Airlines to introduce new airfares on Monday

Airlines to introduce new airfares on Monday

JAKARTA (JP): Garuda Indonesia, Merpati Nusantara, Bouraq and
Mandala airlines have announced that they will introduce the new
airfares on Monday, April 8.

Sempati Air's spokesman told The Jakarta Post yesterday the
airline would discuss the new fares on Monday.

New economy airfares have been set in line with the domestic
land, sea and air transportation hikes of between 9.2 and 66.7
percent, which the government announced on Wednesday would go
into effect as of Thursday.

Under Decree No. 20/1996, dated April 3, 1996, and signed by
Minister of Transportation Haryanto Dhanutirto, airfare increases
have been categorized under jet and non-jet fares.

The increases range between Rp 250 (US$0.11) per passenger per
kilometer for a distance over 1,500 kilometers for jets and Rp
386 ($0.108) per passenger per kilometer for a distance over up
to 150 kilometers for other aircraft.

The airfare hikes will be calculated automatically every six
months in line with the fluctuation of the rupiah against the
dollar.

Economy-class airfares were set in 1993 and have not been
increased since. The airfare hikes announced on Wednesday range
between 14 percent and 23 percent.

Airport bus

The government also announced that the bus fare from Jakarta
to Soekarno-Hatta airport has been raised from Rp 3,000 to Rp
4,000 per passenger.

Meanwhile, land transportation operators, mostly buses, have
started charging passengers the new fares. As there were not new
charge meters immediately available, some taxies yesterday
charged passengers for additional fees, while some cabs did not.

The state-owned railway service, Perumka, will introduce the
new fares tomorrow, its spokeswoman, Nenny Siti Hasanah, the Post
in Bandung yesterday. An official announcement on the matter will
be made today, she said. (icn)