I'm currently in the middle of a trip from Sydney to spend Christmas in Copenhagen. I'm flying in and out of France via Asia, and using trains in Europe. The ultimate destination is Copenhagen for Christmas, though the actual journeys are as important as the destinations. The trip is a holiday. My first trip report, hope it is ok.
Part One:
VA65, SYD-DPS. 13 December, 2014, 12:25pm. Boeing 737-800
It was a beautiful Saturday morning in Sydney. I arrived to find a very busy check in area, though there was virtually no wait in the business class/priority line. I was quickly called to the desk. My first destination today was Denpasar on VA65 en route to Jakarta. It was to be my first visit to either place, indeed my first time in Indonesia. It was also to be my first flight on a VA flight as a Velocity platinum. When I checked the previous evening my row had been empty, but luckily it occurred to me to ask the check in agent if anyone was next to me. “Yes” was the answer, and she immediately offered to find a seat with an empty spot beside it. I moved one row back, from 7D to 8D. She said she’d get the other seat blocked so no one could sit there. This worked out very nicely: empty seat beside me and an empty seat in front, so protection from recliners too. Only one thing impinged upon my platinum comfort during the flight. Actually two things: the knees of a very tall passenger behind me.
I was first on board, giving me plenty of time to sit and judge all the other passengers as they filed by. The hordes of drunken bogans I’d envisaged failed to materialise, their place taken by a happy crowd of holiday-makers eager to get to Bali.
Everyone was seated promptly and the plane left a few minutes early.
The flight, comfortable enough, was made by the fantastic cabin crew. They were happy, super-efficient, very friendly, and led by a funny CSM who worked lots of jokes into her announcements over the PA in a voice and delivery reminiscent of comedian Judith Lucy. Like Judith Lucy, some of the jokes were even funny. Within seconds of anyone pressing their call button one of the flight attendants was by their side. There was one hot meal service and another two or three drinks services during the flight. Meal choices were roast pork with gravy, peas and mash, or vegetarian pasta. I opted for the pork which was basic but tasty and tender.
We arrived ahead of time in Bali. As the CSM finished her final announcements she was given a round of applause. Normally I’d find that cringe-worthy, but in this case it was well-deserved. It had been a virtuoso performance.
We disembarked onto buses for a short ride to the terminal. Inside a vast, mostly empty space, were lines for the visa on arrival. They were not too long and I was at the front within maybe 20 minutes. I was only spending one night in Indonesia, but the agent denied that there was such a thing as a 7 day visa so I had to pay $35 USD for a thirty day single-entry visa.
The lines for immigration were much longer, but the lines were not all moving at the same speed. My very full line was being serviced by a single desk, whereas another was being serviced by four desks. Along with a few other impatient folk, I switched lines and was soon through. I’m not sure what my hurry really was, as I had six hours before my next flight, on Air Asia to Jakarta.
Luckily some time was killed when I was pulled aside for an extra bag search. The customs agent who did the searching was perhaps disappointed not to find anything untoward. The rubbish way he re-packed my case may have been an expression of his frustration.
Part 2
Air Asia QZ 7517 DPS-CGK 13 December, 2014, 10:55pm. Airbus A320
I was making my way from Sydney to Jakarta, via Denpasar. The first leg was on VA using points and pay. DPS to CGK was a domestic flight on Air Asia, so after retrieving my bag I walked over to the domestic terminal. The way was very clearly signposted and indoors or undercover the whole way. I dropped off my small suitcase at the Air Asia bag and then headed up the escalators to the domestic airside area. Just beyond the escalators is an airport tax desk where you must pay 75,000 Rupiah, which must be in local currency. That’s about $7.50.
I gather the whole terminal is new, and there was still some construction and fit-out work going on. But overall it was good-looking, clean, efficient and comfortable. There is a Sydney-style duty free maze to negotiate followed by a bright airy concourse lined on one side by shops and restaurants and on the other by the departure gates. There are excellent views of the apron and runways outside and also out over the water, depending on where you are. There are plenty of ATMs available and the shops were all open late. Several were still open when my flight left at 10:55pm.
