Short review
Lounge (SkyTeam Lounge in Sydney): 3.5/5
Cabin: 3/5
Service: 5/5
Food and beverages: 4.5/5
Pros:
- Excellent service from the flight attendants
- Enjoyable dining experience
Cons:
- 2-2-2 seat configuration in business class is becoming outdated
- Wi-Fi was not operational
- No more arrival lounge
Long review
In this Garuda Indonesia’s flight from Sydney to Denpasar, Bali, I travelled with my wife and 20-month old daughter. Our flight, GA715, was scheduled to leave Sydney at 10:00 and arrive in Bali at 13:15 with a total flight time of 6 hours and 15 minutes.
We arrived in the Sydney Kingsford-Smith International Airport at about 7:15 in the morning. The airport was already quite busy. We immediately went to the check-in counter. There were only 2 passengers queuing in front of us and with 2 counters available to serve business class passengers, we only had a short wait. The check-in staff was very friendly and warm. A good start in our journey.
For passing through the immigration, fast track is unfortunately useless if you are travelling with small children. We were directed to a special section for those with a wheelchair, family with stroller, and unaccompanied minors. The queue was not long though and we passed the passport control and security fairly quickly.
We had about 1 hour before boarding, so we went to the SkyTeam lounge to wait. I have been to this lounge many times since its opening in early 2015. It does not change much over the years. The view of the tarmac is great for plane lovers, while the green wall on the other side is refreshing. The lounge has a seating capacity for 140 guests. It was rather busy when we were there, but we could find seats easily. Electrical outlets are scattered throughout the lounge, making it easy for passengers to charge their electronic devices. There is a business area equipped with printing facilities. Showers are also available. There are 2 separate rooms, in which one is a TV room, and another is a massage room equipped with a couple of massage chairs. Wi-Fi was available, and the speed was satisfactory. The beverages provided were good, but the foods were just so so when we were there. Point Hacks has a thorough review of this lounge which you can read here.
We left the lounge at around 9:00 for a short walk to the boarding gate. I saw the check-in staff there and again she was very helpful. She collected our stroller at the gate, and we were allowed to board first.
Garuda Indonesia’s business class on board this A330-300 has 2 cabins separated by the galley and toilets. The front one is larger with 4 rows of seats which can accommodate 24 passengers, while the other cabin only has 2 rows of seats for 12 passengers. If you do the maths, you will find that the seats were arranged in the 2-2-2 configuration. As such, passengers on window seats do not have direct access to the aisle. This is rather outdated if it is compared with other premium cabins. For a 6-hour flight, arguably it is acceptable.
I picked the last row in the business class cabin. I thought it would be quieter as the cabin is smaller. However, there was a family with 3 kids in front of us. In addition, there was a baby in the first row of the economy class behind us. Fortunately, in general the noise level was fine because the kids were well behaved most of the times and the baby only cried occasionally. All the other seats in our row were empty, so my daughter could have a big seat for herself.
The flight attendants welcomed us warmly and showed us to our seats. Soon, warm towels and welcome drinks were distributed. I chose champagne, while my wife picked orange juice. It seems that Garuda has changed its champagne offering. They used to serve Billecart Salmon Rose for years. Unfortunately, I did not pay attention on the name of the champagne that they served in this flight. I think it was ok, but I still prefer the Rose.
The dining menu has been refreshed as well. I like the overall design of the green folder and the menu. There are 3 options for our lunch today: Indonesian, Western, and Asian. I chose the Asian set, while my wife chose the Western set.
Indonesian set lunch
- Chargrilled prawn with tofu caponata (starter)
- Slow braised chicken curry with steamed rice, pickled cucumber, and friend shallot (main course)
Western set lunch
- Lamb loin marinated with capsicum salad and goat cheese (starter)
- Grilled beef tenderloin with thyme sauce, fondant potato, ratatouille, and broccolini (main course)
Asian set lunch
- Vietnamese spring roll with sweet sour and peanut dipping sauce (starter)
- Pan seared barramundi with mushroom ragout with kipffler potatoes and red capsicum puree (main course)
Dessert selection for all set options
- Balinese chocolate torte
- Cheese board
The plane left the gate on-time, but then there was some delay before take-off due to airport congestion. Once the plane reached its cruising attitude, a small bowl of mixed nuts was distributed and another drink were offered, in which I again chose a glass of champagne.
Soon, the lunch service began. For the Asian set lunch, the presentation of the starter was a bit unusual, but the taste was delicious. The barramundi was enjoyable, so I devoured the whole thing. The dessert, chocolate torte, was too heavy in my opinion. I also included the photos of the Western set lunch, which was ordered by my wife.
After lunch, my daughter had a short nap in one of the empty seats. Good for us, but I’m not sure about the level of profit of this route for Garuda.
I did not have much time to check the movies and TV shows in detail. However, based on my quick glance, the selection is below my expectation. A drawing game was useful to distract my daughter when she woke up though. I also tried to use the Wi-Fi on board, but it wasn’t working.
About 2 hours before landing, we ordered what Garuda calls ‘in between fuel’. The options were satay platter, salad bowl, noodle bowl, slider, and freshly cut fruit. Both my wife and I chose the noodle option. It was a simple dish, but it was surprisingly tasty. Apparently, Garuda also had 3 food options for my daughter. We picked the fruit option, which has been diced finely. My daughter finished the entire plate, even though the portion seemed generous at first. I really appreciated this service from Garuda.
The remainder of the flight was uneventful, and we arrived on time in Bali. We were informed by the check-in staff in Sydney that the stroller should be ready at the gate, but the ground staff in Bali told us that the stroller should be collected in the baggage claim area. Lucky that we brought a special belt to carry our daughter, otherwise the walk would be quite long and heavy. This was a poor practice from the ground staff. Arriving at the baggage claim area, I noticed that the Garuda’s arrival lounge has disappeared. This must be one of the outcomes of the cost cutting exercise from Garuda. A staff was still available to help us pick our luggage though.
It was still a good flying experience overall, particularly due to the excellent service by the flight attendants.
