Review: Garuda Indonesia Business Class, Seoul to Jakarta

 

Garuda Indonesia business class, Seoul to Jakarta

Trip to Asia flying Saudia, Garuda & Turkish Airlines Business Class

Flight: GA879
Departure time in Seoul (ICN): 10:35
Arrival time in Jakarta (CGK): 15:40
Aircraft: Boeing 787
Seat: 3A
Duration: 7h 5m
Date of flight: October 14, 2026
*This is an award ticket, Business Class flight #319

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Check-in, Seoul Incheon Airport Terminal 2

Garuda Indonesia uses check-in desks M7-14 for their passengers, where M12 and M13 are for business class passengers and those with Elite Plus status.

I was helped by a friendly agent during check-in who among others showed me the seat map of the business class cabin of the A330-300 we were flying with to Jakarta (third from above). A few minutes later, I was on my way to security although she confirmed that that there was no fast track for me. Passport check and security went quickly as expected.

Korean Air Prestige Lounge West Gate 248

Although I have visited some Korean Air lounges in the past, I still have not been to the Prestige Lounge West Gate 248 so I headed there first before heading to the Prestige Lounge East Left 253 which is famous for its Ramen Library 👍

Aircraft, Airbus A330 (PK-GHC, Mask On)


Today, we are flying with an Airbus A330 with the nose painted with a mask (featuring a Rafflesia) which became popular during the pandemic.

Boarding

Boarding began at 9:55am from gate 254 beginning with those flying in business class and those with elite status.

Business Class Cabin

The business cabin has a total of 24 seats in a 1-2-1 configuration from rows 6 to 11.

Seat 7A

My seat 7A is a window seat. Already waiting at my seat are the amenity kit, slippers and a pillow.

The seat turns into a flat bed 👍

Personal screen

The foot well was okay for me but might be too small for taller passengers.

IFE controller

AC power port, USB power ports and headphone socket

Inside the right arm storage are the headphones.

They are okay but no doubt not the best in the category.

The blanket was nice and comfotable.

Inflight magazines, safety card, air-sickness bag, menu card

Slippers and amenity kit Porsche design

The amenity kit had the usual ear plugs, denatl kit, comb, socks, eye mask and products from Payot (Face mist, lip balm and lotion).

Welcome Drinks

Moments after settling in, I was offered something to drink. They had fresh orange juice, champagne and martebe juice. I chose the local juice which was very good.

Pushback & Take Off

We began pushback at 10:23am and 19 minutes later, we were airborne.

Wifi

Sadly, there was no wifi onboard.

Airshow

Airshow enroute to Jakarta

The movie selection was quite poor unfortunately.

Dining

The menu read as follows:

Lunch

Light meal

Drinks menu

Drinks menu

First, we were offered some mixed nuts. I decided to have a glass of bubbly since Saudia which I would fly to Jeddah is a dry airline. On this flight, they had Henriot Brut Souverain NV👍

The appetizer was apple and garlic Boursine terrin which sadly I did not taste since I don´t like garlic. I also the local juice Kedondong.

For my main course, I had the roasted cod fish rica rica sauce which was very good.

The chocolate marquise cake looked delicious although I did not taste it since I was already full.

Snacks

For snacks, they had packaged nuts, cashew nuts, cruffles, waffers and chocolates.

I was able to rest for an hour or so. There were no mattress pads offered.

Light Meal

Before landing, we were offered some light meal and from the menu, I had the mixed satay with sauce which was the highlight of my dining experience, it was fantastic 😋 I had a tetra pack of almond drink from the lounge so I decided to ask the FA to have a glass with some ice.

Lavatory

There is one lavatory in front of the cabin and another at the back (being shared with economy class).

Business class lavatory amenity

Landing in Jakarta

We landed in Jakarta Airport at 3:25pm and after a long taxi, we reached our gate at 3:43pm.

CONCLUSION

I have flown with Garuda Indonesia airlines earlier this year from Jakarta to Seoul and thought it was a nice airline but nothing special. On this flight, I had the same conclusion as the seats are no old but are still okay for a regional flight. The food and drinks offering are also very good but nothing like what you would get from airlines like Qatar Airways and EVA Air. Dinda, the flight attendant taking care of my aisle was fantastic and really made this flight special. Overall, it was a nice flight although I wish Garuda Indonesia could compete with other Asian carriers like Singapore Air and EVA Air in the future.

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