Is GARUDA INDONESIA Really Better Than EMIRATES?

[@noelphilips]

Would you fly Garuda Indonesia over Emirates? Let me know! Flight Price: $557.63 (£461.07) / $0.39 per mile

[@Izmieh]

if you want good service and seats or something else, you can fly to the Netherlands, because of bankruptcy and corruption, Garuda cannot renew services and fleets. flights to the netherlands with a new fleet

[@jcmissimer5918]

Nope

[@jb8328]

Flown them before on a domestic flight and were brilliant. Plenty of space even in Y on the 330, food was decent and great service from the crew.

[@iAMtheCHAVEZ23]

Nope

[@sarahdowe3142]

Need a 1 2 1 seat config. We didnt see what food your got on that flight. Love your vids and loo reviews !

[@ukmaxi]

As a slight correction to your EU ban statement. All indonesian airlines were banned in 2007 after a wave of accidents in the region. However, Garuda Indonesia had its ban lifted and was allowed to fly into the EU two years later in 2009. In 2018, all indonesian airlines were allowed to fly into the EU again after all bans were lifted (however, Garuda has been flying to Europe since 2009). In short, it was more than a decade ago, not a few years ago. Time flies I guess xD.

[@noelphilips]

Thanks for the clarification! Yes it really does, my flight was cancelled when they got banned and I hadn’t realised it was that long ago!

[@derylhenriquez2962]

Garuda Indonesia has only flight to Amsterdam The Netherlands 🇳🇱

[@alexmcwhirter6611]

@@derylhenriquez2962 Correct. For a while GA flew to London but that route ceased.

[@vantobing7074]

@@derylhenriquez2962 that's right, direct route to Europe is only to Amsterdam the Netherlands

[@alfaandn]

@@alexmcwhirter6611 last i heard about flight to London is that they stop it to leased the slots for Air India for 2 years

[@rais1953]

I can't comment on Emirates Noel but yes I would choose Garuda over most airlines due to good experience with them and comfortable familiarity. Economically Garuda has fallen on hard times and is due to be restructured I think. That might explain the aircraft interior being a bit below par. The last time I flew home to Perth from Jakarta we had heard about a cyclone (hurricane/typhoon) on the north west coast of Australia. The captain warned us that there might be some turbulence. After about an hour in the air we noticed that we were still over Java. The pilot had decided to fly east instead of south-east, entering Australia far to the east of the cyclone and then flying due south to Perth. In this way even the outer fringe of the cyclone was avoided and there was *no* turbulence all the way home. That to me is worth those five stars!

[@TacoPete8227]

That is basic airmanship. That is also what flight dispatchers do - this was all planned since it is not very advisable to fly into a typhoon.

[@rais1953]

@@TacoPete8227 Agreed. But he could have saved fuel by flying less far from the cyclone. It would have been safe but bumpy.

[@robt2498]

Used them many times from LGW to Bali via Bangkok on a 747 years ago. Upgrade to PE for £125 each way must have been the best deal in aviation. Garuda struggled to sell business class so business became PE. Felt like a millionaire drinking champaign and sat in the big seats upstairs. Still use them now in Indonesia. Truly great service from the nicest airline staff on the world and yes, far far nicer than Emirates.

[@Scotscan]

Yes, I remember flying Garuda on a last minute flight from London to Amsterdam back in 2014. A very large aircraft for such a small flight but went onwards to Asia afterwards. Recollection was that the cabin crew were super

[@noelphilips]

Thanks for sharing!

[@rsdtknqr]

GA is great, but it had some gruesome travel routes in the past: I flew AMS-CGK in 1997 but it actually did CDG-AMS-BKK-CGK-DPS all on one flight. Another iconic route that has been axed 2 decades ago was: CGK-Biak (!!)- HNL-LAX. Can you imagine flying from West Papua directly to Hawaii. Marvelous times.

[@ario8444]

So that's why small airport like Biak have such a long runway

[@raafqiranasasmita9998]

I did the biak to LAX route when I was little. Such as memorable experiences

[@oldschoolpowerlifting1234]

Back in 1994 I flew London to Paris, Abu Dhabi. Bangkok, Yogokarta, Jakarta, Denpasar. Sydney with Garuda and it was torture! Very low cost in terms of cash but took me a week to recover. Ha ha… Lot’s of dodgy landings too.

[@rsdtknqr]

@@oldschoolpowerlifting1234 sounds delightfully horrible!

