Garuda Indonesia

Beginnings

The earliest predecessor to Garuda Indonesia was KNILM, Royal Dutch Indies Airways, founded in 1928 during the Dutch colonial period; despite the similar name, it was not a subsidiary of the main Dutch carrier KLM. KNILM was dissolved in 1947, and its assets were transferred to a new KLM subsidiary, KLM Interinsulair Bedrijf (KLM Interinsular Service), which was nationalized in December 1949.

The name "Garuda" was derived from a Dutch poem written by a renowned Javanese scholar and poet Raden Mas Noto Soeroto; "Ik ben Garuda, Vishnoe's vogel, die zijn vleugels uitslaat hoog boven uw eilanden", which means "I'm Garuda, Vishnu's Bird, that spreads its wings high above the Islands". In Hindu mythology, Garuda is the name of Lord Vishnu's mount (vahana). The line was mentioned by Sukarno during the Dutch–Indonesian Round Table Conference at The Hague, from 23 August to 2 November 1949.

In its current institutional form, Garuda Indonesia had its beginnings in the Indonesian war of independence against the Dutch in the late 1940s, when Garuda flew special transports with a Douglas DC-3. The first aircraft was a DC-3 known as Seulawah (Acehnese: "Gold Mountain", or from Arabic Shalawah, means praise/worship) and was purchased for a sum of 120,000 Malayan dollars, which was provided by the people of Aceh (notably local merchants). The first commercial flight from Calcutta to Rangoon was made on January 26, 1949, using a DC-3 Dakota aircraft with the tail number of “RI 001” and the name “Indonesian Airways”.The 26 January 1949 is generally recognized as the airline's founding date.

A second DC-3 entered service in 1949, which flew its first flight on December 28, carrying President Sukarno on a flight from Jakarta to Yogyakarta, the first flight made under the name of "Garuda Indonesian Airways". Throughout the revolution, Garuda supported national interests, and often carried diplomats on its flights. The Burmese government helped the airline significantly during its beginnings. The country's national airline, Union of Burma Airways, often chartered one of the airline's DC-3s for its own flights. Accordingly, upon Garuda's formal joint incorporation with KLM on 31 March 1950, the airline presented the Burmese government with a DC-3 as a gift.

By the early and mid 1950s, the airline operated a fleet of 38 aircraft, which included 22 DC-3s, 8 Catalina seaplanes, and 8 Convair 240s, and in 1956, the airline operated its first flight to Mecca with Convair aircraft, carrying 40 Indonesian pilgrims.

The airline's fleet continued to grow throughout the 1960s, during which time the airline continued its expansion. It acquired three Lockheed L-188 Electras in 1961, which supplemented its Convair CV-240 fleet, before taking delivery of its first jet aircraft, the Convair 990 Coronado, in 1963, which allowed it to launch flights to Hong Kong.

In 1965, the airline took delivery of its first Douglas DC-8, and grew beyond the Asian market it was focused on, beginning scheduled flights to Amsterdam and Frankfurt via Colombo, Bombay, and Prague. Rome and Paris became the airline's third and fourth European destinations, with flights stopping in Bombay and Cairo to refuel. Flights to the People's Republic of China began that same year, with service to Canton via Phnom Penh, the first Indonesian airline to do so.

Continued growth

During the early 1970s, Garuda Indonesia took delivery of both the McDonnell Douglas DC-9 and Fokker F28 Fellowship for its short and medium-haul operations. The airline went on to take delivery of 62 F28s, holding the title for the largest operator of the F28 in the world. In 1973, the airline took delivery of its first Douglas DC-10, giving it the capability to carry more passengers and fly longer flights, and it replaced the DC-8 and Convair 990 fleet on flights within Asia and to Europe. The DC-10 would become an integral part of the Garuda fleet for the years to come, outlasting the newer McDonnell Douglas MD-11s, before the type was finally retired in 2002. Afterwards, in 1980, the airline took delivery of the first Boeing 747-200, complementing the DC-10 on high-capacity or long-range routes.

On 21 June 1982, Garuda became the launch customer of the Airbus A300B4-220FFCC, which was the first variant of the A300 capable of being operated with two pilots instead of three. By 1984, nine of these were in service, supplemented by 8 Douglas DC-10s, 24 Douglas DC-9s, 45 Fokker F-28s, and 6 Boeing 747-200s. In 1985 under Reyn Altin Johannes Lumenta, who had been CEO since 1984, Garuda made the controversial decision to hire foreign brand consultants Landor Associates to create a new logo, livery and brand for the airline, a project that was regarded as expensive and unnecessary at the time. However, this move was later on applauded as vital for the reputation and corporate identity of Garuda Indonesia as the national airline.

