Garuda London - Jakarta zero'd out in GDS for W18-19
Aug 30, 2018, 7:16 am
#121
Join Date: Oct 2015
Location: London
Programs: BAEC Gold
Posts: 175
With the charge after the 28th Oct to be CGK-AMS-LHR-AMS-CGK, what are the guesses of the aircraft usage? AMS gets the 2-cabin B77Ws, will that be for LHR as well? If so does PK-GIF & PK-GIG lose their First cabins because apart from CGK-LHR these two aircraft are only used on DPS-NRT and First cannot be selected in the GA website for that holiday route. Then, that would be an end the GA First lounge in CGK (maybe used as another Business Class lounge) and the First CGK ground escort personnel, I would guess work on Business Class duties full time, likewise the on-board First chefs. They also would drop the CGK limo service. Finally, if they drop First I do not see what would put them so high in terms of status, I’ve flown First a few times and read reviews which says how good it is but nothing so say that their Business Class is above the competition and make GA stand out.
With a change in schedule times will GA stay at LHR T3 or shift to T4? At T4 they get the SkyTeam lounge (I prefer over the No1 Lounge in T3), it avoids the grime T3 G-zone checi-in area, awful drive into LHR Central and may help with SkyTeam connections (although I cannot think of any that cannot be handled at AMS). Would they also share ground handling services (Dnata?) of their SkyTeam partners? Does that save some pennies?
It’s about time GA dropped those gigantic B77Ws for the more efficient B787 and/or A350 for the long thin routes just like all their regional competitors (VN, SQ, MH, TG, CX, CZ, CI, BR(soon) all have them in one form or another). Then maybe LHR-CGK and/or LHR-DPS would work (flew LHR-CGK the other day and by the looks of folks very many where going onwards to DPS). I doubt the B77W routes require this aircraft for cargo capacity. GA do not even use the B77W to China, South Korea or all their Japanese routes. They have the A330-900NEO coming at some point in the future for the nearner long haul efficiency improvements (China, Austraila etc).
And unlike the regional competition GA will be the only (except for BR) doing a one-stop to their base from LHR and two-stop to anywhere else (e.g. DPS, MEL, SYD). So might as well choose SQ, MH, CX etc. as these are also one-stops but with greater schedule choices.
So I would not be suprised if the sector to/from AMS goes after awhile aswell without changes to the status quo.
With a change in schedule times will GA stay at LHR T3 or shift to T4? At T4 they get the SkyTeam lounge (I prefer over the No1 Lounge in T3), it avoids the grime T3 G-zone checi-in area, awful drive into LHR Central and may help with SkyTeam connections (although I cannot think of any that cannot be handled at AMS). Would they also share ground handling services (Dnata?) of their SkyTeam partners? Does that save some pennies?
It’s about time GA dropped those gigantic B77Ws for the more efficient B787 and/or A350 for the long thin routes just like all their regional competitors (VN, SQ, MH, TG, CX, CZ, CI, BR(soon) all have them in one form or another). Then maybe LHR-CGK and/or LHR-DPS would work (flew LHR-CGK the other day and by the looks of folks very many where going onwards to DPS). I doubt the B77W routes require this aircraft for cargo capacity. GA do not even use the B77W to China, South Korea or all their Japanese routes. They have the A330-900NEO coming at some point in the future for the nearner long haul efficiency improvements (China, Austraila etc).
And unlike the regional competition GA will be the only (except for BR) doing a one-stop to their base from LHR and two-stop to anywhere else (e.g. DPS, MEL, SYD). So might as well choose SQ, MH, CX etc. as these are also one-stops but with greater schedule choices.
So I would not be suprised if the sector to/from AMS goes after awhile aswell without changes to the status quo.
Aug 30, 2018, 7:26 am
#123
Join Date: May 2014
Location: Great Britain
Programs: Air: QR Silver. BA Silver Emirates, Hotels: CC Gold, IHG Spire AMB, Hilton Diamond.
Posts: 1,487
My bookings have been automatically changed to the AMS-CGk-AMS flights with the onward additional CGK-BKK-CGK remaining the same (although those have actually both been shifted by 5 minutes !)
However no sight of the LHR-AMS flights yet. Appreciate its very early doors for them at the moment.
The times are MUCH worse for me & my elderly parents. They have also removed one of my two stopovers in CGK which I added in specifically so that we can all (myself & 2 elderly parents) have a decent break from flying before hopping on another onward connection. I'll certainly need that added back in (moving the AMS-CGK flight forward a day) bringing our outbound flight back to our original outbound date.
HOWEVER in order to catch the AMS-CGK flight we'd need to be at LHR by about 7am I guess to catch a LHR-AMS flight which is a good 12hrs before we would have had to with the LHR-CGK flights and means a very unpleasant start time for my parents (well me too !). I would therefore prefer to move the LHR-AMS forward a day too to add in a stopover in Amsterdam (again so not too much hanging around at airports and flying all in one go for my elderly folks) but this means then leaving London a day before our original flight AND adding the cost of a hotel & meals in Amsterdam :-( plus an extra day off work (maybe 2) as I was working on the day we were flying in the evening.
The other problem with this rerouting on Garuda via Amsterdam is that we will get back to Blighty about midday on the 30th Dec instead of a nice time on the 29th Dec - not good when you have a NYE dinner party to prepare for (and get over travel fatigue before) on the 31st :-(
I'd much rather reroute onto SQ or CX as I've looked up itineraries which would be vastly preferable than this mess they've left me with.
