Review: Garuda Indonesia Business Class GA 215 from Yogyakarta to Jakarta
- Sinatrya A.P.
- Mar 3, 2017
- 5 min read
So, where to start ?
Few weeks before departure, I booked my flight to Jakarta with Garuda Indonesia. Garuda Indonesia is always my top pick for JOG-CGK-JOG bound because their service was excellent and punctual. Also, their seats are comfortable even for big person like me.
Plus, being GarudaMiles and Delta Diamond Medallion member also gives me perks like miles, priorities, and upgrades. However this time the perks comes from different source which is Business Class perks !
I never booked Business Class for short haul before, especially JOG-CGK-JOG route considering the price and the flight time. It was only 65 minutes. But Garuda offered a reasonable price for Business Class at that moment, plus a USD 50 cashback from Bank BNI which was a true bargain for me. So, I booked my flight for around USD 120 for return flights.
Two days before departure, Garuda Indonesia Concierge informed me that my flight had been changed due to curfew after JOG's incident few days ago. My original flight, GA 219 was cancelled and moved to GA 215 which departs one hour early.
At check-in hall, they provided a dedicated check-in desk for SkyPriority passengers (Business Class, Garudamiles Platinum, and Skyteam Elite Plus Member) and there was no one queuing at that desk. Check-in was fast, efficient, and extremely convenient. The check in desk clerk was polite and friendly. He asked me how I felt about the terrible weather for the past 3 days. I thought that was nice of him to ask such question.
"Mr. Purnomo, may I suggest you to wait at the Executive lounge right there." He pointed the direction with his right thumb. Good idea, I haven't eated anyway so I think I should give it a try.
Garuda Indonesia Executive Lounge is located on the east side of Terminal A's check-in hall dedicated for Premium Passengers and GarudaMiles Elite member.
If you fly economy and don't have Elite Status, you should try Borobudur Lounge located on the west side of the waiting area. Its complimentary for some credit card holders and PriorityPass Member. If you don't have credit card, you can pay for about one hundred thousands Rupiah per visit.
The Lounge itself was not full nor empty, there was 2 Garuda flights departing that night (Jakarta and Makassar) I assumed most of them are Garudamiles Gold and Platinum Members because GA operates CRJ 1000 to Makassar with all-economy class configuration and there's only two Business Class passengers on my flight.
The ambience was comfortable enough. However, due to the size of this lounge, there was no dining area and the coffee table was too low for dining position.
The food was considered okay. The variety, taste, and buffet presentation were all good.
The heavy meal options were basic at first, but few minutes later, they added some nice options which is Tahu telor siram saus kacang and it was delicious !
The snacks are mind blowing. Although the taste of the pastry was not as good as I expected. However, the varieties were okay for me as they provides Lapis legit, Boiled peanuts, and many more.
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One thing that attracts my attention is the fact that they offers Jamu (traditional herbs). Honestly, I'm not a big fan of jamu and absolutely have no idea what is good jamu tastes like. For me, it was pretty good actually. It was sweet and sour at the same time.
After 45 minutes of waiting, an announcement was made as my flight to board. I walked to the security line, there was no fast track for Premium Passengers. its okay for me since the line was pretty moderate.
At the gate, They provide a fast track for SkyPriority passengers. and it seems like i was the last person board the aircraft.
Like i said before, there's only two pax in Business Class. My seat was 8A (last row). The seat feature is pretty generous and ideal for 2-4 Hours flight.
The seat features various position, it can be recline more than economy class, huge and movable headrest, leg cushion, and a footrest.
A lot of people didn't notice in Garuda's Business Class, there are Universal Power Outlet located under central armrest.
After i seated, The Purser introduced herself and her crew for the night. After that, she distribute the hot towel. It was very refreshing.
She offered me a choice of drinks , i choose orange juice as my welcome drink.
After they closed the door, they came back to me and offers a wide selection of reading materials. i choose Tempo and Jakarta Post (although i didn't read it)
10 Minutes after take off, the captain switched off the seat belt sign. They're preparing dinner. Usually, they served Heavy snacks such as Mushroom Bread or hotdogs with unlimited drinks for short haul flight.
But surprisingly, this time i got a full hot meal (without dessert) How Cool was that !!. Today's dinner is Nasi kuning with beef rendang and it was tasty !!.
She asked "Today's Flight equipped with audio video on demand, may i explain the features to you sir ?" I am pretty familliar with Garuda's IFE (In flight entertainment) so i refuse her offer.
The IFE in Business Class was hidden on the central armrest. It Features an abundance of movies and music.
The touch screen are not as sensitive as Batik's IFE. However, the content are well updated.
They also features a remote located on the central armrest. Since the monitor are close enough, the remote is rather useless to me
The Noise Cancelling Headphone are available at the seat pocket. The quality of the headphones itself is rather disappointing as the headphone fails to cover the outside noise.
The only good thing is the fact that the bass and treble sounds good. Maybe they should change it to Bose Headphones just like Singapore Airlines Business Class.
I watched Trolls for the rest of the flight, The Purser came to me and offered me a refreshment. it was tempting but my stomach are already full, so i decided to refuse her offer.
After 45 Minutes, the captain made an announcement. we will be landed shortly and all he cabin crew were doing final check for landing.
The funny thing is they didn't ask me to stow the IFE. Instead, i swivel my IFE towards my right. so i can get up quickly in case of emergency.
On the announcement, they said that Business class Passengers should disembark first, and they really mean it !!. The curtain was always open for takeoff and landing position. When i got up from my seat, a few front row economy passengers stepped into Business Class section, The Purser and asked them to back off and disembark after the business class. I don't mind whether they disembark first but i really appreciate their effort.
When i arrived at the baggage claim Hall, i saw a huge sign of "SkyPriority". Turns out they provide a dedicated belt for SkyPriority Tagged Baggage (Yellow Tag).
I gave my luggage tag to the clerk and he told me to wait at the arrival Lounge. Wait, what ?? They have arrival lounge??.
The waiting room was comfortable, there was only 6 person waiting for their precious cargo
Their tea and coffee selection was impressive.
The clerk asked me whether i need an arrangements for transportation to city center, i was picked up by my family so i refuse the offerings.
In conclusion, Their service was surprisingly excellent for short haul. they managed to deliver such a great service under one hour but that's not all. The main highlight in this sector was their pre-departure and arrival service. I believe no airline in Indonesia can compete with garuda's outstanding service and definitely looking forward to fly Garuda Indonesia in the future.
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