Under Lumenta, Garuda also increased the number of flight frequencies and destinations, reduced ticket prices and collaborated with Merpati Nusantara Airlines, introducing flexible tickets valid for both Indonesian airlines.

In 1990, the airline took delivery of the Douglas MD-11s, which gradually replaced the DC-10 on flights to Europe, and also allowed the airline to launch flights to Los Angeles via Honolulu. During this time, the airline operated a fleet of the aforementioned MD-11s, DC-10s, 747, Airbus A300 and Boeing 737-400, operating it to destinations throughout Asia, Europe and North America. In 1994, the airline took delivery of its first Boeing 747-400 aircraft, which would go on to become a mainstay of its fleet until 2015, operating hajj flights and high density short-haul routes, while the delivery of the first Airbus A330-300 in 1996 allowed more flexibility for the airline, as it was more fuel-efficient than the three and four engined jets. That same year, the airline placed an order for six Boeing 777 aircraft, due for delivery in 2000, however, a new series of challenges and difficulties was about to hit the airline.

Difficult times

The late 1990s and early 2000s would prove to be a turbulent and difficult time for the airline; two separate accidents in 1996 and 1997 added to the problems being caused by the 1997 Asian financial crisis, resulting in a drastic reduction in operations, including the termination of service to the Americas and a massive scaling back of its European operations. Largely due to historical links with the Netherlands, Garuda continued to operate flights to Amsterdam, Frankfurt and London after the initial cutbacks, although these flights were also discontinued on 28 October 2004. The situation was exacerbated by the 11 September 2001 terrorist attacks in the U.S., the Bali bombings, the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami, and the SARS scare, all of which contributed to a downturn in air travel and Indonesian tourism. As a result, its earlier order for the Boeing 777 was deferred, and so was an order for 18 Boeing 737-800s to replace its ageing 737 Classic fleet. However, by 2005, the airline had largely recovered from its economic problems, swapping its order for six Boeing 777-200ERs for 10 Boeing 787-8 Dreamliners in 2005, but its operational problems would remain.

Munir murder

On 7 September 2004, the situation was worsened when human rights activist Munir Said Thalib, travelling to Amsterdam via Singapore on Garuda Indonesia Flight 974, was assassinated by off-duty pilot Pollycarpus Priyanto, who slipped arsenic into his drink some time before the departure of the flight's second leg to Amsterdam. He was reported to have felt unwell several hours after departure from Singapore, during which time he was checked on by a doctor who happened to be on board, and moved to the business class cabin to sleep. He died approximately two hours before arrival into Amsterdam, sparking an international controversy, during which time Priyanto, along with CEO Indra Setiawan and deputy Rohainil Aini, were all convicted of his murder, although it has been alleged it was under orders from the Indonesian State Intelligence Agency (BIN). The airline was found negligent in failing to perform an emergency landing and was ordered to pay compensation to Munir's widow, but failed to do so.

European ban

In June 2007, the EU banned Garuda Indonesia, along with all other Indonesian airlines, from flying into any European countries, following the crash of a Boeing 737-400 earlier that year. With the support of the international aviation industry for all Indonesian airlines, the EU promised to review its ban and sent a team of experts, led by the European Commission's Air Safety Administrator Federico Grandini to Indonesia to consider lifting the ban. In August 2007, the transportation minister of Indonesia announced that the EU would lift its ban hopefully sometime in October, stating that the ban was attributed to communication breakdown between the two parties and that discussions were in progress.

In November 2007, Garuda announced its intention to fly to Amsterdam from Jakarta and Denpasar with either Airbus A330 or Boeing 777 aircraft if the EU lifted its ban, however, on 28 November 2007, the EU stated that the safety reforms already undertaken were a step in the right direction for the EU to consider lifting the ban, but still did not satisfy the EU's aviation safety standards, and thus, did not lift its ban. The ban was lifted in July 2009, after which Garuda began evaluating service to Amsterdam and other European destinations, as well as the United States.

Developments after lifting of ban

Following the lifting of the EU ban against Garuda Indonesia and three other Indonesian carriers, the airline announced in July 2009 an aggressive five-year expansion plan known as the Quantum Leap. The plan involved an image overhaul, including changing the airline's livery, staff uniform and logo, and nearly doubling the size of its fleet from 62 to 116. The Quantum Leap also plans to boost passenger annual numbers to 27.6 million in the same period, up from 10.1 million at the time of program launch through increasing domestic and international destinations from 41 to 62. Route expansions included Amsterdam, with a stopover in Dubai, in 2010. As of 2014, Garuda flies to Amsterdam non-stop five times a week using a Boeing 777-300ER with continuing service to London, with the sixth weekly service to be added by the end of 2015. Other European and American cities such as Frankfurt, Paris, Rome, Madrid and Los Angeles are being considered for reopening.