[@pesmerga1507]

Hi Noel, Garuda Indonesia won the title of 5-Star Airline from Skytrax in 2014 during their "Quantum Leap Program" era. They also received the title of the World's Best Cabin Crew 2014 from Skytrax. So it's not surprising that their cabin crew service is genuinely amicable. Even though this airline is currently facing financial problems so they are reducing the number of fleets and routes, until now I have only chosen to fly with Garuda, especially for domestic routes in Indonesia.

[@tufaelahad6256]

In 2016 my wife and I flew Singapore Airlines Business Class from Kuala Lumpur - Singapore - London. The Kuala Lumpur - Singapore leg was flown in a slightly dated A330 with a similar seating configuration to what you're flying on Garuda in this video. My point being that Singapore Airlines, an airline with a universally renowned reputation for outstanding quality, is another Skytrax 5* airline, and their Business Class cabin, for their short international flights was very similar to the Garuda cabin you're sitting in within this video. Similarly, both Emirates and Qatar Airways don't use their "bells and whistles" aircraft, on routes to the lesser affluent countries, for example Bangladesh. I don't think you're going to be able to do a good enough and fair comparison between Garuda Indonesia and Emirates, unless you're comparing the two airlines on a longer, intercontinental flight, particularly because on the longer intercontinental flights, both the Business Class and First Class cabins onboard Garuda Indonesia, are truly outstanding, and more than give Emirates a run for their money!

[@bardo0007]

I agree, there is a reason Garuda got 5 stars.

[@HATCHETHAS]

Agree as well, I flew Dubai to Seychelles and that 777 was dated worse than the one Noel has just flown on.

[@kawangkwok5262]

Noel, Piss Man series really impressed Skytrax that is how Garuda Indonesia 5 stars airline achieved, Emirates would never ever able dream of to put their series in their ICE system.

[@alexmcwhirter6602]

Some discerning travellers also wonder why LH used to be rated 5 stars.

[@niDya88]

why is that so? that emirates airlines can't put the series anyway?

[@diegojanviernurhadi9484]

Hi Noel, this is the older business class product from garuda. they have two newer version on their new A330 reg. GPZ, GHA, GHC and GHD ( herringbone style similar to the business class product used in AA and BA new business class ) and their A330 neo reg. GHE, GHF and GHG ( staggered business class used in SQ 787 )

[@noelphilips]

That’s good to know, thanks!

[@davian8441]

Garuda Indonesia's newer business class product are way better than the old ones. Sadly, out of all their newer A330s, only PK-GHC is active (as of writing). In 14:31 and 14:32 you can actually see PK-GHF and PK-GHD parked at GMF AeroAsia. Edit 1: As of 13 March 2023, PK-GPZ, PK-GHC, PK-GHE and PK-GHF are in service. Edit 2: As of 24 May 2023, only PK-GHD is not in service.

[@DD.travel]

I usually fly Qatar to Indonesia, but i flew Garuda from Amsterdam to jakarta in 2020 and really enjoyed it, the crew and the food were great, and the seat was very comfortable, I appreciate they use a 3-3-3 config on their 777, especially on a 14 hour flight. But I agree their IFE isn't the best.

[@mikefoster5045]

I think this was a bit of an unfair review of Garuda Indonesia. Their 777-ER business class is far superior to Emirates 777 business class and at one point the direct flight from Heathrow to Jakarta was the longest international flight from Heathrow.

[@sean_king]

Garuda's 777 business class is the best they've got. While emirates' 777 is the worst they've got. Not a fair comparison

[@adamproctor9315]

I've flown Myanmar IA before. I lived in Myanmar about 7 years ago and fly Mandalay to Yangon. At the airport I turned up and checked in and the lady wrote my boarding pass on a piece of printer paper - name - flight number - seat just written down without anything else on a plain piece of A4 paper. Went to go through security at Mandalay airport and there was none, you just walked into the boarding area. Incredible.

[@maccaroonii]

Glad you've given Indonesian aviation another try, Noel! been waiting for this video for ages, and i definitely enjoyed this one. Look forward to seeing more videos with other Indonesian carriers in the future. :))

[@noelphilips]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@ururab1181]

I must say their cabin crew really represent the indonesian image of being "friendly" they really genuine and u can see i lt in their eyes

[@patriciafuchs5970]

Like it when you praise the crew when they deserve it! Although the plane itself seems a bit worn, it sounds like your overall experience was quite positive. Thanks.

