In Reply to: Garuda ,,, whats the flight like? posted by ads_n_cars on Thursday, 28. April 2005 at 20:06 Bali Time:
We fly Garuda from NZ to Bali and back each time. We love the gamelan music over the speakers as we board, the lovely smiles of the staff. My girls, adults now, giggle at the old instructional safety video - it has taken on the same appeal as a Mr Bean video to them, and they crack up at the hostess who blows into the life jacket inflator coz they think she looks kinda softporn-rude!
The meals are a form of russian roulette. Chicken is usually a good option but these meals always run out before the beef or fish option. Once I got scallops as my fish dish and being allergic to them had to swap a meal. Drinks seem to be served at decent intervals and I have seen parents given good assistance by staff when they have needed anything.
Garuda, to our great amusement and frustration, also have the habit of showing the same movie on the way back to the one we see on the way over-every damned time!. You would think they could work something out so that does not happen. We are accustomed to headsets that don't work, missing TV monitors (one flight the hole was filled with a cardboard sheet that was duct-taped into place!) and by the end of the flight several of the toilets are blocked or do not work. It does not pay to go wee-wees near the end of the flight!
We find the leg-room a bit pokey with the time we have to be airborne, but better than some airlines we have flown with. On the way home we often get fewer passengers aboard and the staff are great about letting people move about and lie down over several empty seats, and they dim the lights right down. No trouble getting blankets and pillows, even extras if needed.
Five flights there and five back, we have only very rarely experienced a delayed flight, and never had any of our luggage damaged or go missing.