As part of the Quantum Leap, the airline refreshed its logo and redesigned its iconic livery in 2009, more than 20 years after the last update. New uniforms were introduced in 2010. In 2010, the airline placed a firm order for six additional Airbus A330s at the 2010 Farnborough Airshow, while it opened a new hub at Sultan Hasanuddin International Airport, Makassar, South Sulawesi to increase services to the eastern part of Indonesia on 1 June 2011, its third after Jakarta and Denpasar

During this time period, the airline also added additional frequencies to many of its international routes, including to Singapore, Bangkok, Beijing and Shanghai from Jakarta, while it also added capacity to Denpasar-Seoul. It also re-opened routes, including Jakarta-Taipei in 2012.

At the Paris Air Show 2011, Garuda Indonesia announced a firm order of 25 Airbus A320s with an option for another 25. All 25 Airbus A320s are to be used by their subsidiary, Citilink The airline's earlier order for the Boeing 787, made in 2005, was changed once more, due to the delays in the 787's entry into service, and Garuda opted to sign for 10 Boeing 777-300ERs instead, which it would take delivery of in 2013 to use on long-haul flights to Europe, and medium-haul flights within Asia, such as to Japan, China, Singapore and Saudi Arabia, as well as short-haul domestic routes between Jakarta and Denpasar.

The airline made its debut on the Indonesia Stock Exchange in February 2011, with the government of Indonesia retaining a majority of the shares. PT Trans Airways bought 10.9 percent stake of Garuda Indonesia unsold IPO shares from underwriters on 27 April 2012. The transaction was valued at Rp 1.53 trillion ($166.8 million).

In 2014, the airline became one of seven airlines to earn the prestigious 5 star rating from Skytrax, marking the end of the 5-year Quantum Leap program. Following this announcement, Emirsyah Satar, who had been CEO for the past nine years, announced his resignation and retirement, and promoted budget spin-off Citilink subsidiary Arif Wibowo as CEO.

Following Wibowo's promotion, he began a "Quick Wins" cost-cutting drive to cut down on losses while boosting revenue through various measures, including cancelling unprofitable routes and increasing staff efficiency. Despite this, Wibowo remains committed to continue the airline's international expansion, especially once market conditions, such as the weakening rupiah, improve. This was reaffirmed following the airline's announcement of its intent to order 90 new aircraft, from both Boeing and Airbus, worth $20 billion at list prices at the 2015 Paris Air Show.

Branding and livery

Since its establishment, Garuda Indonesia has changed its branding and livery a few times. During the early years, Garuda color scheme was simple logotype "Indonesia Airways" with blue lines and Indonesian flag. In the 1960s, Garuda introduced a red and white color scheme in accordance to the Indonesian national identity and the Indonesian flag. Also in this period "Garuda Indonesian Airways" introduced a bird logo: a triangle stylized eagle-like Garuda with red and white shield. The logo was painted on the vertical stabilizer of Garuda's fleet from 1961 to 1969. In the 1970s, a logotype with a unique font replaced the triangular eagle as Garuda's corporate identity, along with a new color scheme consisting of a red and orange "hockey stick" line running along the aircraft's windows and vertical stabilizer. This livery used from 1969 to 1985.

In 1985, Garuda underwent a complete branding makeover, changing its name into "Garuda Indonesia" along with its color scheme, logo and logotype. The new branding and livery was created by Landor Associates who also created the new iconic bird logo: the Garuda symbol with five bent lines forming its wings. The color scheme was changed completely to a deep royal blue and aqua color, said to be inspired by the nature of Indonesia that was dominated by tropical greenery and seas when viewed from the air. The nationalistic red and white color scheme was no longer used.

In 2009, a new branding initiative was launched through a new image, developed once again by brand consultant Landor Associates, a new spin of the idea called "nature's wing". Garuda has since replaced the old logo painted on its fleet vertical stabilizer with this new "nature's wing" graphic of blue and aqua shades. The "nature's wing" graphic was inspired by the wings of tropical birds as well as the ripples of waves upon the water. The iconic bird symbol designed by Landor 24 years earlier is still maintained as Garuda Indonesia's logo, with minor changes, while the logotype now uses the Myriad Pro font. The new look is expected to be able to "Capture the Spirit of Friendliness and Professionalism of Indonesia".

