Boarding the flight, I was greeted by Budi, the purser in grey suit today.
“Welcome aboard, Mr. UMD!” greeted Sherina as she appeared from the cabin to greet me and then showed me to my seat, 2A.
Anggie, the other First Class cabin crew was seen helping 1D and 1G. The purser then came over and also helped me store my carry-on luggage in the crew storage compartment upfront in the galley. Then I noticed something on my seat.
“Are these?” I blurted out.
“Yes. They are, Mr. UMD,” Sherina confirmed. “I got a message that you had left these on your flight 2 days ago so we returned them back to you.”
I was so happy to reunite once more with the menu and the amenity kit that I had left on the plane 2 days ago. It was certainly a great little surprise from the crew and also from Garuda. To me, it is truly an example of customer service at its best.
“Mr. UMD, thank you for flying First Class with us today. My name is Sherina and I am in charge of the service today. Together with me, there are Anggie, our First Class flight attendant, Komang, our onboard chef and Budi, our purser. We are here to make you enjoy your First Class experience,” Sherina introduced herself and the team to me. “To start, how about champagne for your welcome drink?”
“Champagne will be wonderful for now.”
‘We have Billecart-Salmon and Laurent-Perier. Which one do you prefer?” asked Sherina.
“Billecart, please”
She went to the galley and very quickly came back to my seat with a bottle of Billecart-Salmon and a small plate of macadamia nut.
“Do you want me to take a picture of you?” asked Sherina when I took the picture of her pouring the Champagne
“Nope. I only want to take pictures of the journey and also of you and your colleagues.”
“In that case, then we will be famous when you put the pictures on the internet.” Sherina said jokingly with a few giggles. Sherina surely has a great sense of humor here.
Anggie then came over to welcome me onboard and also to introduce herself to me. She had a pair of slippers ready for me to change into. As done by the crew of the incoming flight, Anggie also laid a red cloth and the pair of slippers on the cloth.
Sherina was back to top up my Champagne and asked, “By the way, is there anything you would like to ask about the seat, Mr. UMD?”
“I am ok. Thank you.”
“Just let me know if you have any question. Oh yes, don’t worry about all the folders and the magazines here now. We will tidy them up for you before take-off. Just for your information, if it is alright with you, we will offer you your pajamas and set up your bed after our lunch service. However, if you want to change earlier and set up your bed earlier, just let us know.”
“I will wait until after lunch. Thanks”
"Oh yes, we will have a caviar service after take-off. What do you want to drink with that?” asked Sherina.
“I think I will continue with the same Champagne.”