Self Transit in Jakarta (CGK)
 

Hi All,

As I'm not familiar with Jakarta or CGK Airport I need a piece of advice.

I'll be arriving into CGK on Saudia 820 from Riyadh on April 25th - scheduled arrival time 2.00 PM, flight seems generally on time from previous records.

From there I'll have to transit to SUB with a domestic flight (likely Lion Air or similars). My question is: considering arrival procedures, immigration, baggage check, terminal transfer (if any), check-in etc. how much time would I need to account for in order to catch the next flight? We're of course talking about separate bookings.

Would a 5.00 PM flight be too tight? what about 6.30 PM?

Thanks!

Lion Air is in terminal 1, which means a bit if a faff transferring from your arrival in T2 (I think it still means going upstairs and getting a bus from outside the departure area). Air Asia uses T2, so would be a better choice. Three hours is probably on the edge of being OK for an inter-terminal transfer, taking into account the possibility of everyday delays and mistakes. But with so many unpredictables involved, the longer the buffer you can allow, the better.

If a later arrival into Surabaya isn't too uncomfortable for you, I'd go for the later flight.

Thank you.

What would you choose between Batik Air and Sriwijaya Air as they both have later flights?

You can use the "skytrain" to go to Terminal 1. Go outside on the departures levels and just ask where the skytrain is, it might be a bit complicated if you have a lot of luggage though as you need to walk a bit, but nothing too bad in my opinion.

You might want to consider flying with Garuda Indonesia though as they use the same terminal as Saudia. Just need to go from international to domeatic then.

Usually I leave 3 hours between flights, which is more than enough, but just to have some buffer for when something goes wrong.

Thank you Zolex. Garuda right now is 4 times the price of Batik or others. Considering that I would not get lounge access (not an international flight), nor that many miles, I find it difficult to justify :)

Any feedback on the other airlines?

Ouch, indeed a very big price difference! Luckily I have tons of miles left from enjoying Garuda's brilliant first class :D

I never use Lion Air, Sriwijaya, ... the only LCC I sometimes use in Indonesia is Citilink (Garuda's LCC daughter company). Never had any complaints and not so long ago they merged their loyalty program with GarudaMiles (no status benefits though I think and don't expect to earn many miles). If I remember correctly they also use T1 though.

I have used Batik air several times CGK-SIN, and they have been very good.

Batik is the better choice. It's the upscale sibling of Lion Air.

Saudia now use T3 in CGK. The only carrier flying domestically from T3 is Garuda.

Procedure would be standard: exit immigration, collect baggage, exit custom, move terminal/gate for new flight. Use Skytrain for terminal change.

My rank on Indonesian carrier other than Garuda
Batik - hybrid airline, punctual, light snack on under 2 hr flight, IFE on some planes (bring your own headset, odd I know). Fly from T1C
Citilink - LCC, clean planes, buy on board / pre-book food, punctual. no IFE. gain redeemable miles on Garuda account. Fly from T1C
Sriwijaya/Nam - hybrid, lots of old planes, light snack on under 2 hour flight, competitively priced. Fly from T2F.
AirAsia (domestic) - limited connectivity on domestic flight, LCC, buy on board / pre-book food. Fly from T2F.
Lion - LCC. Not recommended. Poor reliability/OTP. Generally the cheapest. Fly from T1A and T1B (SUB flight is T1A, IIRC)

All above airlines provide 20 kgs free baggage (except AirAsia: 15 kgs)

Long story short, I'll say take any airlines that suits your time and budget. Except Lion.

Sorry, I'm not much use to you there - I've only ever used Air Asia. Not a particular recommendation - simply that I'm used to them, signed up, and just a bit lazy....


And sorry I gave you duff information about the terminal Saudia uses. I had no idea that Skyteam members had already started the shift over to join Garuda in T3.

But i'm moving with the times, and have resolved to use the rail service into the city next week :eek:

Just hope the train service will be operational again by next week, a wall near the train track collapsed few days ago and the train service has been suspended.

Trains Canceled, Rail Bridge to Jakarta Airport Collapses After Heavy Rains, Landslides | Jakarta Globe

`Sort of relieved I can return to the familiar, well understood, Uber/Bluebird option :) Though heart sinks at the words "heavy rains"

I used Sudirman station some time ago to get to and from Bogor. My memories of the station don't quite match the idea of smart new airport expresses.....

it's completely different station, Sudirman serves usual commuter line trains, Sudirman Baru / BNI City serves airport train. both use same railway line though.

I will go with Garuda at all cost. Not only they are in the same terminal in CGK but also they are using T2 in SUB while other use the older T1.

I’ll fly any Indonesian airline. Heck, I booked Adam Air years ago even after they lost a plane.

If you fly Lion, just take a flight earler in the day. Their sibling Wings Air is way worse.

My preferences in order: Garuda, Batik, Citilink, Air Asia, Lion Air, and Wings.