To celebrate its 62 years of service on 26 January 2011, Garuda Indonesia painted 2 of its Boeing 737-800 aircraft with the retro liveries the airline used in the 1960s and 1970s.

For the company slogan, there are several slogans that were used in the past:

The current slogan is:

Head office

Garuda Indonesia has its head office at Soekarno–Hatta International Airport in Tangerang, Banten, Indonesia, near Cengkareng and near Jakarta. The head office is the Garuda Indonesia Management Building, located within the Garuda Indonesia City Center. The about 17,000-square-metre (180,000 sq ft) head office facility is on a 5-hectare (12-acre) plot of land. As of 2009, the head office houses the Garuda management and about 1,000 employees from various units. Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono opened the current Garuda head office in 2009. The previous head office was located in the city center of Jakarta, in Central Jakarta.

Privatization

Garuda Indonesia had announced that its subsidiary, GMF AeroAsia would be listed in Indonesia Stock Exchange in 2008. However, due to financial crisis in 2008, GMF delayed IPO until 2009. The Ministry of State-Owned Companies (Kementrian BUMN) also had announced a plan to privatize Garuda, that opened a possibility to offer its shares publicly. Garuda Indonesia aimed to list on 11 February 2011, for an Initial Public Offering. Government of Indonesia has confirmed the IPO price of Garuda Indonesia at Rp.750 per share and also cut offering size to 6.3 billion shares only from 9.362 billion planned before.

Subsidiaries

Garuda Indonesia’s subsidiaries include:

Destinations

Garuda Indonesia operates flights to 133 destinations in 14 countries, with approximately 500 daily departures from its hubs at Jakarta, Denpasar, Medan and Makassar. The airline serves 3 continents Asia, Australia and Europe with its fleet of 140 aircraft, to destinations such as Singapore, Shanghai, Tokyo, Amsterdam and London, and although it has rapidly expanded its route network since the Quantum Leap began in 2009, the airline still does not fly to several major cities, such as Manila and Ho Chi Minh City, and despite the airline repeatedly stating its intention to fly to Manila, a time frame has not been given.

On 13 October 2009, the airline announced it would resume flights to Europe for the first time following its removal from the E.U. blacklist. It commenced flights between Jakarta and Amsterdam in June 2010, initially with a refueling stop in Dubai. On 2 December 2012, after agreeing to a codeshare agreement with Etihad Airways, the airline changed the refueling stop to Abu Dhabi. After the delivery of its Boeing 777-300ER aircraft in 2013, the airline removed the Abu Dhabi refueling stop, and commenced non-stop service to Amsterdam, as the longest flight operated by the airline, and consequently ending flights to Abu Dhabi, leaving Etihad as the sole operator between Jakarta and Abu Dhabi. On 8 September that year, the airline extended its Amsterdam flight with continuing service to London Gatwick.

In 2011, Garuda flew 17.1 million passengers up 39% from the previous year, while the total revenue jumped 38% to Rp27.1 trillion ($2.95 billion). Composition of passengers on domestic routes and international routes was 81% versus 19% respectively.

On 31 March 2016, Garuda Indonesia inaugurated its first flight from Singapore Changi Airport to London Heathrow, using Boeing 777-300ER.

In mid 2016, Garuda announced its intention to resume service to Mumbai from Jakarta. This service is opened on 12 December 2016 via Bangkok using Boeing 737-800 NG.

On 12 September 2016, Garuda Indonesia announced its intention to resume service to Los Angeles via Tokyo-Narita using a B777-300ER from Jakarta after the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) granted a Category 1 rating. This is slated to start in April 2017. The last time Los Angeles was served was in 1997.

Codeshare agreements and alliances

Codesharing has allowed Garuda Indonesia to expand services into Western Europe and the Middle East. In 2009, Garuda Indonesia expressed an interest in joining the SkyTeam airline alliance, which would make it the second airline in Southeast Asia to join after Vietnam Airlines. Membership would open SkyTeam's network to Indonesian, Australian, and New Zealand markets, which it lacked connectivity to. In December 2009, three SkyTeam members – Korean Air, KLM, and Delta Air Lines (China Airlines joined as fourth member to support Garuda after its 2011 SkyTeam inclusion) – committed to supporting Garuda Indonesia to join SkyTeam. This made Garuda Indonesia eligible to apply for membership in the alliance. On 23 November 2010, Garuda Indonesia signed an agreement to join SkyTeam. The airline became the 20th member of the alliance on 5 March 2014.

