Garuda… Back into London again?!!

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Viewing 15 posts - 46 through 60 (of 70 total)

  • capetonianm
    Participant

    Information in the GDSs is that LHR DPS is indefinite (at least up to system horizon which is 361 days).

    GA 087 4 LHR 4 DPS I 2155 2115+1 0 07FEB19 773 16:20
    GA 087 26 LHR 4 DPS I 2155 2130+1 0 05MAR19 773 16:35

    The westbound service operates CGK LHR
    GA 086 246 CGK 3 LHR 4 1205 2000 0 05MAR19 773 13:55

    1 user thanked author for this post.

    AMcWhirter
    Participant

    Judging by the timings it looks like a non-stop flight.

    I expect GA will be aiming at cost-conscious travellers.

    There is already so much indirect competition from Europe.

    Not only the Gulf carriers but also those based in Asia.

    Consider that SIA alone operates *seven* daily SIN-DPS flights some of which will connect with its European services coming into SIN.


    AMcWhirter
    Participant

    Airlineroute posted details a few mins ago.

    https://www.routesonline.com/news/38/airlineroute/282306/garuda-adds-one-way-london-heathrow-denpasar-service-from-late-jan-2019/

    With LHR-DPS I believe Garuda will be able to claim it operates the second longest (non-stop) flight out of Heathrow.


    AMcWhirter
    Participant

    Dutch media reporting that Garuda intends to market Denpasar to local travellers.

    It intends to fly them to London with KLM to connect with Garuda’s forthcoming LHR-DPS service.


    MarcusGB
    Participant

    Just checking Garuda site, and it seems certainly in March 19, the LHR 3x weekly flights will be directly to DPS not Jakarta.
    This completely wipes out their connections to Sydney, as the extra flight time, leaves about 50 minutes connection in DPS.

    Sadly, with recent events in Indonesia with the natural events, several areas have been brought into concern about travelling to Indonesia. In Australia, caution is brought to people’s minds for travel to at this time, so i cannot see that a direct route to the Centre of where that activity remains, will be very popular.
    The turn around times, means that this flight is constantly late, I arrived into LHR an hour late some weeks agai ex CGK. So the turn around would have been 2 hrs later than timetabled.
    The Aircraft was also not clean, appeared in a poor state of repair, had broken IFE systems, poor food standards, and chaotic service on this already long 15hr flight.
    It was very unpleasant.

    Again i cannot see Garuda (changing around yet again), surviving out of London, with a direct flight to DPS.
    The Dutch from AMS, will continue to use the daily 773 KLM flight, which is at good times, daily, and a far better standard, more reliable, and returns from around £1,750.


    capetonianm
    Participant

    This the performance of that flight from FR24 since 13DEC18. To be fair, that’s not bad.

    FR has it wrong, shows as LHRCGK.


    AMcWhirter
    Participant

    [quote quote=914395]Just checking Garuda site, and it seems certainly in March 19, the LHR 3x weekly flights will be directly to DPS not Jakarta.[/quote]

    Thanks for posting, Marcus.

    In which case it’s yet another change from Garuda.

    According to Routesonline (see link above) LHR-DPS was supposed to start end January.

    If and when it does start this route will be the second longest non-stop service ex-LHR.


    MarcusGB
    Participant

    I was flying back Ex Sydney around Xmas, so took the time to go into their Sydney office.
    Then beginning of December 18, they were hoping that the flights would be starting to London, as been put off twice until 15th December they stated.

    I was due to fly 21st changed to 24 ex Syd, and returned on the then scheduled 27th flight CGK-LHR.
    At that time, there were no bookings on their system directly LHR – CGK, either from the staff at the office, Airport, or on their on line public booking system.

    Again, i cannot see the Dutch or AMS travellers coming backwards to LHR to take a direct flight, when KLM with 1 stop, adds about 1.30hrs to the flight, rather than a good
    5 hrs+ in and out of LHR. The current instability geologically in Indonesia does not add this to be a great demand flight.
    The Many Business passengers that went onwards to Australia, now make this impossible. with connections that will not even make the same day down there, and certainly you have to stay overnight on the way back.
    So a fair part of their customers taking these flights in their now 2 class 3 weekly service, in my view, will not last long.

    Their service has severely gone downhill also, and all this constant shifting about, means a loss for a good Business (Was), and great First, (now removed), a loss of Skyteam.
    Connecting to DPS means Not into their Country hub, or very few regional possibilities.
    Not long before we see them pulling out of London again…

    Without exception, their Skytrax rating should be downgraded to 3.
    CGK Airport (as displayed in their brand new terminal, has also been graded as a 3 Star Skytrax rating, for the Terminal only opened about a year.
    The runway remains in an awful pot holed rough, visibly poor repair, one of the worst i have ever used, so no change their either.


