Airport service

Airport service

It is always pleasant to depart and come back to an organized airport such as Sukarno-Hatta in Jakarta and, except for the restrooms and chairs, enjoy a fairly clean environment. This feeling does not last long, however, as one leaves the terminal and is accosted by the "taxi" drivers who not only might be there illegally since their vehicles look like private automobiles, but also advertise their rate as "cheap, only one hundred dollars to the city"...hoping you are an innocent tourist who can be had. On our last return to Jakarta arriving at 9.00 p.m. on Sunday, March 18, having managed to brush off the sharks, we came to the taxi stand and, oh surprise, there were no taxis other than private "taxis" under the supervision of the police, no less.

We walked to the next taxi stand and a garbage truck had been parked there. In the distance we saw a third taxi stand with about fifty parked legitimate taxis and when we arrived there (and few passengers did due to the distance!) we complained to the on duty policeman. He just smiled and brushed us off.

And lucky us to get there before 11 p.m.! Unlike another time six months ago when we arrived at that late hour and the airport had extinguished all lights and shut down services and as we shared the very last taxi with another kind passenger, we felt guilty that about 30 passengers were in line in the dark, with no vehicle to transport them to the city! What a peculiar way to run an international airport.

MARIA FARR

Jakarta