Garuda Indonesia codeshares with the following airlines:

Explore and Explore-jet sub-brands

As Indonesia's flag carrier, Garuda Indonesia tries to connect many parts of Indonesia to support the government's "Indonesian Interconnectivity" program. However, there are many remote and smaller airports that cannot be reached by Garuda Indonesia's fleet of Boeing 737-800s. This is caused by the lack of airport infrastructure in smaller cities and remote areas, such as insufficient runway length that mostly less than 1,600 meters.

In line with its Quantum Leap plan, Garuda Indonesia ordered brand-new Bombardier CRJ1000 and ATR 72 to reach smaller airports from Garuda's hub like Ngurah Rai International Airport, Sultan Hasanuddin International Airport, and Kualanamu International Airport. On 25 November 2013, Garuda Indonesia has launched its new sub-brands "Explore" and "Explore-jet", for servicing perintis ("pioneer") lines traditionally served by other airlines — (dormant) Merpati Nusantara Airlines and also its competitor Wings Air.

SkyTeam

On 5 March 2014, Garuda Indonesia officially joined the SkyTeam alliance and became its 20th member. The inclusion of Garuda Indonesia adds 40 new destinations to SkyTeam’s global network and strengthens the alliance presence in Southeast Asia and Australia. To commemorate the event, the airline repainted an Airbus A330-300 (PK-GPF) a Boeing 737-800 (PK-GMH), a Boeing 777-300ER (PK-GII), and a Bombardier CRJ1000 NextGen (PK-GRA) with the "SkyTeam" Grey livery. With the arrival of Garuda Indonesia to SkyTeam, a variety of facilities are given as including SkyPriority, as well as changing its current frequent flyer membership into GarudaMiles. In addition, Garuda was connected with 140 new destinations and also teamed up with the world's major airlines, such as KLM, Air France, Delta Air Lines, Aeroflot, China Airlines, Aeroméxico and Saudia, as well as XiamenAir.

Current fleet

All of Garuda Indonesia's aircraft are maintained by GMF AeroAsia. The Boeing customer code for Garuda Indonesia is U3, which appears in their aircraft designation as a suffix, such as 737-8U3, 747-4U3 and 777-3U3ER.

The airline utilizes the Boeing 777-300ER on flights from Jakarta to Jeddah, Medina, Denpasar, Singapore, Amsterdam, London, Tokyo (until 26 March 2017) and from Denpasar to Tokyo, Shanghai and Beijing; the Airbus A330-200 on flights from Jakarta to Osaka, Australia, Singapore and other Indonesian destinations; the larger Airbus A330-300 for medium-haul flights from Denpasar/Bali except Shanghai, Tokyo and Beijing as well as from Jakarta to Beijing, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Singapore, Seoul, and some Indonesian destinations as well as Umrah flights from Surakarta, Balikpapan and Medan to Jeddah, and from Surabaya to Medina); the Boeing 737-800 on most domestic and regional routes and long-haul flights from Jakarta to Perth, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Guangzhou and Hong Kong and flights from Denpasar, Surabaya and Medan to Singapore; and the Bombardier CRJ1000 NextGen on regional flights to airports incapable of handling the newer 737-800, replacing the older Boeing 737 Classic aircraft. The ATR 72-600 turboprop entered service at the end of 2013, serving new inter-island routes to airports in the eastern part of Indonesia that cannot handle jet aircraft, routes that are traditionally served by other airlines. The airline also owns two Boeing 747-400 aircraft that are used for charter, Umrah and Hajj flights and when additional capacity is needed.

Garuda plans to retire and return its oldest Boeing 737-800 planes (PK-GEx registration, 4 aircraft) to their lessors by mid-2017, while its original six A330 aircraft (PK-GPA, C-G) have been refitted in an all-economy configuration for high density domestic, charter, Umrah and Hajj routes. The airline has plans to take delivery of more new aircraft in the future, with an order for 50 Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft (46 new, 4 conversions from existing -800 order) announced on 12 October 2014, and signing a Letter of Intent (LoI) to purchase 90 new aircraft from Boeing and Airbus (30 737 MAX 8, 30 A350-900 XWB, 30 787-9 Dreamliner) worth $20 billion at list prices at the Paris Air Show 2015. Garuda has also reportedly signed on the dotted line for 14 Airbus A330-900neo aircraft with 7 A330-300 cancellations, first reported during the Singapore Airshow, although the 14-aircraft order remains to be confirmed. On April 19, 2016, Garuda confirmed their order for 14 A330-900neo aircraft.

