AlisonB84

Hi

Can anyone let me know if the following is a reasonable plan (timewise):

Arrive CGK 07:40 on Qatar, from DOH (Terminal 2) - in J, will be HBO
Depart CGK 11:35 on Garuda, to DPS (Terminal 3) - in Y, will need to check bags

****

Arrive CGK 15:00 on Garuda, from DPS (Terminal 3) - in Y, checked bags to collect
Depart CGK 18:45 on Qatar, to DOH (Terminal 2) - in J, will be HBO

(The domestic flights are on a separate ticket)

Many thanks in advance - we are first time travellers to Indonesia, although not inexperienced travellers. I've read a few horror stories about queues/lines, scams/bribes, and wondered about booking a VIP meet and assist service for the connection.

gpeso8

I think you will are totally fine for both. The skytrain linking the terminals should officially start running on September 17th, that should expedite things for you assuming you are arriving after the 17th and assuming Angkasa Pura has the train running.

AlisonB84

Thanks gpeso8, much appreciated. As it happens the outward leg is before 17th, but the homeward leg is after (and I'm slightly more anxious about that leg as it's connecting to the long haul leg that I don't want to miss!)
I won't bother with a meet and assist service!

Jaimito Cartero

I think you are likely ok. I'm a bit confused how you can have hand baggage only on one flight, and checked bags on the next.

AlisonB84

We are travelling in J on Qatar into CGK, but in Y on Garuda out of CGK to DPS and our bags will be oversized for Garuda so will need to check them. I can pack pretty light but not light enough for Y on Garuda!
😂

Jaimito Cartero

Does Garuda enforce a low carryon limit, like 7kg? I've flown them on domestic routes, and don't recall weighing my carryon. I bring the same carryon whether I'm in F, J or Y.

I don't know if you could interline bags between different carriers/tickets, but I'd be tempted to try.

gpeso8

I think it's officially 7kg with GA but I have never seen that enforced in 100's of flights with them.

Zolex

I've seen 100's of people on GA with bags that I'm pretty sure weigh much more than 7kg! Never ever have my bags been weighed. Just try to carry it on board.

DeepUnderground

Yeah definitely no weighing of hand baggage on Garuda, especially 50 pound cardboard boxes of smelly fish

AlisonB84

Thank you! That advice could save some time!

blueferrari

unless they are visibly oversized and obviously can't fit overhead, of course.

you'd be surprised how often I encountered this on GA domestic.

martindo

Garuda offers higher weight limit for checked baggage than other domestic airlines. It's hard to tell how safe your connection is for the return, because delays tend to be cumulative in Indonesia. For low-cost airlines, the same plane might fly CGK-JOG-BPN-UPG with another craft going the other way. If the first departure is late, the second is likely to be even later. Domestic flights in the evening from a busy airport are routinely an hour late. Garuda tends to be better than the low-cost airlines, though.

Try to determine the routing of your DPS-CGK, specifically whether the plane is coming from another island like Lombok before flying to Jakarta. You can also check your specific flight's history of timeliness during the past 7 days by using flightradar24.com

Baggage handling has improved dramatically in the past year. Typically 20 minutes at the carousel, then quick queue if there's customs involved. Crowded days or times can involve big queues, however.

BTW, taxi is not necessarily faster from terminal 2 to 3, as my daughter and I discovered last Dec when connecting to a Garuda CGK-JOG. The renovation/expansion of #3 forces vehicle traffic to go a long ways for a U-turn when coming into 3 from the other terminals.

Overall, though, I think you're in good shape. I rarely take Garuda due to its expense. Ironically, they are the most reliable these days, in contrast to their bad rep 20 years ago.

martindo

@Alison
Nobody addressed the VIP assist service, which I have never used. I doubt it's necessary even for a first-timer. Spoken English and signage have increased dramatically in the past 5 years, so it won't be hard to get around. Security staff sometimes can help, but double check their gate or carousel info which is outside their area of direct responsibility.

Scammers, thieves, and hangers-on in public areas are far less common than 20 years ago due to increased security protocols. You may get nagged to take a taxi that you don't need, but the sales pitch would be done by a licensed taxi operator these days.

AlisonB84

Thank you to you all for your helpful advice and guidance! I will post back here after our flights, just for reference for the future for others

AlisonB84

Just to wrap this up, we had absolutely no problem with taking all our hand luggage (1 rollerboard and 1 backpack each) on board the Garuda domestic flights - as it happened the flights were bang on time anyway so probably wouldn't have been an issue. The inter terminal bus was waiting both times as we exited the terminal buildings - on the return from T3 to go to T2 it was heaving - people hanging out the doers etc! Luckily the driver didn't drive like others we had the pleasure of in Bali (which was an experience in itself - I closed my eyes on several occasions!)
Thank you to everyone who gave advice here which saved time/effort and anxiety in equal measures!