I may have overdone it. But at this point, the show must go on…
I was looking forward to my 10-hour Garuda Indonesia business class flight from Jakarta to Jeddah for a couple of reasons. First of all, I flew Garuda Indonesia first class several years ago, and had an amazing experience, so was looking forward to seeing how business class compares. Second of all, I was flying to Jeddah, so I knew that would be a unique experience.
Some OMAAT readers have been mentioning that Garuda Indonesia isn’t what it once was, and unfortunately my experience matches that. This flight had some highlights, but also had some major shortcomings. While I’ll have a full review soon, I wanted to share some initial thoughts in this post.
In this post:
Garuda Indonesia’s Jakarta Lounge is bad
I remember when I flew Garuda Indonesia many years back, all the staff were talking about how excited they were that the new terminal would soon open, and that it would represent a huge improvement for the passenger experience. So I had high hopes, and figured that since this is Garuda Indonesia’s hub, the airline would have a great lounge.
I mean, after all, Garuda Indonesia is a Skytrax 5-star airline, and we know what a massive and legitimate honor that is, reserved for airlines like Lufthansa, based on the Allegris product.
I think the ceiling as you walk toward the lounge really sets the tone for what you can expect…
As does the closed off first class lounge, which the airline has abandoned…
As does the odd kids play area plus random seating outside the entrance to the lounge…
This has to be one of the least impressive airline hub lounges I’ve seen anywhere.
The lounge has several rooms that are simply locked, and one side of the lounge just ends with a few oddly placed… whatever these things are?
The Plaza Premium Lounge in the terminal is exponentially better than the Garuda Indonesia Lounge.
Jeddah flights are a special breed…
Before I share my thoughts on the actual flight, let me acknowledge that I was flying to Jeddah. Many flights to Jeddah primarily consist of religious pilgrims taking a once-in-a-lifetime trip. I was expecting that 90% of passengers on this flight would be religious visitors, but I was wrong… that estimate was way too low.
So it’s just worth acknowledging that this isn’t your typical business route. There’s not only a prayer before takeoff, but also a prayer upon landing. And for a vast majority of people, this is a very special and meaningful journey.
I didn’t really witness a lot of the action, since business class was almost completely empty. But sometimes a lot goes on with these flights…
Garuda Indonesia’s business class seats are fine
Garuda Indonesia’s Boeing 777-300ERs have fully flat staggered business class seats, in a 1-2-1 configuration. Specifically, the airline has the Stelia Solstys III product, which isn’t exactly cutting edge at this point. The cabin has seen better days, and the finishes don’t exactly make the cabin feel much more modern.
Fortunately the true window seats in this configuration are pretty comfy, whether you’re trying to just relax or sleep.
Garuda Indonesia’s food & service are good
Garuda Indonesia has consistently won awards for its great cabin crew, and that has always matched my experience. Garuda Indonesia cabin crew are just so incredibly warm and exude hospitality, and the crew on this flight was no exception.
Now, they maybe weren’t as polished as on Singapore Airlines. For example, with the main meal, they just placed my dessert on my tray next to my main course a minute after serving it, “for my convenience.” Am I being brought the check at a restaurant in the United States, or being served a meal on a long haul flight?
But that’s incredibly minor, as they really were lovely, and consistently checked on everyone in business class (like, all few of us).
The food onboard was quite good as well, and there was even a quasi onboard chef. Or at least he wore a different kind of outfit, and generally interacted with me when it came to taking meal orders. The meal started with a salmon canapé, which I paired with a Diet Coke (there was no alcohol served on this flight, because Saudi Arabia).
The starter consisted of some chicken breast with cucumbers and cherry tomatoes, and there was no choice.
For the main course I select opor ayam, one of the Indonesian specialties (chicken with coconut milk), which was very tasty.
Then for dessert, there was a mango cheesecake, and I ordered a cappuccino.
Before landing, I was impressed that a full three course meal was served as well. Often on long haul flights, the pre-landing meal will all be served on one tray, so that was a nice point of differentiation.