As of September 2016, the mainline Garuda Indonesia fleet consists the following aircraft:

Services

Garuda Indonesia is a full-service airline featuring economy, business and first classes. The airline began to introduce new premium products and services with the arrival of the Airbus A330-200 and Boeing 737-800 aircraft. First class cabins were introduced in 2013 on board the Boeing 777-300ER with Wi-Fi and telecommunication services on board.

Cabin

First class

First class is available on 6 Boeing 777-300ERs, featuring 8 suites arranged in a 1-2-1 configuration. The first class suites are fitted with 24" AVOD screen and seats that converts into a bed, as well as a touchscreen seat controller. A new chef-on-board service will enhance the dining experience. First Class passengers can use in-flight Wi-Fi connectivity at no cost. It has a seat pitch of 82 inches and a seat width of 22 inches.

Executive Class, Garuda's business class product, is available on all aircraft except the ATR 72-600, the Bombardier CRJ1000, and the older A330-300.

The new Executive Class cabin on-board Garuda's Boeing 777-300ERs are fitted with EADS Sogerma flat-bed seats arranged in a staggered 1-2-1 configuration; allowing for direct aisle access to all Executive Class passengers. These seats feature a 74" seat pitch, 15" AVOD screen, USB ports, in-seat laptop power supply, and personal reading light. Turndown service is also offered.

Factory fresh Airbus A330-300 delivered from 2016 onwards will feature a new-generation business class based on the B/E Super Diamond seat, featuring all-aisle access, a 180 degree recline, more storage space, a new 16 inch touch-enabled entertainment screen, and touchscreen seat controls, along with an all new Panasonic eX3 inflight entertainment system. However, the seat count decreases from 36 to 24.

On-board other Airbus A330s, the Executive Class cabin feature fully flat-bed seats on all -200s and 7 -300s (delivered between 2013 and 2015). However, there are no Executive Class seats onboard 6 older A330-300s. The flat bed seats feature fully flat beds with up to 74" seat pitch. Seats are equipped with personal AVOD In-Flight Entertainment System (IFE), USB ports, in-seat laptop power supply, and personal reading light. Executive Class seats onboard these are configured in a 2-2-2 configuration, allowing for either a window seat or an aisle seat.

Garuda's newer Boeing 737-800 aircraft also features a reclining Executive Class product with 42" seat pitch in a 2-2 layout, equipped with an in-seat laptop power supply, personal 9-inch touch-screen & handset activated AVOD In-Flight Entertainment, and personal reading light.

Garuda's Boeing 747-400 aircraft feature refurbished older Executive Class seats in new colors. Executive Class seats of Garuda's Boeing 747-400 feature 46" - 48" seat pitch and 19" seat width.

A range of hot and cold beverages are available, along with snacks and/or meals, depending on the length of the flight. Wine and beers are also offered on international flights. In July 2011, Garuda Indonesia launched the Indonesian Rijsttafel service in Executive Class as part of its signature in-flight services. This signature dining service introduces the passengers to a wide array of Indonesian cuisine in a single setting, as part of the Garuda Indonesia experience. This in-flight Indonesian Rijsttafel includes varieties of Indonesian signature dishes; choices of nasi kuning or regular steamed rice, accompanied with choices of dishes such as satay, rendang, gado-gado grilled chicken rica, red snapper in yellow acar sauce, fried shrimp in sambal, potato perkedel and tempeh, along with krupuk or rempeyek crackers.

Economy Class

Economy Class seat is available on all Garuda Indonesia aircraft. Their ATR 72-600 and Bombardier CRJ1000 aircraft has 2-2 seat configuration, Boeing 737-800 with 3-3 configuraton, Airbus A330 in 2-4-2 configuration, Boeing 777 with 3-3-3 configuration and Boeing 747 with 3-4-3 configuration in main deck and 3-3 configuration on the upper deck. Seat widths range from 17 inches onboard all 737, 747, ATR72 and CRJ1000, to over 18 inches onboard the A330 and 777. Seat-back inflight entertainment is offered on most 737s and all A330s and 777s. With the exception of four newest A330 aircraft (which features an 11.1 inch touchscreen), every seat has a 9 inch seat-back touchscreen.

In-flight entertainment

In-Flight Entertainment (IFE) is available on board most Garuda Indonesia aircraft: all A330, all 777 and all but 4 737-800s.