There was still the matter of a six hour wait before my flight. It turns out that there is no Priority Pass lounge in the new domestic terminal. There is a Garuda/Sky Priority lounge and the TG pay lounge. TG, by the way, in this case is not Thai Airways, but a the company that owns the shops and restaurants in the terminal. I opted for the pay lounge, as I have no Skyteam status. It cost 110,000 Rupiah (about $11). Inside was a buffet of four hot items, a few salad things, various generic and local nibbles, fruit juices, sweets, tea/coffee, etc. And comfy chairs and cooler-than-the-terminal aircon.
The hot buffet dishes were fried fish (I think) with sweet and sour sauce, stir fried veggies, rice, and chicken. They were all ok, the veggies were very tasty. Soft drinks were limited to Coke or Sprite. No alcohol that I could see.
My flight was scheduled for 10:55pm and we boarded and left exactly on time. I was in the deluxe seats near the front of the Airbus. These are exactly the same as all the other seats except for a red cover over the headrest. But I did have a whole row to myself – lucky as the leg room was tiny, maybe even worse than Delta domestic in the USA. My ticket included a checked bag and I pre-ordered a snack for $4, fried rice with two satay skewers. It was served about 10 minutes after take off, and I had to have my boarding pass stamped with a receipt before they handed it over. The rice was awful, but the satays were tasty and moist despite looking old and dry.
The flight was uneventful and basic, getting me from A to B on time. It was a positioning flight for the next leg of my journey starting the following morning.
Arrival at CGK was quick, another short bus ride off a tarmac impressively crowded with all sorts of airlines. Within moments I was outside being hounded by the taxi touts while I waited for the free shuttle to the nearby Sheraton Bandara where I would rest for the night.
To follow:
CGK-KUL
KUL-CGD
CGD - Lyon by TGV.
May fly Berlin - Copenhagen, or may train. Undecided as yet, but leaning towards train as I've paid for a Eurail pass.
Part One:
VA65, SYD-DPS. 13 December, 2014, 12:25pm. Boeing 737-800
It was a beautiful Saturday morning in Sydney. I arrived to find a very busy check in area, though there was virtually no wait in the business class/priority line. I was quickly called to the desk. My first destination today was Denpasar on VA65 en route to Jakarta. It was to be my first visit to either place, indeed my first time in Indonesia. It was also to be my first flight on a VA flight as a Velocity platinum. When I checked the previous evening my row had been empty, but luckily it occurred to me to ask the check in agent if anyone was next to me. “Yes” was the answer, and she immediately offered to find a seat with an empty spot beside it. I moved one row back, from 7D to 8D. She said she’d get the other seat blocked so no one could sit there. This worked out very nicely: empty seat beside me and an empty seat in front, so protection from recliners too. Only one thing impinged upon my platinum comfort during the flight. Actually two things: the knees of a very tall passenger behind me.
I was first on board, giving me plenty of time to sit and judge all the other passengers as they filed by. The hordes of drunken bogans I’d envisaged failed to materialise, their place taken by a happy crowd of holiday-makers eager to get to Bali.
Everyone was seated promptly and the plane left a few minutes early.
The flight, comfortable enough, was made by the fantastic cabin crew. They were happy, super-efficient, very friendly, and led by a funny CSM who worked lots of jokes into her announcements over the PA in a voice and delivery reminiscent of comedian Judith Lucy. Like Judith Lucy, some of the jokes were even funny. Within seconds of anyone pressing their call button one of the flight attendants was by their side. There was one hot meal service and another two or three drinks services during the flight. Meal choices were roast pork with gravy, peas and mash, or vegetarian pasta. I opted for the pork which was basic but tasty and tender.
We arrived ahead of time in Bali. As the CSM finished her final announcements she was given a round of applause. Normally I’d find that cringe-worthy, but in this case it was well-deserved. It had been a virtuoso performance.
We disembarked onto buses for a short ride to the terminal. Inside a vast, mostly empty space, were lines for the visa on arrival. They were not too long and I was at the front within maybe 20 minutes. I was only spending one night in Indonesia, but the agent denied that there was such a thing as a 7 day visa so I had to pay $35 USD for a thirty day single-entry visa.
The lines for immigration were much longer, but the lines were not all moving at the same speed. My very full line was being serviced by a single desk, whereas another was being serviced by four desks. Along with a few other impatient folk, I switched lines and was soon through. I’m not sure what my hurry really was, as I had six hours before my next flight, on Air Asia to Jakarta.
Luckily some time was killed when I was pulled aside for an extra bag search. The customs agent who did the searching was perhaps disappointed not to find anything untoward. The rubbish way he re-packed my case may have been an expression of his frustration.
Part 2
Air Asia QZ 7517 DPS-CGK 13 December, 2014, 10:55pm. Airbus A320
I was making my way from Sydney to Jakarta, via Denpasar. The first leg was on VA using points and pay. DPS to CGK was a domestic flight on Air Asia, so after retrieving my bag I walked over to the domestic terminal. The way was very clearly signposted and indoors or undercover the whole way. I dropped off my small suitcase at the Air Asia bag and then headed up the escalators to the domestic airside area. Just beyond the escalators is an airport tax desk where you must pay 75,000 Rupiah, which must be in local currency. That’s about $7.50.
I gather the whole terminal is new, and there was still some construction and fit-out work going on. But overall it was good-looking, clean, efficient and comfortable. There is a Sydney-style duty free maze to negotiate followed by a bright airy concourse lined on one side by shops and restaurants and on the other by the departure gates. There are excellent views of the apron and runways outside and also out over the water, depending on where you are. There are plenty of ATMs available and the shops were all open late. Several were still open when my flight left at 10:55pm.
There was still the matter of a six hour wait before my flight. It turns out that there is no Priority Pass lounge in the new domestic terminal. There is a Garuda/Sky Priority lounge and the TG pay lounge. TG, by the way, in this case is not Thai Airways, but a the company that owns the shops and restaurants in the terminal. I opted for the pay lounge, as I have no Skyteam status. It cost 110,000 Rupiah (about $11). Inside was a buffet of four hot items, a few salad things, various generic and local nibbles, fruit juices, sweets, tea/coffee, etc. And comfy chairs and cooler-than-the-terminal aircon.
The hot buffet dishes were fried fish (I think) with sweet and sour sauce, stir fried veggies, rice, and chicken. They were all ok, the veggies were very tasty. Soft drinks were limited to Coke or Sprite. No alcohol that I could see.
My flight was scheduled for 10:55pm and we boarded and left exactly on time. I was in the deluxe seats near the front of the Airbus. These are exactly the same as all the other seats except for a red cover over the headrest. But I did have a whole row to myself – lucky as the leg room was tiny, maybe even worse than Delta domestic in the USA. My ticket included a checked bag and I pre-ordered a snack for $4, fried rice with two satay skewers. It was served about 10 minutes after take off, and I had to have my boarding pass stamped with a receipt before they handed it over. The rice was awful, but the satays were tasty and moist despite looking old and dry.
The flight was uneventful and basic, getting me from A to B on time. It was a positioning flight for the next leg of my journey starting the following morning.
Arrival at CGK was quick, another short bus ride off a tarmac impressively crowded with all sorts of airlines. Within moments I was outside being hounded by the taxi touts while I waited for the free shuttle to the nearby Sheraton Bandara where I would rest for the night.
To follow:
CGK-KUL
KUL-CGD
CGD - Lyon by TGV.
May fly Berlin - Copenhagen, or may train. Undecided as yet, but leaning towards train as I've paid for a Eurail pass.
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