    AMcWhirter
    Participant

    Looks like Garuda is restoring first class to its London service reports Routesonline.com

    https://www.routesonline.com/news/38/airlineroute/282586/garuda-indonesia-resumes-first-class-service-to-london-in-3q19/


    paulkaz
    Participant

    So strange that GA fly into DPS from LHR but out of CGK on return. I presume a fully laden 777 can’t use the DPS runway. DPS is a good transfer point for Eastern Indonesia cities if there is such traffic from the UK.
    1 million Australians visit Bali each year so the return flight would be a tempting stop over from LHR.The Aus Uk flight would be very confusing.


    MarcusGB
    Participant

    Whoever makes these erratic and ill thought out decisions at Garuda, really goes beyond description.
    Travelling with only 26 Business seats, already looking shabby, with 367 economy passengers, will remain ineffective.
    Let alone this bizarre routing.
    How can you buy a return that is not a Multi City?!!!
    Oh, the CGK runway issues have been going around for a long time, and simply get contradicted. I took off on a 2 Cabin configuration ex CGK over Xmas heading for LHR. Rough and uncomfortable as this runway is, it could have been seating 392 plus cargo?

    And as analysed, you simply cannot travel down to Australia, or returning with other or the many of these options.
    After all these changes, better just to give up and leave London all together. We do not want what you are offering Garuda, especially as it changes from when we book our tickets, to when we need to travel, if the route has not been changed totally

    2 users thanked author for this post.

    AMcWhirter
    Participant

    [quote quote=915600]Whoever makes these erratic and ill thought out decisions at Garuda, really goes beyond description.[/quote]

    And it’s the summer. A time of year when first class demand is at its lowest. Unless GA is expecting a lot of wealthy Indonesians to be London-bound for shopping trips.


    rferguson
    Participant

    It looks like Garuda is flip-flopping on London AGAIN. They won’t serve London from Summer ’19 and are reducing AMS from six to thrice weekly.

    I feel sorry for Garuda. They seem to have taken massive strides to elevate their product yet it seems in many senses they are more a political pawn than anything else. They even lowered their fares ‘at the request of the government’ on domestic routes.

    https://www.reuters.com/article/garuda-indonesia/update-1-indonesias-garuda-cuts-air-ticket-prices-under-govt-pressure-idUSL3N20A1Q9


    RedBaron
    Participant

    I feel somewhat sorry for Garuda as well. I think they struggle with fuel prices fixed to Singapore terminal prices when they should have their own market for it. They offer a great international product and with so many Australians flying to Bali, it should be a no brainer for them to offer holidaymakers a great service with ongoing connections to the world. Instead they offer a single inconvenient flight time from each major AU eastern state capital, then the flights offer no convenient connections on to Europe – it involves a long stopover in CGK. I note with amusement that Bali is a popular destination for EU visitors these days but the connections onwards for both EU and Aussies involve long connections in CGK and vice versa. Qatar and Emirates are flying to Bali but no decent connections to AU. Surely their marketing team can talk to their scheduling team and sort out direct Garuda flights 2/3 times a week from LGW/AMS/ARD and then connections to AU that arrive at a decent hour. The typical Garuda customer I assume is a family or professional couple that want a decent economy flight and decent connections and happy to pay for it, rather than a backpacker.

    1 user thanked author for this post.

    MarcusGB
    Participant

    Garuda’s “Yo Yo service”, On then off, Stopping then direct, LGW, then LHR, No First, then First, less Business (which was always full), and half economy cabins.
    How is it possible for Business or leisure travellers, to book with an Airline that seems so incapable of decision, consistency or reliability? Why would you book with them?
    It should be a strong route, even if run only from Amsterdam daily.
    The KLM KUL-CGK flight is always full, on a 773, yet not as good seating and cabins as Garuda had. Sheer incompetence, and dubious excuses like the runways weights, only to use it as a revenue flight to Singapore.

    KLM actually had 10x weekly flights to KUL at one stage, as few Airlines now fly ex Europe. So maybe they should replace Garuda’s deficits and make good money from these, with connections on through CGK to Australia once more? It would provide a Skyteam option towards Oceania.
    KLM also run AMS-SIN-DPS and return same way.
    Garuda must have one of the worst reputations, and how they can viably keep any 5 Star Skytrax rating, is simply unsubstantiated, making a mockery of the ratings.
    Never again for me thanks!
    Yet their First was a moderately good value product, and Business decent too, with bid for , or purchase last minute upgrades at the airports.
    Self destructive possibilities, on a rarely used or accessible route elsewhere.

    I agree also, a continued loss for a smooth decent transition towards Australia for Skyteam, and AF/KLM, where they are weak and lack partners and routes.
    Yet their Australian traveller custom is well used, so such opportunities both ways to a Europe Australia link.
    Sheer poor / awful management.

    1 user thanked author for this post.
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