Garuda Indonesia has a wonderful top quality product, which I’ve traditionally ranked as being among the best on the planet. In the mean time, the airline solely constantly presents top quality to at least one vacation spot. Within the coming months, that vacation spot shall be altering, although. Let me first present a little bit of background, after which we’ll discuss in regards to the change.
Garuda Indonesia solely has two planes with top quality
Garuda Indonesia has lengthy been in a difficult monetary state of affairs — the airline can’t appear to maintain any CEO for an extended time frame, and due to this fact doesn’t have a lot of a imaginative and prescient. Past that, the federal government gives the airline simply sufficient help to remain in enterprise, however not sufficient to thrive.
Garuda Indonesia has a fleet of roughly 70 plane, although you’ll solely discover a first-class cabin on the provider’s Boeing 777-300ERs. The airline has eight of those jets, with solely two that includes top quality, so we’re actually speaking a couple of tiny fleet (these are planes with the registration codes PK-GIF and PK-GIG).
For a very long time there have been discussions of Garuda Indonesia doubtlessly eliminating top quality, on condition that it’s such a small community, and one wonders if it even is sensible. For that matter, Garuda Indonesia used to have top quality on eight of its 777s, however reconfigured six of them to take away top quality.
Lately, one of many two 777s with top quality has even been leased by the federal government of Indonesia, because the presidential aircraft. Nevertheless, the aircraft now appears to principally be working passenger flights for the airline, although usually it’s swapped in final minute, fairly than being devoted to any route.
For what it’s value, Indonesia’s president in any other case makes use of a Boeing Enterprise Jet, although clearly a 777 has considerably extra vary and capability.
Garuda Indonesia top quality route service modifications
At present, Garuda Indonesia solely constantly presents top quality on a single route, the 3x weekly flight between Jakarta (CGK) and Amsterdam (AMS), which operates with the next schedule:
GA88 Jakarta to Amsterdam departing 10:00PM arriving 7:50AM (+1 day)
GA89 Amsterdam to Jakarta departing 12:05PM arriving 7:55AM (+1 day)
Which may appear to be a random vacation spot for providing top quality, however it’s doubtless a mixture of things. Amsterdam is a SkyTeam hub, and there are additionally large historic ties between the Netherlands and Indonesia. Now, I nonetheless doubt there’s really large top quality demand, since each time I have a look at availability on this flight, it appears fairly vast open in top quality.
Anyway, there’s now an fascinating replace, as reported by AeroRoutes. As of July 31, 2025, Garuda Indonesia will discontinue top quality to Amsterdam. This comes because the plane working the route is swapped from a three-cabin 777 to a two-cabin 777.
So, what’s occurring with that aircraft? Additionally as of July 31, 2025, Garuda Indonesia will begin providing top quality between Jakarta (CGK) and Tokyo (HND), because the route will change from a two-cabin 777 to a three-cabin 777. That route operates with the next schedule:
GA874 Jakarta to Tokyo departing 11:25PM arriving 8:50AM (+1 day)
GA89 Tokyo to Jakarta departing 11:45AM arriving 5:35PM
Actually, that appears extra logical and environment friendly all-around. I think about there’s extra top quality demand between Jakarta and Tokyo, each from enterprise and leisure vacationers. It’s additionally higher plane utilization, since a single 777 can function this route day by day, with pretty restricted downtime.
Backside line
Garuda Indonesia has an amazing top quality product, which is simply accessible on two plane (one in every of which is commonly utilized by the federal government). The airline at present solely constantly presents top quality between Jakarta and Amsterdam. Nevertheless, as of late July 2025, that’ll be altering.
Garuda Indonesia will minimize top quality on the Amsterdam route, as a substitute providing it on the Tokyo route. I’m simply sort of shocked that the airline continues to trouble with advertising and promoting this product, after reconfiguring most 777s to take away top quality, and now having such a small footprint.
What do you make of Garuda Indonesia’s top quality technique?
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