Garuda Indonesia’s soft product is otherwise bad
While the food and service were mostly great, unfortunately the rest of the soft product left a lot to be desired. For one, there were no menus in business class. The flight attendants were friendly, but weren’t great at explaining the dishes, so when they offered me opor ayam or sei sapi, I had to do a bit of searching online.
Next, Garuda Indonesia has absolute garbage blankets in business class. These remind me of the scratchy ones that American used to hand out in domestic first class a decade ago. At least these weren’t crusty. Still, no bueno.
Next, I’m pretty sure that the headphones weren’t just not noise canceling, but if anything, were noise amplifying. My gosh, the amount of static in these headphones was unreal.
The amenity kit also felt rather basic and cheap.
Garuda Indonesia’s inflight entertainment also leaves a bit to be desired. It’s outdated, and gives off very strong 2011 vibes. The selection wasn’t great either.
While Garuda Indonesia has Wi-Fi, unfortunately there are data caps. The airline charges $21.95 for a plan that offers 250MB of data. I burned through that pretty quickly.
Bottom line
I had an amazing flight in Garuda Indonesia first class several years ago, so I’ve been wanting to check out the carrier’s business class. Many warned that the airline has made some cutbacks due to the tough financial situation the company is in, and my experience matches that.
While the crew was lovely and the food was quite good, the lack of menus and the quality of amenities left quite a bit to be desired. I wouldn’t avoid Garuda Indonesia in the further if the airline had the best schedule or offered the best value, but I also wouldn’t go out of my way to fly with the airline again in business class. If anything, the most disappointing part of the experience was the ground experience, given that Jakarta is Garuda Indonesia’s hub, and the airport has a fairly new terminal.
I’m now wondering if I should fly Garuda Indonesia first class again, to see how much worse that experience has gotten since I last flew it…
What’s your take on Garuda Indonesia’s Boeing 777 business class?
Sorry to hear that, Ben. Just for your information, these kind of flights are intended for Hajj pilgrims, in which the operational cost is likely to be subsidized by government (in this case, Ministry of Religious Affairs), so that it may not be the best experience that you’ll find. Perhaps you’d like to take GA’s flight to Tokyo or Seoul, I heard that those flights provides level of service just like what you’ve experienced back in 2015 (if I’m not mistaken)
BA serves alcohol (until entering Saudi airspace - definition required).
But God help you if you are inebriated going through immigration.
Having worked in the Middle East it is amazing how you become adept at smelling alcohol on the breath. Just sniff the odd Sheikh from a distance, for example.
I also have the same feeling n words for Blankets n other linens. I think Garuda is trying to minimize the expenditure. May be after Covid wave, they might not have replaced Covid affected linens. SQ has done a good job.
I think your previous Garuda experience is more indicative of the true Garuda experience as the flights to Jeddah are, as indicated, more for religious pilgrimage and not business, so that route usually gets the oldest equipment and limited meal choices, etc. I have flown Jakarta to Hong Kong and Tokyo several times on Garuda and have always had a great experience in business. I would imagine most long haul flights are much the same....
I think your previous Garuda experience is more indicative of the true Garuda experience as the flights to Jeddah are, as indicated, more for religious pilgrimage and not business, so that route usually gets the oldest equipment and limited meal choices, etc. I have flown Jakarta to Hong Kong and Tokyo several times on Garuda and have always had a great experience in business. I would imagine most long haul flights are much the same. As always, excellent Indonesian hospitality makes up for a lot…
Oh geez. Looks like that could just as easily have been a business class experience on TAAG Angola Airlines or PIA. And Scamtrax calls this a 5-star airline? If anything this is another example that shows how Singapore Airlines really has no peer in its region.
Garuda is always the best service thanks you Garuda
Try the lounge at Denpasar lolllllll. It was abysmal.
I thought Garuda biz was fine. Good food, really attentive service. Whisky refills were large and proactive (eek). They prob know their Aussie clientele. Seat was comfy but you need 12 pillows to make one half decent one. Storage and footwell fine.
I flew it from Bali to Sydney last month.
Denpasar - absolute awful. Cathay shares this horrid lounge with all the rest of the One World clan. Horrid to have this lounge waiting for Qatar/CX. I thought the CX lounge in JNB was bad - but it's miles ahead of the DPS lounge.
