[BusinessTraveller]

The London Gatwick-Jakarta route has now been confirmed, with a six times-weekly service starting in the fourth quarter of this year.

http://www.businesstraveller.com/news/garuda-to-launch-gatwick-jakarta-service

[NameRemoved-18/12/14]

I’m sure that’s 13 hours and even more coming back – my idea of torture, although it’s good news especially as it will be from LGW.

[MarcusUK]

Interesting that Garuda will start from LGW, and not LHR, where they would have gained transfers perhaps from the ST network?

I also disagree re Etihad’s strategy with AF/KLM, as clearly evidenced by the 10 year agreement between them recently signed. They are to reciprocate their benefits, and whether in ST or not, the benefits will match.

The new services from AMS starting in May, provide The Dutch and many EU customers of KLM with links towards Australia via AUH, and for EY, European connections, a huge benefit to both. Etihad also are spencing $ 8m, on a new lounge in CDG, asa indi cation of long term and a european hub lounge with Air France.

They have an investment strategy with a few Airlines, extending influence from within, and now have connected European destinations with KLM and AF. A 10 year agreement clearly is a long term strategy, and closer than any other arrangements they have made. Compare that to Emirates recent tie up with Qantas, and bullying other Airlines out by price and A380 s, a very different approach of working with by agreement. With VS and other Virgin Airlines as well as Etihad, make quite a difference to ST.

I hope Garuda does well, and establishes itself again, but such a missed opportunity not running from lhr?

[AMcWhirter]

Hi alexpo1

GA’s Jakarta-London flight will be one of, if not, the longest non-stop flight operating to the UK.

SIA allows 12hrs 40 mins for London-Singapore non-stop and 14hrs 10 mins for Singapore-London non-stop.

So as Jakarta is roughly 550 miles further from London than Singapore I believe you could add almost one hour to SIA’s flight times.

Therefore it could mean a flight time of around 15 hrs to fly Jakarta-London.

GA has not yet announced how its 10 x B777-300ERs it has on order will be configured.

It’s unclear whether GA will go for a two-class (business + economy) or three-class layout (business + premium economy + economy).

GA is unlikely to offer a first class cabin.

Let’s hope that the B777-300ER economy cabin is configured 9-across and that GA is not tempted to follow AF/KLM and opt for 10-across.

However, the omens are not good.

Quoted in thejakartapost.com, GA’s marketing director Elisa Lumbantoruan said that the B777-300ER has a non-stop range of up to 14,685 km and a capacity of 365 passengers.

Assuming that GA’s B777-300ERs will accommodate 365 passengers then it would suggest a 10-across layout in the economy cabin.

[Vertrek]

Hi everyone! 🙂

GA 777 will include first class.

http://www.breakingtravelnews.com/news/article/garuda-indonesia-links-london-to-jakarta/

It is a shame that GA doesn’t fly to LHR, most probably due to the high fee and limited landing slots, perhaps they will commence LHR once they are in SkyTeam. However, with LGW, they could offer an even cheaper price, and perhaps for the top paying customer, they will allowed in to VS lounge?

[flyingveryhigh]

GA will offer 8F, 38C and 268Y. First class product will include chef-on-board service.

[Vertrek]

Hi Flying,

Do you know if AMS service will go direct as well? And will GA use the same “J” as in their A330 or a new one?

[flyingveryhigh]

AMS won’t go direct at the moment. 4 77W will be delivered this year. 2 are used for CGK-JED and 2 are earmarked for LON service (LGW in this case). J will be staggered Js (different from the ones GA currently uses) while F will be from the Oasis Suite line. Economy seatings are the same with the ones GA uses.

[Vertrek]

Hi Flying!

Thanks for the info! As for “J”, you mean staggered as Virgin Atlantic or Cathay Pacific? No plan to introduce Premium Economy huh?

[flyingveryhigh]

definitely not herringbone arrangement. 🙂 I got all the infos from Indonesian aviation forums. No Y+ plan thus far.

