My 546-mile Garuda Indonesia 777-300ER flight from Singapore to Jakarta operated like a well-oiled clock: takeoff, serve the meal, collect the meal, land. There’s still very much a full-service culture on East Asian carriers and that was readily apparent...
CGK T3: Garuda Lounge (Thumbs Down), Plaza Premium Lounge (Thumbs Up)
I’m live-blogging my SAS EuroBonus SkyTeam Million Mile challenge this week. Click here for background and route information. Jakarta Airport (CGK) has two lounges in Terminal 3, a Garuda Indonesia Executive Lounge and a Plaza Premium Lounge. I visited...
Review: Garuda Indonesia Business Class Lounge Bali (DPS)
Ahead of my KLM flight to Singapore, I spent some time in the Garuda Indonesia Lounge in Bali Denpasar Airport (DPS). Garuda Indonesia Business Class Lounge Bali Review (DPS) I reviewed this lounge before the pandemic and very little...
Seriously? Garuda Indonesia Plans Direct Flights From Bali To USA, France
Garuda Indonesia plans to bolster tourism in Bali by adding direct flights to the USA, France, and India. Garuda Wants To Fly To Two U.S. Cities, Two Indian Cities, And Another Destination In Europe…But Is Garuda Indonesia USA Service...
Hilarious: Air Asia Taunts Garuda Indonesia With New Onboard Photo Competition
While Garuda Indonesia and Lion Air banned onboard photography, Air Asia encouraged it via an onboard photo competition. I love it when Air Asia trolls Garuda Indonesia! In fairness (and credit) to Garuda Indonesia, it has since backed down...
Amazing: Garuda Indonesia SUES Blogger For Bad Review
Garuda Indonesia just sued a video blogger for posting pictures of his business class menu. This it not a joke. Rius Vernandes is a popular YouTube and Instagram vlogger in Indonesia. Last week, he posted a video of a handwritten...
Why Are Garuda And Singapore Airlines Deepening Relationship?
Garuda Indonesia and Singapore Airlines are deepening their relationship. My question is, why? It’s an unlikely relationship to begin with. Two different alliances. Overlapping routes. Competition for the same connecting passengers. So why? In 2010, Singapore and Garuda began...
Garuda Indonesia’s Threat To Cancel 737 MAX 8 Order Is Likely A Bluff
In my own import/export business, I’ve learned the great power of a bluff. I’ve got the feeling that is what Garuda Indonesia doing in “canceling” its large Boeing 737 MAX 8 order. It was Winston Churchill who was first said,...
A Coup At Garuda Indonesia
Garuda Indonesia’s reform-minded leader has been sacked, falling victim to an internal uprising against his cost-cutting efforts. State-owned Garuda is a money-loser and now ex-CEO Pahala Mansury had begun the painful process of rolling back some of the excesses at...
Live and Let’s Fly Weekend Digest: March 4, 2017
Hello from Santa Monica, CA. I dined with some very dear clients who have become friends last night. Not knowing LA traffic, I hedged my bets and left early. Thankfully, traffic moved much better than my GPS suggested and I made...
Review: Garuda 777-300ER First Class Jakarta – Amsterdam
The moment had finally arrived. It was time to fly Garuda Indonesia First Class. Nanda and Roni, my two first class assistants, asked me if I would like to board first or last. Had the internet been working in...
Review: Garuda Indonesia First Class Lounge Jakarta
In my initial thoughts on Garuda Indonesia’s First Class Lounge in Jakarta, I focused on a few shortcomings. This review will help balance out what Garuda can improve upon with what it does well. I opted for a 3pm...
Introduction: Adventures on SkyTeam
I’ve flown most Star Alliance and oneworld carriers, but very few on SkyTeam. When Garuda Indonesia offered 90%-off first class award redemptions, I sensed an opportunity not only to try SkyTeam’s premier first class product, but also sample additional...
Garuda’s Dangerous Gamble at LAX
Garuda Indonesia is coming to Los Angeles! The carrier has sought permission to operate 3x per week between Jakarta and Los Angeles beginning in November 2017. Garuda plans to use its three-cabin 777-300ER on the route and operate the...
Five Reasons My Garuda First Class Flight Was Incredible
Hello from Amsterdam! The Garuda First Class flight is over and it was great. Really great. Here are five reasons my experience was incredible. #1 The incredible crew More than anything else, the crew was amazingly spectacular. Every moment of...
So My Garuda Ground Experience Was Disappointing…
Well, it was bound to happen. When they asked me what kind of berries I wanted, I just assumed every aspect of the Garuda experience would blow me away. The first class lounge did not. I will compare Garuda...
Garuda First Class Team Contacts Me by Email
Setting the tone for what hopefully will be a tremendous overall experience, Garuda Indonesia reached out to me several days before my flight. Talk about customer service! Dear Our Valued Customer Mr. Matthew Jonathan Klint , Warmest greetings from Garuda Indonesia First...
My Garuda First Class Award is Ticketed!
Wow, talk about about a close call! It came down to the wire, but a generous act of goodwill by a reader of this blog saved me a trip to Asia and saved my trip in Garuda Indonesia First...
Garuda Cancels Promo, Will Honor Held Reservations
Wow, talk about a promo-gone-wrong! Garuda Indonesia has abruptly pulled its 90%-off promo and updated the language on its Indonesian website. After conflicting reports of whether Garuda will honor reservations placed on hold during the promo but not yet...
My Strategy for Ticketing the Garuda Reservation
News broke yesterday of a 90%-off sale with Garuda Indonesia. Acting swiftly, I successfully booked (held) a first class ticket from Jakarta to Amsterdam, a hurdle in itself, but now I face the specter of how to ticket it. 1. Mile...
