[MReedGB]

@ Vertrek..thanks for welcoming .. well, GA will be Skyteam in the future and it will be making its impact in the alliance…as said before…it will be using its regional advantage especially for flights to Australia…it will be shorter and better rather than stopping in China, especially in flights to Perth etc..

@ Canucklad …if it is only for fun..well you have a nice fantasy!!.. the new GA with their new service attitude and new seats are really good…I still would not boycott BA…but it will be very difficult to fly with them in the future when other airlines are getting better with their products and the price is right as well…or said the other way..it will be easy to leave BA behind as it is struggling to produce the right service attitude with the right price.

[tanielle123]

We place a significant volume of clients from this part of the world in London apartments and this non-stop flight will be an attractive proposition for them.

[KSHaggag]

Hi MReedGB ,

I do endorse your analysis …Although I have not flown GA yet ( waiting for them to join Skyteam in order to safeguard my status miles ) ,I have surfed their website thoroughly and have seen the onboard product ( seats in business class ) ;they do look stunning on the A332 plying most of their longhaul flights currently ..it looks more spacious and comfortable than the (fancier ) products of other airlines where you end up in business class with 7 seats abreast ,squeezed in your cocooned space ..
Am eagerly and impatiently anticipating its adherence to Skyteam as it will offer a fantastic alternative from Europe and the Middle East ( AUH ) to South East Asia ,China ,Hong Kong and Australia …In fact ,it will be the most obvious and logical choice for Skyteam fans on those routes ,seeking a hassle free ,shorter journeys compared to other routings via Guangzhou or Taipei ,or even the beautiful Seoul Incheon …

[LetsFlyNow]

@ Canucklad
I haven’t laughed this much for a while. I had dental surgery earlier this week and really can’t laugh but i couldn’t hold this in. Am in pain now.
I can’t stop laughing. That is comedy right there! Thank you for making my day/week! Have a great weekend.

[flyingveryhigh]

It will be a staggered J seating as shown here.

http://www.garudaindonesia.co.uk/london-flight-schedules-announced

The new 77W will serve SYD-CGK-LGW route. It’s pretty strange that GA does not use its flagship aircraft for its historically flagship route (CGK-AMS). Perhaps CGK-LGW is GA’s new flagship route.

In addition, GA will retime all its ex-CGK Australian flights to shorten the transit time for passengers to/from MEL and PER.

http://airlineroute.net/2013/04/18/ga-cgkmel-w13/

[flyingveryhigh]

GA just released its 77W sneak preview video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BC3svroDwJs

Enjoy.

[KSHaggag]

Thanks a million flyingveryhigh for sharing this video..it looks stunning ,however the Executive Class gave me the impression of being more spacious than the First cabin ..am i mislead ??!!

[AMcWhirter]

Hello Everyone

I’ve just written a news story about these developments.

What is interesting is that Garuda will once again enter the busy kangaroo route.

I checked the schedules for next November and the Garuda flights from Jakarta to Perth, Melbourne and Sydney have been amended to connect with the new London service.

Fares are not available but I expect they will be keen as Garuda will need to build market awareness.

http://www.businesstraveller.com/news/garuda-to-operate-london-to-australia-one-stop

[flyingveryhigh]

the same aircraft will be used for both SYD-CGK and CGK-LGW leg. The problem would be ex LGW connectivity as GA does not have any codeshare partner from LGW onwards…
GA has been the official airline partner of Liverpool for a while now; it hopes to raise market awareness in UK and beyond. It’s nice to see GA’s advertisement in every football match. At least people know that GA exists (still)

[AMcWhirter]

Hello flyingveryhigh

Thanks for confirming that the same B777-300ER aircraft will operate right through from LGW to SYD via CGK.

I would have thought that Garuda’s UK travel agents will do a good marketing job for the airline.

There are a number of large and respected ‘bricks and mortar’ agencies who specialise in travel to Australia and around-the-world.

And the launch of Garuda’s flights on November 2 is good news because we (here in the UK) are entering the busy season for travel Down Under.

[sparkyflier]

Bold moves by Garuda, good for them. And great to see they will have good and competitive products on board, and as I predicted, 9 across in Y!

The schedule is actually more attractive for Oz destined travellers than for CGK – you loose a day travelling and then the first day pretty tired, whatever class you have been in! At least with most East destined flights from Europe you arrive in time for a dinner, fresh air and walk, and then a night of lengthy sleep, fixing you for the first full day of business/pleasure.

I do think however they need to join Skyteam ASAP so prospective passengers will get their miles and tier points!

[flyingveryhigh]

I agree that GA should quickly join SkyTeam to attract miles-minded customers on board. However, the problem with GA is that its own in-house IT department slows down GA’s transformation (inheritance from GA’s dark past). That’s why GA’s website is not always up-to-date. The long line of bureaucracy is still there.
Moreover, GA’s still overhauling their outdated system from Abacus to Amadeus Altea. The transition is expected to be done in 2014. Apparently the upgrade from the prehistoric version of Abacus Agra (v 2) to the most recent version (v 15) does not function well despite the full technical helps from Abacus’ HQ’s technicians. GA has not upgraded its IT system till recently thanks to Suharto era’s management culture.

The outdated reservation system explains the low load for GA’s intercontinental flight such as CGK-AMS before the GA-EY partnership. The load is healthier now as passenger can book CGK-AMS flight via EY website which works perfectly fine.

I really hope that news about GA’s 77W and its SYD-LGW route can be widely publicised in travel forums. Many forums still condemned GA as the no-go airline that offers subpar safety and in-flight products thanks to its dark past.

[Binman62]

The video is excellent and the products look very very competitive particularly the business class with direct aisle access. Definitely the future. First looks comfy and very exclusive for the fortunate 8.

Good luck to them, I have only flown domestically but all 3 flights were excellent.

Need to keep eyes open for some decent opening offers.

[Author]

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