I wisited Jeddah in March and had a great time. Easy visa process, very easy immigration process both in and out. On Turkish Airlines, business class was completely full, but those pax who had wrapped themselves in terry cloth towels were all in coach, and yeah, there were a lot of them. Some so ancient that when they paged a doctor midflight, I was sure some geriatric pilgrim will die and we need to land...
I wisited Jeddah in March and had a great time. Easy visa process, very easy immigration process both in and out. On Turkish Airlines, business class was completely full, but those pax who had wrapped themselves in terry cloth towels were all in coach, and yeah, there were a lot of them. Some so ancient that when they paged a doctor midflight, I was sure some geriatric pilgrim will die and we need to land in the middle of nowhere. Fortunately, that did not happen. Old Jeddah was very authentic and interesting.
The food on the Garuda flight looks like a nicely presented coach meal. And that blanket must have been borrowed from Finnair coach, they used to have blankets just like that perhaps ten years ago :D
Garuda still needs to improve its quality in all aspects. Very sad to see the poor condition of the Garuda lounge at Terminal 3 of Jakarta Airport. Also blankets, headphones that should be replaced with new ones as well as amenities that are more suitable for economy class and in-flight entertainment that are outdated. I once flew with Garuda which did not provide a menu list, so the cabin crew had to explain the menu...
Garuda still needs to improve its quality in all aspects. Very sad to see the poor condition of the Garuda lounge at Terminal 3 of Jakarta Airport. Also blankets, headphones that should be replaced with new ones as well as amenities that are more suitable for economy class and in-flight entertainment that are outdated. I once flew with Garuda which did not provide a menu list, so the cabin crew had to explain the menu choices one by one starting from appetizers, main dishes, desserts and drink choices all at once, so this was confusing. Of course they apologized because there was no printed menu available at that time. You can imagine how many times the cabin crew has to repeat reading the menu to passengers.
This is an honest, fair review of the airline. I would love GA to come back to its former self but that will take a long time. Using this aircraft as a flying “microlet” is out of necessity I’m afraid. For GA to make money they have to fill the plane. The alcohol and Saudi Arabia is unrelated. This is an alcohol and pilgrim issue. Indonesia get the highest quota for pilgrims than any other...
This is an honest, fair review of the airline. I would love GA to come back to its former self but that will take a long time. Using this aircraft as a flying “microlet” is out of necessity I’m afraid. For GA to make money they have to fill the plane. The alcohol and Saudi Arabia is unrelated. This is an alcohol and pilgrim issue. Indonesia get the highest quota for pilgrims than any other country. This alone is sufficient to run a charter or some other form of service. Indonesia in general doesn’t care what anybody thinks. The management, and therefore the employees, haven’t been trained properly regarding lounges, appearance, food service etc. All of which you noted is accurate. Except the 5-Star rating. It has little. The criteria like this airline is dated.
As you indicated, a flight to Saudi Arabia is always "minor" so having to dine with a diet coke ... won't leave with an unforgettable experience?
I recently wrote here that 2 months ago I flew DPS-SYD with them, connecting from AMS-SIN-DPS on KLM ... and then believe me .. Garuda still feels like heaven. My favorite part was the crew, how they take the order, the kind of chef preparing the food, I...
As you indicated, a flight to Saudi Arabia is always "minor" so having to dine with a diet coke ... won't leave with an unforgettable experience?
I recently wrote here that 2 months ago I flew DPS-SYD with them, connecting from AMS-SIN-DPS on KLM ... and then believe me .. Garuda still feels like heaven. My favorite part was the crew, how they take the order, the kind of chef preparing the food, I just loved it despite being on a dated plane ... and of course on that flight there was Champagne :-)
P.S. For years now I don't botter for headphones on any flight, always use my own
It’s a sad state of affairs over at Garuda, it’s like they never shook off the double whammy that was their disastrous CEO who flew in expensive in the belly of an A330-900neo and Miss Rona. You’d think the flagship airline of an economy growing at 5% p.a. would’ve navigated through the recovery phase better. Your experience — as well as others I’ve heard — cements it.
Meanwhile Singapore Airlines just booked record profit after...
