Garuda Indonesia has three variants of its Airbus A330-300 and I got to experience its most “premium” version in business class on a domestic flight from Bali to Jakarta. Not only was the seat comfortable, but the service and food onboard was also excellent.
Garuda Indonesia A330-300 Business Class Review (DPS-CGK)
After arriving in Bali from Dili, I had a few hours to connect ahead of my flight to Jakarta.
> Read More: International To Domestic Transfer In Bali Denpasar Airport
Booking
Garuda has a fleet of widebody A330 and 777 jets. Those aircraft have three different business class seats. All are lie-flat, but only a handful of its A330-300s have Collins Aerospace Super Diamond seats in business class, which offer more privacy and comfort than the other products.
Even though it was just a short domestic flight, I extended my layover in Bali by three hours in order to fly this jet to Jakarta instead of an A330 with the other Collins Minipod seats (which are 2-2-2 instead of 1-2-1). I could have waited a few extra hours to fly the newer A330-900neo in business class, but I think this particular A330 had even better seats. A third A330-300 variant is all economy class and typically used for Umrah flights.
I used SAS EuroBonus miles to book this. It wasn’t cheap (30,00 points), but the flight was not available via Delta SkyMiles or Air France FlyingBlue and the paid ticket cost 795 USD (which probably explains why the cabin was less than half full).
Check-In
Garuda has a very nice premium check-in area in the domestic terminal at I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport in Denpasar. It included a lounge-like seating area and I was also offered a beverage.
Boarding began only 20 minutes before departure, but the load was very light (Garuda Indonesia shuffles widebodies on this route to reposition them for longhaul service from either Jakarta or Bali).
Garuda Indonesia (GA) 409
Bali (DPS) – Jakarta (CGK)
Monday, November 3
Depart: 1:55 PM
Arrive: 2:55 PM
Duration: 2hr, 00min
Aircraft: Airbus A300-300 (PK-GPZ)
Distance: 611 miles
Seat: 9K (Business Class)
I was first onboard a flight attendant welcomed me at the door and escorted me to my seat, toward the rear of business class cabin.
Seat
As I mentioned above, this particular A330-300 has Collins Super Diamond seats, which represent the best available business class seat in the Garuda fleet. The cabin has 24 seats in a 1-2-1 configuration, all with direct aisle access. Seats are 21 inches wide, pitch is 60 inches, and convert into a lie-flat bed that is 78 inches long.
The dark red seat covers and pillows give the cabin a dated look, but these are resilient seats and among the most comfortable off-the-shelf products of business class.
Each seat has storage in a cabinet that lift up on the side table and an additional storage area in the opposite (adjustable) armrest. Inside one cabinet was a universal A/C outlet and a USB-A outlet. There’s what appears to a third cabinet, but inside is the passenger service unit (remote control) and there is no room for additional storage.
A literature rack and reading light were above the cabinets.
Seat position could be adjusted via a touchpad also to the side of the seat.
This aircraft did not have individual air vents.
Toward the end of the flight, I placed the seat in lie-flat mode and found it comfortable, though the flight was too short to sleep. Even though this was just a short domestic flight, blankets and pillows were offered, but these were more economy-class style, so I would hope Garuda Indonesia has better bedding on its longer flights.
Finally, in the rare of the cabin there is a station for self-service drinks (and perhaps snacks on longer flights).
Service
Almost immediately, a flight attendant welcomed me onboard with a warm towel, choice of beverage, and some snacks (nuts and chips).
Despite the short duration of this flight, service shined. You can see it in the smile in the picture below: this crew was excellent and really worked hard during the flight to hustle out a full meal plus multiple rounds of beverages.
I have yet to have a bad flight on Garuda Indonesia when it comes to hospitality.
Food + Drink
At only 611 miles, there was no time for delay and meals were served right after takeoff: a choice between chicken with rice or beef with noodles was offered and I chose chicken. I’m not sure what it was because it was never described to me, and there was no menu, but I enjoyed it (minus the egg).
Coffee and tea were offered after lunch, but by that time, I was fully caffeinated for the day and just had water. I regret that I did not even ask about alcohol, but my understanding is that alcohol is not offered on domestic flights.
IFE + Wi-Fi
Each seat had an individual screen with a limited selection of movies, games, music, and TV shows, plus a moving flight map.
I began to watch a movie called Hallow Road. Writing this review reminds me that I have to finish it!
Noise-canceling headphones were provided.
The flight had no Wi-Fi service (at least that was functional…no network signal showed up).
It was a very nice day, however, to look outside.
Lavatories
Business class has three lavatories: one in the front of the cabin, two in the back, which is a great ratio for only 24 seats. The lavatory was clean, but lacked extra amenities that might be found on a longhaul flight.
The Downside Of A Widebody Jet On A Domestic Flight
We landed on time in Jakarta, but we ended up taxiing for about 40 minutes. Because this was a widebody jet, we eventually pulled into the international arrivals area, but then were let off into a particular corridor for domestic arrivals.
CONCLUSION
Flying Garuda Indonesia whether in business class, first class, or economy class is always a pleasure. I wish this flight was longer, but it gave me a chance to see that warm hospitality and excellent food are still a staple on Garuda.
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