I really hope that the service desk is informed that they can reroute people on SQ & CX and let us start doing so soon as flights around the 29th & 30th Dec will be hard to come by !
They had also better not try to downgrade us because the fare class isn't available anymore in business class or the cabins are already too full. Can definitely see that coming :-(
If anyone has any luck rerouting onto other carriers please inform us here as soon as possible.
Thanks :-)
However no sight of the LHR-AMS flights yet. Appreciate its very early doors for them at the moment.
The times are MUCH worse for me & my elderly parents. They have also removed one of my two stopovers in CGK which I added in specifically so that we can all (myself & 2 elderly parents) have a decent break from flying before hopping on another onward connection. I'll certainly need that added back in (moving the AMS-CGK flight forward a day) bringing our outbound flight back to our original outbound date.
HOWEVER in order to catch the AMS-CGK flight we'd need to be at LHR by about 7am I guess to catch a LHR-AMS flight which is a good 12hrs before we would have had to with the LHR-CGK flights and means a very unpleasant start time for my parents (well me too !). I would therefore prefer to move the LHR-AMS forward a day too to add in a stopover in Amsterdam (again so not too much hanging around at airports and flying all in one go for my elderly folks) but this means then leaving London a day before our original flight AND adding the cost of a hotel & meals in Amsterdam :-( plus an extra day off work (maybe 2) as I was working on the day we were flying in the evening.
The other problem with this rerouting on Garuda via Amsterdam is that we will get back to Blighty about midday on the 30th Dec instead of a nice time on the 29th Dec - not good when you have a NYE dinner party to prepare for (and get over travel fatigue before) on the 31st :-(
I'd much rather reroute onto SQ or CX as I've looked up itineraries which would be vastly preferable than this mess they've left me with.
I really hope that the service desk is informed that they can reroute people on SQ & CX and let us start doing so soon as flights around the 29th & 30th Dec will be hard to come by !
They had also better not try to downgrade us because the fare class isn't available anymore in business class or the cabins are already too full. Can definitely see that coming :-(
If anyone has any luck rerouting onto other carriers please inform us here as soon as possible.
Thanks :-)
Last edited by Sisyphus1carus; Aug 30, 2018 at 7:31 am
Aug 30, 2018, 8:31 am
#124
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: London
Programs: Many. Too many. I came here to cut them down. I failed.
Posts: 2,999
If you were booked in I Class from LHR-CGK they will have copied that across to AMS-CGK irrespective of I Class availability on AMS-CGK (assuming any availability in business class).
I was going to say there should be no reason why they can't book you on the early LCY-AMS flight on KLM 982 flight? That's assuming that LCY is easier for you all - the check-in certainly is
I was going to say there should be no reason why they can't book you on the early LCY-AMS flight on KLM 982 flight? That's assuming that LCY is easier for you all - the check-in certainly is
Aug 30, 2018, 9:56 am
#126
Join Date: Feb 2009
Location: LON|JHB
Posts: 433
I share the complete frustration, and concerns vis a vis schedule that we all have. I’ve emailed specifying what I want, and propose to follow up with a call early next week if I haven’t heard, or get left with the untenable itinerary I have now. I don’t think anyone should worry about this at this stage. Your rights are protected under EC261 and if you used a UK credit card the consumer credit act.
Aug 30, 2018, 10:18 pm
#127
Original Poster
Join Date: Sep 2012
Posts: 2,575
Personally I would be minded to go the night before - plenty of options for hotels - CitizenM I've stayed at a few times, walk from the terminal and the bar is a reasonable spot to hang out
Aug 31, 2018, 12:41 am
#128
Join Date: Jan 2016
Location: LON
Programs: BAEC
Posts: 3,918
Aug 31, 2018, 1:42 am
#129
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: London, UK
Programs: BA Gold
Posts: 87
So, the boilerplate email reply from [email protected] says to call the London office, and the London office IVR says to call the Indonesian call center.
Has anyone had any luck yet?
Has anyone had any luck yet?
Aug 31, 2018, 2:20 am
#130
Join Date: Sep 2013
Location: London, UK
Programs: Ronin - churn and burn
Posts: 701
Just called the Jakarta office.
They are now able to re-route on other carriers.
Going on SQ now. Felt a bit like a kid in a candy store when I realised that I had my pick of routing and airline
They are now able to re-route on other carriers.
Going on SQ now. Felt a bit like a kid in a candy store when I realised that I had my pick of routing and airline
Aug 31, 2018, 2:48 am
#131
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: London, UK
Programs: BA Gold
Posts: 87
I was told the opposite after a lengthy conversation with the call centre. Can you please advise which office you called?
Aug 31, 2018, 3:56 am
#133
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: London, UK
Programs: BA Gold
Posts: 87
Aug 31, 2018, 4:31 am
#135
Join Date: Sep 2013
Location: London, UK
Programs: Ronin - churn and burn
Posts: 701
I called +62 212 351 9999
Spoke to somebody called Selana.
She was super helpful and seemed to have access to schedules for every airline, unlike the guy I spoke to yesterday that insisted his systems only showed GA and KL.
Spoke to somebody called Selana.
She was super helpful and seemed to have access to schedules for every airline, unlike the guy I spoke to yesterday that insisted his systems only showed GA and KL.