It’s a sad state of affairs over at Garuda, it’s like they never shook off the double whammy that was their disastrous CEO who flew in expensive in the belly of an A330-900neo and Miss Rona. You’d think the flagship airline of an economy growing at 5% p.a. would’ve navigated through the recovery phase better. Your experience — as well as others I’ve heard — cements it.
Meanwhile Singapore Airlines just booked record profit after record profit, with new business class seats for the A350-900ULR teased. Maybe Garuda should be privatised. Heck, hand them over to Delta or Tata. At least they know what they’re doing
Are all airlines flying to/from Saudi Arabia required to not serve alcohol, or was that just Garuda's choice?
Garuda's choice.
I fly their domestic routes ony in business frequently. FAR and above superior to anything Lion Air or Batik has.
The Jakarta lounge is pretty bare but it is pretty quiet. But I'm not into lounge experiences like so many of you are.
I've used Garuda Lounge about a year ago and it was already as bad as you describe. It was like being in a seedy Pan-Asian restaurant with tired 70s-80's decor in a strip mall. Alcohol is not displayed but served upon request. You asked the lounge attendant for a can of beer and the attendant cum ersatz bartender would bring one out from the back room. There was an illicit feeling about the whole transaction,...
I've used Garuda Lounge about a year ago and it was already as bad as you describe. It was like being in a seedy Pan-Asian restaurant with tired 70s-80's decor in a strip mall. Alcohol is not displayed but served upon request. You asked the lounge attendant for a can of beer and the attendant cum ersatz bartender would bring one out from the back room. There was an illicit feeling about the whole transaction, in fact, the ambience was such that it felt like being in a den of black market arms dealers. Noodle soups were being offered and being made to order on the spot. While it hardly looked appetizing, the taste was not bad, thanks to inherently vibrant Indonesian cuisine.
On my way to the gate to board, I took a glimpse of Plaza Premium Lounge and regretted not having spent time there. However, it has been a memorable experience and part of me would like to go back to the Garuda Lounge than Plaza Premium Lounge which is far better, but less unique.
Can I ask why all travel writers whine about the headphones that are given out on planes? You use your own, right? Bose or AirPods or whatever? The reviews are 98.9999999999% bad and don't matter anyway. What am I missing? You also always say you're a selective germaphobe. Don't communal headphones gross you out?
Welcome to FT!
"Can I ask why all travel writers whine about the headphones that are given out on planes?"
Because the prevailing wisdom, appropriately, is that if you're going to offer a product in business class, it should be something that works at the very least, something prestigious at the most. People care to know when airlines offer garbage products, as it helps shape purchasing decisions when it comes to booking travel at the front of planes.
Speaking of headphones, would it make sense that headphones are offered upon request and eventually phased out with Bluetooth becoming mainstream?
Agreed, but we’re not there just yet yet, mate; there are still too many Luddite Boomers alive crying their ubiquitous life motto about everything - “I’ve worked all my life, and I’M ENTITLED TO IT’”.
There are very few planes that support bluetooth pairing to customers' headphones. This means that if you want to use the IFE, you're stuck with janky cabled headphones the airline provides.
That's why I use them, that's why everyone uses them (when they do.)
You can also bring a Bluetooth transmitter like the Airfly, but that's one more thing to deal with
This looks (and sounds) pretty much like what my experience was flying them on their 777-300ER from ICN to CGK in J in 2017, with the exception of the lounge experience (though, tbh, it wasn't that great, either...): great food on-board (with booze) and a comfortable window seat with well-intentioned, kind crew who weren't as polished as maybe KE or or even VN crews...but that's about it. The seat was filthy and I switched to...
This looks (and sounds) pretty much like what my experience was flying them on their 777-300ER from ICN to CGK in J in 2017, with the exception of the lounge experience (though, tbh, it wasn't that great, either...): great food on-board (with booze) and a comfortable window seat with well-intentioned, kind crew who weren't as polished as maybe KE or or even VN crews...but that's about it. The seat was filthy and I switched to another one when I boarded as J was pretty much empty; IFE was limited and low quality; and blanket/pillow weren't particularly comfortable. At least I didn't have @Lucky's transit experience at CGK onward to BKK...
