Hi manureva744

To give you an idea of the 'value' of the economy to biz upgrade... if you are buying a package (air + hotel) from Australia you can upgrade to Biz class for AUD550 - so you're running at about AUD665 - I'd say it's still worth it. (you have to buy this upgrade at the time of purchasing your package.)

The benefits - spacious cabin plus good food and excellent service - all pretty much standard for Biz class.

The BIG benefits are (a) much shorter queues for check-in (which is a big thing when you have 300 of us Ozzies in Y)

(b) lounge access. Even though the lounge is not that great in Denpasar - it sure beats the main terminal waiting area where most people used to just sit on the floor (this was a couple of years ago - can anyone inform if Bali airport is now any better?)

(c) first off the plane at Denpasar means first to immigration - means big time saving. The queues can get pretty long. They do ship you in a bus from the plane - so i generally stand by the door.

There are PTVs - although the number of channels can vary - sometimes I've had only two working, sometimes it has been the full six or so.

Mileage can, in some circumstances, be credited to Northwest - I think - and not all routes are applicable to earn miles (check on the Northwest airlines site).

I think you need to be resident in indonesia to join Garuda's FFP.

Finally, the late night departures from Bali to Australia used to mean that you only got a tiny snack on departure from Bali - then a full breakfast before landing. Not sure if this has changed - but just to make you aware!

Hope this helps - and please anybody jump in if i am off in any of my info.

Regards WG