Garuda Indonesia's "Limited" Business Class Amenities

Intro

Across the world, business class is known for its top-of-the-line dining, amenities, bedding, and service. While we often see airlines cut have less amenities on regional/domestic flights, in comparison to long-haul flights, Garuda has taken a little bit of a different approach, which I wanted to touch on.

The Details

Garuda has a small but adequate widebody fleet, consisting of A330Ceos, A330-900Neos, and 777s, which fly to destinations such as Tokyo, Seoul, Doha, and Amsterdam, to name a few.

While the hard product depends on the type of aircraft, the part that I want to touch on is the amenities aspect. There are two different sets of amenities you can get, and there is virtually no rhyme or reason to this.

As an example, on my business class flight from Seoul to Denpasar (6.5 hours), we were given a small red blanket and had these weird-looking stems for champagne.

These amenities were a letdown for the length of the flight

And they have these weird baby flutes, which I am not a fan of,

However, when I took a slightly longer flight from Doha to Jakarta, it seemed that it was slightly different. Passengers received much better bedding, as well as real champagne flutes...

This bedding is some of the best I have come across in business class...

And the real flutes really help passengers enjoy the champagne offered onboard (which varies)

The Reason Might Surprise You...

Most airlines in the world have set amenities and bedding for the distance of the flight, but Garuda does this slightly differently. Speaking with an FA on my last flight, she informed me that flutes and bedding were stock-limited, and prioritized on longer flights, but not always.

She has flown routes to Tokyo, which have these amenities, and flights to Doha, which don't, so it's completely up in the air. So, if you are a passenger, you really have no idea what to expect going into your flight...

I am a huge fan of the 777 product

I have to say that I have a huge soft spot for Garuda and really want to see this airline do well. However, this really is a bad look from the airline. Being offered an economy blanket on a 6.5-hour flight is unacceptable for the price point, and if they want to compete in the market, they need to consistently offer better bedding.

Sure, real champagne flutes might break more, but that is sadly the cost of business, and if you want to draw in the high-yield customers, it's the smaller aspects that make the difference. They have nailed down the service aspect to a fault, but it seems that these small issues slip through the cracks.

And considering that the airline is in the works to buy a whopping 50 widebodies (possibly), this is something they are going to have to get right if they plan to expand to more destinations. But that's just my piece of mind.

Final Thoughts

Garuda's international soft product is sort of in shambles. While real champagne flutes aren't exactly a first-world problem, it's sad to see the inconsistencies in the airline. If you look at the way Air India has attempted to rebuild, it might not be the best airline, but they have tried to create a consistent soft product for all international products. But with Garuda? Passengers have no idea what blanket they are going to get on a 1500 USD ticket to Doha...

For reference: flights to Amsterdam are guaranteed these products, as well as Tokyo, going forward on their 777 route from Jakarta.