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 on this flight.
Garuda Indonesia 777-300ER Economy Class Review
This was yet another puzzle piece of my SAS EuroBonus Million Mile puzzle. Tickets cost 152 USD each and included both carry-on items and a single checked bag (though we were traveling very light and had only bags that fit under the seat).
After reaching Singapore from Ho Chi Minh City, we stopped by the Garuda Indnoensia transit desk to pick up a boarding pass for the flight. I inquired about an upgrade to business class and was told the price was 544 SGD, the equivalent of about 404 USD. For a one-hour flight, even with a lie-flat bed, that is not worthwhile.
Apparently, Garuda has an upgrade bidding system on its website that I missed out on…now I know (I even received an email inviting me to bid that I somehow overlooked). Considering the business class cabin was only half full, Garuda may want to consider better-monetizing airport upgrades as well. I would have gladly paid 100 USD for the upgrade…but not quadruple that.
Our aircraft arrived late from Jakarta and so boarding was delayed by about 25 minutes. It was a rainy November afternoon in Singapore.
Garuda Indonesia 833
Singapore (SIN) – Jakarta (CGK)
November 2024
Depart: 3:40 PM
Arrive: 4:40 PM
Duration: 02hr, 00min
Distance: 546 miles
Aircraft: Boeing 777-300ER
Seat: 41C (Economy Class)
Boarding was via two doors: one for business class, one for economy class.
Seats
Garuda Indonesia has two 777 configurations: one with first class, one without. This aircraft had no first class (and also has no premium economy) and included 26 business class seats and a whopping 367 seats in economy class.
Despite all those seats, Garuda maintains a 3-3-3 layout in economy class…most carriers now squeeze an extra seat into the center section. Furthermore, legroom is a very comfortable 32 inches. Even so, the seats are a bit past their prime and felt a bit lumpy. Sometimes those old seats are great because they have so much padding, but these were not the most comfortable seats.
Thankfully, the flight was lightly booked and the seat between Augustine and me stayed open. Many people were able to stretch out on this flight.
There are no air overhead vents: just reading lights.
We pushed back a few minutes late, but the captain announced a quick flight and on-time arrival at Soekarno–Hatta International Airport.
IFE + Wi-Fi
Although the cabin suggested wi-fi was available, it was not functional on this flight.
Seatback screens included a very dated IFE system with a limited selection of movies, TV shows, and music (no games). Headphones were provided.
Overhead monitors showed a moving flight map.
Food + Drink
Shortly after takeoff, flight attendants sprang up to provide a meal service…even with a cabin that was only about half full, it would take some serious hustle to feed everyone on such a short flight.
We were offered a choice of fish or beef. I chose fish, Augustine had beef.
I’m sorry to confirm every what every regular reader knew I would do, but who would eat this slop? Greasy fish in some overly sweet sauce? No. Thank. You.
Augustine’s choice…fatty beef with noodles…looked even worse.
I try folks, I try…but I’m just not going to eat food like this. It’s personal preference to be sure, but I was glad I had a bag of nuts and a protein bar in my bag.
I do give Garuda Indonesia credit though for offering a full meal on a short route. Flying Garuda (like flying Vietnam Airlines earlier in the day) really feels like stepping back in time. Garuda even uses metal cutlery, not plastic or wood…that is appreciated.
Lavatories
With an economy class cabin so large, Garuda has eight lavatories (plus three more in business class). Four are located between the first and second economy class cabin (behind row 35), two more between the second and third economy class cabin (behind row 49) and two more in the rear of the aircraft.
I had to chuckle at all the toilet warnings plastered all over the lavatory.
Service
As I already mentioned, the cabin crew really had to hustle to complete the service. Even so, the staff was courteous and efficient.
Augustine ended up sleeping for the entire flight. When the flight attendant noticed he was sleeping, she proactively brought over a blanket, which was a very nice touch.
I’m not sure the crew would have finished had the flight been full…it’s a lot of work to hand out meals (especially when there is a choice) and drinks, then collect them.
CONCLUSION
We did wind up landing a bit behind schedule in Jakarta and also had a wait for a gate to open, but by 5:15 pm we were off the plane.
Augustine, however, did not like being woken up from his siesta…
It was a beautiful sunset…
While the food may not have been to my liking, it was a flight within SE Asia and I was happy to fly Garuda Indonesia again (my last flight was in first class from Jakarta to Amsterdam many years ago now).
I hope to try Garuda again soon.
I’m sharing in real-time style about my SAS EuroBonus SkyTeam Million Mile challenge this week. Click here for background and route information. Next up…a long wait in Jakarta.