Forgive my ignorance here-does Saudi ban alcohol on all flights to it? I know obviously it’s banned in the country but a restriction on service on flights to the country is still unexpected to me.
@ MRL -- Airlines aren't allowed to serve alcohol in Saudi Arabian airspace. Technically they could serve it outside of Saudi Arabian airspace enroute to the country, but most airlines don't. That's probably because of the complicated logistics of having to take away drinks once you enter Saudi Arabian airspace. It's also a nice cost saving measure for airlines.
Well, airlines are allowed to serve alcohol in Saudi Arabian airspace, until the beginning of approach. I never experienced any restrictions based on the airspace. Some airlines do serve alcohol on flights to/from Saudi Arabia (e.g. KL, RJ, ME), others don't serve alcohol on routes to Saudi Arabia (e.g. TK, GA) and yet others are completely dry (e.g. SV, MS).
"Airlines aren't allowed to serve alcohol in Saudi Arabian airspace"
Not true.
Is it me or the chicken dish has no chicken in it? I only see rice and veggies :(
@ hbilbao -- The chicken is in the bowl next to the main plate. :-)
Oh, I see. Hope the chicken tasted better than it looked.
Which goes to show just how much SQ has maintained its power and prestige in ASEAN, and just how much everyone else has fallen.
Here’s a list of what’s going wrong at most Southeast Asian airlines. Unlike Northeast Asia, where between the Taiwanese (BR/CI/JX), the Japanese (NH/JL), the Hong Konger (CX) and the Koreans (KE/OZ) — in particular the Taiwanese — the quality and standards keep getting better, so much that they’re out of this world.
TG? Rattling old 777-200ERs swapped on pretty much any route at the last minute — I’ve been unlucky to get it twice; once...
Here’s a list of what’s going wrong at most Southeast Asian airlines. Unlike Northeast Asia, where between the Taiwanese (BR/CI/JX), the Japanese (NH/JL), the Hong Konger (CX) and the Koreans (KE/OZ) — in particular the Taiwanese — the quality and standards keep getting better, so much that they’re out of this world.
TG? Rattling old 777-200ERs swapped on pretty much any route at the last minute — I’ve been unlucky to get it twice; once is bad enough. And they won’t be refurbished until they are retired, which TG absolutely doesn’t want to do, unlike its 747s, A380s and older 777s. Not that the ex-Thai Smile A320s are any better than what EU airlines have. A350s and 787s are excellent though, but BKK is mostly downright ugly.
MH? A330s are getting on with age; A330neos and 737 MAXes desperately needed. London is the only European destination; at least it’s served consistently, unlike GA and AMS. KUL looks great but is slowly starting to show its age — and is the furthest from the city in ASEAN.
GA? Fleet shrinking and shrinking, no aircraft on order. Can’t even serve AMS more than once a week at times — hey, it’s your prestige destination, the only one in Europe. Newer A330s still okay but route network very much on the down and down. CGK is quite impressive in some places but a total letdown in others.
VN? Healthy fleet of A350s and 787s, but the A321s are to be avoided, as they are outdated. Could have been much better if they tried.
PR? Not much to say; just two A350s, some A330s and 777s, at least they fly to the US.
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SQ, though? Suites. First Class. Brand-new A350s, 787s and 737 MAXes. Still very much amongst the world’s most luxurious airlines. The only one to fly transpacific other than PR and perhaps VN, in fact to every continent except South America. Changi still the world’s best airport by a country mile. (Sorry, Hamad.)
In an ideal world TG, MH and GA would have retained their Asian hospitality and luxury image, but when even GA (a so-called Skytrax 5-star airline) has slipped so low, you know SQ has no competition at all in Southeast Asia.
’Nuff said.
Actually i flew PAL Business Class MNL-BNE earlier this year on their A321 and was pleasantly surprised. Good food and a cosy but very comfortable flat-bed seat in a 2-2 config. The lounge at MNL felt like a step back into the 70s, but that whole terminal did. Yeah, they're not in the same league as the big players but don't write them off completely. LH bought some of PAL's A350s and those planes have the best Business Class in the LH fleet!
Hey they specially prepared the play area they thought Miles was coming
First world problems. lol.