[@09shadowjet]

Garuda Indonesia, an interesting airline to say the least. The airline was the pride of our nation between 2010 to 2018-ish directly competing with the likes of Malaysia Airlines, Thai Airways and to a certain extent Cathay Pacific but still not quite Singapore Airlines-quality yet. The airline went into financially difficult times since around 2018 and then we got hit by the pandemic which explains the outdated cabin product even in their new A330neo. One thing I can say is that their service is always top notch (at least in my experience). Their cabin crew is just lovely. They are also still the best Indonesian airline being the most reliable. Honestly, if GIA is the best airline in Indonesia then one can only imagine the other Airlines here. Lol.

[@markfellows74]

Flew SYD-DPS-SYD last week Garuda Business Class. Both crews were amongst the best I’ve ever encountered. Friendly, warm, genuine. I felt very welcomed.

[@Srananbloke]

I had quite some great experiences with Garuda in the years pre-pandemic. And I also flew the short-lived AMS-LGW service back in 2014. The crew is really nice and caring and the catering is one of the best I ever had. Too bad the airline is struggling financially at the moment. I wish them all the best. Hope to fly them again in the near future.

[@raybrown2197]

Flew with them back in 1993, SIN-DPS (A300) DPS-CGK (A300) CGK-KUL B737-400, All good flights and the food some of the nicest I've eaten in flight.

[@Crafyeet]

I've only flown with them 3 times and I must say their service is the best in the game. I'd thought SQ was through the roof before. I heard that they're facing economic complications at the moment, hence the subpar condition of the aircrafts. Also love their simple livery designs! Definitely up there with Cathay.

[@iantaggart1399]

I once flew Garuda from London to Brisbane. There was 7 stops on the way!! At one point , bearing in mind there was 8 Scots in our party, i was pushing the trolley to our party to get more drink,as the hostesses wanted to sleep . It was 1993 so rules were a bit lax back then.

[@alexmcwhirter6602]

Must have been the time when GA was a recognised kangaroo route discounter with multiple stops !

[@iantaggart1399]

@@alexmcwhirter6602 stopped at zurich, abu dhabi , singapore, denpasar , sydney and im sure at least one more before we got to brisbane..

[@alexmcwhirter6602]

@@iantaggart1399 That sounds right. When GA returned to London it initially operated one stop via AMS to LGW then changed to LHR and one-stop via SIN with non-stop for LHR-Jakarta. Really a chaotic airline from an operational viewpoint. GA axed its London flights now.

[@noelphilips]

That sounds like an epic adventure. Why wasn’t KZbin around then 😂

[@iantaggart1399]

@@noelphilips At one point we had to wait a few hours at Denpasar as there was bad weather , and to help us through this, they said they would hand out food and drink . We waited patiently, and then boxes the size of shoe boxes were handed out, but when opened they contained a small tin of mango juice, and a fairy cake type thing that was usable as a door stop and not for anything else.. . The flight(s) in the end took approx 33 hours..

[@joannharrington2279]

Shout out to you for recognizing the crew. The crew definitely make your experience. The landing was a bit tough but you made it. Enjoy your stay and I will wait for the next great video. Safe travels.

[@Wolverines77]

Only got the bounce and skip, the pilot forgot about the hop... LOL

[@noelphilips]

Much appreciated!

[@ediutama6681]

Garuda cabin crew are superb! They're nice, kind, profesional and, most important of all, they're human beings, not robot-like human beings like the ones you can see in other airlines...

[@theodoregorgovelt2963]

Sad things that they are failing and went bankrupt.

[@ediutama6681]

Yes, that happens due to its being state owned enterprise (BUMN) when the govt intrudes deeply into the management by placing those political proteges as BOD members, especially during the current regime....

[@nntflow7058]

Garuda problem is their Ground staff. Not the cabin crew. There's never been any bad reputation regarding their cabin crew.

[@teazerfemi]

I am so excited you enjoyed your flight with the fantastic cabin crew, the mistake a lot of airlines often neglect is the fact that fantastic cabin crew service onboard always overshadows the other minuses of the airline

[@IndiafanFromGermany]

Yes, I consider Garuda to be better then Emirates after flying once business from Amsterdam to Jakarta in 2016 and Emirates several times after.

[@oliverilli6754]

We flew with Garuda a few years back and even though the seats were dated it was more than made up by the amazing crew. We were so surprised to the positive. Definitely would fly with them again!

[@vyomakeshaconsultancy3406]

As you may already know Indonesia has to upgrade and update their aviation industry due to their past records wherein some crashed flights have brought about a distinct security and maintenence issues. Hope they do well soon cheers Gowra

[@rduffy9948]

Glad you have given Garuda a thumbs up for their service. I have flown them a few times in both business and economy, from Melbourne to Bali. Everytime the service was fantastic, nothing is to much trouble for the lively crew. Looking forward to flying with them again in August. I think they are a bit underrated compared to other airlines, but not equal with Emirates. Great review. Next time just ask for a extension belt.

