Review: Garuda Indonesia A330-900neo Business Class Seoul-Denpasar (Bali)
- Konrad Tillman
- 3 days ago
- 11 min read
Updated: 1 day ago
Intro
The next portion of the series, “5 nights on a plane,” would see me heading on one of the best flights I have ever taken from Seoul to Denpasar onboard the Garuda A330-900neo in Business Class. Interestingly, this flight was scheduled to be operated by the A330-300 (which I have reviewed), but a few days before departure, it was switched to the A330-900neo. Talk about an aircraft swap for the better!
So, how was the newest member of the Garuda fleet? Nothing short of exceptional in every regard. From comfortable seats to some of the best service I have ever experienced, and delicious dining, I only wish that the flight were longer.
Route- Seoul (ICN)-Denpasar (DPS
Flight Number- GA871
Seat- 6K
Aircraft- Airbus A330-900neo
Date- August 19th, 2024
Flight Time- 6 Hours and 26 Minutes
Price Paid- 40K Delta Skymiles + $ 30
How I Booked
While Garuda tends to offer high fares on short-haul routes around Asia, its medium-haul routes are typically priced a little bit better. Taking a look online, I had the option to book this flight for around 800$ in cash (which isn’t horrific), but I found an even better deal. Delta was selling this flight through Skypesos for a decent value of 40,000 miles and 30$ in taxes and fees. Considering how worthless Delta Skypesos are, this is a fantastic redemption in my book.
Additionally, if you wanted to tack on a flight to Sydney, the total would come out to 65K miles for Seoul-Jakarta-Sydney in business class.
Check-In
After a refreshing morning exploring a little bit of Seoul and seeing my friend the night prior, I headed off on the 40-minute drive to the airport around 8 am for our scheduled departure time of 11:25 am. It was a beautiful day outside as I pulled up to Terminal 2, and it sort of made me wish I was spending some more time in South Korea. The life of living on a plane 😅.
Taking my backpack out of the pack, I promptly made my way over to check-in area G, the section which Garuda uses, where I was pleased to find no line for business class today. Within a matter of minutes, my boarding pass was printed, and it was off to immigration.
I’m not even going to touch on immigration since it was an absolute mess. To make matters worse, there is no fast track for Garuda Business Class passengers. This is probably the only part of the experience that was flawed, as it took me 40 minutes to get through security 🥴.
Boarding
Finishing up at the underwhelming Korean Air Lounge, I headed off to the gate around 10:20 am for our scheduled boarding time of 10:40 am. Seoul isn’t a small airport by any means, and our gate, 264, was at the very back of Terminal 2. But all of that pain went away when I got a peek at this beautiful A330-900neo that would fly us home today 🥹.
I don’t think one can quite comprehend how excited I was to get on board this bird. As boarding had a rolling delay, I stood at the front for 30 minutes waiting to get onboard this bird. As 10:55 am rolled around, boarding finally commenced with those needing assistance being offered to board first, followed by business class passengers and Skyteam Elite members.
The Seat/Cabin
Stepping onboard through door 1L, the cabin crew met me with a gracious smile and offered to show me to my seat. My word, look at the cabin. So beautiful!
Garuda Indonesia has modernised its seats on the A330-900neo, opting to ditch the classic dark red color and instead install a polished deep blue scheme with red accents complementing it.
The business class cabin is laid out in a 1-2-1 configuration, featuring a total of 24 seats. Garuda decided on the Stelia Opal seats, which are perfectly acceptable for medium-haul flights, but on the narrower side compared to their 777-300 product. As per usual, the window seats alternate between being closer to the window (true window) and others being closer to the aisle. The same concept applies to the middle seats as well, with alternating rows switching between the honeymoon concept and aisle seats.
I was assigned seat 6K, which was not just a bulkhead, but the last available seat in business class during booking. On most airlines, I would recommend a bulkhead, but Garuda didn’t add the extra footwell space due placing a crew cubby next to the seat. Why? I have no idea, since it was empty and flying open the whole flight 😅.
The seat is modern yet simplistic, offering a countertop to the side featuring all of the bits and bobs needed. Whether it is a push-out storage compartment to store a passport or phone, USB-C ports, seat controls, or the modern remote, you will find it all. If I had to criticize, I’d say that the seat is lacking storage, but that’s what overhead bins are for!
In terms of the footwell, I found it to be deep and on the roomier side in comparison to similar products.
Departure
Within moments of settling into my seat, the lovely FA working my aisle came around to ask what I would like as a pre-departure beverage. Umm, is there any other choice but champagne? It couldn’t have been a minute later that she came back with a cold towel, a glass of champagne, and an amenity kit. Wow.
While boarding was wrapped up by 11:20 am, the captain came on to announce that we had an ATC delay and would be departing about 30 minutes behind schedule. While delays suck, I appreciate how forthright the flight deck was.
Sure enough, exactly 30 minutes behind schedule, we pushed back and made our way out to Runway 33L trailing a United 777-200 departing to San Fran.
With a Delta A350 behind us, we were wheels up on a gorgeous afternoon in Seoul. Gosh, does anyone else just love the weather in the summertime?
Amenities
Garuda Indonesia does a fantastic job in terms of amenities on a flight that is about 6 hours of airtime. Each passenger is treated to a comfortable pair of slippers, a red blanket that isn’t too thick, and a soft pillow. Sure, a thicker blanket might be nicer, but there are no overhead air vents on these neos, so it doesn’t make much sense 😅.