Garuda's Boeing 777-300ER, Airbus A330s, and newer Boeing 737-800 aircraft are equipped with Audio video on demand In-Flight Entertainment System in all classes. The Economy Class on these aircraft features a 9-inch LCD touch-screen, while the Executive Class features a 9-inch, 11-inch and 15-inch touch-screen LCD in Garuda's Boeing 737-800, older Airbus A330-200, and all remaining Airbus A330 series and 777 aircraft respectively. In Executive Class on board the Airbus A330-300 and newer A330-200 aircraft, the screens are located on the seat backs or in the armrest of bulkhead rows, while in the older Airbus A330-200 aircraft and Boeing 737-800s, the screens are stowed in the armrest. In Economy Class, they are on the seat back.

Garuda introduced a new intuitive IFE user interface onboard their factory fresh A330s from 2016 onwards. These come with an 11-inch touchscreen in Economy with a touchpad controller, and a 16-inch touchscreen in Business with a 4.7-inch touchscreen remote.

Garuda's Boeing 747-400 aircraft are equipped with cabin screens that shows Airshow (a moving map system to allow passengers to track the progress of their flight), as well as featured films and short movies. Audio programmings are also available. Passengers in Executive Class can order portable media players (AVOD system) from flight attendants.

Newspapers and magazines are provided to all passengers on board all flights. 6 international television channels are available on board the Boeing 777-300ER.

Immigration On-Board (IoB)

Immigration on Board (IoB) is a special service created by Garuda Indonesia to provide more convenience for their passengers traveling to Indonesia. With this service, in cooperation with the Directorate General of Immigration, an agency under Indonesian Ministry of Law and Human Rights, Garuda Indonesia passengers on certain long haul flights can complete their immigration process on-board before landing and disembarking.

By utilizing this service, Garuda Indonesia passengers will no longer have to queue at the immigration counter upon arrival at Ngurah Rai International Airport in Denpasar or Soekarno–Hatta International Airport in Jakarta, affording passengers the benefit of saving their time.

Ticketing

A Jakarta-based 24-hour call center is available for local customer access where payment can be made by credit cards, internet/mobile banking or transfer via ATM. Recently online booking from their website is also possible with payment can be made online with credit cards from select countries.

In April 2011, Garuda Indonesia announced plans to develop online sales. Garuda Indonesia had cooperated with Visa and MasterCard to develop an online credit card payment system, allowing customers to use PayPal. Debit card payments may be processed with Bank Mandiri, BCA or BII.

Frequent-flyer program

Garuda Frequent Flyer, Garuda Indonesia's frequent-flyer program was launched in September 1999. In 2005, Garuda Indonesia relaunched its Garuda Frequent Flyer (GFF) with a new look, benefits and services. The new program allows members to earn miles on domestic and international flights and has four tiers of membership covering GFF Junior, Blue, Silver, Gold, and Platinum status levels. Since June 2011 Garuda Indonesia launched a joint frequent flyer program with Korean Air. Members of the Garuda Frequent Flyer (GFF) program and Korean Air’s SkyPass program will benefit from the cooperation by accruing mileage for flying both Korean Air and Garuda or any Garuda–Korean Air code share flights.

From 27 March 2014, due to joining SkyTeam, Garuda Indonesia announced that Garuda Frequent Flyer renamed as GarudaMiles. Currently, GFF Gold and Platinum members whose membership expires in February, are being sent their new card under GarudaMiles, with other GFF members following soon. Before joining SkyTeam, GFF members could earn/redeem their miles with (besides Garuda & Citilink) Korean Air, Etihad Airways, Air France-KLM (Flying Blue), and Jet Airways. They do also operated another Frequent Flyer which is Flying Blue since 2015.

Executive lounge

The Garuda Executive Lounge is open to passengers travelling in Executive Class, as well as those holding a Gold or Platinum Garuda Frequent Flyer card. Starting in 2011, passengers with an Executive Card Plus card or Garuda Indonesia Citibank credit card can no longer gain access to the lounge. Lounges are located at Soekarno–Hatta International Airport and throughout Indonesia, offering food and drinks, wireless internet, showers, meeting rooms and business services.

Sponsorships

Garuda Indonesia was the official sponsor of the 2011 Southeast Asian Games and 2018 Asian Games. Garuda Indonesia also support the "Wonderful Indonesia" tourism campaign by placing the "Wonderful Indonesia" logo in their promotion materials as well as on the hull of their fleet.

In July 2012, Garuda Indonesia signed a 3-year sponsorship deal with Premier League club Liverpool FC. The agreement gives Garuda Indonesia the right to be the Official Partner of Liverpool Football Club and the Official Global Airline Partner of Liverpool Football Club. In addition, a six-minute advertisement video of Garuda Indonesia will be broadcast during matches held at the Liverpool FC home ground, Anfield, for the 2012-2014 season.