[@Spookieham]

Anything is better than bloody Jetstar to Bali!

[@waaahl]

Indonesia has some of the friendliest people I have ever had the fortune to meet. Garuda's cabin crew is a testimony to that. Also, I remember flying Garuda some years back during Ramadan. They served food on board *and* provided takeaway food for the fasting passengers. Top service from a great airline.

[@mholtebeck]

Do more Indonesian content. I would love for you to visit Sumatra, which is an overlooked part of Indonesia. If you go to Pekan Baru (especially if you stay there), I promise to share it. I flew Garuda a lot as child. It was almost always on a Fokker 28, and most mostly between Pekan Baru and Singapore. The pilots were usually younger Indonesian Air Force pilots, who flew the F-28 like it was a fighter jet, which I think the Fokker was really good at. They could land that thing on a postage stamp.

[@brentsutherland6385]

Garuda has the most elegant FAs I have seen in my life. I was having a drink in a hotel bar near YVR and the Garuda crew were leaving-they looked smart.

[@garybroadhurst3548]

Hi Noel. I was in Jakarta a few weeks ago and you should probably mention the importance of pre-filling in the electronic customs declaration (to get the barcode seen in the video). When I was there, a LOT of people, mostly older groups, were hanging around before customs trying to get this done (connecting to the airport wifi, using the computers provided etc.) and it was causing BIG delays for some people as there is strictly NO paper alternative. Also, I'd like to warn people that I got scammed by the border officials. Having already paid about 32 Euro for my visa, I was told I would have to pay 10 Ringit (because I'd just arrived from Malaysia, just over 2 Euro) for the sticker in my passport "to make it quicker, so we don't have to do any more checks". I had no Ringit left so I offered 10 Euro instead - expecting to get a receipt and maybe even change, but the cash went straight into the officers pocket never to be seen again. I was REALLY tired and the guy had actually been super friendly (joking about where I'm from and the fortunes of Manchester City) which had thrown me completely off-guard and it didn't really hit me until a couple of minutes later what had just occured. That's the first time anything like that has happened to me in 35 years of travelling, so everyone - BEWARE! On the plus side, it was just as quiet when I arrived as it was for you so it was ALMOST worth it. It leaves a REALLY sour taste in the mouth though, when that's your first experience of a new country and it really put me on my guard for my whole stay.

[@redblue2743]

Oh how I love love love Garuda Indonesia. The service.. just like any south east Asian airline's, super amazing.

[@matthewwang1140]

Great video Noel! Love your content! Looking forward to the EVA review!

[@l4zr_boy]

Nice review on Garuda Indonesia, and i don't think Garuda is better than Emirates since EK has a more consistent hard product than GA. Btw from 14:37 - 14:39 the 737-200 shown is actually the 737th 737 ever to be delivered, it was originally operated by Orion Airways out of all airlines (you might know that airline) and eventually went to Chile before ending up in Indonesia.

[@binniesdaily1542]

Nicely done Noel!.. Welcome to Jakarta, Indonesia. Garuda is still our reliable and proudly national flag carrier. Very good to have you onboard in Garuda. Please try and review Garuda Indonesia First Class service with their Boeing 777-300ER fleet to Sydney or Amsterdam. You will notice that Garuda is on the same stage with other 5 star airlines.. 🙂🙂

[@blake9358]

Garuda is arguably the best airline. I flew with them on a brand new 787 I think it was from Jakarta to Melbourne, I had 5 star treatment

[@machyusrirmartinlamb1350]

I love Garuda , when Garuda flying to Jakarta from London last time l always flying by Garuda when every time l go for holiday to lndonesia, l love them , l love the crew l love the atmosphere, it doesn’t matters the stars they have but l felt like a home , friendly crew lovely food .Garuda still flying to Amsterdam , as much as l traveling by airplanes if l compare with others airlines Garuda is the best , in my experiences flying by different airlines, l like to giving a note to some airlines as l have flown before Emirate wasn’t good as Garuda they can have good airplane but not the crew, when l am flying by emirate from Dubai ti jakarta specially l found some of the crew are rude, l found few time l have flown by them, and SQ cos l wasn’t sitting on business class l was on economy class l found them little bit racist, not like in the past in 90s by SQ the crew so genuinely nice and friendly, as Garuda not flying anymore from the UK so far l fly by Qatar is the best. I think the aircraft made people a doubt about 5stars l believe if the aircraft has new or modern airplane like Qatar or Emirate l would say 5 stars, but for me Garuda is more than 5 stars, l proud of Garuda.

[@scratchback2001]

I live in Melbourne Victoria Australia and at 62, A 6 hour flight in First class to Bali is as much as I can stand as a gay man. The flight attendants are gorgeous and really hard workers. Garudas philosophy to getting back to airworthness was a major overhaul of their entire fleet. Once they did that at much expense, over a 10 year period they looked at priorities. A toilet might fail but an instrument in the cockpit takes high priority for safety. Even then, having a toilet not working is no big deal and the out of order sign is like an apology rather than a statement. All toilets are kept clean in the entire plane and the toilets have colognes in first class. On 1 flight coming home, a flight attendant came up and asked me if I could swap my seat because a husband and wifes seat on one side had failed and because I was sitting by myself, I said "Yes darling no problems". I just grabbed my bag and moved down a row. I said to the couple "you realize there is a severe penalty for this inconvenience....lol". They got 2 working seats and nothing changed for me. This would be looked at in Melbourne and fixed there. They have a 5 star skytrax award and I was very comfortable. The food was delicious and they woke you at 5am if you wanted breafast. There was a chef up behind the flight deck cooking everything fresh. Garuda are excellent. I prefer them to QANTAS anytime. Cheers From OZ.

[@silverstar7754]

Hard product is dated but their cabin crew are decently good..i would fly them but only for regional flights

[@atomic32205489]

Another good video, Noel. And yes I would try Garuda

[@russellwhitbread]

Flew on Garuda a number of times. One thing I noticed that gives them a good on time performance is that for the same route that another airline flies flying the same type of plane they allow extra flight time so it looks like they always arrive early if they depart on time. Had a very odd experience departing Heathrow in the 777, they simply failed to show the safety demo. After the seatbelt sign went off I popped to the toilet and as I went by a cabin crew I mentioned the lack of safety demo to which she replied "we know we didn't play it, would you like us to play it for you?" I simply said it doesn't bother me and just wanted to make them aware of it (they would have known because at the end of the safety demo the cabin crew stand in the aisle, put their hands together and bow to the pax, so they wouldn't have done that) She then went off and chatted to her senior and a few moments later passing 20,000ft the safety demo started to play. Other than that I have no complaints about Garuda

[@Adair9800]

Flown Garuda from Jakarta to Bangkok, I think in 2022. It was a B737. I chose First Class (of course it is actually Business class). I loved the service. I recommend this airline to anyone. I don’t mind the B737 on a short flight of three hours, but an A330 would have been better. I sometimes am looking to accrue points with a Star Alliance member airline, but unfortunately Garuda is with a different alliance. Also, Thai Airways has two flights a day, and Garuda has only one. I just wish Garuda would increase their frequency on this route. Thinking of flying from CGK to BDJ (Kalimantan Selatan) soon. Might be on LionAir or Batik Air, as they show Business class availability on the early morning flight. I still need to check Garuda. Do you think you might be annoying the passenger next to you when you are speaking into your microphone? Love your video, but just thought it was something that might annoy me if my seat mate is dictating into a microphone.

[@noelphilips]

I speak very softly, when on a plane, as not to disturb others. In an upcoming video I will demonstrate that not even the person next to me can hear me.

[@Adair9800]

@@noelphilips Yes, I noted that you do that very well. Great tip on the Swisshotel. If I take a 6am flight, I cannot be staying in Jakarta Selatan. Lastly, I appreciate the friendliness of Customs and Immigration, compared to the expressionless manner of another airport that you are already familiar with.

[@hendra7592]

"genuine honest service and smile its that point of garuda indonesia"..i'ved did singapore airlines from shanghai to changi couples years ago then when i left the door and take about 5minutes called my wife one of the flight attendant passing me gave her a little bit of my poor smile but she's just pass a way like never seing me in her entire life while she always smile for me when offered something during the flight..

[@russelldavies1423]

What's your gender preference got to do with airline review 😂

[@Jrip_o]

Hi Noel, someone living in Myanmar rn. There are tons of MAI and MNA (myanmar national) but basically most of them are to Thailand and Singapore. They only stopped during the first few months of the coup but restarted soon afterwards with flights to places like Singapore but did not resume many other flight routes to places like India and Malaysia. They are pretty region locked as not many people are looking to come here (due to obvious reasons) but if you do end up coming I hope that you will enjoy yourself.

[@philley1446]

Vietjet with wow livery deserves a shout out!

