Garuda service<\/p>\n
I am an Irish citizen who has spent the last month on holiday
\nin this most fabulous country. I wish to bring to the attention
\nof your readers an interesting episode which took place at the
\nSoekarno-Hatta International Airport on Sunday, July 17, 1994.
\nThis story is not so much to complain about the services of a
\nparticular international airline company, but rather to alert
\nintending customers of a rather alarming security breach which
\nlays travelers from Indonesia wide open to the horrors of
\ninternational terrorism.<\/p>\n
On Sunday, July 17, 1994 I checked in at the airport for a
\nGaruda International Airlines flight to Amsterdam. My baggage was
\nchecked straight through to Dublin Ireland (my final destination)
\nand the disinterested clerk did not question if had I packed the
\nbaggage myself or if I had left the baggage unattended for any
\nlength of time. While I was assured that I had both packed my own
\nluggage and been with it at all times I was quite concerned that
\nother intending passengers could unknowingly be in breach of this
\nbasic international antiterrorism procedure! However my mind did
\nnot dwell on this much as I said good-bye to my loved one and
\nmade my way to the departure gate.<\/p>\n
On reaching the departure gate I was greeted by what could
\nonly be described as a gaggle of Garuda ground staff asking me,
\nwhile grinning and talking amongst themselves, why I was so late
\nto the boarding gate. I replied that I had heard no announcement
\nto inform me of my delay. At this point I was becoming
\nincreasingly agitated as I saw that the door of the plane was
\nshut. Interrupting their seemingly humorous discussion, I asked
\nif I could board the plane. My request was responded with shrugs
\nand grins. My mind began to work overtime as I began to realize
\nthe increasing gravity of the situation; my monthly stock
\nassessment meeting missed, my colleague waiting for me at the
\nairport in Ireland, the hassle of telephoning and sending faxes
\nat this hour of the evening, the expense of more taxis and
\nanother night's accommodation. Then it struck me, I had no rupiah
\nleft! I gasped in horror as I watched the plane pull away from
\nthe terminal to the chuckles and grins of the Garuda staff. I had
\nrace back and try to catch the friends who had driven me from
\nLampung that evening.<\/p>\n
To make a long story short I managed to find my friends, one
\nof whom suggested that we should go to the Garuda office. To my
\ndisappointment a Mr. W. Hendro (man in charge) proved no more
\nhelpful than the Garuda staff at the boarding gate. In fact Mr.
\nHendro went out of his way to try to shift the blame to various
\nothers including the airport announcement staff and engaged my
\nfriends and I in a most tiring two hour argument on the matter.
\nAfter we finally proved that no announcement was made and got Mr.
\nHendro to accept the responsibility, he then engaged in a bizarre
\nform of haggling for compensation where I could have either a
\nclass upgrade or a night's accommodation at a hotel! At this
\npoint it was well after midnight and I was too tired and upset to
\nengage in further debate, so I had to see his supervisor the next
\nday. The end result is I got no more satisfaction. Garuda, after
\nadmitting responsibility for my having missed my flight after
\npassing through check in and immigration, refused me a phone call
\nor fax to inform my colleagues, accommodation (even though I had
\ntraveled from Lampung that evening) and any form of monetary
\ncompensation relating to my expenses as a direct result of their
\nfailure to get me on that flight.<\/p>\n
However that's just one company's ineptitude and one person's
\nmisfortune. What is far more alarming is that a piece of baggage
\nwas loaded onto a plane carrying more than 100 passengers,
\nwithout the check in desk checking if it had been left
\nunattended, without the ground staff knowing the name of the
\nowner, without the person who checked it in on the plane!<\/p>\n
CIARAN KELLY<\/p>\n
Jakarta<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/garuda-service-1447899208", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }