Garuda Indonesia Airbus A330 Economy Class Review (Sydney-Bali)

Garuda Indonesia Airbus A330 at Sydney Airport
Garuda Indonesia Airbus A330 at Sydney Airport. Photo: Matt Graham.

Garuda Indonesia is one of eight airlines flying between Australia and Bali. Competing directly with Qantas, you’ll get a full-service experience on the Indonesian flag carrier – making this a great alternative to the myriad of budget and “value” carriers flying to Bali.

Garuda flies Airbus A330s from Sydney and Melbourne to Bali, with Economy and lie-flat Business Class available on all these flights. It also flies A330s from both Australian cities to Jakarta.

I took the opportunity to review Garuda Indonesia’s A330 Economy experience on a recent flight that I took from Sydney to Denpasar. This is definitely one of the best ways to fly from Australia to Bali!

Flight Details

Flight numberGA715
RouteSydney (SYD) – Bali/Denpasar (DPS)
Aircraft typeAirbus A330-300
Class of travelEconomy Class
Seat number45G
On-time performanceWe arrived on time
Star rating4 stars out of 5

The route

GA715 route map from Sydney (SYD) to Bali Denpasar (DPS)

Flight Cost

I booked this flight using Virgin Atlantic Flying Club points, after transferring my points over from American Express Membership Rewards at a 2:1 rate. Virgin Atlantic Flying Club is a great transfer partner for Australian Amex users, as it opens up redemptions on SkyTeam airlines like Garuda.

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Sydney or Melbourne to Bali in Garuda Indonesia Economy Class costs 15,500 Virgin Atlantic miles + ~$180 in taxes, fees and carrier charges.

For what it’s worth, a Garuda Indonesia cash fare on this route would normally start from around $405 one-way or $755 round-trip.

You could also redeem Qatar Airways Avios on Garuda flights. The price similar, at 16,000 Qatar Avios + taxes and fees for Sydney-Bali in Economy.

Airport Experience

Arriving two and a half hours before my flight, I was greeted with a very long queue at check-in. Unfortunately, it took about 40 minutes to clear check-in and get to immigration.

Garuda does weigh and tag carry-on bags, so if you’re severely over the limit they may ask you to repack your bag or check it in.

You don’t automatically get lounge access flying in Garuda Economy Class, but if you have SkyTeam Elite Plus status or are flying Business Class, you’ll be directed to the SkyTeam Lounge.

Neither of these applied to me, but I could access the Amex Centurion Lounge using a complimentary invite from my American Express Explorer card. Of course, the lounge doesn’t factor into my rating for this review.

Crowd and sitting area in the AMEX Centurion Lounge Sydney
The Centurion Lounge at Sydney Airport. Photo: Wilson McTaggart.

The Amex Centurion lounge is small, located at Pier C next to the Emirates Lounge on the arrivals level. There’s a small buffet with hot and cold dishes, as well as barista coffee at a staffed bar.

Buffet at the AMEX Centurion Lounge - Sydney.
Buffet at the Amex Centurion Lounge in Sydney. Photo: Wilson McTaggart.

It’s much better than sitting in the terminal, but this lounge does get crowded quickly during the morning peak.

My flight was departing from Gate 25. Due to refurbishments, there isn’t any waiting space at gates 24-26. So you’re only allowed to queue once your flight is called, and then you’ll be standing in line.

Boarding was done from rear to front. After waiting in line for about 20 minutes (and getting a peek at the retro livery), I was onboard half an hour before the scheduled departure time.

Garuda Indonesia A330 in retro livery
Garuda Indonesia A330 in retro livery. Photo: Wilson McTaggart.

The Hard Product

Garuda Indonesia has Airbus A330-300s in two different configurations. The one I flew had 24 Business and 263 Economy Class seats. Economy is in a standard 2-4-2 layout.

Garuda Indonesia A330 Economy Class cabin.
Garuda Indonesia Economy Class cabin. Photo: Wilson McTaggart.

Garuda Indonesia A330 Economy seats

I was in 45G, an aisle seat in the middle section. The seats are 18 inches wide, with 31 inches of seat pitch (the distance between the backs of each seat).

Legroom in Garuda Indonesia A330 Economy Class.
Legroom in Garuda Indonesia A330 Economy Class. Photo: Wilson McTaggart.

The seat was recently refurbished. It has a modern, slim design – but with decent padding. This meant it was comfortable enough while still having some legroom. I also found the seat wide enough to be comfortable for the 6.5 hour flight to Bali.

In-flight entertainment

The entertainment screen was large and modern, and could be controlled using either touchscreen or a remote. It was responsive, although the UI let the system down.

Garuda Indonesia A330 Economy Class entertaiment screen.
Garuda Indonesia A330 Economy Class entertaiment screen. Photo: Wilson McTaggart.

Unfortunately, the entertainment content was below average. It consisted of about 100 movies (around 40% were in Indonesian, but with subtitles) and as many TV episodes – with 25 of these being Pokemon for kids.

While this is definitely suitable for a single flight, if you’re flying Garuda regularly you’ll run out of content pretty quickly. It was all a bit random – like one or two episodes of TV, or the third Harry Potter film – and not any of the others.

No Wi-Fi is available onboard. There are power outlets (each one is shared between two passengers) and USB-A ports available.

The Soft Product

Waiting at my seat was a blanket, pillow and headphones.

Shortly after takeoff, water bottles were handed out. The lunch service began about two hours after leaving the wet Sydney runway.

Two choices were available: chicken with polenta and tomato, or beef rendang. I chose the latter. The meal was accompanied by a pesto pasta salad, cheese and crackers, bread and a raspberry chocolate cake.

Garuda Indonesia Economy Class lunch.
Garuda Indonesia Economy Class lunch. Photo: Wilson McTaggart.

Drinks were also offered, with a choice of red or white wine, beer (including Bintang) and spirits, as well as the usual collection of soft drinks and juices. I went with a simple orange juice.

The beef was dry, but the curry sauce was flavourful, and the pesto salad at least tasted fresh. The dessert was extremely sweet and rich, but I don’t mind that at all.

I was offered a second drink while the trays were cleared.

The hard-working crew were constantly walking through the aisles, checking if anyone needed refills and responding promptly to the call button.

Bizarrely, the pilots kept the seatbelt sign on for large portions of the flight. Unfortunately, this was ignored by many passengers, and the crew did not attempt to enforce it.

Another drink service and icecream was provided about two hours prior to landing.

Garuda Indonesia Economy Class snack.
Garuda Indonesia Economy Class ice cream. Photo: Wilson McTaggart.

It probably would’ve been nice to get something less sweet for the second meal service. But it’s ice cream, so it was good!

As Garuda Indonesia is a full service airline, all of the amenities, meals and drinks were complimentary.

Landing was right on time, with buses provided to get to the terminal.

Garuda Indonesia A330-300 Economy Class
  • Airport Experience
  • Hard Product
  • Soft Product
4

Final thoughts

Garuda Indonesia nails the basics well for those looking for a full-service airline between Australia and Indonesia. The seat is comfortable, the service is responsive and the food is decent, although the beef was a bit dry and the snack towards the end of the flight could have been more substantial.

The in-flight entertainment content could use an upgrade and there’s no Wi-Fi. But I’d be more than happy to fly Garuda Indonesia Economy Class to or from Bali again.

 

You can leave a comment on the Australian Frequent Flyer forum.

Wilson's love of travel started from a young age, but his love for points developed after figuring out ways to travel on a gap year for less - leading naturally towards Australian Frequent Flyer! Wilson's hobbies include skiing, cricket and planning trips, both with and without points.

Wilson posts on the AFF forum as @WilsonM.
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Community Comments

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Sounds OK, but I'll just fly Qantas on the 330. As a Qantas elite it's a no brainer, Otherwise, I guess it might be somewhat competitive.

Reply 1 Like

A product I’ve flown many times. Y is consistently okay, but not any better than that. J quite good.

More concerning for me right now would be the reasons for why GA has quite a number of its planes parked up. Likely a combination of the government not giving them easy access to more funding, which could be bordering on cash flow crisis for the airline. Maintenance issues? Whatever it is, I’m considering trying Pelita or TransNusa for some DPS-CGK/CGK-DPS domestic travel in Indonesia in a few months, rather than defaulting to GA as I would have in the past.

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This looks pretty good. It is a product I would fly. The only thing is at the back of my head I always think about when Garuda used to be banned from flying to the EU because of safety concerns. I know this was lifted but it's left an impression for me, perhaps wrongly, of Garuda as an unsafe airline.

Reply 1 Like

It’s just your imagination…

View image at the forums

Reply 1 Like

Sounds OK, but I'll just fly Qantas on the 330. As a Qantas elite it's a no brainer, Otherwise, I guess it might be somewhat competitive.

I'd agree with that - it's not amazingly better than QF that it's worth sacrificing the benefits of status.

This looks pretty good. It is a product I would fly. The only thing is at the back of my head I always think about when Garuda used to be banned from flying to the EU because of safety concerns. I know this was lifted but it's left an impression for me, perhaps wrongly, of Garuda as an unsafe airline.

TBH, I didn't go in to the flight with any concerns over safety - I guess in my mind if both the EU and US approve the airline to fly, it's probably safe enough for me. But they've definitely had a checkered past - and if a passengers priority is safety, it's pretty hard to compete with QF's record - especially if they're the a major competitor on the route.

Reply 1 Like

click to expand...

It’s just your imagination…

View attachment 447948

I want one for my swimming pool

Reply Like

How does GA715 compare with Qantas QF43 both flying A330 on the same route with similar economy fares.

Reply Like

How does GA715 compare with Qantas QF43 both flying A330 on the same route with similar economy fares.

Welcome to AFF!

I think they're broadly similar - I personally prefer the food and seats on Garuda, but the service on QF is probably a bit better. If Qantas operate a domestic A330 you won't get seatback entertainment, but you will get Wi-Fi for some of the flight.

If you have lounge access/status benefits with one over the other, it would swing it each way.

Reply Like

Welcome to AFF!

I think they're broadly similar - I personally prefer the food and seats on Garuda, but the service on QF is probably a bit better. If Qantas operate a domestic A330 you won't get seatback entertainment, but you will get Wi-Fi for some of the flight.

If you have lounge access/status benefits with one over the other, it would swing it each way.

The earlier arrival in DPS with Garuda is a bonus……afternoon into evening is always busy in DPS.

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