[@timoswindowseat7045]

I was flying Garuda two times in Business Class from London to Jakarta and back to Amsterdam and it was really good. One of the best service what l ever had. And in the 777-300 they have single seats with direct access to the aisle. Seems in the 330 they have an old C product.

[@noelphilips]

That’s interesting, a couple of people have mentioned that. Will have to check it out!

[@kevinbarrance9196]

Me too. I would say definitely one of the best airlines I have ever flown on. I was lucky enough to be upgraded to first class on one trip and it was incredible. Not only on the flight but upon landing with personal escort through immigration and customs. The staff are what makes Garuda genuinely 5 star in my opinion.

[@timoswindowseat7045]

@@kevinbarrance9196 Yes one of the most underrated airlines even they have 5 stars.

[@Lucy-il9mo]

I really liked the humor in this video Noel! and thanks for putting on the flight price. I'd love to fly with Emirates and also Garuda Indonesia one day!

[@noelphilips]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@juliewilson5281]

Having flown on both airlines I would definitely go with Garuda. Had a very disappointing business class experience with Emirates recently & even though I have only flown economy with Garuda I would like to try their business class. I agree with Noel that the Garuda crew were wonderful.

[@RofikWitana]

Thank you for your review on Garuda Indonesia..that is the reason i often flying with Garuda especially domestic flight..the most ON TIME aircraft in the world and the most friendly crew in my whole trips experience..suprb...🙏🙏

[@noelphilips]

My pleasure!

[@LoftyVisions]

I have some fun memories of Garuda from the 90s. When i lived in the UK I flew LGW to Sydney on a 747 and a MD11 with stops in Zurich, Abu Dhabi, Jakarta and a stopover in Denpasar. The flight seemed to last forever. That was back when you could smoke at the back of the plane too! On the way back out of Denpasar we stopped at Medan and I remember having a fag out of the front door at the top of the steps 😄 (I've since quit) Last time I flew with them was from Perth to Denpasar in 2007. Haven't seen a Garuda plane since. Not sure if they even still fly out of Perth these days?

[@jeffreyjahja7]

They've got rid of their perth route when Covid hits

[@Hobby1976]

Omg, I remember my first trip to Australia from London in 1994, 5 stops going 6 stops coming back and i remember it taking forever, plus nothing in airports not like today. Hated the experience so much never flew again with them. twice a year i fly from Australia to London with other airlines. 🙂✈

[@truebrit3578]

I remember when I first travelled to Asia on business in the 1980s Garuda were considered the airline of last resort by the airline community. Glad to see that having stuck around through the years they now look like a viable choice.

[@ritz84in]

6:53 Did I just see WOW air with VietJet vertical stabilizer?

[@TMccrury]

Good video. I grew up in Indonesia and flew Garuda a lot as a child. Recently, I've made several trips back to Indonesia and my connection has taken me through Seoul and placed me on Garuda into and out of Jakarta. While, the planes have been tired looking the service has been exceptional. Not sure it was 5 star worthy but certainly gets high marks.

[@kevinfranger]

thank you for flying Garuda, and for a better experience you should maybe try longer routes where we use our 777 or our new 330s with the new business class cabin. generally for flights with low demand the older business class is used, for premium routes (japan, amsterdam) the airplanes with the new business class are used. maybe you get the chance to fly our 330NEO one day, which we have 3 in our fleet and it would be my pleasure to pilot your flight 🙏🙏 great review though and thank you for your praise to our cabin crew who are doing an AMAZING job making sure that the customer is satisfied at all times

[@michaelhoran407]

I prefer Garuda to Emirates, entirely avoid Dubai.

[@kevinfranger]

@@michaelhoran407 I just think you cannot really compare those two airlines because they serve completely different markets. Garuda has a lot of international routes but the bulk of the routes are still domestic routes which are short to medium haul. looking at the history of Garuda, the airlines was actually founded as a means to connect all the islands in Indonesia and to make it easier for people to travel. Emirates is great, no doubt, but Garuda has heart and soul, and frankly it is a GREAT place to work at, since all the people working there are like family

[@thrustasymcomp9145]

@@kevinfranger lagi 1 bli

[@damcoentertainment3956]

@@kevinfranger So true.

[@bardo0007]

You sound like a great guy, hope you are my pilot next time.

[@taxol2]

The onboard crew service is really good. Sadly the company’s financial situation is abysmal, therefore garuda had to downsize, refinance loans, possibly merging with pelita and citilink. Garuda announced they will concentrate with their high occupancy routes, such as: domestics, asean, japan, china, australia, saudi arabia routes. Amsterdam route possibly maintained as well.

