Garuda Indonesia ( Jakarta-Denpasar )

Flight Number : GA402
Route : Jakarta (CGK) – Denpasar (DPS)
Duration: 2 hours
Aircraft : A330-200
Class of Travel : Business Class
Seat : 6G & 6D
Date : 30 June 2018

Boarding started 10 minutes late. There are 2 boarding lanes, 1 for SkyPriority and Business Class passengers and the other one is for the Economy Class. As usual, I saw 2-3  Economy Class passengers ‘trying their luck’ to board the plane on the skypriority lane, and guess what, they’re asked to move to their line ( how embarrassing is that  ).

This was our A330  , you can see the aircraft in the middle was B737, and that is an aircraft I always try to avoid for international flights. Im quite picky, with planes.

The first row on GA biz class on their A330, awesome legroom 🤩
And if you notice all GA aircraft always has those skytrax awards emblem / stickers  I can see that they are so #Proud

I was greeted by the Inflight Manager, a nice man with a passion for service. I sat with my dad on seat 6G&D ( middle seat) , the first row of Business Class seats on their A330. I purposely choose GA402 because when I checked at Traveloka, it was operated by A330. Although this trip to Bali is just a short 2 hours hop, I want to get the most out of my flight, just like any Avgeeks . Besides, I am NOT a huge fan of their B737 business class, though it is fine for a domestic flight, I wouldn’t pay business class fare for those seats, unless I have to due to urgency.

I can’t deny , I love their A330, though it is not their latest business class product ( Super Diamond Seat), this seats are more than satisfying for domestic flight, it can turn to a flat bed, quite comfortable though not enough padding.

The service on this flight was just AMAZING. I mean, Garuda is never on my list for International flight, but for domestic I think they are unbeatable. And this flight’s crew is just awesome.

Cheers for a great & safe flight 

1 minute upon arriving at my seat, the cabin crew approached me, greets me and took order for my pre-departure beverage. I asked for Jus Terong Belanda ( GA’s signature juice, must try) but sadly they are only available on International flights  , so as usual I chose orange juice. I love their glass, with their logo printed on it. Funny but I love the economy class orange juice more than the business class’

 So What I loved about the drink service is that they approached us one by one , took order and bring it to each of the passengers instead of bringing a cart and we choose right from the tray. I think its kinda personal and I appreciate it. 

And also, the hot towels, its scented and they put the towel on a tray. Which is a nice touch, because major carriers serve hot towels without trays on Business Class. It is usually the norm in First Class though. And hey it’s a domestic flight! So good job, Garuda.

After the hot towels, the inflight manager came with a tray filled with various magazines, he was very polite, and insist on me and my dad to take 2 magazines and newspaper each. He even read every magazine titles and newspapers available onboard, and that is much appreciated 

My Mom and Sister was seated at row 8, so we met upon disembarkation and they said the inflight manager gave them compensation for the malfunction of their IFEs. Mom appreciated how the IFM felt so guilty, and even when Mom told him that she didn’t mind at all and its not a big deal for a short flight, the IFM apologizes and gave her a compensation ( If im not mistaken Rp 300.000 each) My Mom and Sister both received the compensation which we reimbursed on our flight back from Bali.

Today’s read onboard 

The meal service was efficient. Once the seat belt is switched off, the cabin crews placed table mats on our tables, and soon after that came with trays, with fruits, yoghurts and breads. Sadly, We don’t have the chance to choose the bread  they just place it on the plate. And this is one of the reason why I dislike morning flight, the food is just meh, and see the dessert is just fruits/ yoghurt, nothing spectacular…

Moving on the main course, ok so this is another thing I appreciate from the service. The cabin crew came with a tray of 3 main courses, and asked me to choose from the options. So instead of asking me what to eat and I have to imagine what the foods would taste or look like, I got the chance to preview it  I chose the Chicken with noodle option, while my dad chose the omelette option.

I cant expect much from a morning flight, It doesn’t actually take much to impress me, but the taste was just bland, though Im quite hungry I only manage to eat a piece of chicken and tried the noodle then Im done. I tried my Dad’s meal and I didn’t like it too 

My main course – close up 

Its completely fine because the service was impeccable. After the meal service, I decided to chill and watch a movie, I asked for a blanket and the crew quickly came and put the blanket on me, well it is really much appreciated. I can see how sincere and passionate they are.

Dad’s breakfast tray 

The egg option – up close 

I can say that the IFE screens are small for an A330, as these aircrafts are also used for long haul flights.

The headset for Business Class passengers, quality is just okay but the noise cancelling feature did not meet my expectations. Or is it not noise cancelling? Im not sure ;)

We arrived on time at Ngurah Rai International Airport. SO sorry no window view photos on this trip because I took the middle seat. GA has premium arrival lounge for business class passengers. After disembarkation, you can relax at the lounge and wait for your luggage to be delivered.

Conclusion:
This is hands down the best GA flight in my life.  I think the cabin crews on this flight really did what it takes to win World’s best cabin crew. Big shoutout to Kak Adel for going the extra mile to make this flight so EXTRA. Food was disappointing but the service made the flight so enjoyable.