Additionally, each passenger receives a pair of noise-cancelling headphones and an amenity kit stocked with all of the basic essentials one could need for a six-hour flight.
IFE/WIFI
Now that we are airborne, I figured it was time to check out the movie selection since I was on vacation and just wanted to relax. I was pleased to find a high definition touchscreen located in the seatback in front (galley, I guess here ha), providing a very decent selection of movies. Whether you are looking for the latest releases or classic western films, Garuda has it all. There were also some local Indonesian shows and movies showcasing the local Indo culture.
Yes, I might have watched Detective Pikachu. Remember that I have the maturity level of a 5-year-old at times 🥴.
Additionally, free wifi is provided for passengers in business class. While I try to stay disconnected on these flights to help decompress, this is a nice touch from the Indonesian carrier. Simply head over to the wifi page, and the crew should give you a voucher to register your free wifi. I am not sure if this is fleetwide, as this wasn’t the case when I flew on the 777, so don’t quote me on this por favor 😉.
Meal Service
Uh. Yes. What more could you want in life than a meal on Garuda Indonesia in Business Class? A meal on the ground? Yes, okay, maybe…
Roughly 20 minutes after takeoff, the flight attendant brought out a glass of sparkling water, as well as a glass of champagne that was poured directly at my seat. Garuda serves Henriot, which is fine, but not exceptional. The one aspect I will note is that, apparently, they got rid of the old flutes due to how many were breaking, and now they have these new, not-as-fancy, dancy ones. First world problems, am I right 😉.
Feeling ready to devour a nice meal, my main course was presented about an hour and 10 minutes after takeoff. Ordinarily, there would be a starter that comes before, but I opted to skip it.
Garuda offers 2 different meal choices on flights departing from Korea. There is a Western menu, as well as a Korean menu. Seeing as I practically never eat outside of my comfort zone for a number of reasons, I chose the chicken with demi-glace sauce. It was an exceptional dish, until I almost cracked my tooth biting into this tiny bone (lol).
Can we just talk about the presentation of this dish?? Combined with the actual wine glasses that could come from a Michelin-star restaurant? Rahh (insert Jamaican voice) “Bombaclaaaat”.
For dessert, I decided to order the ice cream off the “light menu”, which turned out to be a fish? Honestly, how cool is it that Garuda puts ice cream inside of a fish, which is exactly like a cone? Overall, in my years of flying, this is one of the coolest-looking desserts I have ever witnessed.
Truly blown away by every detail of this meal. The service was top drawer, the presentation was immaculate, the thought behind the dishes was creative, and the dishware could be from an actual restaurant. Oh yeah, and the fact that it tasted good. And what? A Nespresso machine onboard as well? Flabbergasted is an understatement.
Napito Time
Feeling as if a rock had hit me over the head, and I had somehow tumbled down the mountain slope into a mountain lion's den, I placed my seat in lie-flat mode for a nap. It’s certainly not the most private or spacious seat, but it was comfortable, and I was able to sleep on my side. Can’t say the same about Air Canada or AA business class 🥴.
I ended up managing about 2.5 hours of sleep, and woke up as we were 2 hours out from Denpasar.
Lavatories
Feeling the need to brush my teeth after arising out of my nap, I headed to one of the three business class lavatories. 2 are located by door 2, and the other one is by the cockpit near door 1L. They had a few amenities on offer, but nothing that was memorable.
Service
As someone who loves flying, what really matters more than the hard or soft product is the service onboard. Carriers in Southeast Asia have long had a reputation for exceptional service, and Garuda Indonesia offers some of the best in the world. The only carrier I would rank higher is Thai Airways. Here are some details that really stood out to me from the flight:
Everytime I was addressed, it was always by “Mr XXX” and while the FA was kneeling to eye level.
Before landing, the crew took some time to chat about the airline with me, and gave me a direct form to fill out, suggesting feedback for the airline (it wasn’t a link but an actual form). My feedback was directed primarily towards the dated A330-300s, and even the crew agreed that something had to happen to those jets.
My glass never sat empty for too long whatsoever, the crew were actively walking around the cabin and checking in on passengers, but in a non-disturbing way.
Overall, I have to say that this was one of the best flights in my life, service-wise. The crew clearly not only wanted to be there, but also wanted to showcase the great service that Garuda can offer.
Arrival
Around 4:50 pm local time (1 hour time change), the captain came to announce our initial descent into Bali, and that we should be touching down about 10 minutes behind schedule.
The cabin crew came around, thanked us for flying Garuda, and we made our approach into Bali to the West of Lovina and down through Pekutan.
Interestingly, we didn’t have to hold much on this day, and we touched down on Runway 09 at 5:20 pm local time, with some beautiful views to the South of Jimbaran. Look closely, you might see the Four Seasons 😉. By the way, you can go jet skiing right underneath where the planes land here. How cool is that!
It was a short taxi ride to the gate, passing by a beautiful Emirates A380. Within a matter of minutes, I was off the plane, met by my fast-track agent, and zoomed into the car where my driver was waiting for me with an ice-cold Bintang. Ahh yes, welcome home ❤️.
Final Thoughts
Being able to try out the Garuda A330-900neo from Seoul to Denpasar was one of the best uses of 40K Skymiles that I could have ever asked for. Garuda has taken their business class up a notch with this product, with very good seats, unbelievable dining (including presentation), exceptional service, and just an overall smooth ride on the A330-900neo. Would I fly them again? Without doubt, as a matter of fact, I would actively seek out flying Garuda on their 777/A330-900neo. Just be careful of an aircraft swap, especially when their A330-300 can look like this…
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