[@michaelcollins6973]

We have flown twice with Garuda, the first was great, we changed in Jakarta for Bangkok. The price was £1080 Business class. A year later we flew to Bali and the flight left a lot to be desired. Maybe it was due to the change of hub? Bu there were no in flight menus and there were very few on board drink choices. We were told its either wine or whisky. BTW this was from Heathrow.

[@jimhankinson4428]

You should give MAI a go - I flew with them from Yangon to Bangkok in December, and they were surprisingly good - seats comfortable, and a sandwich and a beer in economy on a 90 minute flight.

[@noelphilips]

Wow they sound amazing! Have to check them out!

[@insidethepits]

I stayed in Thailand for 3 weeks and put of boredom walked around the airport to reach my gate area, took me so long. Fortunately I had earbuds and music on

[@glauberliberato5244]

I Think they delivered well and it was only a regional 3hour flight for them.

[@igustingurahgitasanjaya4159]

We love garuda so much

[@sooziesoozie]

Garuda used to fly out of LGW and threw some amazing staff and handling agents parties …

[@alexmcwhirter6602]

Also LHR.

[@rasmara2011]

If i am not mistaken that 5 star rating from skytrax is for the best cabin crew catagory.

[@uknewslink]

Thanks Noel. I’ve heard of Garuda Indonesia but never traveled on board the carrier. Thanks for your report. Emirates I’d say is just a tad more lavish than Indonesia. In my opinion Emirates steals the show.

[@ahmedalmadani5073]

Welcome to Indonesia Noel, hope you'll have great time man. Amazing video .

[@noelphilips]

Thank you! It’s one of my favorite countries.

[@cahyofajar862]

I always using garuda Indonesia it's quite amazing perfomence skylines for ASEAN region country and should more improve also upgrade 👍 good job GARUDA INDONESIA ❤

[@HostileMike]

Another awesome video Noel! Welcome to you and your family into the USA also! We are glad to have you guys!

[@noelphilips]

Thanks! 😃 It’s great to be here!

[@HostileMike]

@@noelphilips been watching you for a long time. Love your videos man

[@qjnine]

I regularly used to fly Garuda to Indonesia pre-pandemic, and absolutely loved their service. One too many poor experiences transiting through Schiphol meant I stopped flying with them until the direct Gatwick, and later Heathrow-Jakarta route opened. I was very sad when it ended! I agree with comments about a lack of consistency in regards to hardware. The service on-board I've always found to be outstanding, but the equipment when not flying out of Europe I found to be a little tired at times. Never found that on the longer routes from London (in its day) and Amsterdam though, and would say the service and experience rivalled that of the famed top airlines.

[@josuaerick9670]

Great video as always, keep it up😃👍

[@noelphilips]

Thank you! 👍

[@agnitrambley]

I can’t believe this comparison. Thank you!! From a native Indonesian here.

[@happysporran]

Pleasantly surprised by garadu, they'd been on my don't fly list for over 30 years, but not now. Caring cabin crew makes all the difference.

[@Adnan71584]

As Josh always says, a 5-star Scamtrax status can be bought

[@alasdairdonald3433]

Hi Noel, it's a good idea to leave your seat belt done up at all times when you are seated. Clear air turbulence is not fun and can appear suddenly despite the nav/weather aids up front. Great video otherwise. Angus.

[@beckymunro2071]

Another fun video. Now that you are in Texas, you should come back to Canada. I know you've done WestJet abd Air Canada, and a few smaller ones. You should try Air Transat, and the newer ones like Lynx, Jetlines, Flair and Swoop. I would love to see you do a review of Porters new E-195's.

[@nicholasbanton]

I just completed the JFK to DXB to BKK round-trip on the Emirates A380 and I am even more impressed with Noel's stamina to take these long haul and multi-city trips. The outbound leg was great with a kind, attentive, and engaging cabin crew. The rest of the flights were less so. With the final leg maintained by several flight attendants looking like they were about to put in their two-weeks notice. I still wished I could've flown business class just for the experience on that A380. Btw, Suvarnabhumi International Airport in Bangkok is a beautiful airport.

[@reamick]

Sausages are definitely part of Asian cuisine. You can find them in China (of course) and Korea, to name two.

[@kirkwoodhawk2]

Talk about sudden transitions in your editing. . . You go from the delicious looking plate of food directly to the Loo Review. I was not prepared for that! 😂

[@Spookieham]

I flew Garuda from Perth to Bali before Covid and it was great. Brand new aircraft and great service. Very nice indeed and much better than Qantas or god forbid Jetstar. A very different airline from previously.