[AMcWhirter]

Am surprised that GA has decided to bring back first class.

GA has bucked the trend. As far as I am aware, no airline which had previously dropped first class on long distance flights, reinstated it at a later date.

But if flyingveryhigh is correct with the B777-300ER’s configuration of 8 first, 36 business and 268 economy seats then it appears GA will configure its economy cabin with a 10-across layout.

For comparison purposes, EY configures its 3-class B777-300ERS with 8 first, 40 business and 282 economy. And EY has adopted a 10-across layout in the economy cabin.

[sparkyflier]

Good moring AMcWhirter

I would have thught considering that Garuda does not have a high profile in the UK, and of the profile that it does/did have, (is not fantastic to say the least, being the multi stop bus route in the 80s/90s to Indonesia & Oz, and that was before it was banned from European airspace) that now they are positioning themselves as a quality carrier (with many posters saying on this forum of their good experiences with them on regional flights), the 10 across would not be the last thing they want to do.

Looking at the competition they have – Thai, Malaysian, Singapore, Cathay, all, of which have A380 or 9 across 777 or 8 across A340-600, and that that the GU LGW-CGK flight would be the longest by far, 10 across is uncompetitive and hardly likely to result with great reviews after 13/15 hours!

I gather Australia is a market they hope to capture some market share of, well then you have the above, BA 777 9 across, and QF A380.

Indonesia is a place I would love to visit, and if I did, I would most likely go in economy, but 10 across would certainly put me off Garuda. LHR-DXB on an EK 777 at 7 hours was bad enough.

I just think that bearing in mind they are re-positioning themselves as a quality carrier, a 10 across seating on a 777 would not be helpful in achieving that.

[flyingveryhigh]

@AmcWhirter: I’m not surprised at all by the comeback of F. GA is now trying to steal super-affluent Indonesians who have populated SQ’s F for years (that’s why ex-CGK F is doing very well and it is the only short-haul F that SQ has). I don’t think it would be 10 across. GA wants to be on par with other South East Asian quality carriers and I believe it plans to configure the Y 9 across.

[LeTigre]

Garuda’s 77W will only carry a total of 234 passengers, less than even the 278 passengers that SIA configure the aircraft with.

10 abreast…I think not!

http://blogs.crikey.com.au/planetalking/2013/01/21/garudas-london-non-stop-777-has-kangaroo-route-potential/

[AMcWhirter]

In the absence of official confirmation from GA I must stress that my reference to 10-across seating in Y class is speculation on my part.

But I do think the total capacity of 234 passengers (as referred to on the Australian blog dated January 21 and well before the route was officially announced) is incorrect.

Today’s report in jakartapost.com refers to GA’s B777-300ER offering 314 seats.

http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2013/02/04/garuda-start-direct-flight-london-q4-year.html

Alright the word “can” is used but I believe this a small grammatical error by the journalist concerned.

A total capacity of 314 is roughly in line with the seating stats provided in a previous posting by flyingveryhigh, ie 8 x first, 36 x J and 268 x Y

From what I read, GA intends offering spacious accommodation in F and J class.

If you compare that with SIA’s B777-300ER which has spacious premium class seating and which offers 9-across in Y then the SIA stats are 8 x first, 42 x J and 228 x Y.

In that case, how would GA find space for the additional 40 or so Y class passengers unless, perhaps, it were to reduce leg room or go 10-across in Y ?

Compared to Etihad (with 10-across in Y) the stats are 8 x first, 40 x J and 282 x Y.

Compared to Emirates (with 10 across in Y) you find the configuration is 8 x first, 35 x J and 294 x Y.

Of course, I could be wrong and yes, I realise the B777-300ER is an efficient twin, but very long-haul flights are fuel inefficient (you burn fuel just to carry fuel in the early stages of the mission) and that yields will be low in the back of the plane as GA will be tapping both the Indonesian tourist market and the kangaroo route. So something has to give.

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