So much respect for these FAs working for East Asian carriers, they do so much more than there western counterparts, paid so much less, much less not unionized, yet they still are able to muster a smile in between that hardwork. Thanks for keeping the skies a friendlier place.
Mie Goreng contains Javanese smoky sweet soy sauce. Maybe the crew forgot to pass the packets of sambal.
Too bad the food wasn’t good on this route.
Which airlines though were you pleasantly surprised by that were serving good food in economy on these trips, if any?
Garuda seems to be like… the airline I want to root for, fly on, see more reviews on and be more successful but at most just seem to be just at most surviving and treading water.
Also that has to be the most unnecessarily oversized airplane to put on that flight with how few passengers seemed to be on board. Even worse than when I flew Japan to Korea on Korean used a 777 but Asiana used an A321…
Asiana sometimes flies the A380 between South Korea and Japan.
Meanwhile in the US we have Southwest refusing even serve a cup of water on just slightly shorter routes. Because it’s fOr yOuR sAfEtY
Your photos are good as well as clear which is always appreciated. That being said, the cabin, the carpet, the seats and electronics all look pretty much spotless with no signs of encrusted dirt/grime in any of those hard-to-reach places –nor do I see any worn paint/trim on the seat backs much less any finger prints on the TV screens. How can that be with the plane arriving late, plus with “only”a 50% load which is still almost 200 seats being occupied on this dense seating configured — even with 9-accross in Y. Back in the early 1990’s I flew Garuda (DC-10s) three times round trip in paid First class from LAX to DPS via stops at both HNL & Biak (Papua New Guinea) and each time experienced a level of crew calmness, pride, overall kindness and level of service (much like you described) then seen only with mostly Asian carriers. (All then very much pre the ME3 carriers emergence). All of this good care and service was also experienced with their short haul DC-9 inter-island flights as well. It’s sure good to hear that after 30+ years that Garuda’s onboard staff continues to exhibit the sort of kindness, service and training that the carrier has long been known for.
I saw some grime around the electrical outlets, but other than that I agree – the cabin was clean and well-maintained. Lovely staff.
No matter how that food looked/tasted, it is still impressive to offer it on such a short sector. Maybe GA would add more staffing if the load factor warranted it to provide that level of service. Imagine a US airline attempting this nowadays..
I appreciated the ‘Toilet Tutorial” and picked up some valuable tips !
Agreed- impressive meal on such a short flight, even if I did not like it.
For me, who grew up in Indonesia, that mie goreng and ikan asam manis w rice look GREAT. What I would find gross are mac n cheese and garlic mashed potatoes which so many Americans fawn over. Even after living in California for 42 years.
Maybe expand your culinary horizon a bit. A lot of South East Asian food taste much better than they look.
LOL fly economy, get economy food. It’s industrial strength food, what do you expect?
The toilet instructions are needed. Probably not for people who fly CGK-SIN, but likely this plane is used for Hadj and Umroh travel as well, getting people on board who have never been on a plane before, and some who may have never used a normal toilet before.
I lived for a great many years in Indonesia and have seen foot marks on toilet seats everywhere. I once saw a contractor who apparently had never seen a normal toilet and built it in the floor, with the seat at floor level.
That fish + rice tastes so good tho, i had it too in SIN CGK last March 2024. But mines was plated a bit better.
But for the noodles, garuda doesn’t do noodles well, so does most carriers. Their rice option is better. Next time you can ask for a pack of sambal, it makes the whole dish better. Sambal is available on garuda hot meal services on request only.
That being said, Garuda only introduced its B77W in 2013, with seats not even cutting edge at a time and finishes that looks so old. Its a shame that they didn’t use the IFE Singapore Airlines uses on its B77W currently is the Panasonic ex3 launched in 2013. Garuda for refference uses the Panasonic ex2 (2006 version). Just compare the cabins of Singapore Airlines B77W and Garuda B77W, these were 2013 cabins but Singapore Airlines designed it much better and more timeless. BTW the B77W you flew was actually Garuda’s first ever B77W back from 2013, PK – GIA, now 11 years old. ☺️
Oh ya regarding load factor, CGK SIN CGK has a very dynamic demand, it really fluctuates depending the time of day and the day of the week. Seeing that your flight was half empty, the CGK SIN sector was probably packed, with all seats taken. GA would never deploy its B77W if no sector of the flight was full or half empty, as the Singapore route is usually operated by A330s or B737-800. Also, Garuda transports lots of cargo to singapore, so operating a B77W could make sense given the huge cargo capability.
“but who would eat this slop?” Well.. probably the vast majority of passengers taking this flight (Asians flying within Asia), were happy to have this and likely enjoyed it. I know I would.