[@Spookieham]

@@carolinelane9599 I didnt realise they weren't flying. Bugger that no way I'm getting on a Jetstar plane.

[@lolalumikola]

That window dimming is amazing😭

[@klaseriksson7106]

Seems like a cool airline to fly, thumbs-up for these reviews we don't see too often. My son 4 years old really enjoyed the loo review! 😃

[@orionbaden-powell1496]

This is the only review I've enjoyed. I'm not sure what the diff is, but I like it.

[@noelphilips]

I appreciate that!

[@CloudSurfingG]

I love Garuda. I got the chance to fly the AMS-LGW (1st December 2014) onboard a 777-300ER (PK-GIC) as flight GA088 it was a wonderful flight, I would not hesitate to fly with them again on a long haul sector.

[@alexmcwhirter6602]

Yes but the issue is that they only operate a few long-haul routes so limited opportunities.

[@petevanderley4705]

Those short seatbelts are typical for some older Airbus planes. I had them on several airlines, even on Emirates Business Class. The service on Asian airlines is always good. Looking forward to your experience of EVA Air. Been flying with them lately a couple times lately to Europe and used to fly with them between Kuala Lumpur and Houston.

[@dr.ravinjay]

15:23 as an Indonesian who is not Muslim I don’t get why the Muslim call for prayers must be played in the international arrivals. It would make sense in the domestic terminal, but it doesn’t even play there….

[@qwa1986]

Traveled to and fro from London to Jakarta over the past few years multiple times with multiple airlines. Garuda by far the best.

[@stephenfarrell4796]

Always love your videos. Because of the seat configuration, you do seem to inadvertently be filming other passengers? Not sure how I’d feel about it myself

[@markclayton626]

Nice one Noel 👍

[@noelphilips]

Thanks 👍

[@nicunursie9025]

I’d rather fly Emirates but Garuda is quite good overall in business. The seats are comfortable (even though they aren’t lay-flat) and the staff are great (not always so on Emirates) and the food is great! Plus the price is less so you have to choose but I still would pick Emirates (A380 business class only - not 777 business)

[@philplowman2251]

I Love Garuda and fly a lot with them

[@putranikoamadeusmarinochir7630]

Hi Noel, to let you know you are flown a a330 that have outdated seat, if you want to get the best experience, try to fly the a330-900 which have the new seats

[@douglasunmack961]

I dont think the primary issue with airlines like Garuda is the cabin service - which is fine. It’s air safety owing to quality of training, aircraft maintenance, and so on …

[@billlong963]

I lived in Indonesia in the mid to late 1990s. Most of the airlines I flew then no longer exist. Garuda was and still is the best airline in Indonesia. There was one hilarious incident I remember. I had gone to Guam from Bali on business, flying on Continental Micronesia (that was an amazing trip, too bad they no longer fly, the airline and the route). Returning to Bali from a successful business trip, I was told to go to a certain gate to take my Garuda flight to Jakarta. When I got there, I had to board a bus that took me back to the gate next to where I had just gotten off. My flight's ultimate destination was Narita Airport (Tokyo) with a domestic stop on the way at Soekarno-Hatta Airport (Jakarta). And I had to hurry because my plane was 45 minutes late. When I got on the plane most of the other passengers were settled in. The man next to me was a Japanese man who spoke no English (or Indonesian for that matter) who asked the flight attendant for "Biru," which is the Japanese word for beer. The flight attendant understood English and Indonesian but not Japanese. She looked at the man puzzled every time he said the word biru. She almost got to the point where she began to remove her blue flight attendant's uniform. I couldn't make the man understand why she was acting that way but I knew. Biru is the Indonesian word for blue. Bir is beer and it sounds just like it does in English.

[@benbrady7477]

Nice review Noel, If you get a chance. Review the Garuda 777 and A330Neo, It’s a different business class layout 1-2-1 configuration and much newer aircraft. I love Garuda Indonesia it’s an airline that doesn’t get enough recognition.

[@timandtam5063]

Garuda Indonesia is always the best airline in Indonesia! 🇲🇨👋

[@russelldavies1423]

As an Australian who has lived in Indonesia for 15 years, Garuda has improved substantially.Their cabin crew is fantastic.

[@composimple364]

10:40 that’s exactly what I thought about British airways before hand, but BA really really impressed me 🎉🎉

[@cajmo8635]

Wow Airlines making an appearance at 6:53

[@RobinsVoyage]

15:20 my cat's head just bolted straight up when the prayer call was playing!

[@ianrsa8422]

I think that rating is a little suspicious but I would give that ride to the hotel a 5 star rating 🌟