Garuda, along with the Indonesian Tourism Board Wonderful Indonesia, would be a sponsor of The Amazing Race Asia 5.

Awards

In 2010, the Center for Asia-Pacific Aviation (CAPA) named Garuda Indonesia as Asia's leading service quality airline. Skytrax awarded the airline the World's Most Improved in 2012. This is the beginning of a string of accolades recognizing the success of the airline Quantum Leap program. Roy Morgan survey named Garuda Indonesia the Best International Airline surpassing several distinguished airlines, such as: Singapore Airlines, Emirates and Air New Zealand with 91% of respondents gave a 'very satisfied' rating. The airline achieved Platinum level recognition from the League of American Communications Professionals (LACP) on its annual report. In July 2012, Garuda Indonesia was recognized as the World’s Best Regional Airline by the global airline review and ranking consultancy, Skytrax.

In 2013, Skytrax awarded Garuda Indonesia the world's best economy class for its service and product at the Paris Airshow 2013. For the first time, Garuda Indonesia ranked 8th in the Skytrax "The World’s Top 10 Airlines". During the "Passenger Choice Award 2013" held in September 2013 in Anaheim, California, organized by "Airline Passenger Experience Association (APEX)", Garuda Indonesia was distinguished as the "Best in Region: Asia and Australasia".

In July 2014, Skytrax awarded Garuda Indonesia "The World’s Best Cabin Staff" recognition. The award was based on a global customer satisfaction survey conducted on 18 million passengers between the period of August 2013 and May 2014. The recently launched First Class, on Boeing 777-300ER, was ranked the 9th world's best first class, the 6th world's best first class seat, and the 3rd world's best first class amenity kits by Skytrax in 2014. Overall, Garuda Indonesia was ranked 7th on the 2014 Skytrax "Best Airlines Awards", an improvement from the 8th position in 2013.

In September 2014, APEX (Airline Passenger Experience Association) awarded Garuda Indonesia as "Best Airline in Asia & Australasia" at the 2014 Passenger Choice Award; along with Cathay Pacific, EVA Air, Korean Air, and Singapore Airlines. In the same month, Garuda Indonesia also got Gold Award from the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA), for their immigration on board (IOB) service and their service quality and it is called as "Garuda Indonesia Experience".

In December 2014, Garuda Indonesia was awarded as a "5-Star Airline" by Skytrax; along with Singapore Airlines, Cathay Pacific, Qatar Airways, Hainan Airlines, Asiana Airlines, and All Nippon Airways.

In June 2015, Garuda Indonesia was awarded with "The World's Best Cabin Crew" by Skytrax for the second time.

In July 2016, Garuda Indonesia was awarded with "The World's Best Cabin Crew" by Skytrax for the third consecutive year.

In August 2016, the airlines was awarded by Sktrax as "The Most Loved Airline", with score of 85% customer satisfaction.

Market share

For most of modern Indonesian history, Garuda Indonesia has dominated the Indonesian air travel market share. However, started in 2000, Lion Air started to grow and become a serious rival in domestic air travel in Indonesia. By mid 2015, Lion Air rules Indonesia's domestic air travel market share by 41.6 percent, while Garuda Indonesia came in second with 23.5 percent share. Sriwijaya Air came in third with a market share of 10.4 percent, followed by Garuda's low-cost subsidiary Citilink (8.9 percent) and Lion Air's regional flight service Wings Air (4.7 percent). Indonesia AirAsia, a unit of the Malaysian budget airline, had a 4.4 percent market share.

Overall, Indonesian domestic air travel business is overwhelmingly ruled by two groups; Lion Air group and Garuda Indonesia group. By mid 2015, Lion Air group accounted for 43.17 percent of market share, while Garuda Indonesia group had a 37.08 percent market share.

For international routes, Garuda Indonesia has identified four airlines that became the benchmark to improve their service and to compete to be the world's best airline. The serious rivals for Garuda Indonesia's international routes are Singapore Airlines, Qatar Airways, Emirates and Cathay Pacific.

Incidents and accidents

On 7 September 2004, human rights activist Munir Said Thalib was murdered on Garuda Indonesia Flight 974, bound for Amsterdam. Garuda's CEO at the time, Indra Setiawan, his deputy Rohainil Aini, and pilot Pollycarpus Priyanto were all convicted of his murder. Garuda was found negligent in failing to perform an emergency landing and was ordered to pay compensation to Munir's widow, but did not do so immediately.